Chapter 42 - Floating Valley (I)

The crowded mountains were rife with commotion, and many eyes were fixed in the sky, waiting to witness a once-in-a-lifetime event.

A figure in a black robe stood at a distance, his masked face staring into the sky. When his blue eyes caught sight of the blurry image of the valley emerging in the sky, his lips curled into a smile.

While his eyes were still staring into the sky, he heard a voice in his mind.

"It really looks magnificent,"

The man nodded as he observed the painting of a valley being created in the sky, while his ears were filled with the commotion of the crowd, who were all in awe of witnessing a masterpiece.

But a frown formed on his face as a loud voice interrupted his thoughts, and his gaze shifted to an Old Man in a white robe standing in the Large platform, staring at the participants who were about to enter the valley.

"SILENCE"

As that loud voice echoed across the mountains, everyone turned their heads to look at the old man standing atop the platform. The old man nodded as he noticed the silence and turned around to see the elders of the other sect standing at a distance, gazing at the sky. He shook his head and cleared his throat as his gaze shifted to the participants.

"I believe you are all familiar with me, but I will introduce myself again: I am the Grand Elder of Eternal Palace. Now that you've all seen the valley begin to appear, there are a few things you should know before going inside." He came to a halt as his eyes scanned everyone.

He nodded as his voice echoed again, "Most of you already know, but I'll tell you again. Only those who are in and below the Core Formation Realm may enter the Valley, as I'm sure you're well aware. Since you're all here for the first time, I'll tell you a few more things about this place."

"First and foremost, you should be aware that time moves faster inside the valley than it does outside. For example, if you spend a month indoors, you will only spend one day outside. You will spend one month in the valley before being automatically evicted." He paused again for a moment before speaking.

"Second, the area within the valley is thriving with rare demonic beasts. So it's up to you to figure out how you're going to survive there and keep in mind that while the valley is dangerous, it's also full of opportunities. If you survive a month inside, it will help you grow a lot since you'll be spending your next month surviving on a tightrope between life and death."

"Third, the valley is divided into three sections: the outer circle, the middle circle, and the inner circle. While the outer circle contains demonic beasts as powerful as the Foundation establishment realm cultivator. The inner-circle could contain a Demonic beast as powerful as a heavenly level realm cultivator, but be warned: no one was able to return after venturing into the inner circle."

There was a deafening silence as everyone perked up their ears to hear every word spoken by the grand elder.

"Now, you're all aware that the valley is brimming with rare resources, and you've all been given storage pouches to store those resources safe. Remember, the better your resources, the more sect points you will receive. And I don't think I need to remind you how important sect points are, do you?"

Andy frowned as he heard those words, but then the entire sky shone brightly for a moment before a humongous valley surrounded by lush mountains began floating in the sky; it was so large that the darkness enveloped the entire region as no one could see the end of the floating valley, which appeared to cover the entire sky.

Andy's eyes widened as he fixed his eyes on the humongous valley; unconsciously, he gulped his saliva as this was the first time he had seen something so massive floating in the sky.

"So Huge," He muttered as his face contorted into a scowl. In the book, it was mentioned that a floating valley appeared, so he presumed there would be a portal or something that would teleport him to the valley, but he didn't expect the valley to be floating in the sky.

He inhaled deeply as his gaze shifted to the bright stairs, which were being formed to connect the valley to the ground. But a sudden shout interrupted his thoughts.

"Andy,"

He frowned as he turned his attention to the source of the noise. His eyes greeted the sight of Grand Elder gesturing for him to come there.

As he approached the grand elder, he felt many gazes were fixed on him. Suddenly, his steps came to a halt as he turned around to see a middle-aged man standing in a VIP area, staring at him hatefully. He was taken aback for a moment before shaking his head and walking over to the Grand Elder.

As soon as he reached him, he smiled and clasped his hand, saying, "Thanks for proving me the opportunity, but I wasn't given any storage pouch as you said earlier."

But the Grand Elder patted his shoulders, "Are you kidding? You are the most important disciple of our Eternal Palace. You simply gain experience in the valley; there is no need to gather pitiful resources. But, as I said before, do not enter the inner circle. Even if you are strong, don't take unnecessary risks."

Andy nodded, his gaze shifting to the elders of the other sects, who smiled at him. He nodded and smiled at them, then his gaze shifted to the newly formed stairs, and he unconsciously looked up at the sky where the stairs connected the valley, but then he heard Grand Elder's voice again.

"Go ahead, be the first to enter the valley."

Andy was taken aback for a moment when he heard those words before turning to see the Grand Elder smile at him.

He nodded at the grand elder before making his way towards the stairs.

His gaze was fixed on the valley as he took the first step; even though he felt many eyes on him, his attention was still fixed to the valley as each step made his heart beat faster. As he approached the end of the stairs, a surge of excitement flared up in his heart while a slight red hue started appearing in his Blue eyes. But as soon as he finished taking the step, a white light enveloped him and he vanished from the spot.

Suddenly, a slight breeze grazed his skin, while a smell of wood reached his nose.. He opened his eyes to be greeted by a picturesque scene of an endless valley surrounded by a lush forest as he stood atop a cliff.