33 Entering the Inheritance Realm
Grand Elder Su, whose full name was Su Mao, was one of the rare Grand Elders of the Myriad Clouds Sect. In terms of hierarchy, his status was just below the one of the Sect Leader, Ancestors, and Protectors. As such, he was one of the most powerful and influential people of the sect.
Su Mao was a middle-aged man who seemed to be in his late thirties. He had long black hair attached into a bun by a golden accessory, a short goatee, and a thin mustache. His face was serious and strict, in total opposition to the Sect Leader's face who looked like a sympathetic grandfather.
"Greetings, Grand Elder Su." Everyone said with the same respect as with the Sect Leader.
Su Mao greeted the disciples with a fist and palm salute and began to speak in a loud and clear voice.
"Before I start to explain the rules, I will first give you all a map of the Inheritance Realm and present it to you." He said.
Su Mao raised his hand and, following a flash of light, a rolled sheet of paper appeared in front of each disciple. This sheet of paper was precisely the map of the Inheritance Realm.
Song Yu Qi grabbed the map in front of her, unrolled it, and examined it while listening to Su Mao's explanation.
"The Inheritance Realm is full of opportunities but also full of dangers. Demonic Beasts are only one of these dangers, there are also a lot of traps, trials, and natural disasters to face. The first area you will reach after traversing the gate is the Green Jade Forest, it is the central area on the map. The Green Jade Forest is the largest and safest area among the five areas of the Inheritance Realm."
Everyone looked at their map and noticed that the Green Jade Forest was a large circle drawn in the middle. It occupied the majority of the place and was surrounded by four other areas.
"To the North, there is the Purple Lightning Swamp. Rich in Lightning Qi, this area is perfect if you practice a Cultivation Method or Martial Arts of the Lightning element."
"To the South, there is the Dark Earth Underground. This area is the most dangerous but also the one which contains the best opportunities. If you decide to go there, I highly recommend that you form a strong group."
"To the East, there is the Scarlet Burning Volcano. This area is the best place if you wish to purify and temper your body thanks to the ardent fire of the volcanoes. However, be careful, a strong willpower is required to endure the pain of tempering one's body and a single mistake can cripple you or worse..."
"Finally, to the West, there is the White Frozen Mountain. Legend says that this area was created especially for the wife of our founder. It is particularly suitable for women as it is rich in Yin and Ice Qi."
Listening to Grand Elder Su's explanations, every disciple started to make plans in their head and chose the most suitable location for them.
Song Yu Qi, for her part, didn't need to think or hesitate because she had already made her choice. She would first explore the White Frozen Mountain then, if there was still time, she would go to the Dark Earth Underground. With her high cultivation level and her Heavenly Ice, she was confident that she would not be in much danger in the Inheritance Realm.
"The Spiritual Energy in the Inheritance Realm is much denser than outside. As such, cultivating one week there is the same as cultivating one year outside. It means that you can just stay in the Green Jade Forest to cultivate instead of exploring the other areas. Like I said, the Inheritance Realm is a dangerous place and dying there is a possibility so I highly encourage you to do that if your cultivation level is below the third level of the Eight Meridians Opening realm." Said Su Mao.
Hearing this, most of the new disciples nodded and became very excited. Cultivating in the Inheritance Realm will give them a huge boost!
"Now, I will explain the rules. As our Sect Leader said, the Inheritance Realm was created by our founder for the younger generation. It means that only the disciple below the Qi Condensation realm can enter it. If any person with a cultivation level higher than the eighth level of the Eight Meridians Opening realm try to enter it, their cultivation will be crippled by the Realm."
"The other rules are pretty straightforward and similar to our sect rules: attacking, killing, or stealing another disciple is completely forbidden. Although we can't control what you do in the Inheritance Realm, if we find proof that one of you committed such a crime, you will be severely punished."
"Finally, if by chance you find a treasure or rare cultivation resources that you don't want or don't need, you can exchange them for Contribution Points."
Su Mao let the disciples register what he just explained for a few seconds before announcing that it was time to enter the Inheritance Realm.
"After seven days, you will be automatically ejected from the Inheritance Realm no matter your location and what you were doing." He concluded.
After that, all the disciples lined up behind each other and entered the gate one by one.
When it was Song Yu Qi's turn to enter, she turned towards Xia Zilin and Tan Yanyan and smiled.
"See you on the other side." She said.
The feeling of entering a portal was weird and hard to describe but at least it was not painful nor nauseous. It was like walking through a tunnel except that everything around her was bright blue and she couldn't see its end.
A few seconds later, Song Yu Qi stepped out of the gate and found herself in the middle of a lush forest along with all the other disciples that had traversed the gate before her.
She looked around her with curiosity and wonder.
The green grasses and tall trees were incredibly beautiful, and the air was filled with unlimited and pure Spiritual Energy. She could also see Spiritual Flowers and Spiritual Plants that she never saw before, at least they were not listed in the encyclopedia that Xia Zilin had gifted her for her birthday.
"Sister Yu Qi, we're here!" Said Xia Zilin.
Song Yu Qi grinned excitedly at Tan Yanyan and Xia Zilin, and pointed her finger in front of her.
"Great! Now, let's find some treasures!" She said.
However, before she could take a step further, she was suddenly swarmed by a bunch of male disciples.
