However, He Guangxin's plan for secluded cultivation did not immediately succeed.
Upon entering the [Deep Sea Dragon Palace], he was surrounded by Li Qingyun and others.
Like the [Li Huo Palace], the [Deep Sea Dragon Palace] had become a cultivation site for the cultivator army after its exploration was completed.
Ao Qi had initially harbored some minor objections about his home being transformed into a cultivation secret realm, but Chu Yang did not permit him to have any.
Li Qingyun and the others buzzed around He Guangxin.
"Big brother, was the world you went to dangerous?"
"Did you encounter any great demons? How did you get so strong? Teach us some methods!"
"Good brother, tell us your experiences. Your cultivation speed is too fast!"
"Did you encounter any great demons? Or were all the people there ruthless killers?"
"......"
Everyone's eyes were filled with excitement, because if nothing unexpected happened, they would soon be sent to those real immortal cultivation worlds for trials.
He Guangxin's progress in the immortal cultivation world was evident to all. They believed they had not been lazy, and most of their time had been spent in the Time Secret Realm.
He Guangxin had cultivated for twenty years, and they had cultivated for at least ten years.
Yet, they had been overtaken by someone with inferior talent. There was a hint of resentment, and a great deal of curiosity.
He Guangxin felt awkward. Before entering the immortal cultivation world, influential figures like Li Qingyun and Bai Nianchen were completely objects of his envy.
But suddenly, his cultivation had reached a level second only to "Immortal Brother" and the Sea Dragon King on Blue Star. He felt a bit unaccustomed to it.
"Don't be anxious, my twenty years of experience were somewhat harrowing..."
He Guangxin reluctantly recounted his twenty years of experiences. Though his travels were narrow, he had never left Dong Mo Prefecture for two decades, constantly killing and being pursued. Yet, his experience was also terrifying. He had managed to deceive three major forces for sixteen years, causing a great disturbance in the end, and had escaped unscathed!
However, no one scoffed. From He Guangxin's experiences, they understood how brutal that world was.
Conflicts of interest between sects directly led to the annihilation of entire sects.
Luo Xiaowei was the most impacted. He suddenly understood what Chu Yang had told him during his teachings: his experiences were too few, and he had faced too little adversity.
He was convinced by He Guangxin's overtaking of him.
Facing such dangerous experiences, if it were him, he likely wouldn't have performed as well as He Guangxin.
Facing challenges head-on and following one's inner convictions was the true spirit of a sword cultivator's forward momentum.
Qin Xiaoxiao squeezed Luo Xiaowei's hand and cast a worried glance at him.
She was afraid Luo Xiaowei would be discouraged, but Luo Xiaowei gave her a reassuring look.
How could his recently awakened sword heart be so easily disheartened?
Everyone fell into thought, imagining themselves in He Guangxin's situation, considering how they could have done better.
However, they were thinking too much.
With their aptitude, if they were to go to the immortal cultivation world, small sects like the Five Elements Immortal Sect would not dare to accept such powerful disciples. They would undoubtedly be used to curry favor with super sects that possessed immortal realm powerhouses.
Furthermore, they would later learn that each of their experiences would be different.
......
Soon, Chu Yang announced two more major events.
One was the opening of the Time Secret Realm [Winter City] for exploration. This time, Chu Yang would not be conducting trials, as Winter City could accommodate five hundred people. After three waves of massacres, the [Demon Spirit Realm] was no longer suitable for trials.
The other two were fifty-person small secret realms. Where would they find five hundred people?
Naturally, they would be selected from the cultivation rankings!
"Important Announcement: To encourage all ambitious cultivators, we are opening a new Time Secret Realm, [Winter City], for everyone to explore. The selection will be based on the top five hundred individuals on the cultivation rankings. The compilation deadline is three days from now, and the rankings at midnight three days later will be the final selection. The final interpretation rights belong to Immortal Brother!"
Following this was a video showcasing [Winter City]. This frozen city was incredibly beautiful, a winter city that existed only in various fantasy games.
Of course, there were no hidden bosses here, but there was a celestial artifact.
It was the rogue celestial artifact, the [Extreme Cold Lamp], which had caused the entire city to be frozen. Whoever could tame it would possess it.
This celestial artifact possessed a spirit, but this small spirit could not cause much trouble. After all, they themselves could gather several such celestial artifacts.
This piece of news was too abrupt. People had not yet recovered from the experiences of those who had visited Immortal Cultivation World No. 421 before Chu Yang attacked them again.
"Holy cow! So hasty?"
"Damn it! Even though my ranking is low, I think the fifth hundredth ranked person definitely can't beat me!"
"Oh my god, I'm ranked five hundred and first. Good heavens, this is going to stir up trouble for the guy above!"
"Let me quickly check my ranking. Oh, I'm ranked fourth hundredth, so it's fine!"
"Let me quickly check too. Oh, I'm ranked thirteen thousandth, so it's also fine!"
"We're in full swing! Damn, the secret realm slots are full? Then I'm going to the Thunderstorm Bamboo Forest. I'm willing to be struck by lightning!"
"......"
With only three days left, those beyond the four-hundredth rank were not safe. As long as someone ranked lower broke through a small realm, they could completely replace the current ranked individuals.
Those who had entered the [Deep Sea Dragon Palace], even if not as affluent as Li Qingyun, had gained considerable treasures. These could be sold to Wang Zhicheng and then exchanged for suitable magic treasures at the [Hundred Weapons Workshop].
Those who did not have the opportunity to explore were so jealous that their back molars were grinding.
Of course, this could also be considered a reward for the more than two hundred people who returned from Immortal Cultivation World No. 421, as they had risked their lives to secure benefits for the humans of Blue Star.
They were all Golden Core cultivators, with the outstanding ones already at the peak of the Golden Core stage, half a step away from the Nascent Soul stage.
Out of two hundred and ten people, not a single one was ranked below five hundred. In fact, they had occupied most of the top two hundred ranks.
Li Qingyun and the others received another assembly notice from Chu Yang.
Everyone knew that the seven-day enjoyment in [Winter City] would likely be their last period of joy on Blue Star.
However, they were all excited. Since He Guangxin had performed so well in that world, they also wanted to give it a try.
......