"Hm? This doesn't quite match the white-haired man's memories."
Song Wanníng looked at the scene before her, a flash of surprise crossing her face as she surveyed the landscape. But after a moment of quiet thought, the discrepancy made sense. That man had been dead for who knew how many centuries.
It was only natural for the geographical features or spiritual layout of a secret region to have shifted over the eons. She scanned the barren, grey land around her and began to move in another direction, carefully aligning her internal map with the white-haired man's memories.
At the same time, at another entrance to the secret region located miles away, a Tianxian cultivator from the Bodhi Sect arrived with a large group of disciples in tow. The Bodhi Sect took its name from an ancient, shimmering Bodhi tree that grew on their central mountain, and the sect only accepted those who possessed exceptional innate comprehension. With the legendary Bodhi tree aiding their enlightenment during meditation, the sect's overall strength wasn't weak at all in the hierarchy of the Immortal Realm. Still, compared to a massive, top-tier organization like the Wuji Sect, it remained a level behind in both resources and influence.
"For this trip into the secret region, you all must be careful. Compared to mere opportunities for treasure, we hope even more that all of you come out alive," the Tianxian cultivator said, his voice echoing across the rocky valley. "You need to understand that our main goal is to improve your combat strength and experience, not send you to your deaths in a foreign land. Do you understand?"
"We understand!" The disciples nodded eagerly, their collective answer ringing out in unison. Everyone was extremely excited. This secret region was the Bodhi Sect's traditional trial ground, and in the past, only disciples who stood out in major competitions had a chance to enter its gates. Now, the opportunity was placed equally before every disciple regardless of rank, and they all had a chance to try their luck and seek out hidden legacies.
"Alright, go on then." The Tianxian cultivator waved his hand, and the disciples began to run into the shimmering portal of the secret region one after another, their colorful robes blurring as they vanished.
"Master, is this really going to work?" the disciple standing beside him asked, his brow furrowing. "I am afraid their strength won't improve, and they will lose their lives to the trials instead." The disciple watched the last of the group disappear, worry showing in his eyes as he turned to his mentor. These were all ordinary disciples of varying levels; if they really encountered a major danger, many of them might die inside the pocket dimension.
Hearing that, the Tianxian cultivator let out a heavy sigh, the concern on his face deepening as the wind tugged at his long sleeves. Even so, his expression remained firm. "There's no better option available to us. Every other sect is doing their best to improve their disciples' strength in anticipation of the coming storm. If we don't do the same, won't we fall behind and be swallowed whole?
Besides, the path of cultivation is always like this. Only by fighting your way out of danger again and again can you go farther than your peers. Don't think too much about it now. Let nature take its course." He didn't know exactly what calamity was approaching, but he had clearly seen the sect master's anxious expression during their last private council. Something big was probably coming for their world.
Inside the secret region, Song Wanníng followed the winding path of the white-haired man's memories and finally arrived at a place brimming with a strange, bifurcated life. A wide river formed a stark boundary across the valley. On one side of the bank, vitality flourished with unnatural intensity. The trees and grass grew thicker and greener than anything in the outside world, their leaves dripping with concentrated spiritual dew. On the other side of the same river, the vegetation was withered and grey. Only cracked, parched earth remained, and there wasn't a single living thing in sight to break the desolation.
Song Wanníng studied the river with intense curiosity and quickly noticed how mysterious the riverbed was. Half of the water was filled with lively, silver-scaled fish that darted through the currents. The other half of the river didn't even have a single blade of water grass, let alone fish. It was as if an invisible wall had completely cut the two sides of the waterway apart. The more she looked, the more her curiosity grew. After a moment of thought, she jumped into the water with a soft splash.
The river water was bone-chilling cold, the temperature biting at her skin. She shuddered as the chill seeped in and quickly circulated fire-attribute immortal power through her meridians, forcing the cold out of her limbs. She moved through the dark water. With the help of a water-avoiding pearl she held, the river was kept at bay by a thin, shimmering water-repelling barrier that created a small bubble of air around her. Her target was the exact spot where the vitality and death were cut off in the center of the stream.
When she swam closer to the dividing line, she suddenly sensed an enormous, silent pulling force. Before she even reached the boundary, that force tried to drag her into the depths violently. Her expression tightened as she felt her weight shift. She immediately used her power to freeze time for a brief instant and layered a space-folding technique on top of it, barely avoiding that terrifying suction by shifting her position by several feet. Looking again, she realized it wasn't that no fish swam over to the dead side of the river; it was that they were being sucked into a bottomless trench the instant they got close. Something was very wrong there.
Song Wanníng's heart sank as she watched the swirling silt. Just as she was thinking about how to investigate the trench further without being consumed, she heard voices from the surface.
"Hey, Senior Brother, look. There's someone down there." Two men stood on the riverbank, peering into the clear water. They wore identical jade-green sect robes and looked sharp and efficient in their movements. The three sets of eyes met through the water's surface, all of them flashing with immediate vigilance.
"She is not from our Bodhi Sect," the Senior Brother said, his expression darkening as he identified her as an outsider.
The Junior Brother took a closer look and nodded. "She is really not one of our disciples. How did she get in here? Or is she that legendary mermaid mentioned in the old scrolls? But she doesn't even have a tail." The Junior Brother's eyes looked more innocent, but the gaze he fixed on Song Wanníng was the sharpest of all, without a trace of the naivety his voice suggested.
Hearing that, the Senior Brother's expression grew even more serious. This secret region belonged exclusively to the Bodhi Sect. An outsider had slipped into their sanctuary, and that couldn't just be ignored. "We will capture her and hand her over to the sect for judgment later. Who knows how she got in. What if she killed a sect disciple and took their place to infiltrate the trial?" He didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was clear. If this woman had dared to impersonate a disciple, she would definitely die a painful death.
The Junior Brother nodded, but his face showed a flicker of hesitation as he sensed the aura coming from the water. "But she is at the Dixian realm… her foundation seems solid."
"I will go. You stay here on the bank and keep watch for any others," the Senior Brother said. He didn't hesitate at all. He was a mid-stage Dixian, a rank higher than she appeared to be. He believed catching an early-stage Dixian would just take some extra effort. With that, he dove straight into the water and swam toward Song Wanníng with powerful strokes.
The Junior Brother stayed on the shore, his eyes fixed on the water below. He wasn't going to take risks like this if he didn't have to. In his mind, the Senior Brother was just too stupid and eager for credit; whoever that person was, it had nothing to do with them as long as she wasn't a direct threat. It wasn't worth risking his life over a trespasser.
Under the water, Song Wanníng stood still, her expression calm despite the bubbles rising around her. She had learned about the Bodhi Sect before her journey. After all, she also possessed a Bodhi tree spirit, so she had paid some attention to their history. She just hadn't expected this specific place to be the Bodhi Sect's private secret region. Still, she didn't think there was anything wrong with her being here, and she had no intention of leaving the riverbed empty-handed. Opportunities in this world went to those with fate; since she had entered through a hidden path, it meant she had that fate.
But the person swimming toward her clearly meant no good.
"Who are you, sneaking into my Bodhi Sect's secret region? Surrender now, and I can spare your life," the Senior Brother projected his voice through the water as he gripped his jade staff tightly. Fighting underwater was different from fighting on land. The resistance of the liquid alone could affect the speed of combat strikes. If she left on her own, it would save him the trouble of an underwater duel.
"If you have the ability, come and catch me. Why are you talking so much trash?" Song Wanníng's voice rang out clearly through the water. She spoke with a deliberate arrogance, but her body drifted a little closer to the area with that terrifying suction. If you didn't enter its direct range, you couldn't feel the pull at all. The disciple clearly didn't notice the danger lurking in the trench. Provoked by her words, anger flared in his heart. Even so, he didn't rush in recklessly. As he moved closer, he began to gather his spiritual energy for a killing move, the jade staff beginning to glow with a sickly green light.
She snorted coldly and struck first, her sword cutting through the water with a hiss. The Senior Brother's eyes hardened as he immediately counterattacked, his staff swinging in a wide arc. The two clashed directly underwater, a fierce battle erupting on the spot as bubbles and silt swirled around them. All the while, she deliberately forced him closer and closer to the area with that silent suction, wanting to see just how terrifying the force really was when it had a proper target.