In preparation for his off-campus experience, Xiao Han has been making final preparations these past few days.
With his status as the top Core Sequence and his accumulated contribution points, he took quite a few good things from the academy's treasure trove.
Top-grade healing pills and spiritual energy recovery potions were being exchanged in large quantities.
He also acquired several powerful offensive and defensive talismans.
A lightweight inner armor made of specially tanned exotic animal hide is worn close to the body; it is thin yet tough, and does not hinder movement in the slightest.
He didn't neglect his cultivation either.
The "Creation-Heaven-Penetrating Art" and the "Shadow Void Scripture" circulated day and night, making the auras of the two Martial Souls, the Chaos Green Lotus and the Eternal Night Monarch, increasingly condensed.
He was already attempting to break through the barrier of the Fifth Level of the Martial Master Realm.
Despite its sturdiness, it was inevitable that it would loosen in the face of the massive accumulation of resources and his extraordinary comprehension.
A breakthrough is just around the corner.
The weather was perfect.
After tidying up, Xiao Han went straight to Lin Qingxia's courtyard without delay.
Lin Qingxia was already in the courtyard. When she saw him coming, she tossed him a storage bag.
"This is for you; it might save your life."
Xiao Han caught it and immersed his consciousness into it.
Three jade talismans, lying quietly.
One was as red as fire, another as blue as the sea, and the last one was a strange, void-colored hue, with faint spatial fluctuations swirling around it.
In addition, there was a bronze token that looked quite old.
Lin Qingxia's tone was flat, yet carried an undeniable air of authority. "Three jade talismans, three of my trump cards. One for a powerful attack, one for self-defense, and one for spatial teleportation—all possessing the power of the Martial King Realm. Remember them well; do not use them until the very last moment."
Lin Qingxia pointed to the storage bag in Xiao Han's hand. The bronze token inside was made of ordinary material, but it exuded an ancient charm.
"This thing is bronze, and it doesn't look very impressive."
Her voice was flat. "If it really comes to that point where you're completely helpless, I can crush it and immediately know where you are."
Xiao Han's hand tightened.
Everything in the storage bag was heavy.
"I..."
He paused, then carefully tucked the storage bag away from his body. "This student thanks my mentor."
Lin Qingxia waved her hand impatiently, reverting to her decisive and efficient mentor persona. "Alright, alright, get out of here! Enough nonsense, come back alive, understand?"
She changed the subject, becoming more serious. "The outside world is full of wicked people who can ruin you without consequence. Don't think that just because you always get first place in school, you're something special. There are plenty of old guys out there who could slap you to death."
Xiao Han grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth. "Student knows! Professor, just relax and watch how I arrange everything perfectly, ensuring they all return in style!"
He didn't say much, turned around and left, his steps large and hurried.
The sunlight cast a long shadow of him, which gradually disappeared.
Lin Qingxia stood there for a long time before letting out a soft snort, seemingly directed at someone. "You brat, you'd better make me proud... and stop making this old man mess around with you..."
The wind blew by, and she was left alone in the courtyard.
Xiao Han left the stone-paved path in the academy behind.
His steps were unhurried, yet carried an indescribable steadiness.
The power within his body surged, and he found the intricacies of martial arts much clearer at that moment.
He didn't know what lay ahead.
But that feeling, trapped in my chest, was about to burst forth.
The Imperial Capital Academy were merely the first stepping stone on his long journey.
More thrilling adventures, more formidable opponents, and more outrageous opportunities await him in the distance.
He walked out of the high walls of the Imperial Capital Academy, step by step.
Beyond the wall lies another world.
Without the invisible shield of the university, all that remains is a primitive, barren desolation.
Xiao Han moved alone, his figure so fast that only a pale blue afterimage remained, darting between strangely shaped rocks and withered meadows.
His destination was clear: a small, hidden secret realm in the desolate mountains and wilderness, which Lin Qingxia had mentioned casually before.
After running for several days, the continuous mountain ranges receded into the distance.
There was a suffocating oppressive atmosphere in the surrounding air.
Ahead, a huge, incredibly thick gray fog rolled back and forth along the ground.
In the thickest part of the gray fog, an extremely irregular, pitch-black crack hung suspended in mid-air, like a living thing, expanding and contracting, creating ripples in the air that made one's scalp tingle.
The entrance to the secret realm is here!
Xiao Han stopped and stared intently at the spatial rift.
Even with his current level of cultivation, he felt a chill run down his spine when he saw this thing.
It wasn't fear, but an instinctive reaction to this unknown force.
He took out the bronze token that Lin Qingxia had given him from his pocket.
The token felt warm to the touch.
With a surge of spiritual power, a soft blue light rippled from the token, protecting him from all sides.
Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Han took a step forward, his figure disappearing into the strange black rift.
The world is spinning!
Everything around was shaking violently.
This feeling is far more domineering than a teleportation array.
Fortunately, Xiao Han had a strong physical body and a solid soul, and he was able to stabilize himself in an instant.
The surrounding scenery quickly became clear.
A strange world of distorted light and shadow unfolds before your eyes.
The sky was a deep, dark purple.
Countless fragments of stars floated on it, shimmering with a cold, eerie light.
The ground beneath my feet was scorched black, crisscrossed with ravines.
Strange, multicolored plumes of smoke occasionally shot out from the cracks in the ground.
The air was filled with violent and chaotic energy.
That energy carried a strong corrosive quality.
Ordinary Martial Master Realm masters who stay here for even a short while will likely have their bones completely dissolved.
However!
The moment Xiao Han's Eternal Night King Martial Soul came into contact with this energy, it not only showed no discomfort, but instead revealed an extreme desire!
Those violent energies rushed towards the Eternal Night King Martial Soul!
It devoured them frantically!
It transforms into the purest power of shadow and void, nourishing the Martial Soul itself!
"Ha, here it comes!" Xiao Han grinned, extremely pleased.
This godforsaken place!
For others, entering here would be a near-certain death!
For him, it was an absolute paradise! A sacred place for cultivation!
He moved his feet carefully, pushing the "Shadow Void Scripture" to its limit, and the "Close at A Step to the Ends of the Earth" footwork was also unleashed, leaving a series of faint shadows in the shattered space.
"Hiss--!"
A sharp, piercing screech erupted from the side.
A dark shadow pounced.
It was a strange beast, about the size of a water buffalo, but with three heads covered by compound eyes and six segmented limbs, the ends of which were sharp and gleamed with a cold, eerie light.
The aura it exuded was already at the Second Level of the Martial Master Realm.
"It's quite a creative design," Xiao Han thought to himself, and instead of backing down, he pressed on.
He didn't even use his Martial Soul.
With just a clench of his right fist, the "Creation-Heaven-Penetrating Art" began to circulate rapidly within his body, and the condensed Annihilation Fist Intent gathered in his fingertips and palms.
Annihilation Divine Fist!
Facing the beast's slashing limbs, Xiao Han neither dodged nor evaded, but instead unleashed a powerful punch.
Where the fist struck, the air was torn apart, producing muffled thuds.
"Bang!"