Shanyun City was the second city Chen Tian arrived at, slightly larger than the previous one. Small cities were categorized into different tiers. The further up the tiers, the wider the scope and prosperity of the city. Upon entering, Chen Tian found mostly mid-level cultivators on the roads. He felt like a tiny ant here, yet his aura was no weaker than anyone else's. Chen Tian found an inn to search for information.
The inn was called Yunwu Inn. Compared to other inns, there were very few cultivators here. However, no one dared to underestimate the powerful aura present, and fighting was forbidden within the inn as per regulations. A voice appeared in Chen Tian's mind: "Kid, don't be so eager to leave this city. There are items belonging to the Earth God here. That guy actually placed it here."
The mention of the Earth God's belongings perked Chen Tian up. He had undergone the Trial of Earth and could undertake the Earth God's trial. If that item was a key item for the Earth God's trial, he could complete a trial and then obtain the Sea God and Earth God legacies. Wouldn't that be fantastic?
"Did you hear? That place is about to open. It's an opportunity once every hundred years."
"I know, but it seems we can't enter. Only those with pure Earth God bloodline can set foot there."
"I truly envy those bloodline cultivators favored by the Earth God. Not only is their elemental control far superior to ours, but they can also freely enter such secret realms for opportunities. Unlike us, who have to fight for spots."
"Forget it, it's an assessment after all. It's the assessment of the great Earth God."
...
Chen Tian listened to their conversation about the Earth God's assessment and secret realm opportunities. Could the item the Demon Dragon mentioned be there?
Chen Tian approached a young man, though his gaze towards the youth was somewhat unusual. The young man gave Chen Tian a strange feeling, yet he couldn't quite pinpoint why. Chen Tian walked up to the youth and asked kindly, "May I ask if you know about the secret realm and place they are talking about, friend?"
"Shouldn't Your Excellency introduce yourself first when asking someone a question?"
"I am Chen Tian."
"Wang Feng will do."
Wang Feng smiled at Chen Tian, making Chen Tian feel as if he had been completely exposed. In front of Wang Feng, Chen Tian felt he had no secrets, which made him very nervous. He also prepared himself to act.
"Don't be nervous, I won't do anything to you."
As Wang Feng's words fell, Chen Tian sensed no killing intent and immediately let down his guard. From the other party's aura, Chen Tian knew Wang Feng had no ill intentions towards him. Chen Tian had perceived this.
"This guy, this aura. I didn't expect those guys from the upper realm to descend."
The Demon Dragon spoke in Chen Tian's mind. Chen Tian communicated, "Where? What is the upper realm?"
"Kid, you are too weak. You are not qualified to know. Grow stronger quickly."
The Demon Dragon's words completely shut Chen Tian down. Strength, his own strength was still not enough. Whether it was the system or other worlds, Chen Tian knew very little information, and even didn't know about the changes happening in his own world. Beings not belonging to the Divine Spirit Realm appearing in the Divine Spirit Realm was not the first time.
Chen Tian always felt someone was controlling everything behind the scenes. Only strength was the ultimate path, everywhere.
"Little friend, do you not know about the place they spoke of?"
"I don't. I just came out of the mountains and know nothing about the world."
Chen Tian faced Wang Feng's questioning with a calm expression, taking a sip of tea. Wang Feng raised his teacup with his left hand and murmured, "Then, I will tell you a story, friend. After this story, you will likely understand."
"Please, tell me."
Chen Tian made a polite gesture. Chen Tian subconsciously felt no aversion to this young man, believing they could become good friends. However, if Wang Feng knew Chen Tian thought this way, he would likely be terrified. Becoming friends with Chen Tian? He didn't have the guts. Wasn't that courting death?
"Long ago, this continent was a single, complete land. The entire continent was ruled by five deities, each possessing a form of elemental power: the Sea God, Fire God, Metal God, Earth God, and Wood God. One day, a pillar of light descended from the heavens, and the world was divided into three parts. The entire world was split into small worlds. The Shanhe Continent where we are is one fragment of that continent, a realm governed by the Sea God and Earth God. Even after the world's division, it is comparable to a world in itself."
"The Sea God and Earth God perished in that world-ending battle. However, to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again, the Earth God combined his blood with earth elements, creating cultivators with Earth God bloodline. Three secret realms were established. Those with Earth God bloodline could enter and cultivate within, and by passing three secret realm trials, they could become the next Earth God."
"The Sea God granted all marine life spiritual intelligence and bestowed them with aptitudes and abilities exceeding those of humans, even making them more powerful. The Sea God had commanded that creatures of the sea must not invade the land. If they harbored any ill intentions and touched the land, they would perish."
"However, during that war, some did not know that the Five Gods did not die but were imprisoned, waiting to be rescued. Only when they are rescued will the entire world merge together and return to its original state."
As Wang Feng finished speaking, an interface appeared before Chen Tian. Chen Tian rubbed his eyes; his eyes were sharp, but why did everything before him feel so unreal?
"System, what's going on?"
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I doing?
What is this place?
Four consecutive question marks, his head buzzed. Wasn't this an isekai? And his system mode was set to Divine Spirit Realm, so why did this trigger a game quest? Wang Feng wasn't a game NPC!
This was not the game Time Epoch.
"Ding, information is being sorted. Sorting complete, explaining the reason."
"The quest triggered in this world belongs to the Sea God's trial. The Sea God's trial was triggered within the game. Quests triggered during the trial are also game quests. However, this person is a bit special, and details of the quest, rewards, and information are not convenient to disclose."
"Ugh!!"
If he could, Chen Tian would really want to punch the system. It failed him at a crucial moment. It was truly exasperating. But Chen Tian was very curious about what kind of quest this was, so he decisively accepted it.
A system voice sounded in his mind: "Ding, unable to read quest information. Host, please quickly increase your strength."
"No, System, at least tell me what the requirements are to start this quest! You only give me one sentence, and who knows how long it will take to trigger this quest and what strength it requires."
Chen Tian inwardly complained furiously. The system ignored him, seemingly shut down.
Wang Feng calmly said, "Brother, do you now understand the information from the story I told you?"
"I do. But I don't know about the trial slots you mentioned?"
"Those with Earth God bloodline can enter the Earth God secret realm without restriction, freely entering and exiting whenever the secret realm opens. However, for cultivators like us who do not have the Earth God bloodline, we need to obtain an Earth God Token to be recognized by the secret realm and enter."
"The Earth God Token is a test from the secret realm to cultivators. After all, before the world-ending calamity descended, the Earth God believed that cultivators with Earth God bloodline alone would not be enough. Even the Earth God himself was not sure he could end this calamity. An extra person means extra strength. Cultivators who obtain an Earth God Token generally have boundless prospects."
"There are only ninety Earth God Tokens in total. Each time the secret realm opens, the tokens randomly appear before everyone. Only cultivators recognized by the secret realm can obtain them, such as through soul recognition. This process is like the token recognizing you as its master, and it actively seeks you out."
"However, these Earth God Tokens can be snatched. As long as the attacker is powerful enough and kills the current holder, the token will transfer to the attacker's possession. The token only recognizes the strong. Every time a token appears, the entire continent becomes turbulent."
Wang Feng told Chen Tian a lot, and Chen Tian understood it all. However, a spark of interest ignited within him. The Earth God Token, a competition based on strength. Chen Tian's fighting spirit was ignited. He could clash with cultivators from another world. Chen Tian believed his strength would not be inferior to the cultivators of this world, nor would it be vastly superior. This was a perfect opportunity to test his strength in the token competition.
Wang Feng spoke again, "Brother, would you be willing to team up with me? With both of us working together, we can compete for the token."
"Can we actually team up to compete for tokens?"
"Of course. However, when teaming up to compete for a token, the token will autonomously recognize the stronger party and become its master."
Chen Tian understood Wang Feng's intentions after listening to his explanation. However, Chen Tian smiled inwardly. It was good to have a guide in this unfamiliar place. Chen Tian nodded as a gesture.
Seeing this, Wang Feng was overjoyed. He thought it would be easy to trick this young man who knew nothing. He could kill Chen Tian later and claim the token for himself.
"As expected, those who come from the mountains have shallow knowledge."
This was Wang Feng's assessment of Chen Tian. Wang Feng and Chen Tian would meet again in three days. The secret realm would open in three days. During these three days, tokens would actively appear before recognized cultivators. The aura of the token would also appear, and once touched, the aura would never dissipate. The token also had a tracking function.
Cultivators would use the token's aura to track and find the token holder, then band together to plunder it.
Chen Tian found this mode somewhat interesting, suddenly feeling that it was no different from a game, only the world was different.
Chen Tian went to a wine shop and booked a room. When he subdued the Demon Dragon, Chen Tian also took the Demon Dragon's wealth for his own use. Chen Tian was not short of money; he had never lacked money anywhere.
Just as Chen Tian was about to organize the information he had gathered, a beam of light flashed, and a yellowish-brown token appeared before him. Chen Tian was stunned.