Chapter 15: The Sea Abyss Secret Realm
After choosing battle techniques the previous night, both her body and mind were exhausted, so Gong Lianyue went straight to bed.
She had a wonderful dream, dreaming that she had formed a contract with the high-rank spirit beast, the Nine-Colored Cloud Dream Flower, successfully breaking through to become a formal Spirit Master and choosing powerful battle techniques.
When she woke up, she realized… it was all real!!!
After washing up, Gong Lianyue sat in front of her vanity mirror, applying makeup and pondering her next cultivation steps.
[High-rank Level 1: Nine-Colored Cloud Dream Flower]
[Bloodline Talent: Cultivation Amplification]
[Spirit Beast Battle Techniques: Deep Sea – OO]
The little fox only had one battle technique slot filled. It would have to rely on its own comprehension and growth to learn more, or by consuming special medicines to accelerate the process.
Her own cultivation progress was the top priority now. Having just broken through to Spirit Master, she still had a significant gap to close with the two leading Saintess Candidates.
Bai He and Hong Tao had both broken through to Level 2 Spirit Master, meaning their spirit beasts had also evolved.
She would be completely crushed against either of them. She had to become a Level 2 Spirit Master as soon as possible…
Gong Lianyue wasn’t worried about her cultivation speed. With the little fox’s cultivation amplification, her meditation speed was incredibly fast, no slower than any of the Saintess Candidates.
Furthermore, she still had several unused secret realm cultivation opportunities, which the others had likely already used up.
She had been afraid of exposing her true strength before, but now she didn’t care. She needed to become stronger as quickly as possible!
Poof!
“Chirp~?”
A dense floral mist spread as the little fox, suddenly summoned, rubbed its eyes sleepily.
“Good girl, eat your breakfast and come with me.”
Gong Lianyue placed a candy-shaped, high-grade beast treat beside the little fox and gently rubbed its soft ears.
The effectiveness of today’s cultivation depended entirely on the Cloud Dream Flower’s performance.
“Newcomers, look closely! This is the Sea Concubine Palace’s most famous cultivation sanctuary, the Sea Abyss Secret Realm!!”
At a certain location within the Sea Concubine Palace, a deep blue vortex floated in the sky like a giant eye, its surface covered in cracks, an intimidating and terrifying sight.
Eight massive tentacles emerged from the depths of the earth, binding the vortex tightly, preventing it from moving.
Two women in palace attire guarded the entrance to the secret realm, their cultivation levels unfathomable.
A short distance from the vortex, a group of girls in simple clothing gathered. Among them, a cute girl in a Sea Concubine Palace uniform, her face dotted with freckles, was giving a loud and proud introduction.
“The Sea Abyss Secret Realm generates a large number of sea-type spirit beasts. The longer you stay inside, the greater their number and strength. And all the spirit beasts you kill will be converted into spirit energy for you.”
“Although I’ve never been inside, I’ve heard from other elites that staying in there for an hour is equivalent to ten days or half a month of cultivation outside!”
“Really?”
“So amazing!!”
Hearing the newcomers’ exclamations, the freckled girl puffed up with pride.
Every batch of new recruits would be awestruck by the power and grandeur of the Sea Concubine Palace, filling them with longing and anticipation. As a senior member, this made her feel incredibly proud.
“Then why haven’t you been inside, big sister?” A young girl asked curiously. The chatter suddenly stopped, and the atmosphere turned awkward.
After a few seconds of silence, the freckled girl’s face flushed with anger.
“It costs 100 contribution points to enter once! How can I afford that?! You all better look closely, because you might never get another chance!!”
“…”
“…”
It seemed they had touched a nerve. Everyone fell silent.
100 contribution points? That was terrifying! Their initial reward for entering the Sea Concubine Palace was only 5 contribution points.
“Sigh, if only I could get on the Top 100 list. You get extra contribution points every month, plus free secret realm entries…”
“But that’s just wishful thinking. Even the last person on the Top 100 list has a mid-rank spirit beast. Us ordinary people have no chance~~~”
The freckled girl sighed, her future looking bleak.
The mention of the Top 100 list seemed to pique the newcomers’ interest. Another girl asked excitedly,
“By the way, big sister, do you know Saintess Bai He? What’s her rank on the Top 100 list?”
“I decided to join the Sea Concubine Palace because of Saintess Bai He! When my village was attacked by spirit beasts, she chopped them all into dust in an instant! Blood splattered everywhere! It was so cool!”
“…”
“Shut up! What nonsense are you talking about?! There is only one Saintess in the Sea Concubine Palace!!” The freckled girl quickly interrupted, glancing around nervously.
“Never call a Saintess Candidate ‘Saintess’ in front of others. You’ll bring disaster upon yourself.”
“Oh, oh, I’m sorry. I heard others call her that—” The excited girl covered her mouth sheepishly, realizing her mistake.
“Only the top three on the Sea Concubine Palace Top 100 list are qualified to be called Saintess Candidates. The Bai He you mentioned is one of them, along with Hong Tao and Qing Yu. Remember, don’t call them ‘Saintess’ again.”
“The Sorrowful Saintess is appointed by the higher-ups of the Sea Concubine Palace. Her position is absolute!”
“Appointed by the higher-ups? If she didn’t fight her way up the Top 100 list, how can she command respect?”
“Heh, why would she need the Top 100 list? Saint-rank spirit beast, do you respect that?”
“Saint-rank!?”
The newcomers were shocked into silence.
The Saintess had a Saint-rank spirit beast?
The existence of a Saint-rank spirit beast was on a completely different level, beyond their comprehension. It wasn’t something that could be described simply as a world of difference.
A fully evolved, biological Saint-rank spirit beast could shatter mountains with a single step, while an elemental Saint-rank spirit beast could alter the weather and bring natural disasters.
A powerful force like the Sea Concubine Palace only had one Saint-rank spirit beast guarding it.
An appointed Saintess? This… basically meant she was already designated as the next Palace Master.
“Wait, big sister, one more question! Why are the titles of the Saintess and Saintess Candidates so different?”
This question puzzled everyone.
Bai He, Hong Tao, Qing Yu seemed to follow a pattern, but the Sorrowful Saintess was a completely separate title, out of place.
“Duh, what kind of stupid question is that? The Saintess Candidates’ titles are taken from a character in their real names, combined with the form of their companion spirit beast. It’s just easier to remember.”
“But the Sorrowful Saintess represents the will of the Sea Concubine Palace.”
“Among the ten major powers of the Sea Region Alliance, the Saintess of the Sea Concubine Palace is Sorrow, the Saintess of the Ice Shield Palace is Rage, the Saintess of the Water Wish Pavilion is Bliss, and so on—”
“I see!”
“Phew~~”
The freckled girl wiped the cold sweat from her brow. She had brought the newcomers to visit the Sea Abyss Secret Realm, but somehow the topic had shifted to the Saintess.
If she misspoke and it got out, it could cause serious trouble.
Some of the newcomers were still reeling from the shock of the Saint-rank spirit beast, while others looked expectantly at the entrance to the Sea Abyss Secret Realm.
They silently resolved to cultivate diligently so they could have the opportunity to enter the secret realm!
Just then, a girl with long blue hair walked past them, creating ripples of cool water in the air.
Many newcomers turned their heads, curious about the six neatly arranged teardrops on the blue-haired girl’s face and her teardrop-shaped pupils.
Such a beautiful face, as if she were crying. Did she paint those on herself?
Since she was heading in that direction, she must be going to cultivate in the Sea Abyss Secret Realm.
100 contribution points… she must be rich! Just from her stunning appearance, one could tell the difference between her and these ordinary apprentices…
Meanwhile, the freckled girl trembled uncontrollably as she watched the blue-haired girl’s receding figure, as if having a seizure.
A few seconds later, to everyone’s astonishment, the two women guarding the entrance to the secret realm knelt on one knee, their postures filled with respect.
“Saintess!”
“Saintess!”
“I’m entering the secret realm to cultivate.”
Reaching the entrance, Gong Lianyue indifferently presented a blue jade token engraved with the word [Saintess].
The woman in palace attire scanned it briefly with her spirit sense, nodded, and returned the token.
“Deducting one secret realm entry. You have four remaining.”
Whoosh~~
A powerful surge of spirit energy caused the blue vortex to erupt in a brilliant light, illuminating the blue-haired girl.
A few seconds later, the light vanished, and Gong Lianyue was swallowed by the vortex.
As the air gradually calmed, the two guards exchanged glances, shock and surprise in their eyes.
The Saintess… had broken through to Spirit Master and was entering the secret realm to cultivate…
Could it be that…
The Variant Water Emperor slumbering within her had finally awakened?
Her consciousness adrift in an ethereal current, Gong Lianyue suddenly thought of the newcomers she had just passed.
So, this year, they were all women again?
It couldn’t be helped. The Sea Region had a disproportionately large female population, and water spirit energy was most abundant here. Women generally had more gentle and icy aptitudes, while men rarely had any cultivation talent.
Even the occasional exceptions who joined the Sea Concubine Palace were either effeminate or perverts and were quickly eliminated.
Come to think of it, since it was time to recruit new members, that meant—the Saintess selection was drawing near!!!
A sense of crisis filled Gong Lianyue’s heart.
Her remaining secret realm entries and the contribution points accumulated from her long tenure as Saintess were her last hope!!
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