The ethereal old man glanced in Lin Qian's direction before shaking his head helplessly. "After being injured by this freak, I need to stabilize myself before approaching him again."
"Sigh, trying to have a bit of fun only to end up frustrating myself." As the old man's words faded, his translucent form began to disperse, turning into specks of light that gradually vanished.
From beginning to end, the old man remained undetected, even by Zhao Long. After all, Zhao Long's cultivation was tied to Lin Qian's, and the power he could wield was still far from its full potential.
As the morning sun rose, bringing light to the small world, the group gradually awakened from their cultivation.
Lin Qian stretched and loosened his muscles, gazing at the bright sunlight with an unusually good mood.
"Unless the soul is overly exhausted, sleep isn't necessary—cultivation can relieve fatigue. Not having to deal with jet lag is really nice," Lin Qian mused as he continued to stretch.
Ye Xin also stretched comfortably and said to Lin Qian, "Last night's cultivation was so peaceful; I didn't even hear the cries of soul beasts."
The others nodded in agreement, speculating that the surrounding soul beasts had likely been slain during the battle involving the disciples of the Blood Spirit Valley.
What they didn't know was that there were still plenty of soul beasts around. However, all of them had been silently eliminated by the Night Shadows, without disturbing the group.
Having finished their cultivation, they turned their attention to the architectural complex before them. They had agreed before beginning their cultivation that they would explore this fortress-like structure in the morning to see what lay within.
The presence of such a structure in this trial world surely had some significance—it wouldn't appear here without reason.
According to Yang Tianhao and Shen Yan, when they first arrived at this place, they encountered members of the Swift-Hidden Clan.
The gate to the structure had been closed initially, but they witnessed the Swift-Hidden Clan members using a specially inscribed formation diagram to open the door.
At the same time, the Swift-Hidden Clan members noticed Yang Tianhao and Shen Yan.
Before they could explain themselves, the Swift-Hidden Clan members attacked them without hesitation, with lethal intent in every move.
"It seems there's something in here that the Swift-Hidden Clan wants, and they probably know more about this relic than we do," Lin Qian remarked as he gazed at the entrance to the structure. "Using a formation diagram to open the gate suggests they were prepared. If they weren't familiar with this small world, why would they come with such a specific tool?"
"Besides, the portal to this small world was guarded by powerful leaders from various factions. The Swift-Hidden Clan couldn't have used our portal to enter."
Pausing for a moment, Lin Qian shared his suspicion, "I believe there isn't just one portal to this small world."
His words made everyone's eyes light up, as they realized that this theory was highly plausible.
"Could it really be possible? That this ancient human sect would create multiple portals to a trial ground for their disciples?" Despite Lin Qian's reasoning, Zhang Ziduo still found it hard to believe.
If that were true, wouldn't that ancient human sect be wasting effort by creating so many portals?
"Indeed, if this small world truly belonged solely to this ancient human sect, there would be no need for multiple portals," Lin Qian acknowledged Zhang Ziduo's confusion but then added, "But what if this small world wasn't exclusively theirs? What if it was shared with other forces and races for hosting trials and competitions?"
As Lin Qian's hypothesis sank in, the group was initially stunned but soon understood the logic.
Why should they assume that this small world was solely owned by the ancient human sect?
If the small world was indeed shared as Lin Qian suggested, everything would make sense.
"If I'm right, then another portal to this small world might be located not far from where the Southern Gathering is held." Lin Qian reminded everyone, "Do you all remember when I mentioned the bodies of the Blackblade Fish Clan that suddenly disappeared?"
When Lin Qian finished speaking, the others quickly caught on to his implication.
"Lin Qian, you mean to say that those missing bodies entered this small world through another portal?" Li Yunfeng, understanding Lin Qian's point, asked with growing realization.
At the same time, Lin Qian nodded solemnly. "If my guess is correct, there's probably an illusion formation hiding the portal in that sea area."
"The large number of Blackblade Fish Clan members likely came through that other portal."
"But what we still can't understand is why the dead one-armed Blackblade Fish Clan member and the King Whale reappeared at the Southern Gathering, with both their corpses and living versions existing simultaneously for a time."
This was the part that Lin Qian couldn't figure out.
Though this was all just Lin Qian's speculation for now, and there was no concrete evidence to back it up, he believed that they would eventually uncover the truth. For now, their focus was on exploring the building in front of them.
They put aside the mystery for the time being and proceeded to enter the structure.
As they passed through the grand gate, they found themselves in a vast, empty hall, devoid of any furnishings except for the massive pillars supporting the roof.
In the center of the hall was a mural depicting scenes of a particular race's life.
The race depicted in the mural was unmistakable to Lin Qian and the others—it was none other than the Swift-Hidden Clan.
Seeing the mural, Lin Qian chuckled, "It seems this building really is tied to the Swift-Hidden Clan. I guess their purpose here revolves around this structure."
Curiosity surged within everyone as they wondered what could be inside this building that would make the Swift-Hidden Clan attack Yang Tianhao and Shen Yan on sight.
However, as they explored further into the building, they were left speechless.
Their initial assumptions about this fortress-like structure being filled with traps and formations were completely wrong. They had imagined themselves enduring trials and emerging victorious with great rewards, only to discover that they were entirely mistaken.