Top ten rankers already chose the sects they wanted to enter. After that, all the sect leaders of the five great sects, each chose twelve candidates from the remaining eighty nine participants for their sects and only the King chose eleven candidates.

After everything was done, the competition that continued for almost two weeks ended.

Ye Xiao was not chosen by anyone because he had already withdrawn from the competition.

Everyone dispersed as the show was already over and there was nothing more for them to see.

All the sect leaders of the five great sects and the King also bed their farewell with Grandmaster Wang and went back to their sects and the Imperial Palace with the chosen candidates.

Grandmaster Wang also returned back to the Alchemist Association.

_Alchemist Association_

On the third floor of the Alchemist Association, in a spacious room, a young man and an old man were sitting while chatting something.

"Ye Xiao, do you know, why this competition was held by the five great sects and the Imperial Family?" Grandmaster Wang asked while taking a sip from the cup of tea with one hand while stroking his long white beard with his other hand.

Ye Xiao's mind suddenly shook as if he remembered something. He raised his head and looked at Grandmaster Wang then said, "Master, I don't know the reason behind the competition but I once heard from a friend that there is some motive behind this competition."

He still remembered what Zhao Yufei told him in the tomb of the Peak Martial Emperor Realm cultivator, Mu Chen.

Now that the Grandmaster Wang started this topic, he immediately understood that Grandmaster Wang knows the reason behind the competition. His immediately became curious in started looking at his master's face with curiosity.

"Brat, don't look at me like that. Anyway, I am already going to tell you the motive of those old men behind this competition." Grandmaster Wang felt annoyed as he saw Ye Xiao staring at his face continuously.

"Do you know that our Azure Dragon Empire is only a very small country and rated as a third grade country?" Grandmaster Wang asked.

Ye Xiao nodded his head and seeing this, Grandmaster Wang again asked his question, "Then do you know that there are many countries just like our Azure Dragon Country and there are some countries that are three times and even ten times bigger than the Azure Dragon Country."

Ye Xiao again nodded his head, indicating that he knows this as well.

Grandmaster Wang again said, "Let me tell you, all these countries comes under the jurisdiction of an Empire known as the Grand Xia Empire. one year ago, the Grand Xia Empire discovered a secret realm. Do you know what a secret realm is?"

Ye Xiao was someone who already had merged the memories of the Ancient Pill God. How can he not know what a secret realm was after all many rare medicinal herbs can be found in the secret realm.

Secret Realm is a type of dimensional land where countless treasures as well dangers co-exist. There is always a natural barrier formed outside the mouth of a secret realm which can only be opened by naturally or by force. If naturally, then it will take a lot of time to open. Maybe three years or even ten years. Some secret realms also takes almost hundred or even thousands of years just to open again naturally. But if one wanted to open a secret realm by force, they should have at least very high level of cultivation, at least the cultivation realm above the Martial Emperor Realm. And not only that, maybe, even with ten such cultivators, the secret realm may not open.

Because of this, experts always prefers to let the secret realm open naturally. They did not want to forcefully open a secret realm.

The strength of the secret realms also differs in many ways. Some secret realms can be opened by just one expert who has already surpassed the Martial Emperor Realm.

A secret realm can be an Ancient battlefield where a war was once fought or it can even be a destroyed home of some powerful mighty being. It can be an ancient country of some powerful civilization or it can be a whole continent. A secret realm can be any abandoned land. But one thing is certain that there exist many rare treasures as well as many terrible dangers.

Anyway, the main point is that a secret realm is also known as the vault of treasures as well as the world of dangers. But what treasure can be obtained by anyone without encountering any danger.

Once a secret realm opens, many experts go inside in order to obtain treasures but maybe not even half of them could not return safely. This is the terror of the secret realm but even so every time, experts fight against each other in order to go inside the secret realm.

Almost every secret realm also has its own rules and only experts below a certain level of cultivation can enter inside it.

Since Ye Xiao knew what a Secret Realm is, he nodded his head and replied to Grandmaster Wang, "i know what a Secret Realm is."

Grandmaster Wang smiled and said, "I know that you know about the Secret Realm after all you even know about a medicinal herb like the Extreme Ice Sage Leaf which already went extinct a million years ago."

Ye Xiao only gave a bitter smile in response to Grandmaster Wang's words. After all he can not tell him that he has a heaven defying treasure like the Heavenly Pearl which bestowed him with the memories of three ancient gods from which he have already absorbed one third of the memories of Ancient Pill God.

Grandmaster Wang also did not delve much deeper on it as he understood this very well that every one has their own secrets which they can not share with anyone.

He just smiled and said, "As I said before, one years ago, the Grand Xia Empire found a Secret Realm but only the cultivators below the Martial Emperor Realm can enter in that Secret Realm. And there is also a limit of people. Only one thousand people can enter in that Secret Realm."

"So, the emperor of the Grand Xia Empire decided after much consideration that he will share this Secret Realm with every country that he ruled over. Hence, he ordered that after six months from now, every third grade kingdom will send 15 people, every second grade kingdom will send 30 people and every first grade kingdom will send 50 people to the Grand Xia Empire. There are sixteen third grade countries which will send total of 240 people. There are seven second grade countries which will send a total of 210 people and there are five first grade countries which will send a total of 250 people. These all countries will send a total of 700 people after adding together. And the rest of 300 people will come from the Grand Xia Empire itself. A total of 1000 people will enter into that newly discovered Secret Realm."

"Because of this, all the countries had already started making preparation for that. Our Azure Dragon Country is no exception. All the great sects received this news and organised this competition in order to take more geniuses in their own sects. Four months from, there will be competition among the five great sects and the Imperial Family and top fifteen will be chosen to go to the Grand Xia Empire six months later."

"Now you know, why this competition was held by the five great sects and the Imperial Family together."

After saying all of this, Grandmaster Wang smiled at Ye Xiao.

Ye Xiao also came to realization. He never thought that the competition was held because of this reason. His eyes suddenly lit up and then after thinking of something that lit form his eyes instantly dimmed down.

Grandmaster Wang was carefully staring at Ye Xiao's face all this while. When he saw his eyes lighting up and then dimming down, he understood what was going on in Ye Xiao's mind.

Grandmaster Wang smiled and said, "Do you also want to enter the into the Secret Realm?"

Ye Xiao nodded his head and answered with worried face, "Of course I want to enter but I am not a disciple of either the five great sects or the Imperial Family. It is impossible for me to take a place from those fifteen places, right."

Grandmaster Wang again smiled and said, "As I have said before that that Secret Realm forbids anyone above the Martial King Realm from entering. It means that the Martial King Realm can enter. Do you think that with your pitiful cultivation at the Qi Condensation Realm, you have a chance to take a place in those fifteen places. Even that brat Lin Hao will find it very difficult to do this let alone you."