31: Chapter 31 Rats Attack? Vanished in the blink of an eye!

Duan Gujin calculated his plan against Liu Ruyan, remaining calm on the surface as he held Jiang Yuxue close to comfort her.

He knew the final 5 points of submission required a turning point that would shock Jiang Yuxue and shake her awe of Liu Ruyan.

Two days later, the Sect Competition began.

The location was the Thousand Stamen Fragrance Secret Realm.

Here, the fragrance of flowers was dense, spiritual plants flourished, and Yao Beasts roamed.

The rules were to hunt Yao Beasts and collect Spirit Medicine to exchange for points, with life and death being irrelevant.

There were special world rules inside; only Foundation Establishment Realm Disciples could enter.

Hundreds of Foundation Establishment Disciples gathered on the Hehuan Sect square.

Duan Gujin deliberately suppressed his aura to the Early Stage of the First Level of Foundation Establishment.

Zhang Hongling stood by his side.

The Hehuan Sect's Cultivation Techniques were quite unique.

The Sect rules did not prevent men and women from pairing up freely.

Jiang Yuxue was his Dao Companion permitted by Liu Ruyan, but that didn't stop Duan Gujin from entering the Secret Realm in a team with Zhang Hongling.

Jiang Yuxue had known about Zhang Hongling's existence for a long time.

She didn't use her status as the Dao Companion handpicked by Liu Ruyan to drive Zhang Hongling away.

In a sense, she was the officially recognized primary wife.

Zhang Hongling was merely a mistress.

The difference between a primary wife and a mistress was that if Duan Gujin fell, all his inheritance would belong to the primary wife.

A mistress could not receive any inheritance.

The Hehuan Sect square was crowded with people.

Besides the hundreds of Foundation Establishment Disciples from their own Sect preparing for action, the air was also filled with distinct auras and pressures from the other six major Sects.

The grand occasion of the Seven Great Sects' Joint Competition was a once-in-a-century event; almost all the Foundation Establishment Realm elites of the entire Qingyun Domain were gathered here.

The Disciples of the Tianjian Sect carried longswords on their backs, their Sword Qi awe-inspiring.

The Cultivators of Baicao Valley were surrounded by the fragrance of medicine, their gazes peaceful.

The Disciples of the Shenji Pavilion had hidden mechanisms in their sleeves, their gazes sharp.

The Cultivators of Wanshou Mountain had Spirit Beasts crouching beside them, their auras blending together.

The Disciples of the Xuanyin Sect held musical instruments, with sound patterns faintly appearing around them.

The warrior monks of Jingang Temple had robust physiques, with Buddha's light contained within.

As for the Hehuan Sect Disciples, regardless of gender, all had outstanding appearances; their auras were either cool or fiery, but all revealed the Foundation and discipline of a prestigious righteous Sect.

The two sisters, Li Zhiyi and Li Jieju, also stood in the Hehuan Sect's ranks.

With their cultivation at the Fifth Level of Foundation Establishment, they were no longer considered weak in the crowd.

The two looked excited yet slightly nervous, talking in low voices, their gazes occasionally glancing at Duan Gujin with gratitude and reliance.

They knew that if not for Duan Gujin's full assistance and the precious resources and guidance he provided, they could never have broken through several stages in such a short time to reach their current Realm.

This Secret Realm competition was the perfect opportunity for them to prove themselves and obtain more resources.

Their partners by their side were their biological brother and their cousin.

"The time has come!"

An announcement imbued with powerful spiritual power resounded across the square, suppressing all the noise.

The Elders in charge of hosting from the Seven Great Sects were all of immortal-like bearing; they performed hand seals simultaneously.

The space in the center of the square suddenly distorted, and a huge vortex passage emitting a dense, exotic fragrance with light and shadows flowing inside slowly took shape.

That fragrance was the unique scent of the Thousand Stamen Fragrance Secret Realm.

It was sweet and cloying, yet carried a hint of refreshing spiritual charm.

"You already know the rules: collect Spirit Medicine and exchange what you get for points! Within the Secret Realm, you are responsible for your own life and death. However, as fellow members of the Righteous Path, you should value harmony; keep your sparring to a minimum and do not damage relationships! The final point ranking will determine the distribution of the joint rewards of the seven Sects! The passage is open for seven days. Take care!"

"Enter!"

With the command, the Foundation Establishment Disciples, who had long been unable to restrain themselves, turned into streaks of light like arrows from a bow, either flying on swords, riding beasts, using swift movement techniques, or clearing the way with sound waves.

Their postures varied, yet all were incredibly fast, racing to shoot into the fragrance-filled vortex.

Duan Gujin nodded to Zhang Hongling. "Let's go."

The two of them flickered and merged into the flow of people.

The moment they entered the Secret Realm, a dense fragrance of flowers, almost tangible, rushed toward them, refreshing their spirits.

The scene before them suddenly opened up.

Towering ancient trees were entwined with thick vines, and exotic flowers and herbs grew everywhere, emitting enticing spiritual light.

From the distance came bursts of roars and bellows from Yao Beasts, and the air was filled with a primitive and vibrant aura.

"Such dense Spiritual Qi! The medicinal properties of the spiritual plants here must be excellent!" Zhang Hongling said in surprise.

As a Hehuan Sect Disciple, she also had some research into the medicinal properties of spiritual plants.

After entering the Secret Realm rich in Spiritual Qi,

Duan Gujin, Zhang Hongling, Li Zhiyi, Li Jieju, and sixteen other Disciples immediately dispersed, advancing into the dense forest ahead in a fan shape.

The Secret Realm suppressed their Divine Sense, making their detection range very small.

A total of over four hundred Foundation Establishment Disciples from the Hehuan Sect entered the Secret Realm.

Every twenty people formed a team.

There were more than twenty teams in total, scattered everywhere to find Spirit Medicine or kill Yao Beasts.

The surroundings were very quiet.

Suddenly, the bushes to the front left shook violently!

"Be careful! It's a swarm of Man-Eating Rats!" Li Jieju shouted nervously.

At the same time, Li Zhiyi also gave a warning: "On the right side too! There are so many!"

Dozens of black rats the size of cats, with red eyes and sharp teeth, carrying a foul stench, rushed out from both sides like lightning!

They were extremely fast, pouncing directly at the Disciples on the team's flanks!

"Form a formation! Defend!" A Disciple at the Third Level of Foundation Establishment turned pale and roared sharply.

The attacked Disciples hurriedly circulated their spiritual power to defend.

But the rat swarm was too fast!

"Swoosh!" A water arrow missed its target.

"Damn it! Too fast!" Another Disciple's Sword Qi only cut off a few leaves.

"Can't bind them! Their strength is so great!" The Spell of a Disciple trying to use vines was snapped.

The Man-Eating Rats cooperated tacitly, instantly overwhelming several Disciples on the perimeter!

Sharp teeth and claws frantically tore at the protective spiritual light.

The protective spiritual light of a Disciple at the Third Level of Foundation Establishment flickered violently, looking like it was about to be bitten through!

"Ah!" He retreated in terror.

At this critical moment, Duan Gujin took action.

He just casually flicked his finger.

A ball of blazing crimson fire instantly took shape and smashed into the densest part of the rat swarm on the left!

Boom—!!!

A deafening blast! Flames swallowed that area.

Over a dozen Man-Eating Rats were instantly turned to ashes!

Hiss!!!

"My god!"

"This... this fireball?!"

"Impossible! Isn't he... isn't he only at the First Level of Foundation Establishment?!"

"Senior Brother Wang is at the Third Level of Foundation Establishment and couldn't even hit a few, yet Duan Gujin... he wiped out over a dozen in one strike?!"

All the Hehuan Sect Disciples around were stunned!

Duan Gujin, the person with the lowest cultivation on the surface, had actually launched such a terrifying strike so nonchalantly?

However, the crisis was not over!

The rat swarm on the right had already broken through the perimeter defense.

Several fierce Man-Eating Rats pounced in front of another Disciple.

That Disciple's face was deathly pale, and his protective spiritual light sizzled as it was corroded, on the verge of collapse.

Duan Gujin's gaze turned slightly cold as he raised his hand toward the swarming rats on the right.

This time, his five fingers were like plucking zither strings as he tapped several times in front of him!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—!

Dozens of crimson fireballs burst forth instantly!

Each one shot with incomparable precision toward every pouncing Man-Eating Rat!

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft—!

A series of dense popping sounds rang out!

Every fireball accurately hit a vital spot on a Man-Eating Rat!

Not a single Disciple was accidentally injured!

The struck Man-Eating Rats were instantly reduced to ashes!

The entire right side of the battlefield was completely cleared by Duan Gujin with a wave of his hand!

Dead silence!

All the Disciples who witnessed this scene, including Li Jieju and Li Zhiyi, were frozen in place, their faces filled with shock and horror!

Killing over a dozen in one strike was already shocking enough!

But now, it was dozens of fireballs fired simultaneously, a precise execution!

This completely overturned their understanding of the power limits of the First Level of Foundation Establishment!

The Disciple who had been besieged and nearly lost his life, along with the one who had just been pounced on by the right-side rat swarm, both stared fixedly at Duan Gujin's lowered hand, then at the ashes on the ground, their minds blank.

"This... this... how is this possible..." one Disciple stammered.

"Dozens of fireballs... instant cast... precise... annihilation..." another Disciple muttered to himself.

That Senior Brother Wang, at the Third Level of Foundation Establishment, was deathly pale, with sweat on his forehead.

The way he looked at Duan Gujin was filled with awe and fear.

Li Jieju's small mouth was slightly agape, her beautiful eyes sparkling with wonder.

Li Zhiyi's hand, which was gripping her sword hilt, relaxed slightly.

She gave Duan Gujin a deep look, the sharp light in her eyes growing even stronger.

Duan Gujin acted as if he had only done something trivial, his breathing not disturbed in the slightest.

His gaze swept over the traces on the ground and peered into the depths of the dark forest. "Hmm. It seems this Secret Realm is more dangerous than expected."

He looked around at everyone, his tone flat yet solemn. "Stay alert and keep moving forward. Maintain your spacing, look out for each other, and do not be careless!"

This time, no one dared to have the slightest doubt.