25: Chapter 25: Provincial-Level Secret Realm Opens, Heroes Gather

On the outskirts of Jiangcheng, rolling mountain ranges stretched across the horizon; atop the mist-shrouded peaks, a massive spatial crack resembled silk torn by a sharp blade, emitting dense fluctuations of Spiritual Qi.

This was the entrance to the provincial Secret Realm, the [Ten Thousand Beast Ridge].

At this moment, the open ground at the foot of the mountain was already a sea of people.

Martial arts geniuses from seventeen cities across the province had gathered here, totaling over a hundred people divided into more than twenty teams. Every person exuded an aura of Spiritual Qi, some strong and some weak; epic rank experts were everywhere, and there were even a few legendary rank young geniuses with steady auras and arrogant gazes, clearly the leaders of their respective competition zones.

At the very front of the crowd stood a massive stone tablet engraved with five bold and powerful characters: [Ten Thousand Beast Ridge Secret Realm]. Beneath the tablet stood several elderly men in black uniforms; they were referees from the Provincial Martial Arts Alliance, responsible for maintaining order during the opening of the Secret Realm.

Lin Zhou, Qin Yue, and Su Ye stood at the edge of the crowd, appearing somewhat out of place.

Lin Zhou was dressed in black martial attire, carrying the explosive sniper bow on his back with the entry token for the Ten Thousand Beast Ridge hanging from his waist, calmly observing his surroundings. After three months of closed-door Cultivation, his strength was no longer what it used to be; his epic peak aura was restrained within, and his gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, seemingly able to pierce through all illusions.

Qin Yue was still dressed in white, her long sword hanging at her waist, her cold gaze sweeping over the crowd with a faint hint of detachment. Su Ye, on the other hand, had a carefree attitude, looking around and occasionally whistling at passing beauties, drawing many dirty looks.

"Tsk tsk, as expected of a provincial Secret Realm, this scale is really something else," Su Ye clicked his tongue and lowered his voice. "Look over there, the team from Jingdu Martial Arts University; every one of them has their nose so high in the air it's almost touching the sky."

Lin Zhou followed Su Ye's gaze and saw a team in white school uniforms standing on a nearby patch of open ground, with four golden characters embroidered on the chest: [Jingdu Martial Arts]. This team wasn't large, consisting of only five people, but every one of them possessed an extremely powerful aura. Especially the leading young man—tall, handsome, and surrounded by a faint legendary rank aura—he was the Genius student of Jingdu Martial Arts University, Wang Chen.

Beside Wang Chen stood a familiar figure—Zhang Hao.

At this moment, Zhang Hao had long since lost the pathetic state he was in at Jiangcheng Martial Arts University. He wore a set of magnificent brocade robes, and his aura had risen to the Epic High-rank; he was currently following Wang Chen with a fawning expression, bowing and scraping from time to time, though his eyes swept over Lin Zhou with a sinister, undisguised malice.

Clearly, Zhang Hao had sought refuge with the Jingdu Martial Arts University team.

"Hmph, a petty man getting his way," Su Ye snorted coldly, clenching his fists. "Once we're in the Secret Realm, just watch me beat him until he's looking for his teeth on the ground!"

"Don't be impulsive," Lin Zhou patted Su Ye's shoulder and said calmly. "The Secret Realm is full of dangers; there's no need to waste your energy on a mad dog."

Just then, a sudden commotion broke out in the crowd.

Wang Chen slowly stepped forward into the center of the crowd, his arrogant gaze sweeping across the field as he announced loudly, "Everyone, I am Wang Chen of Jingdu Martial Arts University. With the opening of the Ten Thousand Beast Ridge Secret Realm, my Jingdu Martial Arts University is determined to win! I advise certain small fry to be sensible and get lost early, lest you lose your lives inside the Secret Realm!"

These words were arrogant to the extreme!

The entire field instantly fell silent. Many geniuses from various cities turned red with anger but dared not speak out. As the strongest martial arts institution in the province, Jingdu Martial Arts University possessed immense strength, and Wang Chen was a legendary rank Genius; they simply didn't have the capital to contend with him.

Seeing that no one dared to refute him, the smile on Wang Chen's lips deepened. His gaze slowly shifted, finally landing on Lin Zhou.

"I heard that Jiangcheng Martial Arts University produced a Genius named Lin Zhou?" Wang Chen's voice held a hint of mockery. "Is it that fellow who relied on playing petty tricks to take first place in the city-level Secret Realm?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Hao immediately chimed in, "Brother Wang, it's him! This kid is insidious and cunning; in the city-level Secret Realm, he not only slaughtered his fellow disciples but also murdered a mentor—he's simply the scum of the martial arts world!"

The crowd immediately erupted into an uproar, everyone's gaze focusing on Lin Zhou with curiosity, doubt, and disdain.

Qin Yue's brows furrowed tightly as she took a step forward, her cold voice echoing through the field: "Nonsense! Lin Zhou was framed, and the truth of this matter has long been brought to light!"

"Brought to light?" Wang Chen sneered, walking slowly toward Lin Zhou with a contemptuous look. "A piece of trash who hasn't even reached the legendary rank deserves to be called a Genius? It seems Jiangcheng Martial Arts University has truly run out of people."

He stopped three meters in front of Lin Zhou, looking down at him with a disdainful tone: "Kid, I heard your archery is decent? Care to test it against me? If you can take one strike of my sword, I'll admit you're a Genius. If not, then crawl between my legs and get out of the Ten Thousand Beast Ridge!"

As soon as this was said, the whole place was in an uproar!

No one expected Wang Chen to be so overbearing as to publicly force Lin Zhou to crawl through his legs!

Su Ye was shaking with rage and was about to rush forward to argue, but Lin Zhou held him back.

Lin Zhou slowly raised his head, his calm gaze meeting Wang Chen's eyes as a faint curve appeared at the corner of his mouth: "We can test our skills, but forget about the crawling. After all, not just any stray cat or dog is qualified to make me bend my back."

"You're looking for death!"

Wang Chen's face instantly darkened, and his legendary rank aura suddenly erupted, a powerful pressure crushing toward Lin Zhou. His right hand pressed against the hilt of the sword at his waist, and the long sword let out a hum as if it would unsheathe at any moment.

Seeing a major battle on the verge of breaking out, the referees in the crowd didn't move at all, clearly intending to sit back and watch the tigers fight.

Lin Zhou remained standing where he was, motionless. Although Wang Chen's pressure was powerful, for him—who had already reached the epic peak and Awakened 30% of the Celestial Fox Physique—it wasn't worth mentioning at all.

He slowly raised his right hand and grasped the explosive sniper bow on his back; with a light flick of his fingers, an arrow was notched onto the bowstring.

On the arrow, gold and red light flickered; the sharp edge of armor-piercing and the scorching heat of combustion intertwined, with a faint strand of white Sword Intent also faintly coiled around it.

This was precisely the strongest strike, a Fusion of the Sky-Splitting Combustion Armor-Piercing Arrow and the Sword Intent Arrow Infusion!

"Buzz—"

The bowstring vibrated, emitting a low hum.

Lin Zhou's gaze suddenly sharpened, and a sharp aura erupted from his body, clashing head-on with Wang Chen's pressure.

"You want to test your skills with me?" Lin Zhou's voice was icy. "No need for you to make a move; one arrow from me will be enough!"

Before his voice had even faded, he suddenly released his fingers!

"Whoosh!"

The arrow shot through the air, trailing a three-colored light of gold, red, and white; its speed was extreme, and an ear-piercing sonic boom even rang out in the air.

Wang Chen's expression changed drastically; he could clearly feel the terrifying power contained within this arrow. He didn't dare to be careless and suddenly drew the long sword at his waist, slashing toward the arrow.

"Clang!"

A crisp, loud explosion!

The long sword and the arrow collided, erupting in a shower of brilliant sparks. Wang Chen felt a powerful force travel through the sword, making his arm go numb and the webbing between his thumb and forefinger ache.

And that arrow, after the collision, didn't stop at all; instead, it made a strange turn in mid-air, as if it had eyes, and shot toward his face!

"Space Jump Arrow!"

Wang Chen's pupils suddenly contracted; he never expected that Lin Zhou would actually master such a bizarre skill!

He hurriedly dodged to the side, and the arrow grazed his cheek, striking the stone tablet behind him.

"Boom!"

A massive explosion!

The arrow exploded on the stone tablet, fire and Sword Intent intertwining to erupt in a violent shockwave. On the stone tablet, a charred hole several inches deep instantly appeared!

The entire field was deathly silent!

Everyone stared dumbfounded at the hole left by the arrow, their faces filled with shock.

That was a stone tablet specially made by the Provincial Martial Arts Alliance, incredibly hard; even a full-strength strike from a legendary rank expert might not have left such a deep mark!

A burning pain came from Wang Chen's cheek; he reached out to touch it and saw his fingertips stained with blood. That arrow just now had actually grazed his skin!

His face turned ashen, his eyes filled with disbelief and shame. He had actually been pushed to such a state by an epic rank kid!

Lin Zhou slowly put away his bow and arrow, looking at Wang Chen calmly: "I accept your concession."

Wang Chen's fists were tightly clenched, his nails almost sinking into his flesh, yet he didn't dare to strike again. He could feel that Lin Zhou hadn't even used his full strength in that arrow just now. If Lin Zhou had aimed for his heart, he would probably be a corpse by now.

Just then, a rumbling sound suddenly came from the sky.

The massive spatial crack suddenly expanded, and dense Spiritual Qi poured out like a tide as an ancient voice resounded through the heavens and earth: "The Ten Thousand Beast Ridge Secret Realm is open! All teams, enter in order!"

The referees finally moved, beginning to organize the teams to enter the Secret Realm in an orderly fashion.

Wang Chen glared fiercely at Lin Zhou and gritted his teeth: "Kid, you just wait! Once inside the Secret Realm, I will definitely make sure you have no place to be buried!"

After saying that, he led the Jingdu Martial Arts University team and walked toward the Secret Realm entrance without looking back. As Zhang Hao passed by Lin Zhou, he spat venomously: "Lin Zhou, you just wait and see!"

Lin Zhou remained indifferent to this, his gaze fixed on the spatial crack, his eyes shining with a fervent light.

The Ten Thousand Beast Ridge Secret Realm had finally opened.

Here, there were ancient Legacies, rare resources, powerful exotic beasts, and countless dangers and opportunities.

Qin Yue walked to Lin Zhou's side and said softly, "Be careful, Wang Chen is very strong, and the Jingdu Martial Arts University team is numerous."

"Don't worry," Lin Zhou turned his head and smiled slightly. "When soldiers come, we'll block them with generals; when water comes, we'll cover it with earth."

Su Ye also patted his chest and said loudly, "That's right! With the three of us brothers working together, even a legendary rank expert would have to die with regret on the spot!"

Lin Zhou nodded and, no longer hesitating, led Qin Yue and Su Ye toward the Secret Realm entrance.

Sunlight filtered through the spatial crack, spilling over the three of them and casting three long shadows standing side by side.

A duel of geniuses sweeping across the entire province had thus begun!