A Forest of Masters

Mo Jiu stared at Xue Ming with icy eyes, filled with disdain.

The Poison Prince, Xue Ming, wasn’t ranked highly on the Hidden Dragon List—only 37th. But Mo Jiu knew full well that his low ranking wasn’t because he was weak.

It was because this man preferred to stay hidden.

Like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, concealing its fangs, ready to deliver a fatal strike at any moment.

Hiss… Why so few people? I thought I was late.

A young man in plain Daoist robes appeared.

He exuded an air of lazy indifference, a blade of grass dangling from his lips, his hair loosely tied, his chest exposed to reveal well-defined muscles.

He looked utterly disheveled, even bordering on slovenly.

"Dao Alliance, Pure Yang Sect—Lv Zheng!"

The plain-robed youth announced himself loudly, as if worried no one would recognize him.

Lv Zheng of the Pure Yang Sect had no ranking on the Hidden Dragon List—there wasn’t even a scrap of information about him.

Yet, no one present dared to underestimate him.

The Pure Yang Sect wasn’t the most prominent among the Dao Alliance’s factions, but it was notoriously formidable.

"Longxiang Mountain—Zhang Qianyu!"

A young man in pristine white robes stepped onto the desert sands, his voice cool and detached, his eyes brimming with arrogance.

Longxiang Mountain had long been part of the Dao Alliance, but Zhang Qianyu couldn’t even be bothered to mention the alliance’s name.

Still, everyone present knew this man had every right to be proud.

Sixth on the Hidden Dragon List—Zhang Qianyu, the Thousand Cranes!

"Yo, where’s your crane today? Didn’t bring it for a ride?" Lv Zheng teased with a grin.

Zhang Qianyu shot him a frosty glance but said nothing.

Though the Dao Alliance had become the most powerful organization, the grudges between its factions ran deep.

Outwardly united, inwardly divided—their infighting was no less vicious than that of other sects.

"Such a gathering of youngsters… Would an old man like me ruin the mood?"

An elderly man in Tang-style attire emerged.

The crowd’s expressions turned cold.

Fifty-sixth on the Heavenly Rankings—Plum Blossom Hand, Mei Santong!

His arrival was soon followed by a flood of other martial artists, many of whom ranked within the Heavenly Rankings’ top hundred.

Xue Ruirui cautiously edged closer to Xue Ming, her voice trembling. "Senior Brother… am I really cut out for this?"

Truthfully, she had no confidence in herself. She didn’t even understand why she’d been brought along.

Among the nearly hundred people gathered here, every single one was a notable figure in the martial world.

She was merely a Dark Force practitioner, having only recently broken through. In this crowd, she was practically insignificant.

Xue Ming replied indifferently, "Don’t worry. I’ll protect you."

Hearing his assurance, Xue Ruirui relaxed slightly, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

"Hey, Green-Hair, your girl’s not bad."

Zhang Fan tugged at the hood of his sweatshirt, his grin sinister beneath the shadow.

"Pervert! Disgusting!" Xue Ruirui glared at him.

Zhang Fan licked his lips, his gaze lingering on her with unmistakable hunger.

In terms of looks, Xue Ruirui was indeed attractive—not quite a peerless beauty, but certainly one in a thousand.

But what truly caught Zhang Fan’s interest wasn’t her appearance—it was the secret she carried.

This woman… had been refined into a living cauldron.

Xue Ming narrowed his eyes at Zhang Fan.

He’d heard of the infamous Rogue Physician, Zhang Fan. Even the Poison Prince himself might not be a match for Zhang Fan in the art of poison.

"Ignore him," Xue Ming said coldly.

Meanwhile, Chen Bing, blending into the crowd, adjusted his black-framed glasses and cast a frigid glance at Zhang Fan before closing his eyes again, maintaining his optimal condition.

The opening of the Hongtian Secret Realm was imminent, and the desert was filling with more and more people.

Even those lurking in the shadows, hoping to snatch entry tokens, were growing hesitant.

Then, four figures appeared, and the entire desert fell silent.

"Damn, so many people… My fists are itching for a fight."

Zhou Dahai grinned excitedly, clashing his massive fists together.

Yang Tian snapped coldly, "Don’t embarrass the Law Enforcement Bureau."

"Alright, alright, no need to argue."

At the forefront, Jiang Cheng scratched his slightly curly gray hair and smiled. "With so many people watching, let’s not make fools of ourselves."

The crowd stared at Jiang Cheng’s seemingly harmless demeanor, yet their legs trembled beneath them.

Qinglong Jiang Cheng—one of the Four Saints of the Law Enforcement Bureau!

First on the Hidden Dragon List!

The Law Enforcement Bureau had always been an authority, its strength terrifying.

This year, three of its members had claimed spots in the Hidden Dragon List’s top ten.

As for the fourth, Zhuque—though records were scarce—her power was undoubtedly monstrous. An absolute threat.

Yan Zhi’s eyes burned with irritation as countless lecherous gazes lingered on her voluptuous figure.

This secret realm expedition was becoming increasingly unbearable.

"By the way, where’s that brat An Yi? Still not here?"

"Hahaha! What an assembly of experts! Ning here is short one token—wonder if any of you fine folks could lend a hand?"

A young man with an iron rod slung over his shoulder laughed boisterously, his gaze sweeping across the crowd.

"Ning Lie… That lunatic’s here too?"

Mo Jiu wiped his axe, his expression disdainful.

Ning Lie—44th on the Hidden Dragon List.

A decent fighter, but clearly just here to scavenge.

Ning Lie scanned the crowd before pointing at Chen Bing. "You—the four-eyed nerd! Hand over your token!"

Though nicknamed the Mad Warrior, he wasn’t stupid.

Those who’d made it here with tokens weren’t pushovers.

He wouldn’t dare challenge monsters like Mo Jiu or Jichen, who ranked high on the Hidden Dragon List, nor Mei Santong from the Heavenly Rankings, or heavyweights like Jiang Cheng and Zhang Qianyu with their unshakable backing.

But the rest? Fair game.

Snatching a token should be easy.

Chen Bing pushed up his glasses with his middle finger, the lenses flashing with a dangerous glint.

Ning Lie broke into a cold sweat.

He suddenly remembered—this bespectacled guy was Chen Bing of the Thousand Mechanisms! Ninth on the Hidden Dragon List!

"Uh… Never mind. Wearing glasses at night must be tough. Fighting’s not worth it."

Ning Lie forced a smile and pointed at another figure in the crowd. "You! The one hiding like a scared little girl! Come out!"

His eyes landed on the delicate-looking Xiao Yike, and his grin widened.

Finally, a soft target.

The onlookers watched with amusement.

Inside the Hongtian Secret Realm, everyone would be an enemy. Watching them tear into each other now was just entertainment.

"We don’t know each other, do we?"

Xiao Yike scratched his head, smiling shyly—before his eyes suddenly turned blood-red, his muscles bulging as he whipped out a massive blade and roared, "Picking on me? Wrong move, dumbass!"

Internal Force practitioner?!

Holy shit!

Ning Lie’s face paled.

Pretending he hadn’t seen Xiao Yike, he spun around and pointed at a drowsy youth sitting cross-legged. "You! The one sleeping! Get up! I’ve had enough of you!"

Tang Qingqing nudged the dozing Bai Xiu. "Wake up. Someone wants to fight you."

Bai Xiu rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Who are you?"

Ning Lie bared his teeth, hefting his iron rod.

"Idiot! Go back to sleep—in hell!"

BAM!

A jeep tore through the desert, slamming straight into Ning Lie!

The man let out a bloodcurdling scream as he was sent flying over twenty meters, crashing headfirst into a sand dune—his fate unknown.

"Hey, buddy… you okay?"

An Yi quickly jumped out of the driver's seat of the off-road vehicle and shouted loudly.

If you were facing the car, getting hit wouldn’t be this bad!

But with your back turned, your life could be in real danger!