Reborn in the Great Yan Dynasty: I Cultivated to Become a Martial Saint Through Telekinesis

Chapter 42 The Secret Realm

Over the course of six months, a total of twelve disciples underwent the inner sect assessment.

The reason for doing this every six months is simple: the secret realm also needs to be restored.

Opening it too frequently will affect the environment of the secret realm. This is a completely different world from the Great Yan world.

The sheer number of participants also demonstrates the difficulty of conquering the Tower of Ascension.

According to the information Mo Zheng had gathered, the number of disciples participating in the inner sect assessment usually did not exceed ten, so this time was considered a large number.

The assessment is held twice a year, which means about 20 people are selected each year, but the number of candidates admitted to the Martial Arts Academy is around 30 each year.

In other words, one-third of the outer disciples fail to pass the first level of the Tower of Ascension in their first year in the Martial Arts Hall.

If the returning students are removed from those twenty people, I'm afraid half of the new students won't be able to pass the first level of the Tower of Ascension within a year.

Martial arts training is a process where one step is slow, and every step is slow.

The disciple's potential was fully revealed in the first year after entering the academy.

Mo Zheng stood in the crowd and spotted You Chendong at a glance. You Chendong also noticed Mo Zheng, his eyes filled with provocation, clearly intending to take revenge after entering the secret realm.

However, it's not that easy.

Mo Zheng thought about what he had gained in the past few days, but didn't dwell on it. Instead, he started observing the others.

This place includes not only new students but also previous students, two of whom have already been in the Martial Arts Hall for three years.

It takes three years to pass the first level of the Tower of Ascension, which is very slow, but these two have already reached the Stone Skin level in martial arts cultivation, making them the leaders among the twelve.

If these two decide to fight over the Azure Flame Bird, they will definitely be formidable rivals who pose a greater threat than You Chendong!

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, the headmaster appeared before everyone.

He wasn't alone; several teachers followed behind him. Although the group had kind expressions, they exuded an invisible authority that inexplicably made people feel oppressed.

"Everyone, it's time for the semi-annual inner sect assessment again. This time there are twelve people, which is quite good."

The headmaster looked at everyone and smiled, "Among you, some are newcomers, some are from previous years, it doesn't matter. The assessment requirements are the same for everyone: a minimum of three Rejuvenating Grasses. The higher the value of the treasures you bring out, the higher your ranking. The first place winner will be rewarded with a second-tier divine weapon!"

A second-tier divine weapon corresponds to the Bone and Tendon Realm. A single weapon is worth tens of thousands of silver coins, and some even worth tens of thousands of taels. This reward is undeniably generous.

You should know that it's not easy for martial artists to earn money.

Hunting monsters may seem simple, but it's actually a dangerous game where one wrong move can lead to death.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many martial artists forming gangs to exploit the people. Isn't it because they dare not fight against demonic beasts?

No one spoke, but the disciples, including Mo Zheng, all had eager expressions in their eyes. A second-tier divine weapon was one thing, but being valued by the martial arts hall teachers and the headmaster was even more important.

"In this Resurrection Realm, each of you will have three days to fight and team up. The only thing you are not allowed to do is kill each other. We will know everything that happens inside. I hope you can all successfully complete the assessment mission."

After explaining the rules, the headmaster said, "That's all for now, let's go."

The crowd immediately followed him and headed towards the back of the mountain.

It's obvious that the Martial Arts Hall encourages its disciples to fight. If you're skilled enough, you can steal other people's Rejuvenation Grass, as long as you don't cause any death.

Indeed, among martial artists, it is a world of survival of the fittest, where the weak are preyed upon by the strong. If one is weak and gets robbed, there is nothing one can say.

"On this trip to the secret realm, you'd better pray you don't run into me, otherwise, you'll definitely return empty-handed."

You Chendong walked behind Mo Zheng and threatened him in a low voice.

In his view, his external martial arts skills were already superior to Mo Zheng's. If he hadn't been careless a month ago, he might not have been defeated. In addition, he had made great progress in the past month with his master's guidance, so he was extremely confident.

"You think you can take me?" Mo Zheng smiled faintly.

Seeing his disdain, You Chendong was taken aback for a moment, then sneered and said nothing more.

They walked in silence for about fifteen minutes until they reached a valley.

"Open the secret realm."

The headmaster gave an order, and three teachers behind him stepped forward and quickly walked to the center of the valley, each taking out a jade token.

The three of them poured their inner energy into the jade tablet together, and instantly, the jade tablet began to emit a dazzling radiance, its light extremely bright.

The valley suddenly began to tremble, starting very slightly, but later the ground began to crack.

"open!"

The three of them shouted in unison, and the internal energy they poured into the jade tablet suddenly increased. Instantly, a ripple appeared in the void, gradually opening a small portal.

"what?"

Sensing the aura within that secret realm, the abbot couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.

Not only him, but several of the teachers behind him also showed strange expressions, clearly sensing something.

"This assessment is quite interesting."

He muttered something to himself, then called out loudly, "Alright, don't waste any more time, hurry up and go in. Good luck!"

Upon hearing this, all the disciples responded in unison, and then filed into the gate one after another, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

The valley returned to silence, and the gates would not be reopened for three days to allow the disciples who had participated in the assessment to leave.

The world spun around.

As Mo Zheng stepped through the doorway, he instantly felt as if he had lost control of his body. A nauseating feeling welled up inside him, but fortunately, it lasted only a short time and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

He stood on a grassy field, and as far as the eye could see, it was empty; there wasn't a soul in sight.

Of the twelve people, none were in his sight; clearly, the location where they appeared upon entering this secret realm was random.

Mo Zheng had carefully reviewed the information before coming.

The so-called secret realm is a separate space that exists in relation to this world; it can also be understood as a small world.

These secret realms, whether large or small, are divided into first-tier, second-tier, third-tier, and so on. The higher the level of the secret realm, the more treasures and opportunities it contains.

The secret realm he is currently in is a first-tier secret realm, specializing in the Rejuvenating Grass, which has miraculous effects on healing injuries. Healing pills made with it as the main ingredient can greatly accelerate the healing speed of injuries. While it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone or tendon, taking this pill can heal the injury in just a few days. Even a person on the verge of death can be kept alive for several more hours by taking this pill.

A single Rejuvenating Grass can be bought back by Zhenbaofang for 1,000 taels of silver, but when made into a pill, it can be sold for 2,000 taels of silver per pill, which shows how precious it is.

Therefore, this secluded realm was named after the words "resurrection".

"So comfortable..."

Standing in the secret realm, Mo Zheng felt his internal energy was extremely active, spontaneously growing stronger and tempering his flesh, with effects no less than those of his usual meditation and cultivation.

"Indeed, the abundance of spiritual energy within the secret realm, which is conducive to cultivation, is no exaggeration."

Mo Zheng thought to himself that if he cultivated in this environment, he would probably be able to break through to the Stone Skin level in three months at most.

Unfortunately, it only lasted three days.

He wanted to find the Rejuvenating Grass and hunt down the Twin-Winged Frost Cicada and the Azure Flame Bird, but he couldn't settle down and focus on cultivation.

"The Twin-Winged Cicada is due north, and the Azure Flame Bird is due south. I'll head north first and pick Rejuvenating Herbs along the way."

Mo Zheng had made up his mind. After all, three Rejuvenation Grasses were the minimum required to pass the test. Without Rejuvenation Grasses, even if he hunted down the Azure Flame Bird, it would be useless.

Around the meadow, many flowers and plants grew, and a faint fragrance of herbs wafted over. Mo Zheng looked closely and saw that it was a Solomon's seal plant. Judging by its size, it must have been one or two decades old. It could probably be sold for one or two decades of silver outside.

There was more than one plant; there were also many medicinal herbs around it.

If this were a herb gatherer, he would surely make a small fortune, but alas, Mo Zheng is a martial artist and has no time to earn such a small amount of money.

It can only be said that the secret realm is full of spiritual energy, and since no one has set foot there, medicinal herbs are everywhere.

Mo Zheng quickly determined the direction and sped up towards the location of the Twin-Winged Frost Cicada. He had to hurry, otherwise it would be very bad if the Azure Flame Bird was hunted down by others.

"According to the records in the Scripture Pavilion, the Rejuvenation Secret Realm is full of first-order demonic beasts, mainly of three types: the Red-tailed Spirit Fox, which is known for its speed; the Black-maned Wild Boar, which is known for its strength; and the Iron-skinned Lion, which has extremely strong defense. The first two are easy to deal with, but the Iron-skinned Lion's defense is said to be comparable to that of a Copper-skinned Warrior. I'm afraid I can't even break through its defense."

"Hmm, that's..."

Mo Zheng, who was on his way, suddenly had a bright look in his eyes.

Not far away, beneath a large rock, grew a three-inch-tall medicinal herb, emitting a faint yellow glow, just like the Rejuvenating Herb Mo Zheng had seen in the book.

"It came to me without any effort!"

Mo Zheng laughed and was about to go forward to pick the fruit, but as soon as he got a little closer, a chill inexplicably surged into his heart, making the hairs on his body stand on end.

wrong!

Mo Zheng looked around and saw a huge monster, about ten feet tall, staring intently at him from under a tree beside the large rock.

This is a boar-like monster, covered in dark hair, each hair like a steel needle. It is enormous, ugly, and ferocious, especially its two tusks, which gleam with a cold, eerie light, making people tremble with fear.

It's a black-bristled wild boar!

"I'll use you to test the results of my hard work these past few days."

Mo Zheng showed no fear, drew a long sword with his backhand, and stood ready for battle.

"Roar!"

The black-bristled wild boar stared intently at Mo Zheng with its two small eyes, letting out an angry roar. Its strong four legs stomped on the ground, kicking up large clouds of dust, and it charged towards Mo Zheng with overwhelming force, like a heavy tank. Its black bristles stood up like steel needles!

This collision would absolutely kill even a martial artist of the highest caliber!

However, looking at the enormous monster that was about to reach him, Mo Zheng smiled faintly, turned his body to the side, and with lightning speed, stabbed the boar in the eye with his long sword, then released his grip.

The black-bristled wild boar let out a miserable howl and, propelled by inertia, crashed heavily to the ground. Unable to get up, it struggled, its breath growing weaker and weaker until it gradually lost its life.

Sadly, all its immense strength and sharp fangs were wasted before it met its end.

happy!

Mo Zheng laughed, stepped forward, drew his longsword, and began to extract the demon core from the monster.

If this had happened a month ago, although he could kill, he would never have been able to do it so cleanly and efficiently.

He had completely mastered the Gale Sword technique from the Twelve Swords of Wind, greatly increasing his sword speed. This allowed him to calmly and instantly strike the Black-maned Boar's eye amidst its ferocious charge.

This is the effect of external martial arts.

In terms of strength and defense alone, martial artists are no match for demonic beasts of the same level. However, as long as one's external skills are strong enough, strength and defense are useless!

You can't hit your opponent, but they can hit your vital points with a single move.

Of course, these are martial artists from the Liangzhou Martial Arts Academy, a gathering of geniuses from the entire prefecture, guided by the best teachers.

If it were other martial artists, their foundation wouldn't be solid enough, and their external martial arts skills wouldn't be strong enough, making it much more difficult for them to hunt monsters.

……

Time passed slowly, and as Mo Zheng searched for the Rejuvenation Grass and approached the habitat of the Twin-Winged Frost Cicada, fierce battles were also breaking out in other parts of the Rejuvenation Secret Realm.

Those who can participate in this assessment have a lot of experience in hunting monsters and are highly skilled in external martial arts, so these three types of monsters are no match for them!

As long as you don't get surrounded by a horde of monsters, you can escape even if you can't win.

"The third Rejuvenating Herb, phew, all done. This Iron-skinned Lion is really tough to deal with."

Mo Zheng picked up the last resurrection herb and breathed a sigh of relief. Beside him lay a lion, its body seemingly cast in gold. It wasn't large, only about a meter long, lying on the ground, blood constantly spilling from its mouth. It had died from a sword wound in its mouth.

This Iron-skinned Lion is fast, strong, and has ridiculously strong defense, no less than a Copper-skinned Warrior. It is definitely one of the most troublesome types of first-tier demonic beasts.

Mo Zheng couldn't catch the vital point immediately, and the several swords that struck the opponent felt like they were hitting steel.

Fortunately, after a few rounds of fighting, he seized the opportunity when it opened its mouth to bite, and successfully killed it with a single sword strike.

"From now on, forget about the Rejuvenating Grass and focus all your efforts on finding the Twin-Winged Frost Cicada."

Although the Martial Arts Hall would buy back more than three Rejuvenating Grasses with contribution points, Mo Zheng had no intention of doing so if he hadn't completed the task.

I don't know if three days will be enough.

As Mo Zheng traveled, he kept an eye on his surroundings, trying to avoid monsters to save time.

Suddenly, his expression changed, and he looked towards the woods ahead.

Two figures slowly emerged from there, blocking his path.

"This must be Junior Brother Mo. I've heard so much about you."

"Senior Brother Qu and I have been waiting here for a long time, but we never expected that the first one we would run into would be Junior Brother Mo."

Qu Fei and Liu Changfeng looked at Mo Zheng, especially at the package on his back, and smiled kindly.

"What urgent matter do you two senior brothers have?" Mo Zheng asked, frowning.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to borrow Junior Brother Mo's package."

Qu Fei smiled and said, "Junior Brother Liu and I are both lazy and don't want to get entangled with those demonic beasts. Please do us a favor, Junior Brother Mo."

"Junior Brother Mo is so young, it's not a bad thing for him to work hard. Consider it a form of cultivation."

Liu Changfeng smiled and said, "I think Junior Brother is reasonable and won't refuse."

The two of them sang in unison, clearly showing they had Mo Zheng completely under their thumb.

……