I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Leading the group was a young man dressed in a golden brocade robe, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and a deep and unfathomable aura. He was clearly at the peak of the tenth level of Foundation Establishment! Behind him were ten inner disciples, each with an extraordinary aura, the lowest of whom was at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment.

"The First Peak, Chu Jingtian." Zhou Ming's voice was solemn. "He is the sect leader's personal disciple and is recognized as the number one young talent among the Nine Peaks. It is said that he has already stepped into the Golden Core stage, and after this competition, he will likely go into seclusion to form his core."

The members of the First Peak walked straight to the front of the plaza, occupying the best positions, their expressions arrogant, ignoring the disciples from the other peaks around them.

Then, the second peak was reached.

The leader was a woman in white, with a cold and aloof appearance, carrying a long sword on her back, and her aura was also at the tenth level of the Foundation Establishment stage.

She is Su Xue, the daughter of the Second Peak Master.

"Senior Sister Su Xue is a swordsmanship genius. It is said that she has already grasped the rudiments of sword intent," Zhou De continued. "She and Chu Jingtian have always been strong rivals for the title of number one."

The third and fourth peaks arrived almost simultaneously.

The leader of the third peak was a gloomy-looking young man in black, at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, who was none other than Lu Yun, the third senior brother that Lin Qing'er had mentioned before.

His gaze swept over the Fifth Peak, lingering particularly on Lin Qing'er, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

The leader of the fourth peak was a gentle and refined young man, a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the ninth level, holding a folding fan and with a warm smile.

But Qin Yuan could sense that beneath that smile lay a sharpness that rivaled anyone else's.

The last one we reached was the seventh peak.

When the Seventh Peak members stepped into the plaza, Qin Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly.

The leader was a bald, burly man, as imposing as an iron tower, with a face full of menacing features and a seemingly honest smile. But the cold glint in his eyes sent chills down one's spine.

"The Seventh Peak's personal disciple, Xiong Li," Zhou Ming said in a low voice. "Peak of the tenth level of Foundation Establishment, known for his strength. It is said that he once shattered the skull of a third-tier demon beast with a single punch."

Xiong Li's gaze swept across the entire room, finally landing on Qin Yuan. His smile deepened, but his eyes remained devoid of warmth.

Qin Yuan could clearly sense the murderous intent hidden beneath that smile.

The task the elders of the Seventh Peak gave him was probably to "get rid of" himself in this secret realm.

"Qin Yuan?" Xiong Li suddenly spoke, his voice booming like a bell. "I heard you crippled Liu Feng with one punch? Interesting."

He looked Qin Yuan up and down, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes—he couldn't see through Qin Yuan's cultivation level! But then he thought, he must have used some kind of magical artifact or secret technique to conceal his aura. Three days ago he was only at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment; even if he had broken through again, it was impossible for him to have reached the peak of the tenth level.

"You flatter me, Senior Brother Xiong," Qin Yuan said calmly.

"No need for flattery." Xiong Li grinned. "I hope to meet you in the secret realm so we can have a proper 'sparring'."

He emphasized the word "exchange" very much, and anyone could hear the meaning behind it.

On the Third Peak, Lu Yun also spoke coldly: "Qin Yuan, you poached my disciples from the Third Peak. We need to settle this score with you."

He was referring to Lin Qing'er.

Lin Qing'er stood in the fifth peak's group, head down, not daring to look at Lu Yun.

Liu Han stood in the third peak's group, looking at Qin Yuan and Lin Qing'er, and sighed softly.

She knew that from the moment Lin Qing'er chose to leave the Third Peak, the two sides had already been on opposite sides.

The people on the other peaks watched this scene and whispered among themselves.

"Both the third and seventh peaks are targeting the fifth peak, so the fifth peak is in trouble now."

"Although Qin Yuan is powerful, he is only one person. Xiong Li and Lu Yun are both experts at the ninth or tenth level of Foundation Establishment. The Fifth Peak is probably in grave danger this time."

"I heard that Qin Yuan only reached the sixth level of Foundation Establishment three days ago. Even if he breaks through again, he can only reach the eighth level at most. How could he possibly be a match for Xiong Li and the others?"

"It's a pity. The Fifth Peak has finally produced a genius, but it seems he'll be doomed in this competition."

Amidst the murmurs, the elder presiding over the competition ascended the high platform and announced loudly, "The time has come! Disciples of all peaks, prepare to enter the Profound Origin Minor Realm!"

He surveyed the room and continued, "I presume everyone is already aware of the rules: death in the secret realm results in being teleported out of the game, and the final ranking is based on the number of eliminations and the resources collected. Now, board the flying boats!"

Nine enormous flying boats hovered above the plaza, each bearing the emblem of its respective peak.

Qin Yuan led the Fifth Peak members onto their designated flying boat.

The airship wasn't large, but it could hold a dozen or so people. The hull was engraved with the mountain shape of the fifth peak, and the bow featured a statue of a blue phoenix poised to take flight.

"Set off!"

At the elder's command, the nine flying boats simultaneously took off, transforming into nine streaks of light and flying towards the depths of the back mountain of the Xuan Yuan Sect.

On the flying boat, Zhou De introduced to Qin Yuan: "The Xuan Yuan Small Realm was originally a natural secret realm. A thousand years ago, it was taken over by a powerful sect and transformed into a trial ground. The space inside is extremely large, with mountains and rivers, demonic beasts, and various rare and precious materials placed by the sect."

"Our targets are the 'Hundred Herbs Garden' and 'Spirit Beast Valley' in the core area," Zhao Tiezhu interjected. "There are spiritual herbs everywhere, as well as many rare demonic beasts. If we can take them, the top three will be a sure thing."

Qin Yuan nodded: "Then let's go to the core area."

The airship flew for about half an hour before landing in a valley.

The valley is surrounded by mountains on all sides, with a flat grassland in the center. The Nine Peak Elders are already waiting there. They form a circle, and in the center of the circle, space is slightly distorted, and the scene of another world can be vaguely seen—that is the entrance to the Xuan Yuan Minor World.

"Disciples of all peaks, prepare to enter!" the presiding elder announced loudly.

The nine elders acted simultaneously, injecting nine powerful streams of spiritual energy into the distorted space at the center. The space fluctuated violently, gradually stabilizing into a three-zhang-high gate of light.

"Enter!"

Disciples from each peak stepped into the gate of light.

Qin Yuan led the group from the Fifth Peak and stepped inside.

The moment Qin Yuan passed through the portal, he felt as if he had passed through a curtain of water, and the scenery before his eyes changed instantly.

They appeared at the edge of a dense forest. Ancient trees reached for the sky, vines entwined, and the air was filled with a rich spiritual energy, at least three times stronger than the outside world.

"This is the outer edge of the 'Misty Forest'." Zhou Ming looked around and quickly determined the location. "After passing through this forest and crossing two mountains, we'll reach the core area."

Qin Yuan nodded and released his divine sense.

His perception covered an area of ​​a thousand feet. There were many low-level demonic beasts in the forest, mostly first and second-tier, with the occasional aura of a third-tier beast. Further away, he could "see" disciples from other peaks appearing in various parts of the forest, not far from each other.

"It seems we were randomly dispersed after entering," Qin Yuan said. "But the distances aren't far, so we'll be able to regroup soon."

Sure enough, footsteps could be heard nearby as soon as he finished speaking.

A five-person team from the third peak emerged from the woods, paused for a moment upon seeing the group from the fifth peak, and then assumed a defensive posture.