Chapter 82: The Mysterious Realm of Flames (Part II)

"I don't know who these disciples of the Ji clan you're talking about are, but I can tell you this: although my surname is Ji, I have absolutely no connection to the royal Ji clan of the Wood Morning Cultivation Realm, because I am not even from that world," Ji Mo glanced at him coolly, her face expressionless as she replied.

Geng Xiao stared at her coldly, noticing that as she spoke, there was no ripple in her emotions—almost as if she had never even heard of the Wood Morning Cultivation Realm. Suspicion flickered in his heart, but he said nothing more and shifted his gaze away.

"Heh, no matter which cultivation world you come from, Ji Mo, since you're here to compete, it's a matter of glory for our Ten Directions Cultivation World. I'm rooting for you." Bai Ze, worried these two stubborn types would clash again, hurriedly laughed and stepped between them, changing the subject.

"Whether that old man sent me here to compete, I honestly don't know yet, because I know nothing about this place. Brother Bai, perhaps you could tell me about the Flame Domain and the rules of the arena?" Ji Mo's eyes shifted slightly as she fixed her gaze on Bai Ze.

"No problem. I don't know much about the Flame Domain myself, but I'll tell you what I do know. For some cultivators of the Ten Directions World, the Flame Domain is both mysterious and not so mysterious. Mysterious, because in the endless river of years, no one has ever truly unraveled the secrets of this world," Bai Ze said.

"The Flame Domain is actually a world in itself?" Ji Mo was surprised.

"Exactly. It's a self-contained world, and the Flame Clan are its true masters. We say it's not mysterious because every five hundred years, the Ten Directions World sends disciples in for a ten-year training. So, there are quite a few people in the Ten Directions World who know about the Flame Domain," Bai Ze continued.

"If the Flame Domain is its own world and the Flame Clan are its true rulers, why do they let people from the Ten Directions World come in to train? Is it because they're not strong enough to resist, so they have to compromise?" Ji Mo was still puzzled.

"No, that's where you're wrong. Even if all the cultivators of the Ten Directions World joined forces, they might not be able to defeat the Flame Clan. As for why they allow cultivators from the Ten Directions World to enter, I don't know the exact reason, but it probably boils down to two things: first, the geographical location of the world, and second, perhaps to temper their own clan’s younger generation," Bai Ze mused.

Not even the combined forces of the Ten Directions World could defeat them? The Flame Clan are that powerful? Ji Mo was shocked. She didn't know the exact strength of the Ten Directions World, but she recalled Ao Feng mentioning that each world within the Ten Directions World was far stronger than the Azure Profound Cultivation Realm. In Ao Feng's words, the Azure Profound Realm was just a middle-grade cultivation world, and its ascended cultivators weren't even qualified to become disciples of the Blue Moon Divine Palace.

"With your talent, if you'd reached the Condensing Pill stage, your elders would have told you all this. But you're only at the Qi Refining stage, and your elders tossed you in here anyway. I suppose they were afraid that telling you too much would scare you, hah!" Bai Ze glanced at Ji Mo, seeming to recall something, and burst out laughing. Hearing this, Ji Mo felt distinctly uncomfortable, for Bai Ze's laughter was tinged with blatant schadenfreude.

Geng Xiao shot him a look as if he were an idiot. Ji Mo’s discomfort aside, she pressed on with her questions, suppressing her unease. "Afraid to scare me? Is this place really that dangerous?" She’d been here for more than eight months and, though she'd faced danger twice, hadn't felt that the place was particularly terrifying.

"Dangerous? Let me put it this way—do you know how many disciples from the Ten Directions World are sent here for training every five hundred years?" Bai Ze stopped laughing and gave her a curious look. Ji Mo shook her head; she knew nothing. She had been tricked into coming here by that cunning divine beast, Ao Feng.

"I don't know the exact number, but I know that each world sends in a hundred cultivators at the Condensing Pill and Nascent Soul stages. As for other stages, my cultivation isn't high enough to know. You don’t need me to tell you how many Condensing Pill and Nascent Soul cultivators there are in a world, do you?" Bai Ze asked. Ji Mo nodded, though she had no idea how many cultivators a world had, but she couldn't let that slip.

"From all those Condensing Pill and Nascent Soul cultivators, they select the best hundred to come here. After ten years of training, the lowest casualty rate is fifty percent, and the highest reaches ninety percent. From those numbers, you can imagine how brutal the training here is," Bai Ze said.

"Such a high casualty rate? How can the leaders of these worlds bear to send their most talented disciples here? The Condensing Pill and Nascent Soul cultivators may not be the highest-level fighters in the Ten Directions World, but they are the future of their sects. If too many die, wouldn't that cripple the foundations of their worlds?" Ji Mo exclaimed.

"Hmph, jade must be polished to become a gem. True geniuses can only grow through the harshest trials. Those who only wish to survive under another's wing will never become strong," Geng Xiao snorted, disdainfully, before Bai Ze could answer.

Ji Mo glanced at him, noticing that as he spoke, his cold gaze burned with a fierce, sharp light. He seemed utterly unconcerned by the terrifying casualty rates. She looked at Bai Ze, whose rugged, dark-red face was full of fighting spirit, his eyes bright—without a trace of fear.

Ah, people like this are true geniuses—no matter how perilous the environment, they face it with unflagging resolve. And me? I hate trouble, and whenever something troublesome crops up, my first thought is to give up. In the end, I always have to grit my teeth and press on, but that's only because someone’s cracking the whip behind me. Comparing myself to others is truly embarrassing! Ji Mo’s face burned as she thought.

"Yes, Geng Xiao is right. A true genius cannot fear danger, especially on the path of cultivation. Moreover, though the risks of training in the Flame Domain are high, the rewards are even greater. Anyone who survives and returns will become a formidable figure in their world, and when they ascend to the heavens, all the immortal sects will vie for them," Bai Ze agreed with Geng Xiao's view.

"Wow, does that mean I now know two people who will surely become legendary figures in the Three Realms?" Ji Mo was reflecting on her own shortcomings when Bai Ze’s words made her eyes shine, and she almost clapped her hands in excitement.

"It's not that easy. Though I have confidence in myself and am not afraid of danger or hardship, I can't guarantee I'll make it out alive," Bai Ze gave her a wry smile, finding her innocence endearing, while Geng Xiao looked at her as if she were a fool.

"What dangers are there here, and why does the Flame Domain belong to all the worlds of the Ten Directions? Also, what was that Flame Clan you mentioned before?" Ji Mo, unfazed by their disdain, pressed on.

"As for the dangers, I can't describe them all, but I'll summarize. In the Flame Domain, aside from all kinds of monsters that attack humans at any time, there are many secret realms with devouring powers. These, however, are not the greatest danger. For us, most casualties come from the Flame Clan's arena battles!" Bai Ze explained.

"Besides that, there are also schemes and hunts between the worlds of the Ten Directions," Geng Xiao interjected suddenly, his face expressionless and his tone ice-cold. Ji Mo couldn't help but shiver.

"Don't worry. Even if we hunt cultivators from other worlds, we won't target a Qi Refiner like you. Geniuses must at least have basic pride. If we wanted to snuff out a Qi Refiner in advance, how could we ever hope to reach the pinnacle of the Dao?" Geng Xiao glanced at her and, for some reason, added another remark.

Ji Mo chuckled awkwardly but said nothing. Bai Ze rolled his eyes at Geng Xiao. "Geng Xiao, you're a Condensing Pill cultivator—don't scare the young lady. Ji Mo, Geng Xiao may seem cold, but he's not a bad person."

Not a bad person—does that mean he’s a good one? When I first woke up, he wanted to kill me the moment he suspected I wasn’t of the Flame Clan! Ji Mo scoffed inwardly, but said aloud, "Yes, I believe you’re not bad people. Otherwise, I wouldn’t still be alive. Brother Bai, you mentioned the Flame Domain is a training ground because of its unique location. What did you mean by that?"

"Oh, the Flame Domain is situated right at the spatial junction of the Ten Directions Cultivation World. I suppose that's why people from the Ten Directions can enter. After all, for the Flame Clan, their people need external challenges to become stronger," Bai Ze shrugged.

Ji Mo agreed with Bai Ze’s reasoning. Turning it over in her mind, she asked, "What are the characteristics of the Flame Clan? Are they so strong because they have many powerful peak cultivators, or because their cultivators at the same level are far stronger than those from the Ten Directions?"

"I don't know the specifics of the Flame Clan's strength or their peak cultivators, but I do know that Flame Clan cultivators at the same stage are far stronger than us. Don't be fooled by me and Geng Xiao—within our sects, we're absolute geniuses among our peers, and our sects are top-tier in our worlds. Yet compared to the Flame Clan, our power is only equal to their ordinary bloodline awakeners," Bai Ze said.

"You’ve fought them? What do you mean by bloodline awakeners?" Ji Mo was astonished. She didn't know how strong Bai Ze and Geng Xiao really were, but she guessed they were among the best in their sects, which themselves were likely top sects within their worlds. That kind of power shouldn’t be lacking. Yet they were only equal to the Flame Clan’s ordinary bloodline awakeners. The Flame Clan cultivators were truly formidable. (To be continued...)