As time passed, more and more people gathered in the square.
An Chen roughly estimated that there were over five hundred Cultivators at the Qi Refinement Stage, with four hundred of them being at or above the Refining Qi Sixth Level.
"Senior Brother, can you help me estimate how many people here are at or above the Qi Refining Ninth Stage?"
"Hmm... about one hundred and fifty?"
Chen Sheng looked around and made an estimate.
"It should be even fewer," Jiang Cheng added, "I saw a few Sect teams whose entire groups were Disciples at Qi Refining Seventh and Eighth Stage; it looks like they're purely for training."
An Chen nodded.
It seemed that those from Refining Qi Sixth Level to Qi Refining Ninth Stage were the main force entering the Secret Realm.
An Chen continued to search through the crowd.
He had already found Su Xiaojiu, but not Ye Xinning.
The center of the square was filled with Disciples from various large and small Sects.
These Sects had collectively purchased their "tickets," and Qingfeng Sect was happy to give them a front-row position to maintain good relations.
As for the Loose Cultivators who bought individual tickets, they could only wait on the periphery, only allowed to enter after the Sect Disciples had gone in.
Sometimes, there could be a difference of over an hour between the first person from Qingfeng Sect entering and the last Loose Cultivator entering.
In that time, many people would have already started 'scraping the ground' inside the Secret Realm.
An Chen glanced at the time on his tongshen jade talisman and saw that it was nearing noon, and just then, the ground suddenly began to shake.
A section of the stone bricks in the center of the square suddenly sank, and then, a massive stone frame slowly rose from underground.
This stone frame was enormous, easily seven or eight meters high and five or six meters wide.
The space in the middle of the stone frame suddenly twisted, rotating like a vortex, and finally, a seven-colored radiance burst forth from its center.
The radiance spread within the vortex, quickly covering the entire central area of the stone frame.
At a glance, the middle of the stone frame swirled with a hazy, colorful glow, yet nothing could be seen within it.
This was the entrance to the Secret Realm.
Suddenly, the sky shimmered with flowing light and color, and a fiery Phoenix descended from the heavens.
An Chen recognized it; that was the Grand Elder's mount.
Normally, An Chen thought this bird was incredibly ugly, its reddish hue not at all appealing.
But today, the bird was wreathed in flowing flames, its wings trailing long fiery streaks.
The Grand Elder rode it, circling twice in the air, scattering sparks everywhere.
From the periphery of the square came gasps of surprise, some even cheering, while others turned and ran.
As for those below the square, many had their mouths agape.
At least half of the people here were civilian Loose Cultivators, and the vast majority of them had never seen a Cultivator as powerful as those in the Soul Transformation Stage.
To Mortals, this was no different from a miracle; to Qi Refinement Stage Loose Cultivators, even someone like Grand Elder Qin Chuan was an extremely terrifying powerhouse.
And he even got to show off.
An Chen silently complained in his heart.
Normally, the Grand Elder appeared before An Chen as nothing more than a doddering old man, but now he truly exuded the aura of a high-level Cultivation master.
An Chen glanced towards the Fire Phoenix Sect's side and saw that their Disciples were picking their noses and digging in their ears.
For Disciples of these major Sects, the Grand Elder's display held no deterrent power whatsoever.
After all, their leading Elder was far more powerful than this one riding an ugly, fire-spouting bird.
In terms of seniority, this Qingfeng Sect Grand Elder was even the Junior Brother of Elder Kong, who was leading their team!
There was even less to be surprised about.
An Chen actually met Su Xiaojiu's gaze in the crowd.
Su Xiaojiu seemed to have been staring at him, and when she saw An Chen look over, she playfully winked.
An Chen saw the middle-aged man behind her shift his gaze, and An Chen quickly looked away.
No way, he couldn't let that Fire Phoenix Sect Elder discover his relationship with Su Xiaojiu.
"What are you looking at?"
Elder Kong patted Su Xiaojiu's shoulder.
Su Xiaojiu shook her head.
"Nothing at all."
Su Xiaojiu shook her head, withdrew her gaze, and lowered her head, picking at her fingernails.
Elder Kong's forehead was covered in black lines.
"You're not acting like it at all!"
Elder Kong was filled with suspicion, and after thinking about the direction Su Xiaojiu had just been looking, he looked over.
That was the Qingfeng Sect's Disciple team.
They were just outside the Qingfeng Sect's team; Qingfeng Sect would enter the Secret Realm first, and they would be second.
In that direction, Su Xiaojiu could only see Qingfeng Sect; it was almost impossible to see the people behind the Qingfeng Sect's crowd.
Elder Kong raised an eyebrow.
Who in Qingfeng Sect was Su Xiaojiu interested in?
Elder Kong looked down again, only to find Su Xiaojiu still picking her nails.
"You haven't fallen for some male Disciple from Qingfeng Sect, have you?!"
Su Xiaojiu's body stiffened, and she turned her head, her face full of shock.
"Elder Kong, what the hell are you thinking about all day?"
This time, it was Elder Kong's turn to be embarrassed.
"I was just saying."
Mainly, when Su Liu Liu was out on a training excursion previously, she had taken an immediate liking to a Disciple from another Sect.
If the accompanying Elder hadn't been quick-witted at the time, Su Liu Liu would have gone up to ask for his tongshen jade talisman number.
Even after returning to the Sect, Su Liu Liu remained infatuated for a while.
In the end, it was Su De who "convinced her with virtue" and cured her.
Elder Kong, who was accompanying Su Xiaojiu, naturally had to be careful and guard against any male Cultivator charming Su Xiaojiu away.
If not, that would naturally be for the best.
The Grand Elder, riding the fiery Phoenix, had already landed on top of the massive stone frame.
Rather than a stone frame, it was more like a colossal teleportation gate.
The Grand Elder waved his hand, the fiery Phoenix let out a long cry, and the hazy, swirling light within the teleportation gate seemed to brighten a few shades.
"Secret Realm—Activate!"
The Grand Elder bellowed with full force, and everyone present was invigorated, their gazes burning as they stared at the teleportation gate.
"Gentlemen, please enter—"
As soon as the Grand Elder finished speaking, the few Qingfeng Sect Disciples in the front row immediately moved, and those in the back followed.
An Chen was also led forward by his two Senior Brothers.
"After we go in, first observe the situation, confirm your location on the map.
Our Qingfeng Sect's gathering point is the southern entrance of Wind Valley; you just need to find us."
Listening to Chen Sheng's instructions, An Chen was stunned.
"Map? What map?"
No one had given him one.
Chen Sheng was also taken aback.
"The Grand Elder didn't give you one?"
The Qingfeng Secret Realm had been opened for countless rounds, and its terrain had long been thoroughly explored.
Someone had long ago drawn a map of the Qingfeng Secret Realm from memory, which was then continuously modified by later generations to form the current map.
The most detailed and accurate map, naturally, was in the hands of Qingfeng Sect.
Chen Sheng looked up at the Grand Elder, his face full of disbelief.
The Grand Elder had instructed him to protect An Chen and give An Chen important notices.
But how could the Grand Elder not even issue a map?!
