It was morning. Gathered in front of the secret realm were cultivators dressed in uniformed clothing representing their various sects. Some of the disciples didn't sleep a wink last night, curious about this secret realm and their chances of gaining fortuitous opportunities from it amidst the competition. The geniuses were more confident, as their identity as talented cultivators gave them access to more resources and protective trump cards.
The Steel Crest Sect Leader, Zou Feng did a quick scan of the number of cultivators from his sect. The Sect Leaders of The Blue Whale Sect, where Ding Xiaolong was from, The Valiant Spring Sect and The Zero Firmament Sect followed suit.
Around Kong Xiang and Li Luo, some cultivators from The Blue Whale Sect were looking at them in confusion. One of them, a scrawny baldy with shrew eyes initiated a conversation.
"I haven't seen you both before."
Kong Shi uttered a 'Hhm'. Li Luo was noncommittal. He tried again.
"Are you from this sect?"
"Yes"
"What is this sect's name?"
Kong Xiang looked dumbfounded at the absurdity of the question and chose to ignore it. The dude didn't let go and still continued.
"Uhn, Which Hall are you from, if I may ask?"
"We are secret disciples of the Law Enforcement Division" Li Luo suddenly turned to him, her eyes flashing. The poor boy sensed her aura and thought she fit the hall so well.
Being secret disciples of The Blue Whale Sect was the cover agreed on between them and Ding Xiaolong. Her father's influence allowed her to pull some strings to officially make up a false identity for the both of them, so they'd be able to use the sect's quota. Thanks to Ding Peng, the sect leader closed his eyes to this and subtly allowed this.
The suspicious disciples had no choice but to resort to the initial silence. Far left to their position however, two female disciples of The Steel Crest Sect and The Valiant Spring Sect were having a verbal altercation.
"You outsider bitch, leave Senior Brother Huang alone. He has no interest in you."
"Shameless thing, who doesn't know you've been trying to seduce him with your undesirable body. If he wasn't in the same sect with you, he would have disappeared a long time ago from your sights forever, because he told me the sight of you sickens him."
The man in question, Long Huang had his head lowered and was sweating barrels. He was double dating these two girls from two different sects, in the hope that they would never meet, but rumours spread and he had only barely pacified their worries when this joint sect operation made it possible for them to see eye to eye. Of course, what followed was a fight, with both of them claiming their territory.
The Valiant Spring Sect Leader didn't look too happy, as the lack of discipline and respect in his presence made him lose face. He harrumphed coldly.
"Your quotas are revoked" He directed his words to the two disciples of his sect. This shut them up. The female cultivator from the Steel Crest Sect was gloating happily when her Sect Leader glanced at her stonily and also said the same thing.
"Are you ready?" Zero Firmament's Sect Leader didn't have time for the shenanigans and mentioned. The other Sect Leaders nodded and unleashed their qi to form origin bubbles that encapsulated their sect members. Before they all vanished through the gateway portal, Zou Feng said to them all.
"Remember that you only have thirty days in the secret realm. If you do not get to the portal gateway that leads to the outside world, then your death is guaranteed as no one survives the destruction of a subspace."With his words, they vanished.
"How many do you think will survive?" an elder asked nobody in particular, his voice tinged with a little nostalgia.
"Maybe half the bunch," Zou Feng said.
"I think roughly a quarter."
"A quarter is a tad too pessimistic, don't you think" Zou Feng chuckled.
"Haha"