A new day in the secret realm dawned with golden light filtering through clouds, shimmering over mountains, valleys, ponds, and frozen lakes. Mist rolled across the terrain, tinted by qi resonating from spiritual beasts and treasures buried deep beneath the land. But in the hearts of the young participants, one desire had rooted deeper than the rest—
To win.
It has already been few days since the participants had arrived in this secret realm.
What began as a simple challenge among six-year-old cultivators had evolved into a silent war of wit, strength, and cunning. Friendships had formed easily in the early days—bundled together by laughter, shared food, and cooperative beast hunts. But as the jade tokens grew fewer and the tension behind ranking whispered in every child's mind, the cracks in camaraderie began to show.
_____
In a secluded area deep in the secret realm, Li Qingyun knelt beneath the bowing limbs of a violet-leafed tree. Before him, a glowing herb pulsed with quiet energy, its roots wrapped around a faintly radiant stone.
He had found more than a dozen rare spirit objects over the last few days—bitter moss for cleansing marrow, dew of the light lotus for spiritual clarity, and a flamewood fruit that gently increased one's internal warmth. They were not heaven-shaking treasures, but they brimmed with gentle spiritual force.
As he absorbed the last tendril of energy from the jade-colored root in his palm, a ripple surged through his body.
[Energy +8]
[Energy: 100]
He exhaled slowly.
"Finally accumulated sufficient points."
But instead of unlocking the third slot, he decided to unlock the transcendent stage of Jade body tempering scripture.
A wave of calm flooded through him as he opened the System Interface:
> [Energy threshold reached for: Jade Body Tempering Scripture]
[Perfect stage has been reached—Technique is evolving…]
[You have unlocked: Transcendent Stage – Jade Bone Transformation]
His body glowed with a brilliance he'd never seen before. A wave of heat and pressure wrapped around him, and then—
His body exploded with light.
His bones blazed like molten jade from within. Every marrow pore opened at once. He could hear his heartbeat thunder like a divine war drum in his chest. Gold threads laced his veins, and the surface of his skin shimmered faintly with immortal luster. A ring of ancient characters—unfamiliar and profound—circled above his head briefly before vanishing into his spine.
Crack. Snap. Boom.
Bones popped, reshaped, hardened. But there was no pain. Only a cleansing surge, as though he were being reforged by a divine hammer.
Li Qingyun's breathing steadied. He clenched his fist, and the air around his knuckles rippled faintly.
> [Jade Body Tempering Scripture – Transcendent Stage: Jade Bone Transformation]
Your bones are now infused with condensed primal jade essence. Defense increased tremendously. Natural healing accelerated. Resistance to spiritual pressure and elemental forces enhanced.
Passive effect: "Unshakable Core" – Your body will not break unless your will does.
His hand trembled slightly—not from weakness, but awe.
This was no longer a mortal technique.
This was a technique that transcended realms.
He exhaled slowly. "This... is something not even the clan patriarch might have."
But there was no time to dwell.
He opened the System Interface:
---
[System Interface]
[Host:] Li Qingyun
[Realm:] Qi Gathering Realm (8th Stage)
[Physique:] Primal Chaos Vessel Physique
[Slots:]
Slot 1: Jade Body Tempering Scripture — Transcendent stage. (Passive effect: Unshakable Core)
Slot 2: Ninefold Essence Sutra — Perfect (Transcendent locked requires 500 points.)
Slot 3: locked requires 100 points.
[Techniques:]
Jade Body Tempering Scripture —Transcendent unlocked
Ninefold Essence Sutra —Perfect
Voidcleave Sword Manual —Perfect (Sword Intent: Budding Edge)
Phantom Step Art — Perfect
[Energy:] 0 Points
His points once again reached 0 points.
---
His jade token count had steadily increased as well. While others fought and squabbled, Li Qingyun had methodically scouted unclaimed areas—hidden ravines, crumbling alcoves, and even the nests of weak spiritual beasts. Several copper-scaled wolves, flame-backed apes, and spirit wasps had fallen beneath his sword—not for battle glory, but for what they guarded.
Now, his small pouch carried over twenty jade tokens.
But he wasn't naïve. Others were growing more aggressive. And so was he.
---
All around the realm, children clashed, sparred, and stole. While none of them went for the kill, they fought with all their strength to force others into using their teleportation talismans.
In a misty gorge, Han Zhen and Tang Hu had once shared roasted spirit beast meat and joked about forming a "Berserker Brothers" team.
Now, they stood apart—faces bruised, robes torn, and qi pulsing like coiled serpents.
"You stole one of mine while I was sleeping!" Tang Hu snapped.
Han Zhen rolled his eyes, fire qi steaming from his palms. "Because you would've done the same. Don't act innocent."
Their clash ignited the gorge. Tang Hu's fists cracked the stone, while Han Zhen summoned fire geysers to blind him. In the end, Tang Hu was overwhelmed, gritting his teeth as he activated his teleportation talisman, vanishing in a flash of golden light.
Han Zhen gained 3 jade tokens.
---
In the mirrored forest, Feng Jue and Luo Min had been allies for a day, laughing as they raced through the trees. But today, their alliance crumbled.
"You're fast," Luo Min said, panting. "But I'm faster when it counts."
His silhouette shimmered—and a second later, Feng Jue's token pouch was ripped clean off.
"You—!" Feng Jue drew a blade, but the forest swallowed Luo Min in a blur of shadows.
---
New alliances were made but were also instantly broke down.
Elsewhere, Zhao Ruyan, Rong Yue, and Ji Wuxin sat beneath a glowing spirit tree. They had promised to share anything they found.
But when a large jade token emerged from the roots, greed flickered in Ji Wuxin's eyes.
"You don't need it," she said to Rong Yue. "You've already got more than us. Be fair."
"Fair?" Rong Yue stood, light qi coiling around her. "This world isn't fair."
The three clashed, their spiritual arts weaving through the grove in dazzling streams. In the end, Zhao Ruyan activated her talisman and vanished, injured and wide-eyed. Ji Wuxin fled with a laugh, clutching the token. Rong Yue remained, silent and battered, her pride fractured.
---
Xia Shuying vs Bai Yu
High atop an icy ridge, Xia Shuying and Bai Yu clashed with a two-headed frost lizard.
Each strike from Xia Shuying's sword released sharp arcs of sword qi, cutting across the beast's thick hide. Bai Yu used shifting sands to trip and trap the creature, slowing its speed.
The girls coordinated instinctively, never saying a word. Once the frost lizard collapsed with a hiss, they circled its den and found a half-buried jade token, encased in frost crystal.
They stared at each other.
"I saw it first," Bai Yu said coolly.
"I landed the final blow," Xia Shuying replied, tightening her grip on her sword.
Their standoff lasted several breaths before Bai Yu clicked her tongue and tossed Xia Shuying a smaller token from her pouch.
"Fair trade."
For now.
---
Li Qingyun Strikes
Near a shallow spring, Guo Tiancheng, Cheng Yuan, and Wu Hong were laughing over a beast they had just defeated—a wind-striped panther.
"I'll keep watch," Cheng Yuan said, sitting down.
Guo Tiancheng placed the jade token in his satchel.
Just then, a gust of wind scattered leaves—and Li Qingyun stepped from the underbrush.
Wu Hong's hand moved toward his pouch. "Who—"
Too late.
Li Qingyun moved like wind over still water. His foot landed softly behind Wu Hong, a palm strike knocking him flat. A sweep of his leg tripped Cheng Yuan. Guo Tiancheng reacted, but his punch met an immovable wall—Li Qingyun's now-jade-hardened forearm.
No sword. No killing intent.
Just precision.
Just overwhelming pressure.
"You don't need to be hurt," Li Qingyun said, tone even. "Just surrender your tokens."
When they saw that it was Li Qingyun and they were no match for him, they instantly lost hope and used their teleportation talisman.
One by one, they vanished, forced to use their talismans.
Li Qingyun stepped forward and picked up the scattered jade tokens.
He now carried nearly forty tokens.
_____
Throughout the realm, the number of active participants steadily dwindled.
Yan Wei was eliminated by Mu Yihan in a brilliant clash of wind and shadow.
Si Yulan was ambushed by Duan Li, who promptly fled with her token.
Yu Qing and Mei Xuan teamed up and fought off a spirit beast—then parted without a word, wary of each other.
Lu Qingzhi and Sheng Lian forged an uneasy alliance, sharing techniques and strategies.
As night fell, the secret realm glowed with the last light of spirit fireflies and lantern-shaped herbs. The surviving participants each found their own shelter, clutching their token pouches tighter.
All of them knew the end was drawing closer.
All of them wanted to be the one who stood above the rest.
And in the shadows of the forest, beneath the whispering leaves, Li Qingyun meditated silently—his body tempered, his qi refined, his path unmoving.
He had no intention of being second.