169: Chapter 169 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (117)

Following closely was the team from the Tianwu Dynasty.

This team was clearly stratified. Walking at the very front were six Disciples from the main imperial lineage, dressed in bright yellow, dragon-patterned martial attire. Their demeanor was composed and heavy, carrying an inherent royal authority.

Following closely behind them were the princes and princesses from the eight major branch princely estates, among whom were those two charming princesses.

Further back were six young Prodigies from the Imperial Dynasty's top civil and military official families, some refined and scholarly, others fierce and bold.

Walking at the end of the team were five Loose Cultivator Prodigies with unruly auras and varied attire.

To have fought their way out from countless civilian Martial Artists and Rank among these twenty-five individuals, each of them possessed strength and backgrounds that could not be underestimated.

When the team reached the portal, those two princesses stopped at the same time.

The younger one was the most flamboyant; she generously raised her arm, waved vigorously in the direction of Chu Shi, winked playfully, and mouthed the words "Go for it."

Her sister beside her was much more aloof, merely raising her hand slightly to give a faint nod in acknowledgement to Chu Shi.

Chu Shi shook his head helplessly and raised his hand to return the salute.

"Great Sun Holy Land, enter." Elder Zhang's voice sounded from behind, calm and rippleless.

Chu Shi turned his head and exchanged a glance with Ling Chen beside him.

Ling Chen still wore that goofy expression, but deep within his eyes, a sliver of sharp Battle Intent ignited.

The two did not speak, but simultaneously nodded slightly. They then turned around, followed at the end of the team, and stepped together into the churning clouds and mist.

The moment he stepped in, Chu Shi felt a cold and viscous power of the Temporal Secret Realm instantly wrap around his entire body. The scene before his eyes distorted suddenly, turning into a chaotic stream of light.

When he came to his senses, the sensation under his feet had changed from hard stone slabs to a cool, metallic texture.

He slowly opened his eyes to see an endless, mysterious black platform.

The ground was polished extremely smooth, emitting a faint metallic luster. At the edges, golden light streams faintly meandered, condensing into a translucent Formation barrier that enveloped the entire space.

The platform was not empty; instead, it was piled with hill-like mounds of metal ingots, sorted by category.

The most eye-catching were the pure copper ingots; crimson copper mountains stood one after another, glowing with a gentle red light under the sky's illumination.

Beside them were scattered piles of tin ingots, lead ingots, and many rare minerals that Chu Shi could not name. Each piece exuded a rich and pure metallic Qi, and just looking at them made one feel refreshed all over.

Looking out past the edge of the platform, there was an endless expanse of emerald green grassland.

The grass blades were lush and verdant, swaying gently in the wind. A faint, refreshing scent of vegetation permeated the air, intertwining with the heavy metallic aura on the platform, forming a strange harmony.

"Senior Brother Chu! Senior Brother Ling! Over here!" At this moment, a crisp female voice came from not far away.

Chu Shi looked toward the sound and saw Chen Lingxi standing beside a pile of brass ingots, standing on tiptoe and waving vigorously at them.

Standing beside her were two young girls dressed in bright yellow long dresses; they were the two princesses, Xiao Weizhao and Princess Xiao Yunyao.

Chu Shi exchanged a glance with Ling Chen beside him and walked over quickly.

"Junior Sister Chen, your highnesses." Chu Shi nodded slightly in greeting.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Chu, Senior Brother Ling." Xiao Weizhao smiled faintly, her temperament gentle and quiet.

Princess Xiao Yunyao was more lively; she blinked and said, "You two are really slow; we've already been here for a while."

Ling Chen immediately leaned forward and asked curiously, "Junior Sister Chen, what exactly is this place? The moment the teleportation array lit up, we arrived here directly without any warning."

"This is the core of the Temporal Secret Realm, the Temporal Platform." Chen Lingxi stepped aside half a step and pointed to the platform beneath their feet, explaining.

"It is also the only safe zone and Cultivation point in the entire Secret Realm. Once the rest of the people arrive, the Formation will officially start, and the Concept of the four seasons' rotation will turn into mist and permeate the area. You just need to operate your Cultivation Technique and absorb the mist according to your Foundation and capacity. One wisp of mist corresponds to a ten percent acceleration in Copper Bone tempering."

After saying this, she paused, then took out a yellowed animal skin map from her bosom and spread it out in front of them. Her fingertip traced the dot in the center of the map as she continued, "At the same time the Formation starts, it will mark each of us with an identity tag, so we can freely enter and exit the barrier to explore the outside."

Subsequently, before Ling Chen could ask further, Chen Lingxi's tone became more serious as she continued. "Because this Secret Realm is only open for two years in total. Cultivating here means no worries about Cultivation resources, and with the tempering acceleration bonus, it is truly a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. However, the acceleration multiplier is not fixed; the better your Foundation, the more mist you can absorb initially, and naturally, the higher your acceleration efficiency will be. However, as we temper more Copper Bones, the subsequent parts required will become increasingly important, and the Cultivation speed will naturally slow down. At that time, you will need higher acceleration multipliers, and you will have to go outside to find those special Heaven And Earth Treasure items."

Hearing this, Chu Shi's gaze fell on the map. The entire map was centered on the Temporal Platform, spreading outward in concentric circles. The closer to the periphery, the rarer the names of the Heaven And Earth Treasure items marked, and the higher their Rank. In some remote areas, there were striking black skull icons drawn, exuding an ominous aura.

He nodded thoughtfully. It seemed that the word "explore" was by no means an empty phrase; the outside world must surely hide considerable dangers.

Just at this moment, the teleportation array in the distance lit up with white light again, and figures appeared one after another.

The Disciples of the Ice and Snow Holy Land had finally all arrived. Together with the people from the Great Sun Holy Land who had arrived earlier, a full one hundred young Disciples were now gathered on this vast platform.

"Hum!" A low and distant humming sound suddenly resonated throughout the entire space.

The Temporal Platform beneath their feet trembled slightly, and golden Formation patterns emerged from deep within the ground, as if coming alive, rapidly flowing along the edges of the platform.

In an instant, Chu Shi felt a warmth all over his body, and the already rich metallic Qi instantly became as viscous as honey.

He took a deep breath, and the pure energy surged into his Dantian along his respiratory tract, requiring almost no refinement to be directly converted into his own True Qi.

At the same time, wisps of strange four-colored mist began to slowly appear in the air. The four colors—cyan, red, yellow, and white—intertwined like nimble little snakes, drifting leisurely in mid-air, emitting a mysterious and ancient aura.

Without needing anyone to guide them, all the Disciples present were suddenly enlightened. Almost at the same time, everyone sat cross-legged, closed their eyes, operated their respective Cultivation Techniques, and began to actively absorb these special mists containing the power of the Temporal Secret Realm.

The platform instantly became quiet, with only the faint sound of the metallic Qi flowing and the faint whistling sounds made as the mist was absorbed into their bodies.