Chapter 6: The Bloody Secret Realm (Part 1)

The man carefully tore off a strip of meat and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. After a while, he sighed and said, “You don’t know what place this is? How did you get in?”
Guo Shier didn’t answer his question. Instead, he said, “Just tell us what place this is. Don’t overthink it. We’ll find a way in… By the way, what’s your name? Where are you from?”
The man sized up Guo Shier, looking a bit surprised. He probably hadn’t expected Guo Shier to be a child, but seeing the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion beneath him, he realized this kid was no ordinary person.
He said, “My name is Xuan Ai. This is the Bloody Secret Realm, a famous trial ground. Any grand spellcaster under thirty years old can enter to undergo trials, and they can bring one assistant. But usually, no one brings an assistant. Strange… To enter this trial ground, one needs specific spell gates and coordinates…”
“Once inside, there’s no way out. One has to wait until the person enters reaches the rank of Junior Mad Master before the spell gates can be restored… Well, not exactly restored. The coordinates you entered will change, and you must leave using those coordinates. As for where it leads… Heh, you’ll have to ask the person who gave you the coordinates.”
Guo Shier was astonished. He asked, “Does this secret realm belong to the Advanced Continent?”
Xuan Ai gave him a strange look and said, “It doesn’t belong to any continent, but the professionals who can enter are all from the Advanced Continents.”
Guo Shier fell silent, filled with shock. So this was a trial ground exclusive to the professional sects of the Advanced Continent. He couldn’t help but smile bitterly. If he hadn’t already reached the rank of Mad Master, he would never be able to enter this place in his lifetime. Li Ran became even more mysterious in his eyes.
Xuan Ai asked, “What’s your name?”
Guo Shier replied, “My name is Guo Shier. This is my assistant, Uncle Eagle Demon.”
Xuan Ai said, “Your name is quite strange…”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “A name is just a symbol. You just need to remember that symbol. Does a nice name make me look more handsome?”
Xuan Ai also laughed. He said, “What’s there to be handsome about? You’re just a child!”
Eagle Demon couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Guo Shier frowned, thinking, “Children have no rights.” He said, “So what if I’m a child? I’m a grand spellcaster!” Since age couldn’t be compared, then let’s compare strength.

Xuan Ai was momentarily stunned. Of course he knew that only masters could enter—professionals below or above the master level couldn’t get in. But even master-level professionals were divided into higher, middle, and lower tiers. A high-level grand spellcaster was the most powerful professional in this land. He never expected Guo Shier to be such a high-level grand spellcaster.

He asked, “How old… how old are you?”

Guo Shier replied proudly, “I’m thirteen!”

Xuan Ai smiled bitterly. “Just a child still in puberty… how can you reach the level of a high-level master? Sigh… it’s too disheartening. Shier, I’m jealous…”

The Eagle Demon burst into laughter. “I’m the old man? Shier, if you call yourself the old man, then what should I call myself… haha, your uncle? Haha…”

Xuan Ai said, “Oh no, that one-horned blood rhinoceros is still chasing us…”

Guo Shier said cheerfully, “It’s okay. It can’t outrun my scorpion.” Then he added, “By the way, why are you so hungry?”

Xuan Ai replied, “It’s not strange. Those who enter have to stay in the Bloody Secret Realm for a long time. They can’t leave until they advance. Over time, their food runs out, so it’s normal not to find anything to eat.”

Guo Shier was surprised. “Aren’t there mutated spell beasts? Those can be food too.”

Xuan Ai said, “You really know nothing. I wonder how your elders guided you.”

Guo Shier blushed slightly. He indeed knew nothing. He said, “Go ahead. It doesn’t matter if I don’t know.”

Xuan Ai said, “Well, since you saved me, and also gave me food… I’ll tell you. The lowest-level spell beasts here are all level three mutated spell beasts, while the higher ones can reach level nine. Here, if we can’t kill the lowest-level mutated spell beasts, well… we’ll either starve or get eaten. It’s that simple. I couldn’t kill that one-horned blood rhinoceros, so I had to go hungry.”

Guo Shier was astonished. “Huh? How is that possible? They’re at least level three or higher?” From what he knew in his past life, every organism was part of an invisible food chain. Without one link, the entire ecosystem would collapse. So he couldn’t understand why there were only mid-to-high-level mutated spell beasts here.

Xuan Ai said, “There’s nothing to be surprised about. These mutated spell beasts were brought in from other places. A batch arrives every ten days, controlled by several top sects from the advanced continents… Like us, as long as these mutated spell beasts can survive, they can keep advancing…”

Guo Shier said in shock, “What a bold move! But what if these mutated talisman beasts reach level 10 or above?”
Xuan Ai replied, “It’s fine. There are experts here to manage things. Once a mutated talisman beast at level 9 or above is detected, it will be taken away and sent to another advanced trial site.”
Guo Shier asked, “Are many people coming here for trials?”
Xuan Ai said, “Many, more than you can imagine. But this area is extremely large, and it’s also the trial site with the highest death rate.”
Guo Shier asked, “Are there any rules here?”
Xuan Ai said, “There are no rules. The only requirement is to reach the rank of Mad Master… No one wants to stay here. Except for a few crazy folks, everyone wants to leave as soon as possible… I also want to leave early, but I’m only an intermediate grand talisman caster. Sigh, I still have to wait a long time.”
He added, “Don’t ask which sect others belong to… Ah, right, there is actually one rule… sort of. People here aren’t allowed to fight each other. If anyone kills recklessly, a super expert will show up… and that’s the end of them. It will also affect their sect.” As he spoke, he enjoyed eating the marinated meat, but since there was only a small piece, it was quickly gone.
Guo Shier was surprised and asked, “Are you full? Why don’t you keep eating?”
Xuan Ai smiled bitterly. “You who are full don’t understand the hunger of the hungry. How could I be full? The remaining meat… I must use it to… help me kill a mutated talisman beast.”
Guo Shier said, “Why don’t you find some people to work together? After all, one person’s strength is limited. Many hands make light work. A single grand talisman caster might not be able to defeat a level-4 mutated talisman beast, but a group of them can definitely take down a level-5 one. Of course, if they encounter level-6 or level-7 beasts… it’s better to run.”
Xuan Ai said, “I’ve seen powerful masters who can kill a level-5 mutated talisman beast by themselves!”
Guo Shier was stunned and said, “How is that possible…”
Xuan Ai replied, “Why not? Masters rely on real talismans. As long as you have a highly powerful real talisman, not to mention a level-5 beast, even a level-6 one can be fought against. Of course… it’s impossible to win in a fight. But if it comes to escaping, there’s no problem at all.”
Guo Shier thought of the real talisman given to him by his master and realized Xuan Ai was right. If a master could seal a level-10 mutated talisman beast, defeating a level-8 one wouldn’t be difficult either. He nodded and said, “That’s true. If I had the essence of a level-10 mutated talisman beast… and turned it into a beast talisman, I could indeed win…”

Xuan Ai gave Guo Shier a strange look and said, “A beast talisman made from a level-10 talisman beast? To give to a master? Young man, are you confused? Not to mention level-10, even a beast talisman made from a level-7 mutated talisman beast—can you control it? Be careful of backlash! Mutated talisman beasts above level 7… they possess extremely powerful spirits; you won’t be able to withstand them…”
“…If such a thing were possible, would these master-level professionals still have to struggle so hard?”
Guo Shier replied, “I don’t see any difficulty…”
Xuan Ai said, “Young man, although you’re a high-level grand talisman caster, believe me—I have broader experience than you…”
Guo Shier didn’t argue. He told the scorpion to stop and jump down, then said, “Look… that One-Horned Blood Rhinoceros will be here soon. The three of us masters should be able to take it down, right?”
Xuan Ai also flew down. He knew he couldn’t defeat the One-Horned Blood Rhinoceros alone, but three masters should be able to win, as long as Guo Shier and Eagle Demon weren’t too weak. He said, “Alright, the two of us will attack from behind while Eagle Demon blocks in front. It should be fine.”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “No, Uncle Eagle Demon doesn’t need to move. He just needs to protect me… You hold them off, and I’ll take care of the rest…”
Xuan Ai was skeptical. “You want to fight the One-Horned Blood Rhinoceros alone? That thing is incredibly strong and has thick skin—it’s hard to hurt it… You scorpion are quite formidable, but still a bit weaker compared to that mutated talisman beast… Talisman worms are always slightly inferior to talisman beasts…”
The thunderous sound of hooves grew louder. Amid the faint blood mist, the massive body of the One-Horned Blood Rhinoceros became visible.
Xuan Ai gritted his teeth. He wasn’t confident he could stop this savage rhinoceros. But at this point, he couldn’t retreat either. He spat out his life talisman book, which resembled a scroll of bamboo, and it quickly unfolded in front of his chest. With a finger tap, as if summoning a gust of wind, he shot countless palm-long pale blue ice spikes. Then, he tapped the talisman book again, and the ice spikes quickly gathered together to form a giant ice spear.
Xuan Ai shouted loudly, and the giant ice spear was hurled fiercely at the One-Horned Blood Rhinoceros.
Boom!
The rhinoceros abruptly stopped in its charge. A beam of blood light shot from its horn and struck the giant ice spear. With a deafening explosion, the rhinoceros retreated repeatedly, letting out a thunderous roar. Its blood-red eyes stared intently at Xuan Ai as it turned slightly, aiming its horn at him.

As the ice spike exploded, an extremely cold aura spread out, significantly slowing down the movements of the one-horned blood rhinoceros. Xuan Ai shouted, “Twelve… hurry up! This beast is going crazy…” He tapped his Life Talisman Book again and roared, “Ice and Fire Dual Heaven!” A burst of flame was emitted.