"Are there any objections?" Elder Mu asked slowly.
The others remained silent. In their view, Xiao Man, bringing a child who knew nothing, would only be a burden. If they entered the secret realm, she would inevitably be distracted, which would be quite advantageous for them. If Xiao Man were unburdened, any one of them could become a target of her attack. They had not forgotten how Xiao Man had brutally killed three Foundation Establishment cultivators of higher rank than her, and they did not want to be next!
"Xiao Qin, what do you say?"
Xiao Man slowly took out a token from her embrace and hung it around Ze Fang's neck. It was the token of the Hundred Herbs Hall. Regardless of whether Ze Fang had reached the seventh stage of Qi Refining, as long as he had the token, he would be a candidate of the Hundred Herbs Hall and thus qualified to participate in this assessment.
"Xiao Qin, do you know how dangerous it will be to bring a child who knows nothing inside?" Qi Hong reprimanded. Back in the prehistoric times, Xiao Man liked to act recklessly, allowing the children of the tribe to hunt in the mountains. Now it was even more outrageous, bringing a four or five-year-old child to participate in an assessment.
"What business is it of yours?"
Qi Hong choked. His original intention was to remind Xiao Man not to be arrogant and bring a burden with her, preventing her from fully exerting her power even if she was strong. However, Xiao Man did not appreciate it, which immediately angered him.
"Elder Mu, since Xiao Qin wants to bring the child in, and this child has the token of the Hundred Herbs Hall, then he is considered a candidate. This means this child must also meet the assessment standards, is that correct?"
"Naturally."
"Very well." Qi Hong arrogantly walked in front of Xiao Man and looked down at her, "I'd like to see how you plan to retrieve two Grade One spirit herbs by yourself."
Shan Yun, Poisonous Lady, and others immediately stood by Xiao Man's side, looking provocatively at Qi Hong. "Qi Hong, have you become a lackey of the Five Poisons Sect and gone blind? When has she ever been alone? Are we not people?"
Qi Hong looked at Shan Yun, who unhesitatingly stood behind Xiao Man, and felt a pang of discomfort. In the tribe, Shan Yun had trusted Xiao Man without hesitation, and after leaving the tribe, Shan Yun was still the same. If he didn't know Xiao Man was a woman, he would suspect Shan Yun had fallen in love with her.
"Xiao Qin, I didn't expect you to still be as willful and reckless as before. This elimination round is fraught with danger, and you're bringing a child to participate. Don't you think that's irresponsible?"
Xiao Man glanced at him. "The big black dog outside the City Lord's mansion gave birth to a litter of puppies."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Yes, what does that have to do with you?" Xiao Man asked softly. Why couldn't this person understand human language? First, he was looking for trouble with her, and now he was here condemning her. Did he not know his place? Su Dan Novel Network
"You..." Qi Hong's face turned red with anger, and he snorted hatefully before walking aside.
Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Elder Mu continued, "The venue for this year's assessment is a secret realm. The secret realm is fraught with danger, so the seven great sects will have accompanying elders and some disciples participating together."
Upon hearing this, everyone was confused. Wasn't this a newcomer elimination match? Why were disciples from the seven great sects participating? Among the disciples of the seven great sects, there were even Foundation Establishment cultivators. How could they, new disciples, possibly be their opponents?
Moreover, the seven great sects all had Golden Core stage experts, and they would definitely protect their own disciples. This meant that they, the newcomers, would have even less hope.
"Elder Mu, if the sect disciples also enter, then we newcomers might not be their match."
"This is also beneficial to you. If you cannot obtain the assessment spirit herbs, you can seek help from the sect you registered with. Do you have any other objections?"
"In other words, this is a competition between the seven great sects."
"You could say that. With the opening of this secret realm, some of you may find opportunities and advance by leaps and bounds." Elder Mu saw that everyone's enthusiasm had been ignited and a mysterious smile appeared on his lips. "The elders leading the teams can only be below the Golden Core stage. Those above the Golden Core stage cannot enter, and each sect can only bring five disciples inside."
As soon as these words were spoken, those who were still worried completely relaxed. After all, among the newcomers, there were also Foundation Establishment cultivators. If there were no Golden Core experts leading the team, then they might indeed gain many benefits in the secret realm.
"The secret realm is actually going to be opened this year. It's been many years since the secret realm was opened. Why would they think of opening it this year?" Yan Yan looked surprised.
"What kind of secret realm is this?"
"There is a secret realm outside Wuji City. I don't know how to open it, but the last time it was opened was ten years ago... No wonder so many Golden Core cultivators have come. They must have arrived at the time for the secret realm to open."
Xiao Man's gaze fell on the City Lord sitting on the platform. The City Lord should know about the secret realm, so why hadn't he mentioned it?
The City Lord also looked bewildered. Logically, the secret realm should not have opened at this time. However, it had opened early this time. Although cultivators below the Golden Core stage could enter the secret realm to search for treasures when it opened early, he still felt a sense of unease.
"Elder Fang He, has the secret realm opened early?"
"Yes," Fang He replied. "Even we find it very surprising. Our originally planned trial ground was somewhere else, but last night, the secret realm suddenly appeared and opened early. Furthermore, Golden Core cultivators cannot enter the secret realm, so the trial ground was changed at the last minute."
The City Lord's eyes were filled with deep confusion. The secret realm had suddenly opened, and they had not received any news, but the seven great sects had. This made the City Lord's already uneasy heart even more uneasy, believing that the seven great sects intended to join forces to replace the owner of Wuji City.
Xiao Man keenly noticed the City Lord's worry. "The City Lord doesn't know about the secret realm opening?"
Yan Yan frowned. "He shouldn't know. If he did, my father would have definitely told us."
Xiao Man's gaze swept across the people on the platform. She hadn't interacted much with Elder Mu. He was usually responsible for managing the task releases of Wuji City. He appeared to be detached from worldly affairs, but no one knew what kind of person he was behind the scenes.
As for the people from the seven great sects, Xiao Man's gaze fell on the two leading the Five Poisons Sect. To her surprise, Elder Lu of the Five Poisons Sect happened to look at her as well and gave her a strange smile.
Xiao Man couldn't help but frown. The day before yesterday, she had publicly killed three Foundation Establishment experts. To this day, no one had come to trouble her. She didn't think they were afraid to come for her. She suspected that they had already set a trap and were waiting for her to fall into it. This suddenly opened secret realm was likely to hide countless dangers. If the Five Poisons Sect truly intended to make a move, it would likely be within the secret realm. It seemed she had to be extremely careful.