Ten Directions Sword Master

"I found an ancient book at home that told a story about sword forging, and that's when I thought of asking the schoolmaster about it."

The Hidden Sun Sword will eventually be exposed in the real world, so Lu Li is laying an ambush in advance so that it won't be too abrupt when he takes it out in the future.

He said that when he was traveling, he asked a master swordsmith to forge the sword according to ancient methods.

As for the ancient books, they were given to that master as payment, and he went directly to another realm after successfully forging the sword.

"It's so expensive, I'm not even thinking about it... Xuezheng, could you take a look at this again? What could it possibly be used for?"

Lu Li then took out the demonic purple ore that Zhao Shunji from the Great Kang World had given him. Just because the Nebula Palace didn't value it didn't mean it was worthless.

Since it was taken into the royal treasury, it should be one of the top sword-forging materials in the Great Kang world.

"Nine Netherworld Magnetite? It doesn't seem like it. It's only tainted with some aura, far from being able to disturb divine consciousness. They're worlds apart..."

With a flash of white light, the demonic purple meteorite iron was already in Gu Jingyu's hands.

"This kind of stone only forms at the intersection of the underworld and the human realm. Where did you get it?"

Lu Li was utterly astonished, for Gu Jingyu was so fast that he only reacted when the stone left his hand.

Another possibility is that the concept of the Nine Netherworlds also exists in the real world?

"These are my father's belongings; they were found in his study."

"Many of your ships went north, where they mistook what they thought were precious ores and hoarded them. Because the aura of the Underworld wasn't strong, they managed to slip through the checkpoints on their return journey without being detected by the Great Zhou's Demon-Suppressing Division..."

Gu Jingyu imagined what had happened, and it sounded plausible.

"It's still quite different from a genuine Netherworld Magnet, so it's not very useful. It would be troublesome to explain to someone who knows its value and is particular about it, so don't take it out in the future."

"Master, what is the connection between this Nine Nether Lodestone and the Yellow Springs? The Demon-Suppressing Division isn't the Northern Dynasty's organization for recruiting martial artists, so why are they investigating this stone?"

Lu Li keenly caught a few keywords and quickly asked more questions.

"I shouldn't be telling you this, but since you have this broken stone, I'll just say a few words to avoid being captured by the Anti-Magic Division one day and not knowing what taboos I might have broken."

Gu Jingyu poured the gourd in his hand faster and faster, a hint of drunkenness rising in his eyes.

Two hundred years ago, in a land even further north than the northern desert, a group of demons emerged.

They are not tyrannical humans whose cultivation methods have become demonic, but demons in the true sense of the word.

A demon several meters tall, with a blue face and fangs.

Various kinds of monsters take human form, with gaping, blood-red mouths that devour living people for pleasure.

The scenes from ancient times in myths and legends seem to have come to life on earth again.

The Great Chu Dynasty dispatched three members of the imperial clan to inspect the northern border, along with three other members representing the court. Various factions in the martial arts world also elected six more members, making a total of twelve grandmasters.

A mysterious battle ensued, leaving only four grandmasters who returned, bringing with them a shocking piece of news.

Multiple void rifts appeared outside the realm, leading to the Nine Netherworlds and Qingqiu Plain.

The former is the birthplace of all demons, the source of filth, evil, and depravity, and several evil gods who wreaked havoc in ancient times have crawled out of the underworld.

The latter is a sacred land for the demon race, created by all demons, where countless spirits and monsters thrive.

However, after ancient times, the sages of the human race used great supernatural powers to drive away demons and seal off passages, and demons basically disappeared.

Only a few humans have ancestors who were half-demon, and these may exhibit some unusual phenomena during their growth.

The sudden collapse of the Great Chu Dynasty was also related to the appearance of demons in the world. The sudden death of so many True Realm Grandmasters left the central leadership powerless.

Fortunately, the void rifts did not continue to expand, and the demons only operated in the northern outer regions, so ordinary people knew nothing about them.

The Demon-Suppressing Division established by the Great Zhou Dynasty ostensibly recruits talented individuals from across the land, but its fundamental responsibility is to guard against demons from the north.

All inbound goods, ships, and vehicles must be inspected for their scent to prevent demons from infiltrating them.

The Nine Nether Magnetite only appears near the void rift leading to the Nine Netherworlds, and is mutated by the Yellow Springs.

Useless against ordinary weapons, but in large quantities they can be crafted into secret treasures specifically designed to target Grandmasters of the True Person Realm.

Rumors circulate that the demons deliberately spread this information to incite human powerhouses to kill each other.

Therefore, the Anti-Magic Division also includes similar items in its confiscation scope.

The Nine Nether Lodestone... The demonic purple meteorite that Zhao Shunji sent must have been affected by the opening of the Nine Nether Cave and the boiling of the Yellow Springs, but the stain was still shallow.

Another Netherworld...

Different worlds, each corresponding to its own Netherworld, or do they ultimately point to the same place?

Lu Li couldn't help but think of the mission in the Great Kang World, where the Nine Netherworld Demon Chaos felt strangely familiar to the Nine Netherworld Rift in the real world.

Perhaps, the day when the truth behind it is discovered will be the day when the mysterious veil of the Nebula Compass is lifted.

"Don't overthink it. These things are far removed from your life. Even if the sky falls, it will be the True Immortals who will hold it up... Dean Yu intends to push you onto the list of those entering the secret realm. Have you heard?"

Seeing Lu Li's dazed expression, Gu Jingyu assumed he was shocked by the news that demons still existed in the world, and changed the subject.

"What extraordinary thing did you do that Dean Yu insisted on putting you in despite Dean Lin's objections?"

"Besides me, not a single student raised their hand in support; almost the entire college is on your side."

It turns out that Dean Yu Ziqi was secretly helping me.

Lu Li suddenly realized that just by defeating Jiang Linyuan, he was not qualified to go to the secret realm.

"Master Xue, what are the benefits of going to that secret realm?"

The fact that the four major academies attach such importance to this matter must mean there are immense benefits involved; it remains to be seen how much of it will benefit the participating disciples.

"You disciples are lucky; you're just in time for the Crimson Fire Secret Realm to open. I didn't have this opportunity back then."

Gu Jingyu beat his chest and stamped his feet, laughing and cursing, which was clearly from the heart, yet not offensive.

"This secret realm was left behind by a powerful being called the Crimson Fire Fairy Child in the Middle Ages. When the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was still present, those who could be called powerful beings were beings beyond the True Person Realm, capable of plucking stars and manipulating the moon, and traversing the universe."

"Judging from past records, there are many practice pieces made by the disciples of the Crimson Fire Immortal Child in the secret realm, ranging from high-grade weapons to high-grade treasures."

"What the higher-ups of the four academies valued most was that there was innate qi deep within the secret realm, which could help the physical body and primordial spirit merge... This was related to the True Person Realm, and even a one percent chance was enough to drive a Refining Spirit Realm expert crazy."

When it comes to the Realm of True Person, which all martial artists dream of, even the free-spirited and unrestrained Gu Jingyu can't help but sigh.

After this introduction, Lu Li finally had a clear understanding of the Crimson Fire Secret Realm.

As time went by, the upper limit of the secret realm's capacity continued to decrease, from the initial level of Refining Spirit Perfection to only accepting mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators thirty years ago.

At this rate, it will only open two or three more times before the secret realm completely collapses and disappears.

The dangers in the secret realm mainly come from the demonic spirits left behind by the Crimson Fire Fairy Child. These spirits can take shape and their combat power is simulated based on the highest cultivation level among all those who enter the secret realm.

In addition to various weapons, there is also the opportunity to learn ancient martial arts techniques in secret realms.

Perhaps due to the passage of time and changes in the environment, it is no longer entirely applicable.

But handing it over to the academy is also a great achievement.

As for innate qi, only three portions have been produced since the first opening of the Crimson Fire Secret Realm.

Whichever disciple can contribute a share will be rewarded with enough merit to rise to high office and even benefit future generations.

Isn't this just like a mini compass world with lower risks and clearer benefits? Why wouldn't we go?

Lu Li is determined to get this spot in the secret realm!