At this moment, Ximen Qing continued, "Although our Ximen Family may not amount to much in Shazhou, we will not be humiliated by a mere boy! The secret realm opens the day after tomorrow. Hengcheng, you must stay alert. This trial is said to be related to the ancient True Dragons! You must find the True Dragon Blood!

"Once you merge with the True Dragon Blood Essence, you will obtain the True Dragon’s inheritance. Perhaps you could even become one of the Sovereign Gods in the future. At that time, our Ximen Family will soar to great heights. Even the Red Sand Family won’t be able to touch us!"

"Yes!" Ximen Hengcheng immediately vowed. "I will exhaust all my efforts to ensure our Ximen Family no longer suffers any humiliation!"

Without a doubt, Ximen Qing’s words had set his blood boiling. A Sovereign God... Who wouldn’t aspire to that? When the Red Sand Main God succeeded, he gained control of all of Shazhou! If I become a Sovereign God, I will no longer have to bow to the Red Sand Family. He was thrilled. He had long been preparing for this trip into the secret realm, and he too was aiming for the True Dragon Blood Essence. Of course, the competition would be intense. Mu Keqing’s strength was top-tier, and among the young talents, she was a likely candidate to obtain the True Dragon Blood. There were also nine others whose strength was comparable to his own, and they also stood a chance. However, none of them truly worried Ximen Hengcheng. The ones he feared were Mu Keqing and Mu Chen Dong.

Mu Chen Dong was a powerhouse who had broken through seven minor Nirvanas and was the number one young expert in Shazhou. He was not, however, considered the number one genius; that title belonged to Mu Keqing. But in Ximen Hengcheng’s eyes, Mu Chen Dong was the most threatening of all. Moreover, he was the eldest son of the Red Sand Main God. Ximen Hengcheng dared not provoke him, nor was he his match. So, even with all his preparations, he felt his chances of success were not very high.

「As time passed, the day of the secret realm’s opening arrived.」

On that day, Ye Fan observed the arrival of several young powerhouses.

A figure in white robes descended, exuding an air of utter coldness. His face was so handsome that even women would grow envious, and he held a Plum Blossom Fan in his hand. This was Duan Tianya, a man who gave off an aloof and unapproachable aura. His strength was comparable to Ximen Hengcheng’s. After all, they were both powerful scions of the younger generation; how large could the gap between them truly be?

As he landed, Ximen Yanlan’s face filled with adoration. Due to the marriage alliance between their two families, she had always admired Duan Tianya, yet his expression remained as indifferent as ever.

Just then, another imposing figure descended. This man was robustly built, with bulging muscles that reminded Ye Fan of Sen Ba, though his strength was immensely greater. While his appearance was unremarkable, his power was anything but weak. In terms of cultivation realm alone, he was by no means inferior to the other two, not to mention he also possessed a formidable physique. This was Gui Hai Yidao of the Gui Hai Family. Although he looked like the brawn-over-brains type, his intelligence was undoubtedly terrifying. Judging by his gaze, so deep it seemed capable of piercing through anything, he was a truly formidable expert.

In Ye Fan’s view, this man was more dangerous than both Duan Tianya and Ximen Hengcheng. Hopefully, he won’t be an enemy.

Several more figures appeared one after another. All were experts from the nine great families serving under the Red Sand Main God.

Although these people were all acting individually for now, Ye Fan was particularly wary of Duan Tianya and Ximen Hengcheng. Given the relationship between their families, it would be a disaster if those two teamed up. With his own power at only the first Nirvana tribulation, facing them meant he had no chance of winning at all. He had severely humiliated the Ximen Family, and he knew they would definitely not let him off so easily. For this reason, Ye Fan understood that while this trip to the secret realm was a treasure hunt, its complexities ran far deeper than they appeared.

As all the participants gathered, Mu Keqing looked around, seemingly distracted.

Ye Fan casually patted her on the shoulder and asked, "What are you looking at?"

"Strange, why isn’t my big brother here?" she replied.

"Your big brother?" Ye Fan asked, though he immediately realized who she meant.

Mu Keqing’s older brother had to be Mu Chen Dong, the number one young expert in Shazhou. An expert like that, in my view, is undoubtedly arrogant. After all, if the young disciples of these families and sects are so haughty, how much more so would Shazhou’s strongest young expert be?

Just then, an oppressive aura descended, followed by a figure dropping from the sky. He had arrived. It was Mu Chen Dong, the eldest son of the Red Sand Main God. Perhaps in a few thousand years, he could become a powerhouse on par with the Red Sand Main God. After all, in his own generation, he had already far surpassed the accomplishments of the Red Sand Main God at the same age.

As Mu Chen Dong landed, the entire crowd was stunned. The strongest young Martial Artist of Shazhou had arrived. A palpable tension filled the air at the sight of him, for he was simply too powerful. Among the many young disciples, Mu Chen Dong’s cultivation was in a class of its own. Who could compare to his seven minor Nirvanas?

He landed among the crowd. Although his face wasn’t handsome—merely average, the type to be easily lost in a crowd—his presence was undeniably overwhelming. Even Duan Tianya’s aura seemed feeble before him. This was Mu Chen Dong, Mu Keqing’s own older brother.

"Greetings, Young Master Mu!"

A group of young Martial Artists, though reluctant, could not neglect etiquette. They all bowed to Mu Chen Dong.

"Everyone, please, don’t be so formal," Mu Chen Dong said. "We all hail from Shazhou. In this trial of the secret realm, no one should hold back. You should all act according to your own desires!

"Even if the True Dragon Blood Essence doesn’t end up with me, I will have no complaints. On the contrary, I will congratulate you!"

Of course, no one present believed a word of it. As things stood, being the first to obtain the True Dragon Blood Essence inside the secret realm was not necessarily a good thing. No one could see what happened inside. They were fully capable of robbing and even killing for the blood essence. So, when Mu Chen Dong spoke, they simply treated his words as empty air.

"Thank you, Young Master Mu!" the group replied gratefully in unison.

Mu Chen Dong nodded. "Alright, once the secret realm opens, we go in!"

Afterward, he walked over to Mu Keqing.

"Sister, you sneaked out again," Mu Chen Dong admonished her. "Let me tell you, Father is truly angry this time. You’ll face his punishment when you get back! And I can’t help you! You’ve been too mischievous, so I can only stand on Father’s side."