Luo Zhen opened his palm, his grip loosening on the three jade tokens. The moment they were free of his physical restraint, they didn't drop to the floor. Instead, seized by an invisible, magnetic urgency, they began to vibrate, humming with a low resonance as they floated unsteadily toward the open air, drawn inevitably toward the horizon.
Luo Zhen's hand shot out, his reflexes honed by countless battles, and snatched the tokens back from the air before they could escape. The vibration against his skin was insistent, like a living thing desperate to return home.
"System," Luo Zhen projected his thoughts inward, addressing the digital consciousness that had become his constant companion. "Is this reaction connected to the Spirit Pool Secret Realm?"
The System's voice, cool and detached, echoed in his mind. "Probability is high. My latest map scans indicate a massive, sudden surge of spiritual energy erupting from a mountain peak straddling the border between the State of Lu and the Red Desert. The coordinates align perfectly with the rumored location of the Spirit Pool Secret Realm."
"A sudden appearance?" Luo Zhen raised an eyebrow, his fingers tracing the cool surface of the jade. "It matches. These tokens reacted at the exact moment the energy surged. The timing is too precise to be a coincidence."
He paused, considering the tactical implications. Information was the currency of survival in this world. "System, can you run a deep scan of the Secret Realm's interior? I need to know what I'm walking into."
If the realm held high-tier resources, Luo Zhen would have no choice but to investigate. He held the keys—the jade tokens—which meant entry was guaranteed. But entry and survival were two very different things.
"Negative," the System replied, its tone devoid of apology. "The anomaly appeared instantaneously. You have not expended the necessary Experience Points to unlock specific intel for this location. Furthermore, scans are blocked by ancient shielding arrays."
"What if I pay the Experience Points now?" Luo Zhen offered. "Unlock the map."
"It is not a matter of payment," the System clarified. "I can unlock standard topography, but Secret Realms are distinct pockets of reality protected by high-level formations. My sensors cannot penetrate that veil. I can provide a waypoint to the entrance, but regarding the interior ecology or threats? You are on your own."
"Great." Luo Zhen rubbed the bridge of his nose, a human gesture he hadn't quite abandoned despite his evolution. "Blind it is."
"However," the System added, pivoting to its role as an advisor, "logic dictates that all Secret Realms contain significant treasures. This Spirit Pool is no exception."
"Based on the energy signature, this is a Demon Core Realm level instance. My sensors are already tracking movement across Silver Wyrm Island. A significant number of Demon Generals and human martial artists—all at the Demon Core stage—are converging on that location. They all possess the requisite jade tokens."
Luo Zhen's eyes narrowed, a glint of predatory interest sparking within them. "If everyone is going, then the potential rewards must outweigh the risks. I can't sit this one out."
"You can proceed, Host," the System said, "but a word of caution. The Red-Faced Elder from the State of Lu is currently stationed at the entrance."
Luo Zhen froze. The name brought a wash of cold memory. The Red-Faced Elder was a Nascent Soul powerhouse—a human cultivator of immense strength who had hunted Luo Zhen relentlessly after Luo Zhen slaughtered his three apprentices in the Wu Kingdom palace. That chase had been a desperate, humiliating flight that forced Luo Zhen into the unforgiving wastes of the Red Desert.
"He's there?"
"Affirmative," the System confirmed. "While you used the Clear Spirit Talisman to dissolve his Blood Light Curse, and your evolution into a Green Scaled Flood Dragon has altered your physical appearance, your fundamental aura retains certain energetic signatures."
The System paused, letting the weight of the information settle. "A cultivator of the Red-Faced Elder's caliber possesses a terrifyingly acute spiritual consciousness. If he scans you closely, there is a statistical probability he will pierce your disguise."
"You make a compelling point," Luo Zhen muttered, his expression darkening.
He paced the room, weighing the scales. On one side, the threat of a Nascent Soul expert—an entity capable of crushing him with a thought. On the other side, stagnation.
Luo Zhen had hit a wall. In the resource-poor waters of the Black Water Lake, his cultivation had plateaued. Without external catalysts, he was looking at decades, perhaps a lifetime, stuck in the mid-stage of the Demon Core Realm. The Spirit Pool Secret Realm, with its ancient concentrated energies, was the only viable ladder to the next level.
"I have to go," Luo Zhen said finally, his voice firm. "Risk or not."
He wasn't the same prey that had fled into the desert. He was stronger now. Even if he couldn't defeat the Red-Faced Elder in a direct confrontation, he had grown powerful enough to survive a skirmish, and he had an inventory full of escape talismans.
"Decision confirmed," the System noted.
Luo Zhen didn't hesitate. He left his residence, his body slicing through the dark waters of the Black Water Lake until he broke the surface. He summoned the system map, pinpointed the pulsating beacon of the Secret Realm, and engaged his flight capabilities.
Two magnificent green wings burst from his back, shimmering with ethereal light. With a powerful beat, he launched himself into the sky, streaking toward the borderlands.
The mountain peak chosen by the ancient architects of the Secret Realm was a place of stark, terrifying beauty.
The summit was dominated by a colossal array formation, a dome of multi-colored light that capped the mountain like a translucent lid. Beneath this shimmering barrier, raw spiritual energy roiled like boiling water, forming visible columns of gas that hammered against the containment field, desperate to escape.
Surrounding the array, the air was thick with tension. Two distinct factions held court, separated by an invisible line of hostility.
On one side stood the Demon Race, led by five imposing figures—Demon Kings who had journeyed from the depths of the Red Desert. Though they belonged to different species, their auras were uniformly oppressive, warping the air around them.
Opposite them stood the Human Race. Five cultivators floated with an air of practiced superiority. These were Nascent Soul experts, the human equivalent of the Demon Kings. Among them, looking as severe as a judge of the underworld, was the Red-Faced Elder.
The leader of the Demon faction, a towering Green Wolf King, swept his gaze over the humans. His eyes narrowed as he counted.
"Curious," the Wolf King rumbled, his voice like grinding stones. He pointed a clawed finger at the human ranks. "I recognize four of you. But who is this fifth? Since when did the State of Lu produce another Nascent Soul cultivator?"
The man singled out by the Wolf King stepped forward. He radiated a calm, steady power. "I am Yang Fan. It is an honor to meet the renowned Green Wolf King."
"Yang Fan... I have never heard this name." The Wolf King shook his head, a sneer curling his lip. "You humans and your secrets. The State of Lu loves to hide its knives, constantly popping up new experts from the woodwork."
Across the divide, the five human experts exchanged knowing smiles. Their expressions were laced with arrogance.
For years, the State of Lu had played a game of deception. The world believed the Red-Faced Elder was their sole guardian, a singular pillar holding up the sky. In reality, he was merely the public face. In the shadows, Lu had cultivated a cadre of powerhouses. This calculated ambiguity was the only reason the Demon Kings of the Red Desert hadn't simply marched in and erased the nation from the map.
The Demon Kings held the raw numbers—the Red Desert was vast and teeming with monsters—, but they lacked unity. Fractured into warring tribes and selfish cliques, and seeing little value in the resource-poor human lands, they had allowed the status quo to remain.
As the titans of the two races exchanged barbs, the lower-tier cultivators continued to arrive.
A human martial artist in the Origin Core Realm landed breathlessly, clutching a white jade token like a lifeline. Moments later, two Demon Generals emerged from the brush. The trickle was becoming a flood, as opportunists from all over Silver Wyrm Island converged on the beacon of power.
Miles away, a Lizard Demon General was tearing across the landscape, his eyes fixed on the distant mountain. He was fast, driven by greed and the promise of evolution.
Suddenly, the air directly in front of him rippled like water disturbed by a stone.
Before the Lizard General could decelerate, a figure manifested from nothingness—a hybrid entity, half-human and half-flood dragon, blocking his path.
The Lizard General hissed, his claws extending, ready to strike at the ambush. But before he could launch his attack, the stranger's eyes shifted.
They didn't just change color; they exploded with a psychedelic, swirling white light.
The brilliance washed over the Lizard General, bypassing his physical defenses and hammering directly into his psyche. The hiss died in his throat. His aggressive stance melted away, replaced by a slack-jawed, glassy stare. He hung suspended in the air, caught in the web of a high-level illusion.
Luo Zhen stepped out of his stealth stance, observing his handiwork. The Phantom Light Eye was proving to be a terrifyingly effective tool.
He moved closer to the catatonic demon. "You can hear me," Luo Zhen said, his voice weaving into the demon's hallucination. "Tell me everything you know about the Spirit Pool Secret Realm. Leave nothing out."
The Lizard General opened his mouth, his voice monotone and robotic. "The Spirit Pool Secret Realm... located on the border peak... concealed by arrays. It contains rare herbs... ancient resources..."
Luo Zhen listened intently. Under the influence of the illusion, the lizard spilled the entire history of the conflict.
He explained the Great War between the Red Desert Kings and the Lu State experts, a bloody stalemate fought over ownership of the Spirit Pool. He detailed the treaty that followed: a joint seal placed over the pool, allowing it to recharge. Every few decades, when the energy reached critical mass, the seal would lift for exactly one month.
Crucially, he explained the entry protocol. One hundred jade tokens. No names, no reservations. The barrier recognized only the token. It was a golden ticket system, and the Demon Kings and Nascent Soul ancestors acted merely as gatekeepers to ensure the chaos remained contained to the participants.
Once inside, it was a free-for-all for the Demon Core generation.
Ten minutes later, the Lizard General blinked. A shiver ran through his scales as reality snapped back into focus.
"Huh?" He looked around, disoriented. "Why did I stop?"
He scratched his scaly forehead, confused. The last few minutes were a complete blank, a hole in his memory. He tried to grasp at the lost time, but it was like trying to hold smoke.
"Must have spaced out," he muttered, shaking his head violently. "Stupid. Can't afford to daydream now."
With a grunt of effort, he accelerated again, rushing toward the mountain, completely unaware that he had just been interrogated.
In his wake, the air shimmered, and Luo Zhen dropped his camouflage.
He watched the lizard disappear into the distance, processing the intel. The situation was better than he had feared. The "Level Cap" for the instance was strictly Demon Core. The terrifying monsters—the Red-Faced Elder and the Wolf King—were referees, not players.
"The State of Lu is stronger than I thought," Luo Zhen mused. "To force a stalemate with the Desert Kings... that requires serious firepower."
But the path was clear. He had the tokens. He had the strength.
He unfurled his green wings, the feathers catching the light, and launched himself toward the summit.
Two hours later, Luo Zhen arrived.
He descended from the sky, folding his wings as he landed amidst a throng of gathered cultivators. The pressure here was immense, the air vibrating with the sheer density of spiritual power leaking from the barrier.
He had barely touched the ground when a voice, laced with disbelief, cut through the ambient noise.
"Brother Luo? Is that... is that really you?"
Luo Zhen turned. Standing a few yards away, looking at him with wide, incredulous eyes, was Hong Yu.
"Hong Yu," Luo Zhen said, a genuine smile touching his lips as he walked toward her. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"It really is you!" Hong Yu gasped, stepping closer but stopping just short of touching him. Her eyes darted to the single, crystalline green horn protruding from his forehead. "You've changed so much. If I didn't know your aura, I would have thought you were a stranger."
"Evolution has its perks," Luo Zhen said lightly. "It's been a transformative journey."
"Transformative is an understatement," Hong Yu whispered. She closed her eyes for a second, sensing the energy radiating off him. Her eyes snapped open. "Wait. You... you're already at the mid-stage of the Demon Core Realm? Brother Luo, that speed is monstrous! Congratulations!"
"Luck," Luo Zhen lied smoothly. "Just fortunate breakthroughs." He gestured to the crowd. "You have a token?"
"I do," she nodded. "I'm here to try my luck. But... Brother Luo, where is your team?"
"Team?" Luo Zhen blinked. "I'm solo."
Hong Yu looked at him as if he had just announced he planned to eat rocks for dinner. "Solo? Brother Luo, you can't be serious. This isn't a sparring match. It's a slaughterhouse."
She lowered her voice, leaning in. "Do you think the danger inside comes from the guardian beasts? No. It's the other cultivators. There are no laws in there. People form hunting packs. They kill for herbs, for tokens, or just to eliminate future competition."
"Statistics say only thirty percent of people walk out of that barrier," she warned grimly. "The rest? They don't die to traps. They die from knives in the back. If you go in alone, you're just a walking loot box."
Luo Zhen nodded, appreciating her concern, though his internal calculus remained unchanged. "I understand the risks. But I'm used to working alone."
Hong Yu looked ready to argue, but she was interrupted by the approach of several serpentine figures.
"Hong Yu!" a sharp voice hissed. "Stop wandering off. We need to stick together."
A group of Snake Demon Generals slithered up, eyeing Luo Zhen with open suspicion.
"These are my cousins," Hong Yu explained quickly, gesturing to the group. She turned to the leader, a large snake demon with a haughty expression. "Big Cousin, this is Luo Zhen. He's a friend, and he's incredibly strong. He has a token but no team. We should bring him in."
The Big Cousin looked Luo Zhen up and down, his slit pupils narrowing with disdain. He sensed an outsider, a variable he couldn't control.
"I don't think so," the cousin sneered. "The Secret Realm is a delicate operation. Trust is everything. We can't just pick up strays because you have a soft spot for them. Betrayal is common inside. Who can guarantee this guy won't stab us in the back the moment we find a high-tier herb?"
He crossed his arms, physically blocking Luo Zhen from the group. "We don't know him. We don't need him."
Luo Zhen didn't wait for Hong Yu to plead his case. He didn't need their protection, and he certainly didn't need their drama.
"Your cousin is right," Luo Zhen said calmly, his voice devoid of anger. "I'm not a team player. You all stay safe."
Without a backward glance, Luo Zhen turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.
Hong Yu watched him go, biting her lip. She looked at her cousin, then back at Luo Zhen's retreating figure. She knew what her cousin didn't—that they had just turned away a force of nature.
"A missed opportunity," she muttered to herself, the ominous hum of the barrier vibrating in her bones. "A massive missed opportunity."