As the teleportation array flashed, Roy and his two companions felt a sudden shift in their surroundings. In the blink of an eye, they found themselves within the mysterious secret realm.
Towering ancient trees stretched towards the sky, mist coiled around their trunks, and the air was thick with an ethereal energy. Distant beastly roars echoed through the jungle, sending shivers down their spines.
"At least we weren't separated!" Alice sighed in relief, patting her chest.
"That works in our favor," Roy nodded after confirming the immediate area was safe.
Veil cracked his neck with excitement. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get those toke."
As they moved deeper into the secret realm, the trio quickly realized that this place was far from simple.
Some areas were cloaked in dense fog, drastically reducing visibility and increasing the likelihood of ambushes. Others radiated intense spiritual energy, a telltale sign of either powerful beasts or valuable treasures.
Distant clashes of battle echoed through the forest—other participants had already begun fighting for their share of the tokens!
Alice crossed her arms, deep in thought. "This place is too vast. If we wander aimlessly, we'll waste too much time. We need a strategy."
Veil scratched his head. "What strategy? Find people, beat them up, and take their tokens. Simple."
Alice rolled her eyes. "Do you ever think of anything besides fighting?"
Roy chuckled. "Alice is right. If we rely solely on combat, it'll be inefficient. We need a smarter approach."
"Like focusing on areas that likely hold large caches of tokens," he continued.
Alice nodded. "Places with dense spiritual energy often hide high-value targets—either rare tokens or powerful beasts guarding them."
Veil scoffed. "Enough talking. Let's move!"
After avoiding a few skirmishes along the way, the trio arrived at a colossal tree draped in thick vines. The air around it buzzed with spiritual energy.
"There's definitely something here," Roy murmured.
Veil punched the trunk, sending cracks rippling through the bark. A hidden crevice was revealed, inside of which lay a token glowing with faint golden light!
"Found it!" Alice exclaimed.
Just as she reached out for it, the ground trembled violently. A massive beast erupted from the earth—
Earthshaker Bear!
Its steel-like fur bristled as its crimson eyes locked onto them. This monstrous guardian would not relinquish the token so easily!
Roy's grip on his sword tightened. "Looks like we'll have to fight for it."
Veil grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Good! I was getting bored!"
Alice groaned. "Do you ever think before rushing in?
The ground cracked as the Earthshaker Bear stomped, sending a shockwave that forced the trio back.
Veil charged in, throwing a powerful punch at the beast's skull. Clang! The impact rang like metal striking metal.
Veil frowned. "Damn, that's tough!"
The bear roared, spewing a massive boulder of condensed earth energy straight at him!
"Watch out!" Roy's body flickered, lightning surging around him as he dashed forward, slashing at the beast's underbelly.
His sword left a shallow cut, but it wasn't enough to bring the creature down.
From the backlines, Alice chanted a spell, releasing a Mental Disruption wave. The bear staggered momentarily, its mind clouded.
Veil seized the chance—his fists glowed with energy as he unleashed Mountain-Crushing Strike, sending the beast tumbling backward!
Even so, its defenses remained formidable.
"We need to find a weak point!" Roy's eyes sharpened as he gathered lightning into his blade.
"Hidden Thunder—Sky-Splitting Flash!"
A streak of lightning shot forth as Roy's sword pierced the bear's throat!
Electricity surged through its body, paralyzing it momentarily.
Veil followed up with a devastating punch to its skull, finally bringing the beast down.
BOOM!
The dust settled.
The trio, panting from exertion, shared triumphant smiles.
Alice picked up the token with a grin. "Looks like we got what we came for!"
Roy nodded. "This is just the beginning. We need more."
Veil cracked his knuckles. "Then let's keep hunting!"
Alice sighed. "You're really just a bandit at heart."
As they ventured deeper into the secret realm, the competition intensified. Rival groups had begun forming alliances, fighting for dominance.
By a quiet stream, a group of Wind-Thunder Sect disciples stood near a pile of rocks, arguing over something.
Roy and his team exchanged glances and crept closer.
Alice whispered, "Looks like they already fought. I bet they've got plenty of tokens."
Veil grinned. "Then let's go take 'em!"
Roy sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Could you at least think tactically for once?"
But Veil had already dashed forward.
BOOM!
His punch sent a shockwave through the ground, drawing the disciples' attention.
"Who's there?!" one of them shouted.
Veil smirked. "Your delivery service!" He lunged forward, slamming his fist into a nearby disciple, sending him crashing into a tree.
Alice facepalmed. "Can't you at least try diplomacy first?"
Roy had already drawn his sword, his body flickering as he activated Lightning Shadow Step.
"Lightning Fang—Gale Slash!"
Three swift strikes cut through the air, forcing the remaining disciples on the defensive.
"Damn it! It's Roy, Veil, and Alice! One of the strongest teams!" one of them gasped in horror.
"Don't panic! We have the numbers!" their leader roared, forming a Lightning Sphere in his hands and launching it at Roy.
"Lightning Burst Palm!"
Roy smirked. "Perfect. I needed a warm-up."
Lightning crackled around him as he vanished.
"What?!"
Before they could react, Roy reappeared behind the leader—
"Thunder Slash—Lightning Cleave!"
BOOM!
A burst of lightning sent the disciple flying.
Seeing their leader down, the rest panicked. "Retreat!"
Veil moved to chase, but Roy stopped him. "Let them go. Let's check our loot."
Alice picked up three fallen tokens and beamed. "Not bad!"
Veil pouted. "Only three? I was hoping for more."
Alice rolled her eyes. "What, you think they just hand these out?"
Roy chuckled. "Come on. We're not done yet."
As the trio pressed on, an eerie chill filled the air.
SWISH!
A sword suddenly shot out from the shadows, aiming straight for Alice!
Roy's blade met it mid-air—CLANG! Sparks flew.
Several figures emerged from the trees, led by a sharp-eyed swordsman.
"Surrender your tokens," he sneered.
Alice huffed. "Oh, so we're the targets now?"
The swordsman smirked. "You've been too successful. Time to even the odds."
He lunged—Sword Flash—Shadow Piercer!
Veil grinned. "Finally, a real challenge!"
His aura exploded as he activated Giant's Will, his muscles swelling with power.
"Titan's Smash!"
His fist met the swordsman's blade, bending the metal and sending him reeling!
Roy struck with Lightning Fang, forcing another enemy back.
Alice unleashed Mental Disruption, throwing the others off balance.
Within minutes, the Sword Sect disciples were overwhelmed.
"Retreat!" they yelled, dropping their tokens in panic.
Veil grinned. "Five more tokens!"
The battle was far from over. The deeper they ventured, the greater the challenges ahead.
Roy tightened his grip on his sword. "We keep moving."
Their journey through the secret realm had only just begun.
With their formidable strength and seamless teamwork, Roy, Veil, and Alice had amassed over 50 tokens in the secret realm.
Veil tossed the tokens in his hands and laughed heartily. "Is there even a contest anymore? The top 10 is definitely ours!"
Alice remained calm. "Don't get cocky just yet. There are still plenty of strong opponents we haven't encountered. We need to push even harder."
Roy nodded. "Time is running out. Let's make one final push and grab as many tokens as we can!"
The three exchanged glances and shouted in unison: "Charge!"
Just as they were about to seek out their final targets, a powerful aura surged ahead of them.
"Wait!" Roy's eyes sharpened as he halted. "Someone's up ahead… and they're strong."
Sure enough, four figures emerged from the dense forest. Leading them was a man wielding a massive greatsword, his gaze sharp as lightning, exuding an intense sword aura.
Veil instantly recognized him, his expression turning serious. "Li Sen! One of the top outer disciples of the Storm Thunder Sect. They say he's already reached Level 36!"
Roy frowned slightly. "A Level 36 sword cultivator… He won't be easy to deal with."
Alice smirked. "Perfect. We're still a few tokens short of our final goal."
Li Sen chuckled coldly. "I hear you have quite a few tokens. As it happens, we need more."
"Enough talk!" Veil clenched his fists and lunged at Li Sen.
"Titan Smash!"
Veil's fist shot forward like a boulder, generating a sonic boom as it tore through the air.
Li Sen remained composed, raising his greatsword to block the attack. A burst of sword energy erupted!
Boom!
Veil's attack was neutralized, and he was forced back a few steps, his hands tingling from the impact.
"Damn! His sword energy is ridiculously heavy!" Veil gritted his teeth.
Roy narrowed his eyes. "Let me try."
In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a streak of lightning, appearing at Li Sen's flank!
"Shadow Lightning Sword—Gale Slash!"
Thunder erupted as his blade slashed toward Li Sen like a lightning bolt.
Li Sen reacted swiftly, his greatsword sweeping across to meet Roy's strike!
Clang!
Sparks flew as the two swords clashed, the shockwave forcing both fighters to retreat!
Alice saw an opening and unleashed a mental shockwave, sending an invisible burst of psychic energy toward Li Sen.
"Ugh?" Li Sen's expression changed as his movements hesitated for a fraction of a second.
"Now!" Roy's eyes gleamed coldly as his sword aura surged!
"Hidden Thunder—Lightning Break!"
A dazzling sword light streaked through the air, hurtling toward Li Sen's chest!
Caught off guard, Li Sen hurriedly raised his sword to block, but he was a moment too late. The lightning-infused blade slammed into his shoulder!
Boom!
Li Sen was blasted backward, landing several meters away. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his expression darkening. "Impressive… You're stronger than I expected."
Veil grinned. "Of course!"
Li Sen took a deep breath, then smirked. "But don't think you've won just yet."
One of his allies suddenly pulled out a black flare and hurled it into the sky!
Bang!
The flare exploded, releasing a thick black smoke.
Roy's expression changed. "Not good. He called for reinforcements!"
Moments later, several powerful auras surged from the depths of the forest—five or six more elite outer disciples were rushing toward them!
Alice frowned. "Too many. A direct fight would be unwise."
Veil glanced at Roy. "Retreat?"
Roy's eyes gleamed with cunning. Suddenly, a smirk crept onto his lips. "No… we'll use their numbers to our advantage."
Alice blinked. "You mean…"
Roy whispered, "Once the battle turns chaotic, we'll slip in and snatch the tokens!"
Veil clapped his hands. "Brilliant!"
As Li Sen's reinforcements arrived, the battlefield instantly descended into turmoil.
Multiple factions clashed, turning the area into a full-scale brawl.
Seizing the moment, Roy, Veil, and Alice circled around to the far side of the battlefield. Silently, they began scooping up tokens that had been knocked loose during the fight!
Alice discreetly pocketed four tokens, Veil snatched two, and Roy swiftly secured three more.
Veil flashed a triumphant gesture. "Big haul!"
Alice giggled. "They're still fighting like madmen, and we're making bank."
Roy nodded. "Let's go. Before they realize what's happening."
With their spoils secured, the three of them slipped away unnoticed, completely avoiding the worst of the battle. By the time they regrouped, they had amassed a staggering 70 tokens!
Moments later, an elder's voice echoed through the secret realm:
"Time's up! All disciples, return to your designated points for teleportation!"
Roy, Veil, and Alice exchanged grins.
Roy did a quick count. "72 tokens. That's 24 each."
Veil laughed heartily. "Hah! We're definitely making the top 10!"
Alice crossed her arms and smirked. "Let's just hope the next stage doesn't throw us any nasty surprises."
Roy clenched his fist, determination flashing in his eyes. "We keep moving forward. Top five—or bust. We're making it into the inner sect!"