When Zhou Qing arrived at the square, eight people were already waiting there, and needless to say, Lu Yaoyao, who had only recently joined, was among them.
In a place full of opportunities, as her Master and Sect Leader, he had to make proper arrangements.
Besides, the old woman seen at Divine Peak earlier had also arrived early, meditating in a pavilion not far away.
"Our Little Spirit Peak is still too far away, be careful!"
Mo Xingjian said and, after bowing from a distance towards the old woman, left.
"Zhou, I didn't expect we would meet again so soon!"
Everyone was originally gathered around Lu Yaoyao, talking to her. After all, the young junior sister was not only beautiful but also made people feel comfortable.
They were all invited to the back mountain for fishing, where they ate and drank their fill and were even given gifts.
Unfortunately, Zhou Qing and his third senior brother from Little Spirit Peak were scared away in advance by the sudden arrival of the Supreme Elder.
Lu Yaoyao was extremely excited to see Zhou Qing arrive.
Others stopped talking and looked at Zhou Qing with displeased faces.
Especially three senior sisters in the late Foundation Establishment Realm, who looked defensive.
Peeping while bathing?
This could truly tarnish their core disciple status.
Zhou Qing just smiled and nodded politely in greeting.
It didn't matter to him what others thought, as long as he did well himself!
There was no denying that everyone here was in the Foundation Establishment Realm, the strongest even at Great Perfection, without a single mid-level among them.
Calculating it this way, his and Lu Yaoyao's cultivation levels were the weakest.
One was in Qi Condensation, the other had just broken through to the initial stage of the Foundation Establishment!
Facing Lu Yaoyao's enthusiastic greeting, Zhou Qing could only smile.
[Heart Mirror Points +3]
The next moment, the words floating above her head changed from [So Heartache] to [So Happy] in the blink of an eye.
This left Zhou Qing momentarily unsure whether to feel happy or worried.
Afterwards, the Supreme Elder walked over, and everyone bowed.
"Alright, since everyone is here, let's depart. Your Masters must have informed you of the details!"
The old woman finished speaking, and a small three-legged cauldron appeared in the air.
The cauldron spun rapidly, suddenly expanding and pulling everyone inside without resistance.
"You stay here for now. You will be released once you reach the Pocket World!"
The old woman's voice came from outside.
Looking around at the chaos, Zhou Qing was speechless.
This Pocket World is so heavily protected that not even core disciples are allowed to know its true location.
"Zhou?" Lu Yaoyao suddenly approached with a pale face.
Zhou Qing was helpless.
Just as he was about to say something, he noticed something was wrong with her.
Lu Yaoyao grabbed his arm tightly, closed her eyes, and trembled all over.
"What's wrong with you?"
This time, Zhou Qing did not dodge but instead asked curiously.
Lu Yaoyao shook her head repeatedly and trembled even more, only feeling better when she leaned tightly against Zhou Qing.
Zhou Qing looked around and then at her.
Does this girl have claustrophobia?
Otherwise, why was she fine earlier but suddenly like this now?
This kind of symptom is either innate or caused by some childhood trauma leaving a psychological shadow.
For a moment, Zhou Qing didn't know how to comfort her.
Fortunately, they were released soon after.
Upon looking again, they found themselves in an area surrounded by lush mountains and green water. The sky was incredibly blue, and white clouds floated by.
Interestingly, it was already dark outside when they entered.
Lu Yaoyao came to her senses and immediately let go of Zhou Qing's arm, observing the surroundings without the slightest blush or heartbeat.
The old woman stepped forward, took out her token, and after inputting complex markings into it, the ancient mountain range in front of them began to tremble violently.
Soon after, a hidden giant bronze gate slowly emerged, splitting open with a crevice down the middle.
Instantly, an ancient aura that seemed to have been sealed for countless years rushed out, accompanied by a strong sense of oppression, making everyone look grave.
It felt as if an unknown powerful being had fallen here, and its lingering power was still present, causing their spiritual power to flow slightly sluggishly.
The old woman put away her token and used her spiritual power to conjure a grindstone-like object in the air.
"Children, once you enter the bronze gate, there lies a thousand-meter-long Magnetic Dao. Your task is to pass through it smoothly and find this object, then rotate it counterclockwise."
The old woman addressed the crowd.
"The Magnetic Dao contains natural pressure, which is highly beneficial for your training. After passing through it, it will strengthen the foundation and nurture the essence, solidifying your base. The benefits are something you will deeply experience only after walking through it."
Everyone's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.
The old woman continued, "Due to the special nature of the passage, I won't be able to guide you once inside. There shouldn't be any problems, just some exhaustion. Remember to unlock the key and relieve the magnetic force immediately after passing through. Don't push yourself."
Everyone bowed, "Yes!"
Afterwards, everyone eagerly rushed inside, but Zhou Qing stayed in place, peeking around cautiously.
"What's the matter?" the old woman asked suspiciously.
Zhou Qing hurriedly replied, "Nothing, nothing at all. I just wanted to let them go first and show me the way."
The old woman: "..."
"Little one, why do you look so familiar to me?"
The next moment, the old woman suddenly spoke up.
Zhou Qing's body trembled, and he immediately began to run forward.
"Ah, a ghost!"
"What is this?"
"Be careful, everyone be careful!"
...
Suddenly, piercing screams emanated from inside the bronze gate, causing Zhou Qing, who had been running, to stop abruptly and quickly retreat.
"The bird that sticks its head out gets shot; Second Senior Sister was right!" Zhou Qing thought to himself, feeling lucky.
The old woman frowned, wanting to advance but seemingly wary of something.
Shortly after, the people who had gone in before came stumbling out, with two of them even engulfed in white flames.
The flames spread but did not burn, instead creating layers of ice crystals that were thankfully extinguished in time.
Roar——
Several ghostly flames then rushed out, but upon facing the blazing sun, they screamed and retreated rapidly.
"Wandering Souls? When did these things start appearing here?"
The old woman immediately identified the retreating entities, looking incredulous.
Fortunately, their aura was weak, seemingly just at Qi Condensation, indicating that they hadn't been born long ago.
After all, they weren't here two hundred years ago when I last came.
Strange?
Meanwhile, everyone else hastily withdrew, casting resentful glances at this Supreme Elder.
Are you kidding us?
Didn't you say there was only gravity? What were those things just now?
Facing everyone's gaze, the old woman felt a bit awkward and then said, "What exactly happened just now? Explain it in detail."
Hearing the old woman say this, everyone felt even more uncertain.
If you were trying to trick us into going in, that's one thing. But if even you don't know, then what are we supposed to do?
The unknown is the scariest thing.
A senior brother from Dragon Ridge Peak, who was at Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment Realm, clasped his hands in salute: "Reporting to the Supreme Elder, as soon as we went inside, all the lights in the passageway lit up by themselves, and then those things came rushing out from the depths…"
The old woman listened thoughtfully.
She then took out a talisman and muttered a few words. Less than half an hour later, several whistling sounds approached from a distance.
These were also old women with full heads of white hair. Zhou Qing, seeing this, immediately turned around feeling guilty, muttering, "You can't see me, you can't see me…"
Several Supreme Elders then discussed at a distance before coming over together shortly after.
Everyone quickly paid their respects.
One of the Supreme Elders said, "It's nothing, just a few Wandering Souls. I'll give each of you a Yang Fire Talisman to stick on your body, which should prevent them from getting close. If that doesn't work, just attack or retreat."
As the old woman finished speaking, sheets of scorching talisman paper emerged from her sleeves, directly attaching to everyone's backs.
Zhou Qing only felt a warm sensation, which soon disappeared.
At this moment, another old woman stepped out, her face showing concern: "If you see any coffins, remember, do not make any noise, just withdraw immediately."
Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances.
Wasn't this supposed to be a rewarding opportunity? Why does it sound so terrifying?
Or is it that there are things in there that have exceeded your expectations?
But now, there was no turning back; they had to go forward with determination.
On the other hand, Lu Yaoyao occasionally glanced at Zhou Qing retreating to the back of the crowd, saying nothing.
"Go on in, we'll be here outside. If anyone can be the first to pass and unlock the key, I have three secret techniques you can choose from, plus a day of bathing in the Third Flame Spirit Blood Pool."
The third old woman stepped out, speaking gently, and three glowing jade slips floated in her hands, causing everyone to become excited.
Not to mention how powerful the Supreme Elder's secret techniques might be, just the Flame Spirit Blood Pool was an incredible opportunity.
It's said that beneath this pool lies a peculiar Natural Dao Pattern; each time it's activated, it requires the infusion of numerous rare herbs and demon beast Essence Blood, then operated by a special method to produce unique blood-colored Spiritual Liquid.
Soaking in this Spiritual Liquid would bring unimaginable benefits.
Consequently, everyone naturally looked towards Zhou Qing, who was standing at the back of the crowd, giving him peculiar looks.
Zhou Qing's face changed, and he scratched his head awkwardly, looking away.
For no other reason than this Flame Spirit Blood Pool, due to the purity of the Spiritual Liquid within, it was divided into one main and three subsidiary pools. The third pool mentioned by the Supreme Elder was one of the subsidiaries.
A few years back, Yan Xiaohu learned that the Flame Spirit Blood Pool had finally gathered enough materials, so he couldn't resist sneaking in with Zhou Qing.
If they could sneak a soak without being noticed, it would be a massive gain.
No need to mention the outcome, as a group of old women had already gone in ahead, naked.
Facing such a reward now, everyone no longer had any misgivings and rushed towards the bronze gate...