After leaving the Black Water Stockade Mine, Leo headed straight for the Palace's marketplace. He hadn't been there long before his face turned ashen. The reason was simple: he had learned in the market that the Palace's sect minor competition had been postponed by two years.

  There was also news circulating—about which senior brother or highly promising senior sister had failed in their Foundation Establishment attempt, surpassed by those who came after them. In the last minor competition, fifty winners had been rewarded with nearly a hundred Foundation Establishment Pills. Yet only eleven had successfully formed their foundation. A mere ten percent.

  His plan had been simple: leave the mine, obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, and immediately begin his attempt. If successful, Mist's threat would vanish. If he failed, he would leave the Palace immediately and return only before the next competition. Now, countless variables had arisen.

  But from other cultivators, he also learned that though the competition was postponed, a new trial had been added—the Bloody Battlefield. Rumor had it that Foundation Establishment Pills could also be obtained there.

  Leo knew nothing of this so-called Bloody Battlefield. He had originally planned to purchase a few top-grade spirit artifacts to prepare for the competition. That would have to wait until he learned more about this battlefield.

  The Wind's Whisper Pavilion!

  After some hesitation, Leo arrived at a tavern in the marketplace. Here, one could learn much.

  "Senior Brother, please wait! Huh, it's you—Junior Brother Leo, no, no, Senior Brother Leo!" A dark-faced, sturdy young man stared at Leo in shock.

  "Ah, Junior Brother Kael?"

  Leo vaguely recognized the man. After a moment, he recalled—this was Kael, who had entered the Palace with him. Kael's rustic air still clung to him. He had been an adult upon entering, so his appearance hadn't changed much. Leo easily recognized him. Kael had also reached Great Perfection, but only at the eleventh layer, slightly lower than Leo. In the sect, cultivation determined seniority, age mattered little. Leo found it amusing—he was now senior brother to many.

  "Senior Brother Leo, how did you advance so quickly? Any secrets?" Kael finally recovered, still amazed.

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  "What secrets? I spent six years in the mine, cultivating single-mindedly. If you can endure six years, you might surpass me." Leo smiled.

  "The mine? Six years!" Kael shuddered. "I mined once—at the Ancient Mouth Road Mine. Lasted just over a month. Couldn't take it." He looked at Leo with newfound respect. "By the way, Senior Brother Leo, are you headed to the Wind's Whisper Pavilion for information? Something about the Bloody Battlefield?"

  "How did you know?" Leo was taken aback.

  "Senior Brother Leo, you've reached a bottleneck. Naturally, you're concerned about Foundation Establishment Pills. With the competition postponed two years, the only thing related to Foundation Establishment Pills is the Bloody Battlefield." Kael chuckled, puffing out his chest. "You don't need the Wind's Whisper Pavilion. I know all about it."

  "Then I'm in your debt, Junior Brother Kael." Leo nodded and led Kael to a nearby tavern, ordering several dishes and a jug of wine. After so long in the mine, he wanted to treat himself.

  Seeing Leo order food and drink worth several spirit stones, Kael rubbed his hands eagerly. His spirit stones came from menial chores, barely enough for cultivation pills. He never splurged on such lavish meals.

  "Though I'm weak, I still hoped to try for the competition. When it got postponed, I paid close attention. You've been in the mine, Senior Brother Leo, so you wouldn't know what's been happening. Three years ago, a hurricane swept through the Palace's surroundings. Two to three hundred cultivators died directly in the storm. Even several Foundation Establishment masters were caught in it and vanished."

  "A hurricane powerful enough to kill Foundation Establishment masters?" Leo was astonished. He hadn't imagined such natural disasters could threaten cultivators.

  "We may be stronger than mortals, but we also face greater calamities. Our Palace got off lightly. I heard the Demonic Sun Sect and Falling Dawn Hall had half their sects destroyed. Thousands dead. But that's not the main thing. The real issue is that the spiritual materials used to refine Foundation Establishment Pills are controlled jointly by all the sects. Each sect gets a share based on its strength. That's how our Moonwatch cultivation world has survived."

  "But the hurricane destroyed the production areas. The spiritual materials for Foundation Establishment Pills have dwindled drastically. There aren't enough pills to go around. That's why someone revived the idea of the Bloody Battlefield."

  Kael took a sip of spirit wine, his breath slightly alcoholic. "I heard the Bloody Battlefield has existed for a thousand years. Some loose cultivators discovered it. It's filled with countless heavenly treasures. Soon, all the major sects sent people in. With so many, conflicts naturally arose. Once inside, who knows who killed whom? The fighting grew fiercer. Losses mounted. Even some Golden Core elders fell, and nearly a hundred Foundation Establishment masters died. That's why it's called the Bloody Battlefield."

  "Especially the battles between Golden Core elders—they shook heaven and earth, causing massive collapses. Now, it can't even withstand the fluctuations from Foundation Establishment cultivators fighting. So only Qi Refining cultivators are allowed in now. But after those ancient battles, grudges remain between sects. Add the lure of treasure, and some Qi Refining cultivators think their sect is superior and resent the rankings—the bloodshed continues. Many Golden Core and Foundation Establishment masters' kin, even those with magic artifacts, died inside. I heard only twenty or thirty percent ever came out. Some sects lost entire teams. The elites of every sect were slaughtered. The losses were so devastating they threatened the continuation of some sects. So they agreed to seal the Bloody Battlefield."

  "If not for the hurricane devastating our Moonwatch cultivation world's spiritual resources, leaving too few Foundation Establishment Pills to go around, the Bloody Battlefield would remain sealed."

  Kael had been at the bottom of his cohort, with few willing to listen to his rambling. Leo's patience opened the floodgates.

  "Can magic artifacts be used in the Bloody Battlefield? And how are Foundation Establishment Pills awarded?"

  Leo's mouth twitched. He couldn't help asking.