180: Secret Realm Allocation

The magnificent lingering echoes of the nine bells chiming in unison, like a resonance from the eternal past, continued to reverberate for a long time among the vast palace complex of the Taichu Divine Palace and the boundless horizon.

The chilling bell toll, which announced the early opening of the Epoch Battlefield, swept through the hearts of every Prodigy present like a cold cosmic gale, temporarily freezing the shock caused by Lin Yuan's emergence from seclusion.

After a brief, deathly silence, came uncontrollable commotion and panicked whispers.

The White-Robed Examiner took a sharp breath, his chest heaving violently, as he forcefully suppressed the turbulent waves of shock churning in his eyes.

He stepped forward, radiating the vast majesty belonging to an examiner, and his voice, like a booming bell, instantly drowned out all the clamor, resounding throughout the entire bronze plaza:

"Silence—!!!"

The rolling sound waves, carrying an unquestionable will, instantly suppressed all unease.

His gaze was like lightning as he swept across the faces below—some panicked, some solemn, some deathly pale—and he proclaimed in a resonant voice:

"The Taichu Divine Palace, Era 903 of the Epoch Calendar, Core Disciple assessment, hereby—officially concludes!"

A brief pause made everyone's heart jump to their throats.

"Based on the final assessment total point ranking and the comprehensive evaluation of potential Origin," the White-Robed Examiner's voice rose, carrying a sacred sense of declaring destiny, "the Secret Realm allocation for this time is as follows:"

"Heaven-Grade Secret Realm:" His gaze instantly locked onto the Chaos-shrouded figure in the arena, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible complexity and solemnity, "Lin Yuan! He is the only one!"

"Boom!" This name, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirred up massive waves! Countless gazes, filled with extreme shock, incredulous jealousy, deep awe, and even undisguised hostility, like countless sharp swords, instantly focused on Lin Yuan! Monopolizing the Heaven-Grade! This was a supreme honor unprecedented in the Taichu Divine Palace! It was like an insurmountable divine mountain, crashing down upon everyone's hearts!

"Earth-Grade Secret Realm:" The White-Robed Examiner increased his speaking speed, reading out eight names, each representing a top successor of a major power: "Clear Emptiness (Time-Space Divine Temple), Luo Shen (Eternal Temple), Yan Qingcheng (Taiyan Dynasty), Yuan Wuji (Taiyuan Imperial Dynasty), Yu Huaxian (Great Yu Dynasty), Heng Wuye (Eternal Dynasty), Guang Muxue (Temple of Light), Gu Cangtian (Reincarnation Divine Hall)! A total of eight people!"

These eight, all of whom were dazzling, top-tier Prodigies, showed no joy upon hearing their names, only deeper solemnity. Because they knew that this list had drawn a boundary line between them and that sole "Heaven" that was clear to the point of being blinding.

"Mystic-Grade Secret Realm: Fifty people!" The list was read out quickly, including top existences such as Cang Tianxia (Cangqiong Imperial Dynasty), Luo Hou (Destruction Temple), Jiang Taiyi (Ancient Jiang Family), and Bai Wujiu (Ancient Bai Family). When Luo Hou heard his name appear in "Mystic-Grade" rather than "Earth-Grade," the destructive aura around him suddenly choked, his face darkening until it was almost dripping water, his clenched fists bulging with veins, nails digging deep into his palms, and a trace of dark red destruction blood seeping out. A flash of resentment and unwillingness flickered in Bai Wujiu's eyes.

"Yellow-Grade Secret Realm: Five hundred people!" The list was even longer, with names like Situ Ying (Ancient Situ Family) and Xue Futu (Blood Prison Holy Land) among them.

After the list was announced, a complex silence permeated the plaza. Envy, jealousy, unwillingness, awe... various emotions intertwined, forming an invisible net.

"Within one day!" The Black-Robed Examiner's cold voice, like cold iron, broke the silence, carrying an unquestionable power of rules, "Each of you must hold your identity Jade Slip and report to the entrance of your respective Secret Realm! The Jade Slip will guide you to the location! Anyone who fails to arrive on time—will be deemed to have automatically forfeited their qualification!"

Lin Yuan remained indifferent to the complex gazes around him that were sharp enough to pierce stars. He walked calmly, the Chaos Qi flowing naturally around him, as if he were independent of this clamor.

He walked up to Clear Emptiness, Luo Shen, Yan Qingcheng, and other Earth-Grade Secret Realm selectees, his expression calm, and cupped his hands in a salute: "Brother Clear Emptiness, Fellow Daoist Luo Shen, Fellow Daoists. The Epoch Battlefield is about to open, and within the Secret Realm, Opportunity and danger coexist. I hope you all take care. I look forward to fighting side by side with you on the battlefield and resisting foreign enemies together."

Clear Emptiness took a deep breath, suppressing the complexity in his heart and the faint bitterness caused by the gap, and returned the salute solemnly, his eyes filled with sincerity and anticipation: "Brother Lin, the Heaven-Grade Secret Realm is a place favored by the Great Dao. I hope Brother Lin grasps this eternal Opportunity and advances further! On the Epoch Battlefield, we... all need Brother Lin's heaven-supporting strength!"

Luo Shen's eyes flickered slightly, and she nodded gently at Lin Yuan, her cold voice carrying a hint of solemnity: "Take care."

Yan Qingcheng, Yuan Wuji, and the others also returned the salute, their gazes complex and difficult to decipher; there was congratulations, there was admiration, but more than that, there was an unprecedented sense of urgency stirred up by this sudden bell of the Epoch and Lin Yuan's Heaven-Defying Opportunity. They all knew that this step of difference in the Secret Realm might be the starting point of a future chasm.

"Lin Yuan, come with me." The White-Robed Examiner's voice came at the right moment, surprisingly carrying a rare trace of gentleness and kindness. He waved his large sleeve, and a soft halo of Chaos enveloped Lin Yuan. The two figures instantly turned into a stream of chaotic light, tearing through space, and sped toward the most core area of the Taichu Divine Palace, the mysterious forbidden zone shrouded by the eternally churning chaotic nebula!

The stream of light shuttled through vast palaces and folded spaces, its speed exceeding the understanding of ordinary Prodigies. During the flight, the White-Robed Examiner spoke voluntarily, his voice filled with the emotion of having experienced the vicissitudes of life: "Lin Yuan, do you know why the assessment requirements for this Heaven-Grade Secret Realm have been so despairingly harsh since ancient times? Why does the Taichu Divine Palace exhaust its resources, yet can only maintain a supply of very few quotas?"

Lin Yuan, situated within the chaotic stream of light, felt the surrounding space-time power and chaotic aura that were so dense they were almost viscous, and said calmly: "This Junior is willing to hear the details."

"The four major Secret Realms of the Taichu Divine Palace are all based on fragments of different-dimensional spaces captured from the endless Void Realm, which contain primitive Dao laws, and then opened up and stabilized by supreme existences at the Domain Master level, who exhausted their great Origin power. Each one can be called an independent Small World." The White-Robed Examiner's voice carried pride, and even a trace of yearning for such great power, "And their most core, most Heaven-Defying mystery lies in... Time!"

"Time?" Lin Yuan's eyes suddenly narrowed, a faint premonition arising in his heart.

"Correct! It is precisely the extreme distortion of the power of Time!" The White-Robed Examiner's tone suddenly became impassioned, carrying the excitement of revealing the ultimate mystery of the Universe, "The four grades of Secret Realms—Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow—all have time flow rates different from the outside world! Among them, the Heaven-Grade Secret Realm is the most extreme! That place... is the ultimate singularity where the Great Dao of Time is distorted!"