"I’ve already mastered four of the twelve sword techniques; this trip to the Mire Dragon Marsh should provide me with some means of self-preservation,"
Lin Chen gripped his Flowing Light Sword tightly. After finishing a set of sword movements, he returned to his room to pack his belongings. That night, Lin Chen did not meditate but instead opted to rest and gather his strength by sleeping.
The next day, when Lin Chen arrived at the Jade Cauldron Sect’s Main Peak, he saw a sea of people. There were no cultivation restrictions placed by the Sect for this trip to the Mire Dragon Marsh; aside from True Disciples and Inner Sect Disciples, Outer Sect Disciples could participate as well.
Moreover, the Jade Cauldron Sect had issued several tasks, completion of which would yield a substantial amount of Sect Contribution Points.
This led nearly all martial artists in the Sect who had reached the Spirit Gathering Realm to take part, and even some disciples in the Body Tempering Realm signed up.
The personnel responsible for registration repeatedly reminded the disciples of the extraordinary danger of this expedition, including the likelihood of encountering Black Cloud Sect Disciples and battling with them. Despite the warnings, many disciples still wanted to register.
The rewards from the Sect as well as the native cultivation resources within the Mire Dragon Marsh were too tempting.
As cultivators, they are born to compete for the favor of the world, and they were not willing to miss this soaring opportunity, which in previous years was only available to Inner Sect Disciples, but now they too had their chance.
The entrance to the Mire Dragon Marsh Secret Realm was located about fifty li from the Jade Cauldron Sect, a place typically desolate and filled with miasma, seldom visited by anyone.
The entrance to the secret realm could only be opened with the combined effort of several elders from the Jade Cauldron Sect and also at specific times dictated by the Mire Dragon Marsh itself.
Aboard the Sect’s Flying Boats, the disciples headed for the opening site of the Mire Dragon Marsh.
There were more than ten Flying Boats alone.
Each Flying Boat carried thousands of people, indicating that the Jade Cauldron Sect had nearly mobilized en masse for this occasion.
Apart from the disciples, the expedition included Peak Masters from various peaks; with the exception of the master of Jade Bird Peak and the masters of the third and seventh peaks, all other Nine Peaks Peak Masters were present, as well as the Sect Master of the Jade Cauldron Sect.
At this moment, the Flying Boats brought everyone to a hill where elders from the Jade Cauldron Sect had been setting up formations well in advance.
The disciples then disembarked from the Flying Boats, and soon the entire hill was crowded with people, presenting a magnificent and bustling scene.
"Ah, we’ve told them the rules; I just hope that this time, more disciples will make it out alive," Xu Ma’an sighed. Mobilizing the whole Sect was a last resort, but it was the only option they had at the moment.
If they didn’t thwart the Black Cloud Sect’s conspiracy, their plan, once successful, would lead to armies of Yin Sha Puppets from the Black Cloud Sect attacking them the next time. Therefore, it was absolutely imperative to prevent the Black Cloud Sect from gathering Yin Sha Qi within the secret realm.
At this moment, all disciples of the Jade Cauldron Sect watched with excitement as the entrance to the Mire Dragon Marsh Secret Realm slowly revealed itself under the elders’ formation.
The Sect issued a total of three commands for this mission.
The first was to kill Black Cloud Sect Disciples, the second was to prevent the Black Cloud Sect Disciples from collecting Yin Sha Qi, and the third was to harvest Dragon Whisker Polygonum. Everyone was given a map for this purpose.
The rewards for the first two tasks were very good, including Sect Contribution Points and various elixirs and Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills.
However, the reward for the third task, harvesting Dragon Whisker Polygonum, was what truly captivated everyone; any disciple who gathered Dragon Whisker Polygonum, whether from the Inner or Outer Sect, could directly choose to become a True Disciple of any peak.
This drove everyone to a frenzy, although some had never even heard the name Dragon Whisker Polygonum before. Even though its appearance and special characteristics were described on the map, people were still unclear about its nature and purpose.
However, that did not dampen their frenzy for this mission.
"The hour is nearly upon us, fellow junior brothers and sisters, follow my lead and let’s open the passage," said someone.
The semi-visible passage suddenly flashed with countless lights and fissures, a sign that the secret realm’s passage was now connected.
Xu Ma’an bellowed, and along with the other Peak Masters, immediately concentrated their power, casting Spiritual Light onto the passage.
In an instant, a bright light flared at the passage, followed by a loud bang, as a massive Spiritual Light Vortex appeared before everyone. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ɴovelfire.net
"All disciples, follow the command, enter the Mire Longze."
At Xu Ma’an’s command, all the disciples couldn’t wait to swarm into the entrance of the passage.
The passage was a layer of light screen, and everyone who entered it was immediately teleported into the space of the Mire Dragon Marsh Secret Realm.
Lin Chen saw this and was not to be outdone, using his movement technique to charge directly into the passage.
After a dizzying spin, Lin Chen felt his feet touch solid ground and the mist before his eyes slowly dissipated, replaced by a brand-new world.
Lin Chen knew that he had now entered the space of the Mire Dragon Marsh Secret Realm.
"The Spiritual Energy here is so strong, even richer than the highest peaks of each of the Jade Cauldron Sect," he thought.
Lin Chen circulated his Cultivation Technique and discovered that the Spiritual Energy around him was incredibly rich, which would undoubtedly make cultivation much faster here than in the Outer Sect.
But Lin Chen dared not casually sit down and cultivate in this unfamiliar place, as the Sect Leader and Peak Masters had repeatedly warned about the great dangers here, surely implying the presence of numerous Magical Beasts.
However, such rich Spiritual Energy could indeed nurture various Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, which was a reasonable thing to expect.
Lin Chen surveyed his surroundings, then took out a Yellow Hide Map and began to search by comparing it with the area.
To Lin Chen’s disappointment, this place was not depicted on the map anywhere, nor was it where the Dragon Whisker Polygonum could be found.
This place also lacked the presence of other disciples from his Sect, which made it seem that the teleportation passage randomly transported each person to different areas within the secret realm.
Although the Jade Cauldron Sect possessed a general map of the Mire Dragon Marsh Secret Realm, it was only drawn by countless predecessors of the Sect disciples and did not fully explore the entire Dragon Marsh, covering only certain regions and not being complete.
After all, the Mire Longze was unimaginably vast, and the Martial Artists who entered the secret realm were all Spirit Gathering Realm Martial Artists, who did not have the strength to explore the entire secret realm.
Nevertheless, Lin Chen could still roughly determine the direction of the Dragon Whisker Polygonum based on his location.
Lin Chen’s primary mission was to help his master find the Dragon Whisker Polygonum, while killing Black Cloud Sect Disciples and preventing them from collecting Yin Sha Qi were secondary objectives.
As for encountering any Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, that would be up to fate; naturally, Lin Chen would not let them slip by if he were fortunate enough to come across them.