Chapter 37: World Rules: The Life of the Mediocre in Exchange for a Glimmer of Hope for the Genius
Outside the palace.
The captain of the Imperial Guards held a nine-story black tower in his hands. It was only the size of an arm, yet it weighed a staggering one million jin.
Upon seeing Qin Bei and Ji Zhuyue come out, he hurried forward.
“Prince Bei.”
“Hmm.”
“Is this the incarnation of the Demon Suppression Tower? It doesn’t look much different from the actual tower, just a bit smaller.”
The Demon Suppression Tower had always stood majestically in the palace, and anyone who had entered the palace had seen its true form.
Qin Bei was no exception.
“Prince Bei, although this is merely an incarnation, its appearance mirrors that of the Demon Suppression Tower. Its current size is merely because it hasn’t been activated yet. Once in use, it will appear identical to the real Demon Suppression Tower, albeit with significantly reduced power.”
The captain explained to Qin Bei.
“Alright, hand it over.”
“This weighs a million jin and cannot be wrapped in spiritual energy, so please be careful, Prince Bei.”
Though he had heard that Prince Bei’s physical strength might surpass one million jin, the captain still reminded him with concern.
“Don’t worry.”
Qin Bei smiled, then took the incarnation of the Demon Suppression Tower.
As soon as he held it, he immediately felt a tremendous force pressing down on his palm.
His 900,000 jin physical strength was somewhat struggling, and he had to secretly employ his Immortal Phoenix Body to hold it steadily.
Curiosity filled Qin Bei as he scrutinized the object in his hands.
What he was holding was the incarnation of a Sacred Weapon.
Sacred Weapons, treasures that are rare and hard to come by.
Even someone like him, who possessed a system, had no idea when he would own a Sacred Weapon of his own.
Qin Bei sensed the massive amount of spiritual energy contained within the weapon.
This could very well explain why a user’s strength could drastically increase after wielding it.
It was not much different from receiving a significant boost in cultivation—a double-edged sword, indeed.
Zing!
The captain of the Imperial Guards was utterly amazed by Qin Bei’s calm demeanor.
He needed both hands to stabilize it, yet Prince Bei, who was on a far lower level than him, managed to hold it securely with one hand.
“No wonder he ranks first in the cultivation world! With this strength, there’s surely no opponent in the Body Refinement Realm.”
The captain mused, processing this revelation in his heart.
He then waved to the group following him.
“Prince Bei, these are the Foundation Establishment cultivators selected by His Majesty. I will escort you to the outside of the secret realm, and they will accompany you into the secret realm for your protection.”
While Emperor Xia had allowed Qin Bei to enter the secret realm, he still dispatched some personnel to accompany him.
To prevent Qin Bei from being completely outnumbered, of course.
And there was another crucial reason.
Emperor Xia was prepared to cultivate Qin Bei’s reputation in the military.
The leader of this team was the youngest son of the Imperial Guard commander, Kong Yu!
“This is the leader of this group, Kong Yu, the youngest son of our commander. He ranks fifth on the Foundation Establishment combat power list.”
The captain introduced him.
“Kong Yu greets Prince Bei.”
Kong Yu appeared a bit excited upon seeing Qin Bei.
His eyes roamed over Qin Bei, assessing him.
“So this is the genius who can top the combat power ranking? I really want to have a go against him.”
Kong Yu thought to himself, though he knew the time was not right for challenges.
“Then let’s proceed.”
After Qin Bei nodded, he spoke.
“Yes.”
…
The Beast Control Sect quickly learned of Qin Bei’s expedition to the Foundation Establishment Secret Realm.
“Humph, just as I suspected, Prince Bei has finally set out. Have Beast Madness head to the Foundation Establishment Secret Realm immediately! This time, success is mandatory—failure is not an option!”
The Sect Master of the Beast Control Sect commanded his beast lion.
“Understood!”
“Wait! Have Beast Madness take that item with him, just in case.”
“Sect Master, is that really necessary?”
“It is! We’ve failed too many times dealing with this Prince Bei. We must learn from our mistakes!”
“Understood, I’ll arrange it.”
…
Naturally, those who were mobilizing were not only from the royal family; the Beast Control Sect and other factions were involved as well.
In fact, their rescue operations had never ceased.
However, the perimeter of the secret realm was guarded by Golden Core level monsters, making it impossible for the dispatched cultivators to match their strength.
Thus, most factions hesitated to send their geniuses into the fray, opting instead for the older cultivators who had barely reached the Foundation Establishment Realm to make the rescue.
Trading the lives of the mediocre for a glitter of hope for the genius inside the secret realm.
Though it sounded cruel, that was the harsh reality.
In this world, where strength reigned supreme, sympathy was a foreign concept.
“Captain Huo, how much longer will it take to get there?”
Qin Bei, standing atop the flying sword, asked the Impenetrable Guards Captain escorting them.
“Prince Bei, at my speed, we’ll arrive in three hours.”
“I’ve always had a question I wanted to ask.”
“Please do, Prince Bei. I will not withhold any information.”
“Since monsters of the Golden Core level can emerge in this Foundation Establishment Secret Realm, why hasn’t anyone sought Golden Core level cultivators to suppress their power to the Foundation Establishment level and then release it once inside? That should make dealing with the monsters inside a breeze.”
This question had puzzled Qin Bei for quite some time, but he hadn’t found the chance to ask until now.
“You may not know this, but the Foundation Establishment Secret Realm was once the home of the Spirit Race. After their extinction, it became sealed and transformed into a secret realm.”
“The Spirit Race’s strongest trait was perception. Sealing one’s cultivation can’t deceive the rules at the entrance of the secret realm. Any forced entry will result in obliteration; if it can’t be obliterated, the entire realm will self-destruct. As such, many factions, including the royal family, dare not send practitioners above the Foundation Establishment realm to enter.”
Captain Huo explained patiently.
“Oh~”
Now Qin Bei comprehended the deeper connection of this secret realm.
As he nodded, he noticed someone staring at him.
Since boarding the flying sword, Kong Yu had been fixated on him, evaluating.
“What do you wish to ask?”
“Ahem~ That… Prince Bei, may I ask how you managed to break through a million jin of strength in the Body Refinement Realm? According to the records, even a Chaos Saint with a Chaos Dao body only reaches around 800,000 jin in the Body Refinement Realm. Do you possess a cultivation body stronger than the Chaos Dao body?”
Seeing Kong Yu’s curiosity, Qin Bei couldn’t help but smile.
“Because I acquired a true dragon, and then I stewed and ate it, that’s how I could reach this level.”
Qin Bei’s words were a beautiful mix of truth and embellishment.
He hadn’t actually acquired a true dragon, but with the system, it was nearly the same.
“Hey~ Did I inquire too much? How could such a secret be revealed?”
Kong Yu said with an awkward smile.
He didn’t believe the story—who would eat a true dragon like that? Even Emperor Xia wouldn’t dare waste such a treasure.
While they were exchanging pleasantries and laughter, the situation was starkly different elsewhere.
Outside the Foundation Establishment Secret Realm.
The entrance and exit of the secret realm were located in the same spot.
At this moment, tens of thousands of cultivators clustered around.
Most were also in the Foundation Establishment Realm and ready to enter the secret realm for a fierce battle.
Most were middle-aged practitioners in their forties to fifties, established with family backgrounds.
Multiple factions were offering a price of a thousand spirit stones for participating in the battle, and a reward of one hundred spirit stones for each monster slain to lure them in.
It was precisely because of their continuous flow that the monsters could not constantly target the geniuses within the secret realm.
Furthermore, there were hundreds of bases surrounding the area.
These bases were filled with the strong from various factions, escorting their sect’s geniuses into the secret realm, but also responsible for rescuing the geniuses trapped within.
The royal base was located closest to the entrance, symbolizing the absolute authority of the royal family.
At this moment, an elder in the royal base has been keeping watch over the entrance. He would immediately notice any changes.
He was one of the elders of the Royal Worship Hall, Elder Ming.
His cultivation had already crossed into the realm of Immortal King.
Yet, in the face of the current situation, he felt utterly helpless. All hope rested upon these hired cultivators.
“Look! The exit of the secret realm is glowing. Are more injured people coming out?”
“Huh? Why are only two people coming out this time?”
“Something’s off! These people coming out seem very young.”
…
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