Lin Tian and several fellow disciples had spent several days in the secret realm, and both their bodies and minds were exhausted due to the continuous high pressure and sense of crisis. The depths of the secret realm were filled with all kinds of traps and dangers. The deeper they went, the more uncertain the future seemed. Behind these dangers, there were also countless opportunities and treasures, which made them dare not relax easily during the cautious exploration. At this moment, Lin Tian and the others stopped in front of an ancient ruin. In the center of the ruin stood a dilapidated stone tablet, engraved with ancient runes. Although the runes had already been blurred by weathering, they still emitted a disturbing aura. "This stone tablet seems to be used to suppress something." Lin Tian frowned, feeling a vague unease in his heart. Although he couldn't understand those runes, his intuition from years of cultivation told him that there must be some huge danger hidden here. The other fellow disciples also felt the oppression. They looked at each other, their hearts filled with hesitation. Continuing to explore deeper might lead to the discovery of more secret treasures and cultivation techniques, but the degree of danger would undoubtedly increase sharply. And at this moment, their condition was no longer at the peak. Moving forward would be taking an extremely great risk. "Junior Brother Lin, what do you think?" An elder senior brother looked at Lin Tian, his eyes full of inquiries and expectations. Among them, although Lin Tian was the youngest, his calmness and decisiveness displayed many times in critical moments had gradually made him the core of this small team. Lin Tian pondered for a moment and slowly said, "We have been exploring in the secret realm for many days. Although we have obtained some opportunities, we have also consumed a lot of energy. Continuing to go deeper at this moment might be even more dangerous. It's better to retreat for now, sort out the gains of this time, and make plans when our strength improves further." Several fellow disciples nodded, all agreeing with Lin Tian's view. Although there were countless opportunities in the secret realm, returning alive was the most important. Eventually, everyone decided not to go deeper but turned and headed back along the original path. Although they decided to return, the path in the secret realm was not smooth. During their return along the original path, Lin Tian suddenly felt an extremely subtle fluctuation of spiritual energy coming from not far away. This fluctuation was extremely hidden. If it weren't for Lin Tian's sharp divine sense, it would have been almost impossible to detect. "Wait, there seems to be something unusual here." Lin Tian suddenly stopped and looked in the direction where the fluctuation came from. His divine sense spread like water waves, quickly covering that area. After a moment, his gaze fixed on a stone wall covered with vines. "There's something there." Lin Tian pointed at the stone wall, his voice low and firm. Several fellow disciples also extended their divine sense. After a moment, their expressions also became solemn. Although the stone wall seemed ordinary, after Lin Tian's reminder, they also vaguely sensed something wrong with it. "There might be treasures hidden here, or even some kind of secret technique." A senior brother whispered. Lin Tian nodded. He was secretly vigilant in his heart, but more of it was anticipation. After experiencing all kinds of hardships in the secret realm, he knew that any opportunity was accompanied by danger, but he also understood that these opportunities were the key for cultivators to improve their strength. He took the lead and carefully parted the vines, revealing the stone wall hidden behind. There was an ancient pattern engraved on the stone wall, depicting a mountain peak. At the top of the mountain stood a huge stone statue, holding a long sword and looking up to the sky, as if guarding something. "This pattern seems to be guiding us." Lin Tian's gaze was fixed on the mountain peak, secretly speculating in his heart. The mountain peak in the pattern was not unfamiliar. It was somewhat similar to the areas they had explored before, but they had never seen this stone statue. "Could it be that there is an area we haven't discovered yet in this secret realm?" A strong premonition suddenly emerged in Lin Tian's heart. Perhaps this return journey would not be so simple. "Junior Brother Lin, what do you think the meaning of this pattern is?" A senior brother asked. "The mountain peak in the pattern seems like we have seen it before, but we haven't found this stone statue. I guess this stone statue might hide some kind of secret technique or treasure." Lin Tian said in a deep voice. "Then should we go and explore?" Another senior brother's voice carried a hint of hesitation. After all, they had already decided to return. Exploring deeper at this time meant they might get into a new crisis. Lin Tian took a deep breath, and a glint of determination flashed in his eyes: "I think it's worth exploring. If there are really any secret treasures hidden here and we miss it, we might regret it for life." The other fellow disciples looked at each other and finally nodded in agreement. Although there were risks, for cultivators, opportunities and dangers often coexisted. So, everyone gathered their spirits again and headed in the direction indicated by the pattern. Lin Tian and the others followed the guidance of the pattern, passed through several dense jungles, bypassed several steep mountains, and finally arrived at the foot of the mountain peak shown in the pattern. The mountain peak was towering and lofty, with light clouds swirling around the mountainside, giving off a mysterious aura. "This is the mountain peak in the pattern, but where is the stone statue?" A senior brother asked in confusion. Lin Tian didn't answer. His gaze scanned back and forth on the mountain peak, and his divine sense was constantly exploring. After a moment, his gaze suddenly fixed on a hidden cliff wall. "There!" Lin Tian pointed at the cliff wall and then flashed over, taking the lead. Several fellow disciples followed closely and came to the cliff wall. Sure enough, a huge stone statue was carved on the cliff wall, exactly the one in the pattern. The stone statue held a long sword, with a majestic expression, as if guarding something important. "This stone statue... seems to be guarding an entrance." Lin Tian's gaze fell at the foot of the stone statue and indeed found a hidden gap, which could vaguely be seen as an entrance that could be opened. "This might be another area in the secret realm. Perhaps there are greater opportunities hidden inside." Lin Tian said in a deep voice. Everyone's hearts were filled with excitement. After these days of exploration, they already knew the dangers of the secret realm well, but at the same time, they also knew that there were huge opportunities hidden here. At this moment, their exhaustion seemed to have swept away, replaced by anticipation and excitement for the unknown. However, just as Lin Tian was about to reach out and touch the stone statue, a strong sense of crisis suddenly surged in his heart. He suddenly stopped, and his divine sense vigilantly swept around but found no abnormalities. "What's wrong, Junior Brother Lin?" A senior brother saw his strange expression and hurriedly asked. "There's something wrong..." Lin Tian said in a low voice. His intuition had always been sharp, especially after cultivating the "Divine Sense Sky Pupil", his perception of danger was even more precise. This intangible sense of threat was like a lurking beast in the dark, ready to launch a fatal attack at any time. Everyone immediately became vigilant. They knew that Lin Tian's intuition had never been wrong. Since he felt uneasy, it meant that there must be some unknown danger hidden here. "Perhaps this stone statue is part of some array. We can't touch it easily." Lin Tian analyzed. "Then how should we enter?" Another senior brother asked. Lin Tian pondered for a moment, and a glint of inspiration flashed in his eyes: "Perhaps we can try to guide with spiritual energy and see if we can lift the restriction of this stone statue." Saying that, he extended his palm and injected a wisp of pure spiritual energy into the gap at the foot of the stone statue. With the injection of spiritual energy, the air around the stone statue seemed to tremble slightly.Immediately after, a hidden rune gradually emerged, emitting a faint light. "Sure enough, there is a restriction!" Lin Tian said in a low voice. The other fellow disciples also released their spiritual energy and injected it into the rune. The light of the rune became brighter and brighter. Finally, with the injection of everyone's spiritual energy, with a loud bang, the stone statue slowly moved, revealing a deep passage. "The passage is open!" Seeing this, everyone rushed forward, their hearts both excited and nervous. Lin Tian looked at the dark and deep passage, took a deep breath, and steadied his mind. They had no idea where this passage led, but he had a premonition that this might be the most crucial part of the secret realm and might even determine the final fate of their trip. "No matter what obstacles lie ahead, we must stay vigilant. After entering, we must stay close and look out for each other." Lin Tian solemnly instructed. Everyone nodded in agreement. They had experienced life and death tests in the secret realm, and their relationship with each other became even closer. I don't know how long it had passed. When Lin Tian and the others appeared in front of the familiar mountain gate again, all of them were covered in dust, but their expressions were particularly excited. The experience in the secret realm was undoubtedly a great test for them, but it was also in this test that their respective cultivations had been significantly improved. Especially Lin Tian, who had faintly touched the opportunity to break through. "We're finally back." Lin Tian looked up at the majestic mountain gate of Xuantian Sect, his heart filled with mixed emotions. This trip to the secret realm, they not only gained valuable resources and secret techniques, but more importantly, they tempered a stronger will and strength at the brink of life and death. "Junior Brother Lin, this trip to the secret realm was thanks to your guidance. Otherwise, we might have had difficulty returning smoothly." A senior brother said with emotion. Lin TianSmile faintly, shook his head: "We are all fellow disciples of the same sect. Being able to go through these hardships together is fate. Moreover, each of us has gained a lot this time. The real gain lies in this." Everyone nodded in agreement. They had experienced the life and death tests in the secret realm, and their relationship with each other became even closer. After entering the sect, they each returned to the sect leader to report the situation of this trip to the secret realm. After hearing their reports, the sect leader also expressed his approval of their performance. Especially Lin Tian's calmness and decisiveness, which received special praise from the sect leader. "Lin Tian, during this trip to the secret realm, you have shown extremely high comprehension and potential. I observe that your cultivation has reached a bottleneck. Next, you need to retreat for secluded cultivation, wait for the right time, and break through to a higher realm." The sect leader said meaningfully. Lin Tian was shocked when he heard this. He naturally understood the sect leader's meaning. After this trip to the secret realm, his cultivation had steadily improved. Next, he really needed some time to digest and stabilize. So, after saying goodbye to several fellow disciples, Lin Tian returned to his cave and began his secluded cultivation. He took out all kinds of treasures and secret books obtained in the secret realm, studied and absorbed them one by one, and integrated the essence into his cultivation. Time passed like water. Lin Tian sat in the cave for several months. In these months, he gradually digested the gains in the secret realm and constantly tried to break through the bottleneck. Every morning, he would sit cross-legged, operate the spiritual energy within his body, and feel the subtle changes between heaven and earth. One day, while Lin Tian was operating the cultivation technique, he suddenly felt the spiritual energy within his body surging like a river, quickly flowing in the meridians, constantly hitting the vague barrier. Although the barrier was solid, under the powerful impact of Lin Tian's spiritual energy, it finally began to loosen. "The time has come!" Lin Tian was shocked and knew that this was the opportunity to break through. Without hesitation, he quickly mobilized all the spiritual energy in his body, condensed it into a powerful torrent, and fiercely hit the barrier. "Boom!" With a muffled sound, the barrier within Lin Tian's body suddenly shattered. His spiritual energy expanded greatly in an instant, as if the spiritual energy between heaven and earth was converging towards him, continuously pouring into his body. "I've finally broken through..." Feeling the surging spiritual energy within his body, Lin Tian felt an indescribable joy in his heart. He knew that he had finally crossed this hurdle and reached a new realm. Lin Tian slowly opened his eyes, his gaze shining like stars. He stood up and felt that his body was extremely light, as if he could fly into the sky with a leap. This feeling was something he had never experienced before. "Is this the power of the middle stage of Foundation Establishment..." Lin Tian sighed in his heart. He knew that his cultivation path was still long, but every breakthrough was a big step towards a higher realm for him. Stepping out of the cave, Lin Tian looked up at the familiar sky, his heart filled with determination. He understood that although the road ahead was full of unknowns and challenges, as long as his will was firm, one day, he would stand at the peak of the cultivation world and overlook all beings. "Next, it's the sect grand competition..." Lin Tian murmured to himself, a glint of anticipation flashing in his eyes. After this secret realm adventure and secluded cultivation, he was full of confidence in the upcoming grand competition. Outside the mountain gate of Xuantian Sect, several disciples were waiting quietly. Seeing Lin Tian walk out of the cave, they all stepped forward to greet him: "Senior Brother Lin, the sect leader has ordered to gather all the elite disciples to prepare for the sect grand competition." Lin Tian nodded, having expected it. He adjusted his mood and said calmly: "I know. I'll go now." Then, he slowly walked towards the top of the mountain where the sect leader was.