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As for Ye Qingyu and the other prodigies, they only struggled with these two sets of footwork during the first month; after that, they adapted completely. However, Qi Zhenmo and Mo Feiyun, both specialists in sound cultivation, found it a bit more difficult and took half a year of falls and failures to master. After all, they needed to transform a spiritual root to suit this footwork.

But such challenges could not deter their indomitable spirit—they were determined to push forward regardless of difficulty. According to Song Chi’s perspective, the two were simply a bit off in the head.

Nonetheless, despite their quirks, they succeeded in learning these two sets of footwork.

The next six months were devoted to combat technique training, which mainly involved sparring among disciples. It was during such times that the value of good friends became apparent. Most disciples sparred with their close companions, growing stronger together.

Song Chi, however, stood apart. In both her past lives, she had adopted a lone wolf approach, rarely getting close to others.

This lifetime was no different—her time was consumed by endless tasks and cultivation, leaving her with no friends.

At least Qi Zhenmo was also a lone wolf without close friends. Song Chi chose to spar with him, but his sound cultivation was mediocre. Every time, she chased him relentlessly, and he would counter by deploying formation flags to confront her. His technique with the flags was so impressive that even Master You Qin couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, often casting curious glances at Qi Zhenmo.

Ye Qingyu and the others were similarly intrigued, keeping a close eye on Qi Zhenmo, as if sensing he harbored some hidden, significant background.

The book, however, made no mention of Qi Zhenmo. Presumably, he hadn’t been involved in the complicated love triangle drama and thus went unrecorded.

Still, Song Chi always felt that Qi Zhenmo must be an important figure within the Tianji Sect.

The book did mention a formidable figure skilled in Tianji formations—one who was neither entirely good nor evil, who would mysteriously appear in various secret realms causing trouble, then vanish as swiftly as he came, laughing oddly when he achieved his goals.

This person was later confirmed in the book to come from a highly secretive, reclusive family within the Tianji Sect, surnamed Xi, named Caiyu. Early on, he was a troublemaker; later, he developed some rapport with the male protagonist Su Yu and helped unlock a crucial formation mechanism at the Flying Immortal Platform.

Song Chi had suspected Qi Zhenmo might be this Xi Caiyu.

After all, Qi Zhenmo gave her the unmistakable aura of a key player.

Of course, it was also possible she was completely wrong—that Qi Zhenmo was simply himself, and Xi Caiyu was someone else entirely.

Because Qi Zhenmo clearly excelled in the Tianji formation arts, Song Chi felt that having such a friend would be a lifesaver in a secret realm fraught with formations. So, Qi Zhenmo was the only person she deliberately tried to maintain a decent relationship with.

But he was a rebellious type, just like her, difficult to get close to, so their rapport remained lukewarm.

Still, in the event of a secret realm encounter, even this fragile bond might be enough to save her life.

Two years passed quickly. As Song Chi had anticipated, she reached the sixth layer of Qi Refining, a level considered strong with respectable combat ability.

The following six months unfolded as expected, with her cultivation progress slowing to a crawl, roughly halving in pace.

On the upside, she kept a close watch on Yin Qiang, who was about to snatch a crucial opportunity. Yin Qiang, having reached the sixth layer of Qi Refining, was somewhat reckless, reputed to frequent dissolute places while on missions, soaking up restless energies.

Thus, his cultivation had stagnated for years, still shy of the seventh layer.

This was a relief to Song Chi.

As for the authenticity of the book she worried about and whether the secret realm would erupt, signs began to emerge during this half-year.

Ever since she reached the sixth layer of Qi Refining in autumn, Mo Shubai started going on frequent missions, with You Qin standing in for his academic duties.

Many Golden Core-level prodigies from the sect also began venturing out regularly. Rumors spread that the sect’s Nascent Soul elders were frequently coming and going.

Even many ordinary disciples caught wind of the news about disturbances in the world’s spiritual energy. Some, with excitement etched on their faces, speculated that the Flying Immortal Opportunity from a hundred thousand years ago might be returning to the cultivation world. Various secret realms would surge forth with the rising spiritual force, heralding a great era of contention in the cultivation realm—a tremendous opportunity for ordinary disciples like themselves.

Others countered that during the Flying Immortal Age a hundred thousand years ago, from the onset of the spiritual energy fluctuations to the frequent appearance of secret realms, at least 150 years had passed.

Thus, it was still too soon for such a grand cultivation era.

These ordinary disciples lamented being born in the wrong time—their talents doomed them to never see the Foundation Establishment stage in 150 years, by which time their lifespans would have ended. Most ordinary Qi Refiners, upon reaching the sixth layer or higher, could barely live to 120 years. They sighed that it would have been better to be born a hundred years later.

Song Chi wanted to say that being born a hundred years later would be too late for everything.

According to the book, this time’s spiritual energy upheaval was far fiercer, a hundred times faster than even the greatest experts across the cultivation world had expected, indeed erupting 150 years early.

Then, on a snowy winter day, near Southwest Jade Bamboo Lake, a spiritual energy upheaval thundered across the entire cultivation world.

The radiant glow nearly lit up the leaden, snow-covered sky. The Azure Sword Sect, being only two to three thousand miles from Jade Bamboo Lake, was the closest sect to the phenomenon. The dazzling radiance bathed the entire sect in brilliant light, painting everyone’s cheeks rosy.

At the time, Song Chi and the others were still in class; hearing the commotion, they abandoned all discipline and rushed outside, soaring into the sky.

The Immortal Masters had already teleported to higher ground.

“That’s an Immortal Spirit Secret Realm!” murmured Ye Qingyu and a few others, their expressions turning grave as the dense spiritual pressure swept from south to north, causing chills to ripple across their bodies.

The Immortal Masters exchanged shocked looks from above, their eyes blazing with resolve as they gazed into the distance.

Everyone knew that from this moment onward, a new era of tumultuous change was about to begin.

A month later, Mo Shubai returned.

By then, the great sects of the Eastern Pole—the supreme sect Lingxu Immortal Sect, Xuanyuan Sword Sect, Yuxu Holy Sect, and Ziyan Divine Palace—along with the Southern Li Dynasty’s Tai Xuan and Canghai, as well as the cultivation realm’s immortal families like the Cui clan of Yunji Sacred Land and eight ancient noble cultivation families including the Ye family, plus various other sects, had gathered and agreed upon the rules for entering the Immortal Spirit Secret Realm.

The book mentioned this in passing: the division of benefits, the number of disciples each sect could send, all clearly delineated by these powerful forces.

Apart from the revered Master’s personal disciples, the Azure Sword Sect had only two hundred slots for other disciples. If the restriction limiting entry to only Foundation Establishment or below were lifted, these two hundred spots would surely spark a bloody battle among sect members.

When Mo Shubai arrived at the classroom, he conveyed the sect’s official stance.

About six hundred and fifty inner disciples from two grades, plus a few outstanding outer disciples, totaling around seven hundred, would compete in a sect contest two months later. The top two hundred would earn the right to enter the Jade Bamboo Lake Immortal Spirit Secret Realm.

A chill of killing intent spread through the classroom; every disciple’s expression hardened with steely determination.

In truth, the Azure Sword Sect was well managed. Among the inner disciples, only a few like Yin Qiang wasted time on debauchery, slightly delaying their cultivation. The rest were highly competitive.

It felt much like top-tier high schools of later times—everyone studied with relentless intensity. Whenever opportunity arose, they would charge forward and seize it fiercely.

After all, only about ten to twenty percent of applicants passed the first sect gate to become immortal disciples. Everyone had witnessed the harshness of the cultivation world—no one dared slack off.

Song Chi had thought her three years of preparation would give her some confidence, but faced with this deadly atmosphere, the pressure mounted anew.

Her cultivation level was actually at the bottom among the inner disciples. Despite her efforts, her progress at the sixth layer of Qi Refining crawled like a snail, handicapped by her mediocre talent.

Most disciples with spiritual roots above eighty-five had nearly reached the seventh layer.

Prodigies like Ye Qingyu had already achieved the ninth layer of Qi Refining half a year ago, nearly ready to establish their Foundation.

Even the diligent Wei Lingyu, with four more years of cultivation, had just barely reached the seventh layer.

Most disciples, like Song Chi, remained at the sixth layer.

So victory was still possible.

She could only hope that the original owner’s lucky streak would shine on her.

“These are the rules for the contest two months from now. Read them carefully, and ask if you don’t understand anything,” Mo Shubai said after explaining the Immortal Spirit Secret Realm and sect competition. He then handed out scrolls detailing the contest rules to each disciple.

Song Chi quickly skimmed the contents and breathed a sigh of relief. The rules matched those described in the book.

This proved the book was reliable.