Isn't This a Game? Why Are You All Cultivating for Real!

Chapter 110: Chapter 110: Entering the Secret Realm, Struck It Rich

The system said it repaired the fragment, but on the surface, the fragment showed no change.

But Song Jiulai clearly felt the fragment in her Jiezidai suddenly flash with light.

Then she heard the system’s voice. "Holy shit, this goddamn Secret Realm is already open! This passage won’t stay open long—get in there, quick!!"

Song Jiulai: ?

’I haven’t even decided whether to let the players exploit a bug to get into the Secret Realm. How could this happen so suddenly?’

Before she could say a word, her vision blurred.

It had been a long time since she’d experienced such excruciating pain.

Her head was spinning.

It was like being endlessly tossed about inside a space capsule.

The agony lasted for a dozen or so seconds before it finally stopped.

By the time she opened her eyes, she felt the Spiritual Energy within her body roil violently.

The sight before her astonished Song Jiulai.

A beautiful landscape unfolded, alive with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers. Before her, a torrent of water cascaded down a waterfall, its thunderous roar drowning out all other sound.

The system said, "Change your face. It’s very likely they’ll have a—a projection. People from the other Sects will be able to see you."

Song Jiulai swiped a hand over her face, and in an instant, she took on the appearance of an unfamiliar male cultivator.

From now on, she was Ma Xiaohu.

This was no ordinary face-changing technique, however. Song Jiulai rarely used it because it required the system to expend its own energy.

It could directly block the perception of even a Great Power Cultivator.

After all, while ordinary cultivators could change their faces, high-level ones could see through the disguise with a single glance.

The transformation continuously consumed energy, so she definitely couldn’t use it all the time.

But this was an emergency, and she was an illegal stowaway. She had to protect herself.

Song Jiulai couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret. "A pity. I was hoping the players could use a bug to get in."

Players could just switch to a puppet’s body to change their face. But even if they could exploit that kind of bug, if they died in the Secret Realm, they were still dead. The risk was very real.

Song Jiulai had physically transmigrated into this world; she couldn’t exploit bugs as easily as the players.

The system said, "I didn’t expect the Secret Realm to be open right now, either."

"Otherwise, I could have told a few players to prepare in advance."

Entry is only possible the moment the Secret Realm opens, so it was impossible now.

After changing into her male cultivator disguise, Song Jiulai moved away furtively, scanning her surroundings.

She had no idea which Secret Realm this even was.

She was in, but she knew nothing about it. Some Secret Realms were filled with all kinds of traps; one careless misstep and it was game over. Song Jiulai knew she had to be careful.

「Meanwhile, outside the Secret Realm.」

On a large plaza.

The Extreme Saint Sect, the Blood Prison Sect, the Supreme Mysterious Sect, and the Heavenly Crane Sect.

The Four Great Sects were gathered.

This was a small gathering, with only a single Nascent Soul Stage cultivator present to keep order. It was all for the biennial opening of the Liuyao Secret Realm, an event shared by the Four Great Sects.

The Yunzhou Continent had thousands of Secret Realms, each one unique.

Some were firmly controlled by super-sects like the Xue Cang Sect, which only occasionally granted a few entry slots.

A good number also fell into the hands of Major Sects like the Blood Prison Sect.

The Liuyao Secret Realm, however, was a special case.

The Liuyao Secret Realm was one of the realms left behind when Master Liuyao perished, and it only permitted entry to disciples in the Qi Refinement Realm.

Legend had it that Master Liuyao had left behind not only numerous Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, but also the cub of a Seventh Rank Demon Beast.

This part of the legend was true—they had found the Seventh Rank Demon Beast cub.

A demon beast of this rank already possessed intelligence comparable to a human’s. Aside from their innate bloodlust, their cubs could be tamed and utilized.

However, some things within the Liuyao Secret Realm were self-renewing. For instance, a Fifth-rank Spirit Grass and an abundance of low-level spirit grass would regrow inside the Secret Realm each year.

The Spiritual Energy within was abundant, and the Secret Realm itself had never collapsed.

Usually, a Secret Realm would cease to exist once its greatest treasure was taken.

So the cub of a Seventh Rank Demon Beast wasn’t the greatest treasure inside?

The cultivators were baffled. Some speculated that there must be another treasure yet to be found, but over the decades, they had practically plowed the very earth of the realm a thousand times over without finding it.

In the end, they maintained the tradition of opening it once every two years.

The Fifth-rank Spirit Grass served as the prize.

Everyone had grown accustomed to it, simply selecting disciples with good aptitude to send inside every two years.

The Secret Realm would remain open for seven days; it was now the third day.

Above the plaza, just as the system had said, hung a Water Mirror that clearly reflected the scenery within the Secret Realm.

The magical thing about this Water Mirror was that no matter where a cultivator stood, they would always see a perfect, head-on image.

It always put its best face forward.

The previously placid Water Mirror suddenly rippled.

One of the cultivators seemed to sense something and glanced up, but the Water Mirror’s main view was still focused on a great battle between disciples of the Blood Prison Sect and the Extreme Saint Sect.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

At the sight of this, a cultivator from the Blood Prison Sect snorted coldly.

Ever since their Sect’s Saint Heir and the Extreme Saint Sect’s Saintess had broken up a few years prior, the two Major Sects had become bitter enemies. Their breakup had been a complete disaster, an ugly end to a tragic romance.

It wasn’t the first time the disciples of the two Sects had come to blows inside a Secret Realm.

They fought whenever they met, and the brawls were even more vicious when there was treasure involved.

If it weren’t impossible to be killed in the Secret Realm, who knows how many disciples would have already kicked the bucket.

Anyone on the verge of death would be expelled from the Secret Realm, thanks to protective measures put in place by the Major Sects.

"Gentlemen, have any of you formed an opinion on that recent rumor from the Yunzhou Continent?"

Suddenly, someone, evidently bored, brought up the topic that had recently caused the biggest stir within the Sects.

Someone else was clearly impatient. A burly, bearded elder from the Blood Prison Sect spoke, his voice rough. "What’s there to have an opinion about? Hasn’t it already been said the prophecy is half-truth and half-lies? If there really are visitors from beyond the heavens, you think your pathetic cultivation would let you discover them before the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect or the Xue Cang Sect?"

Seeing the Blood Prison Sect elder spout such unpleasant nonsense, an elder from the Extreme Saint Sect retorted coldly, "The arrival of otherworldly visitors is a matter of great concern to every cultivator on the Yunzhou Continent. It’s one thing if you choose not to pay attention, but to stand here spreading such dangerous falsehoods... Or have you, perhaps, already made contact with these visitors?"

"HAHAHAHAHA..." The Blood Prison Sect elder was completely unafraid. "If I had the skill to make contact with those visitors from beyond the heavens, the first thing I’d do is wipe out your Sect!"

"Such arrogance!"

"Well, now! Is this the measure of the Blood Prison Sect’s magnanimity?"

Some cultivators muttered under their breath, "...What kind of grudge warrants openly talking about wiping out an entire sect?"

"I don’t know. I heard the Blood Prison Sect absolutely despises the Extreme Saint Sect now, all because of that business with the Saint Heir and Saintess..."

No one could stop the cultivators from muttering amongst themselves.

Just then, the Water Mirror flickered.

An unfamiliar, furtive figure appeared on the Water Mirror.

Everyone present was taken aback.

"Whose disciple is that? I’ve never seen them before."

"I’ve never seen such a shifty-looking cultivator in my life..."

At that moment, Song Jiulai—being called "shifty" for the uneven face she’d casually slapped on—grinned even more shiftily.

’Holy crap, System, why is the ground covered in Second-Rank Spirit Grass? There’s even Third-Rank Spirit Grass! Am I actually rich? Oh my god... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!’