Corrupt Creations

Instead of going towards the door, Allannia went towards a blue orb that was hovering in front of it. 

"Everyone, please pay attention. This is not only a formation to teleport people inside the dungeon, but it is mainly used to seal everything inside that space. This orb is the key to open the sealed space and let people go inside, however, once opened, it will stay open for at least three days, because that is the cooldown time for it to be able to seal the dungeon once again." 

Allannia put her hands on top of the orb. 

"During that time, everyone will be able to enter and leave through this door as they please. However, if a party leaves, it will be considered as a direct loss. The place you are going to enter, is divided into three layers. The outer layer, is where the Profound Qi and Qi Transformation beasts are mostly found. This will also be the place where you will be hunting. The inner layer is where Mana Perception beasts and above starts to appear. I suggest that you don't step over there for your own safety, but if you ever want to win this competition, it will be inevitable to go at that place." 

Allannia stopped for a bit and continued to say after some seconds: "However, remember this. Do not go to the core area. At that place only death will await you." 

Everyone felt the seriousness behind her words and some started to question something inside their heads. 

'What if the stronger beasts leave their layers?' 

However, that was an unnecessary worry. Each layer had a barrier that blocked the beast's path. Only the practitioners could pass through them. 

Allannia started to put her energy inside the blue orb and some seconds later, the door where there was a blue void, changed to the image of a ruined forest. Everyone in the stadium could see the ruins that stretched as far as the eye could see. 

Allannia finished opening the seal and said: "Go in." 

It was an order for the members of the Secret Security Unit. They would be serving as judges and the first line of protection in case anything went wrong. 

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! 

One after the other, ten or so practitioners entered the door in a quick succession. They disappeared in a flashy blue light, arriving at the other side a bit after. 

Elyra gave looked towards Elyon and after that she gave one last look towards Seth, that was still talking with the girls and entered the gate. 

"Leaders of the different powers and families. You are allowed to enter and observe everything that happens from afar, however, if you ever interfere even if just for a single second, I will able to notice it from here, since this is the core of the formation. The end result will be total disqualification of the entire party, so I advise you not to do anything. You're only allowed to act in the last case scenario, where your disciples' lives are in danger." 

Allannia continued: "Alright, the rules are simple. Whichever party brings more beast cores, are going to be the winners. Quality matters more than quantity, so make sure to hunt wisely. Party number one, go in!" 

Allannia started to call party by party and send them inside. The protectors of each group were accompanying them inside too. They entered to guarantee the safety of the individuals in the party or perhaps of a single individual only. Most practitioners participating were from rich families or organizations, so it was certain that there would be important people taking part on this event. 

However, there were some groups with no protectors as well. Practitioners with weaker background could only rely on themselves to push forward and forge a path for them. 

Seth's group would be one of the last to enter, since they were just formed. But the main factor of them being one of the last to enter, was to give some advantage for the elves against the humans. It was only natural that something like this would happen, since there was Seth, a Mana Control cultivator on the human's side. 

Elyon entered the dungeon together with the five practitioners of his family. Naturally, Elydir was among them. Before he entered, he looked towards Caizhi and Seth again and wickedly grinned. 

Seth was observing everything since he didn't disable his Soul Sense yet. He was using it constantly but in a small area. 

"So... Can I call you Senior Brother Seth? Since you are Senior Sister's boyfriend..." Jiayi asked. 

"Hm? Of course." 

"Yay! Senior Brother Seth, can you tell me how strong are you exactly? You are just some years older than me, yet I can't even see through your strength... You must be stronger than my Senior Sisters, right?" 

All the girls looked towards Seth, interested in his strength. Ruolan and Xiurong were some years older than Jiayi, and they were Profound Qi late-stage cultivators now. At the time they were selected to enter the Glazed Lake, they were at the middle-stage only, while Jiayi was a Qi Gathering late-stage cultivator, almost an entire realm below them. However, Jiayi was already a Profound Qi middle-stage cultivator now. 

Her talents were top-notch, almost reaching Caizhi's talents. Caizhi at that time had the strength of a Profound Qi middle-stage Realm, but now, she had already broken through the Qi Transformation threshold, showing the others why she was worthy of being directedly selected by the goddess. 

Caizhi looked towards Seth as well. She didn't know how strong Seth was, but she believed he had already broken through the Mana Perception Realm. But she had never seen him fighting with his all, so it was difficult for her to tell. 

"You don't need to ask him about it. I can directly tell you, that he is already a Mana Control middle-stage cultivator." The Eleventh Palace Master said to the girls. 

"WHAAAAAAAT?!" Jiayi's reaction attracted a lot of stares towards her. 

Ruolan and Xiurong couldn't believe what they just heard as well. They looked towards the Eleventh Palace Master to check if she wasn't joking, something they have never seen her doing before. 

Caizhi on the other hand, felt proud. Her man was the strongest of her entire generation and she took that pride for herself too. 

But the voice of the Eleventh Palace Master reached their ears once again. 

"That makes me think about something... Which Higher Ground do you come from? Are you perhaps from the Illusive Ethereal Sanctuary?" She asked while narrowing her eyes. 

The three Higher Grounds were not in good terms with one another and if Seth was from the Illusive Ethereal Sanctuary, she would need to destroy his relationship with Caizhi right now. She didn't think he would be from the Lion's Pride Golden Palace, since there was already an heir there to claim all the best resources, and it was impossible to reach Seth's cultivation without them in her conception. 

"You don't need to worry. I'm not from any of the human Higher Grounds." Seth was technically not lying. 

The woman kept looking towards Seth without saying anything. 

The girls felt that the atmosphere between them was getting tense and just when Jiayi would say something, Allannia called for their party. 

'Sigh... It's not like I can verify it now... Just let it be.' The Palace Master turned around and decided to ignore it for now. However, if she discovered something off about him, she would need to separate them. 

"Let's go girls. The elves had an hour of advantage on us already. If we want to catch up to them, we will have to work hard." 

"Heh! We are going to show them who are the strongest!" Jiayi said cheerfully. 

Ruolan gracefully touched her blade, getting ready for the battle. 

A sharp glint passed through Xiurong's eyes. 

Caizhi lips curved in a beautiful angle as she followed Seth closely. 

The group passed through the door and disappeared from the stadium. They were the second human group to enter the dungeon, since Wang Lei's group had already entered some time ago. 

After passing through the gate, they were teleported to the outskirts of a very ancient looking place. 

There was a forest of grey stones in front of them and the vegetation was trying to cover it wherever it was possible. But what really caught the group's attention, was that far away from them, there was a blue dome of energy covering a great expanse of land. It seemed to be the entrance of the second layer, the inner layer. 

Just after they entered, Seth's Soul Sense already caught the presence of a person watching everything that was happening from a hidden place. Seth realized that he was a member of the Secret Security Unit, a mere soldier in charge of taking care of the initial area. 

Using his Soul Sense, he identified the best route for them to take. His initial plan was to let the girls fight some Profound Qi beasts and acquire some cores, but a single look at his group made him realize that he was being naïve. 

After entering the dungeon, the girls seemed to have changed. Seth felt that their senses have sharpened and the aura around them was fiercer than ever. 

'Interesting.' He couldn't help but smile.