The sky above the Qin Clan was crimson at dawn.
Dozens of figures gathered at the edge of the eastern cliff—elders in robes, stewards in armor, and the younger generation in their prime.
Below them, nestled between shattered peaks and ancient dragon bones, the entrance to the Tyrant Dragon's Secret Realm pulsed faintly with blood-colored light. A jagged rift in space, as if something had clawed open reality itself.
The air around it was thick with ancient pressure. Dry. Heavy. Like the breath of something that once ruled the world.
Qin Ye stood at the back, silent.
Around him stood the so-called "chosen"—Qin Feng and his faction. Qin Qingshuang, poised and graceful. Qin Shu, Qin Yan, and Qin Mo, brimming with confidence. Murmurs from the crowd buzzed like flies.
Various Affiliated clan and vassal sects had also sent their younger generation.
The clan elders gave final instructions.
"Be careful. Don't touch anything unfamiliar."
"Find inheritance, yes—but don't lose your life for it."
"Work together."
Qin Heng stepped forward, voice firm despite his age. "This is an opportunity. But more importantly, it is a test. Not of strength alone—but of your ability to make decisions. To survive. To represent the Qin name."
His gaze lingered on Qin Ye and Qin Feng.
Neither spoke.
A breath later, the rift pulsed again.
The gate opened.
And one by one, the younger generation stepped forward.
The moment Qin Ye stepped through the spatial rift, the world around him shifted.
It wasn't just a teleportation. It was like the space itself had bent and swallowed him whole. and the next second, he was standing in a completely different world.
The air was thick with spiritual energy. Not the usual kind either. There was an extra heaviness to it. Like something ancient had left its breath on the wind.
Trees towered over him, so massive that he couldn't see their tops. Their roots twisted out of the ground like serpents, some thick enough to rival bridges. Strange birds cawed in the distance, and the soil underfoot had a faint reddish hue, as if it had soaked in too much blood over the years.
Qin Ye looked up.
Daylight.
So the realm had its own sky. Its own weather. Its own ecosystem.
"...This is no simple inheritance ground," he muttered.
According to what he'd heard, the clan had already tested the danger levels inside using death warriors. The strongest demonic beasts inside were only peak Foundation Establishment. For any of the Qin clan's top younger generation, that wasn't a problem. They all have the clan provided safety measure as well as their own family measures like his sword and fire talismans.
But what made him worry was that, this wasn't a realm left behind by some God Transformation Realm expert at all. It was too vast. Too stable. Too… alive.
"Looks like the patriarch knew that too," he muttered. "Yet they still let us in. Either they know something we don't or they already have measures taken."
He tapped the pouch at his waist.
"Fine. Let's play your game."
Qin Ye crouched down and placed a formation disk on the mossy floor. A faint ripple of spiritual light spread out in all directions. Within seconds, dozens of small metal and wood birds, spiders, and needle-shaped puppets launched into the air or burrowed into the ground.
Scout drones.
All of them within five miles. they were his eyes, ears, and spiritual detection all relaying back to him through a mental thread.
Next, he placed the bone mask on his face.
A click. A shift. His aura warped instantly. His presence faded from the realm like mist in sunlight. Anyone without a God level spiritual sense wouldn't even realize he was nearby.
Not even Qin Feng with a remnant soul.
He had a strong feeling that guy knew something. Maybe even had a map.
Qin Ye didn't believe in coincidences when it came to the Son of Destiny.
He moved through the forest like a shadow, his footsteps silent, body low. He avoided open roads, circled around energy-dense locations, and stopped to observe every new spiritual plant or mineral.
Along the way, he found several things of interest.
A grove of Red Dragon Fruits. They were high-grade fire-type fruits that could increase qi quality and blood vitality. He collected them without hesitation.
Some distance away, he picked up thin veins of Dragon-Coiled Steel embedded in a cliff wall. Tough as spirit iron, infused with trace dragon qi. Perfect for reforging weapons later.
As he observed more and more demonic beasts, a pattern started to emerge.
Scales.
Claws.
Red-gold eyes.
Some even had faint remnants of horns on their foreheads.
"...These aren't just mutated beasts. They have a trace of dragon blood," he whispered, narrowing his eyes.
It was subtle. The bloodline was so diluted that it didn't register to normal qi senses. But his soul sensitivity, enhanced through his own soul-condensing breath techniques, picked it up instantly.
Now he wasn't sure if this realm was made by a human cultivator at all.
"Was the Tyrant Dragon… actually a dragon? Not just a title?"
He crouched low behind a large root, watching a beast patrol in the distance.
It was still early.
The others were likely scattered across the realm due to random teleportation.
But Qin Ye didn't care about the others.
He only cared about one person.
"Qin Feng…"
He narrowed his eyes behind the bone mask.
"I'll find you. And when I do… we'll see how much fate is really on your side."
Meanwhile, outside the portal—
Back on the eastern cliff, two old men stood beneath the rising sun.
Qin Heng.Qin Mu.
Their gazes never left the glowing rift.
"Do you think they'll find it?" Qin Mu asked quietly."The Dragon God's hidden test…?" Qin Heng muttered. "Even we lost its exact coordinates."
He paused.
"The Dragon God was once our clan's guardian. But his will won't pass on inheritance to just anyone."
"What's more there is also his disciple the Tyrant Dragon's tomb, that the hid the Dragon God. It has hidden the Dragon God's trial for so long that even we lost its position."
Qin Mu grunted.
"Perhaps only Ye'er can gain both the tyrant's as well as the Dragon god's approval."
Qin Heng turned to him slowly.
"Big brother… even if that boy hides it well, even if he's beyond brilliant—he may still fail the third test."
He sighed.
"We can only hope. Either Qin Ye or Qin Feng… one of them must rise. And take the Qin family into a new era."
Qin Mu didn't speak.
He simply looked toward the portal again.
And hoped for a miracle.