The End of a Cannon Fodder Master

Chapter 4: Thousand Illusion Beasts Realm

Departing from the sect master's peak to the portal of the punishment realm took half an hour. The quick trip was far from boring for Luo Xue, as many familiar sights gave her a feeling of nostalgia.

When she got there, many disciples were standing around, clearly awaiting her arrival. Most of them were outer disciples who had heard rumours from the inner disciples, and they were deeply curious about the looks of the person who wished to enter the punishment realm.

Standing before them was a young woman, clad in a dark green bamboo-patterned robe with a silver sword crest clipped on her shoulder. Her long, jet-black hair flowed down her back, tied with a matching green ribbon while on her arm, a blood-red bangle stood out against her fair skin. With a simple iron sword attached to her slim waist, there was no mistaking the identity of the infamous Luo Xue of the Formless Spring peak.

Disregarding their inquisitive gaze, Luo Xue walked towards the four white-robed disciples, who were standing in front of the portal. Cupping her hands, she greeted them. "This disciple's name is Luo Xue. May I be allowed to pass through?"

After scrutinising her from head to toe, one of them nodded his head, saying, "You may."

They stepped aside, revealing the portal they were guarding. While walking past them, a person standing at the back slipped an item into her sleeve. Before she could question him, he turned away, behaving as if their exchange was meant to be a secret.

Luo Xue raised a brow and chose not to probe any further. Taking a careful look at the item, she noticed it was a jade seal with the word 'Spring' carved on it. Right away, she was certain that Luo Bingyu was the one who gave it to her. Laughing softly to herself, she stored the jade seal inside her red bangle and entered the swirling white portal of the Thousand Illusion Beast realm, knowing he meant well.

...

The Thousand Illusion Beast realm - a home to countless powerful beasts owned by the Divine Sword Sect.

In here, it was the survival of the fittest. Strong beasts dominated the weak, establishing a strict hierarchy with an iron grip. Weaker beasts must learn to submit and obey or be forced to pay with their lives!

In a split second, Luo Xue's location changed. The air was filled with the scent of moist leaves, adding an earthy fragrance to the surroundings. Surrounded by the lush greenery, she recognised she was in a forest.

With no clear path ahead, Luo Xue drew her sword and walked forward. As rays of light pierced through the canopy, casting a glow on the forest floor, the silence grew more pronounced with each step she took, creating the illusion that the forest was devoid of life.

It was of no coincidence that Luo Xue picked this place for her punishment. In order for her to become stronger, she had to put herself in precarious situations. She wasn't afraid of dying by their claws, but rather not having enough worthy opponents. After all, it was not often that one could encounter many powerful beasts, especially when their strength impacts their ability to reproduce.

As for how the strength of the beasts was categorised, they were divided into nine levels; Level One being the weakest and Level Nine being the strongest. Likewise, the strength of the cultivators was categorised using a separate naming system, albeit slightly complicated.

The progression of each realm of strength, from weakest to strongest, are: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Soul Ascension, Ascendant, Demigod, and Immortal. And within each realm was further divided into early, middle, late, and peak stages.

In general, from birth, everyone would start at Qi Refining realm.

While most mortals were content with Qi Refining realm, cultivators like the ones in her immortal sect would strive to become stronger and live longer.