The day finally arrived.
Before sunrise, countless figures had already gathered outside the Good Fortune Mountains.
The normally peaceful mountain range had transformed into the center of the nation's attention.
Experts from every corner of the country stood waiting.
Martial artists.
Cultivators.
Business families.
Ancient clans.
Hidden sect descendants.
Even government representatives had appeared.
The scale was unprecedented.
Everyone understood one thing.
The opportunity hidden within the Dragon Vein Secret Realm was large enough to alter the balance of power for years to come.
No one wanted to miss it.
A massive crack had appeared in the center of the mountains.
Golden mist continuously flowed from within.
Ancient runes flickered along the edges of the opening.
Occasionally sparks of spiritual energy erupted into the sky.
The sight alone was enough to leave ordinary people speechless.
Many younger generation members looked excited.
Others looked nervous.
Veterans looked worried.
Because the older generation knew something the youngsters did not.
Ancient inheritances were rarely kind.
Near the front of the gathering.
Li Tao stood alongside Murong Qing.
Behind them were members of the Li Family, Murong Family, Xuan Family and several allied forces.
Xuan Lingtian stood beside Li Tao.
The two had become surprisingly familiar over the last few days.
Neither knew why.
Yet every conversation felt natural.
Comfortable.
As if they had been friends for years.
Xuan Lingtian glanced toward the growing crowd.
"Nervous?"
Li Tao laughed.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Xuan Lingtian smiled.
"Fair enough."
Murong Qing rolled her eyes.
The two men had been competing over nonsense for three days straight.
Neither appeared capable of acting like proper heirs.
Elsewhere.
Ye Feng stood surrounded by his faction.
Tang Jing.
Shen Yao.
Lin Bingxue.
Xu Yue.
Wang Jun.
Numerous experts.
His aura had become increasingly powerful.
Middle Earth Immortal Realm.
Even the older generation couldn't ignore him anymore.
The girls looked at him with varying emotions.
Admiration.
Trust.
Dependence.
Some even contained obsession.
Ye Feng enjoyed every bit of it.
This realm would become his greatest opportunity.
Just like every opportunity before it.
Not far away.
Luo Chen stood alone.
Despite arriving with numerous subordinates, nobody dared approach him.
The pressure surrounding him had become increasingly frightening.
Half-Step Core Formation.
A realm beyond the understanding of most martial artists.
His eyes remained fixed on the mountain entrance.
Among everyone present...
he was perhaps the only one who sensed something unusual.
The spiritual fluctuations hidden beneath the mountain felt familiar.
Too familiar.
As if they originated from another cultivation world.
That realization made him both excited and cautious.
Then—
the mountain shook.
Boom!
A deep roar echoed through the sky.
The golden crack widened.
Ancient runes lit up simultaneously.
The entrance had fully stabilized.
The realm was open.
Immediately—
hundreds of figures rushed forward.
Some flew.
Some ran.
Some used movement techniques.
The calm atmosphere vanished instantly.
Chaos erupted.
"Move!"
"Quick!"
"The inheritance is mine!"
"Don't let them get ahead!"
Countless voices echoed through the mountains.
Several weaker martial artists were immediately pushed aside.
Competition had officially begun.
Li Tao looked toward the entrance.
"Let's go."
The group immediately advanced.
The moment they crossed the golden barrier—
everything changed.
The world inside the secret realm looked completely different.
Ancient stone roads stretched into the distance.
Collapsed palaces filled the horizon.
Broken towers leaned precariously toward the sky.
Giant statues stood everywhere.
Some had lost their heads.
Others had lost entire limbs.
Time itself seemed to have destroyed everything.
Yet traces of former glory remained.
This place had once been magnificent.
Xuan Lingtian whistled softly.
"Whoever built this wasn't ordinary."
Murong Qing nodded.
The spiritual energy inside the realm was dozens of times richer than outside.
Even breathing felt refreshing.
Numerous martial artists immediately sat down to cultivate.
Just existing here benefited them.
Suddenly—
a scream echoed from the distance.
Everyone turned.
One of the rushing groups had activated an ancient mechanism.
Dozens of arrows erupted from the walls.
The martial artists didn't even have time to react.
Several were instantly pierced through.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
The survivors fled in panic.
The excitement immediately cooled.
"Looks like this place isn't welcoming visitors."
Xuan Lingtian muttered.
Li Tao nodded.
Ancient inheritances never lacked danger.
They continued advancing.
The deeper they traveled...
the stranger the realm became.
Broken mechanisms still functioned sporadically.
Ancient formations flickered unpredictably.
One wrong step could activate hidden traps.
A stone bridge suddenly collapsed beneath another group.
Dozens fell into a bottomless canyon.
No bodies were ever seen.
Elsewhere.
A giant bronze puppet awakened after centuries of dormancy.
Its movements were slow.
Yet each punch carried terrifying power.
Several Earth Immortal experts barely escaped with their lives.
Hours passed.
The groups gradually separated.
Everyone began pursuing their own opportunities.
Resources.
Treasures.
Inheritance sites.
Rare herbs.
Ancient manuals.
The entire realm became a treasure hunt.
And a battlefield.
Meanwhile.
Inside Li Tao's mind.
Neo was unusually quiet.
Very quiet.
Too quiet.
Li Tao immediately became suspicious.
"What are you hiding?"
Neo coughed.
"Nothing."
Li Tao stared.
Neo looked away.
Li Tao stared harder.
Eventually Neo sighed.
"Fine."
A system panel appeared.
[Current System Strain: 83%]
[Warning]
[High-Level Guidance Available]
[Estimated Additional Strain: +7%]
Li Tao frowned.
"You shouldn't."
Neo nodded.
"I know."
"If it reaches one hundred percent..."
"I know."
Neo looked toward the distant center of the realm.
For the first time in a long while...
his usual joking expression disappeared.
"Host."
"Listen carefully."
His voice became unusually serious.
"This opportunity matters."
"More than anything we've encountered so far."
Li Tao's expression changed.
Neo continued.
"The thing hidden in the center..."
"I can't fully identify it."
"But I know one thing."
"It can change everything."
The silence lasted several seconds.
Then Neo laughed helplessly.
"Besides."
"I've already spent fifty thousand points."
"What's a little more bankruptcy?"
Li Tao almost wanted to hit him.
[Ding!]
[High-Level Guidance Activated.]
[System Strain Increased.]
[Current Strain: 90%]
Neo immediately winced.
His soul looked visibly weaker.
Yet a golden line appeared before Li Tao.
Extending deep into the ruins.
Toward the center of the realm.
Toward something important.
Very important.
Murong Qing noticed Li Tao suddenly stop.
"What happened?"
Li Tao looked toward the golden path.
Then smiled.
"I think I found our destination."
The group immediately changed direction.
Along the way they encountered multiple dangers.
Ancient beasts.
Broken formations.
Rival forces.
Several battles erupted.
Fortunately the alliance between Li Family and Xuan Family proved extremely effective.
The two factions complemented each other surprisingly well.
Murong Qing provided overwhelming combat power.
Xuan Lingtian provided strategy.
Li Tao handled unexpected variables.
The cooperation became smoother with every encounter.
At one point they became trapped inside a maze-like formation.
Everyone spent nearly two hours searching for an exit.
Tempers gradually rose.
Resources were consumed.
The atmosphere became tense.
Yet Xuan Lingtian suddenly laughed.
"This reminds me of childhood."
Li Tao looked confused.
"We've never met."
"Exactly."
"Yet somehow it still feels familiar."
For a brief moment—
both became silent.
Neither understood why.
Yet the feeling persisted.
A strange sense of trust.
Even Neo looked thoughtful.
Almost as if destiny itself was correcting something.
Not toward Ye Feng.
Not toward Luo Chen.
But toward these two.
Eventually—
the maze disappeared.
The group emerged onto a cliff.
And everyone froze.
Below them—
a massive pool stretched across the valley.
Silver liquid filled its depths.
Ancient dragon-shaped runes floated across the surface.
The spiritual energy density was so high that visible mist rose into the air.
Murong Qing's breathing stopped.
Xuan Lingtian's eyes widened.
Even Neo became stunned.
"Found it."
Li Tao whispered.
Neo's voice trembled slightly.
"Host."
"That..."
"That isn't a normal spirit pool."
The system rapidly analyzed the area.
New information appeared.
[Dragon Vein Origin Pool]
[Status: Active]
[Rank: Unknown]
[Warning]
[Extremely Valuable Resource]
Before anyone could celebrate—
a familiar voice echoed from behind.
"So..."
"It really was here."
The atmosphere instantly froze.
Everyone turned.
Ye Feng stood atop a distant cliff.
Behind him stood his entire faction.
His eyes burned with excitement.
Another voice followed.
"And here I thought I arrived first."
Luo Chen stepped from the shadows.
His expression remained calm.
Yet his eyes were fixed on the pool.
Like a starving man seeing food.
Then.
Several more figures appeared.
Qin Family.
Nangong Family.
Xue Family.
Other capital forces.
Everyone had arrived.
Everyone had found the same destination.
And everyone wanted the same thing.
The Dragon Vein Origin Pool.
The greatest opportunity inside the secret realm.
The battlefield was finally complete.
And the true struggle...
was about to begin.