Jianping slowly began, "My ability is called Comprehension."
"Comprehension?" Su Zhe looked puzzled. He didn't understand what Jianping meant. What the hell was Comprehension?
"Hmm... I can enter a state of Comprehension for whatever I'm studying. For example, I study the sword, so when I practice swordsmanship, I enter a state of Comprehension. In that state, I can greatly increase my strength at a rapid pace," Jianping said with a slight pout.
Li Chen roughly understood. Put simply, Comprehension doubled the results of studying something for half the effort. It was extremely useful for someone who followed a single path, like Jianping, who focused solely on the sword. Unlike him, if Su Zhe were given Comprehension, its effectiveness would probably be reduced by more than half.
"Your Comprehension doesn't seem as impressive as my Get Stronger by Eating! Why is it ranked fifth?" Su Zhe asked, somewhat puzzled.
Li Chen replied leisurely, "Jianping isn't like you. He studies the sword, while you eat. How could it be the same?"
Comprehension really didn't seem impressive to Su Zhe, but an ability's effectiveness also depended on its user.
Jianping smiled and said, "Your Get Stronger by Eating only increases your physical strength and toughness, while I focus on attacking. They aren't the same."
"The rankings are based on individual strength, not talent. Everyone's talent is different, so which is stronger and which is weaker? Some talents might not be strong now, but once their users reach a certain level of strength, they'll undergo a quantitative change."
"Maybe the only reason I can rank fifth right now is that some people haven't fully started training their talents yet. Perhaps it won't be long before they push me down the rankings."
His words made Li Chen and the others nod. He was right. For example, Li Chen's Vector Manipulation might not be very strong now, but if it truly developed, he would fear no one.
At that moment, Meng Xi spoke up. "It's almost time to gather. We can go wait at the entrance for it to open."
All the special class members had gathered at the main entrance.
Yu Qingnian nodded slightly and brushed a hand past his ear before speaking.
"Next, you'll enter the secret realm, but first you must choose four teammates. This will be your first lesson."
"The secret realm is full of dangers, and I won't be accompanying you as your nanny. You'll have to rely on yourselves for everything. This is one of the lessons in teaching you to use your abilities."
"Without danger, you won't learn how to use your abilities."
His words didn't frighten the special class students. Most were excited, and quite a few sneered.
They considered their abilities extremely powerful and weren't afraid of harsh environments.
Yu Qingnian naturally saw it all, but he didn't warn them further. Pushing up the glasses on his nose, he said calmly, "You can use your Student Badges to ask for help inside the secret realm. If you can't stay any longer, you can also come out on your own."
"Today's lesson officially begins!"
As soon as he finished speaking, quite a few students entered one of the eight gates in groups. It seemed they had already made their preparations.
But Yu Qingnian smiled, taking a small hourglass from inside his clothes, a hint of a smile seemingly spreading across his lips.
"Eight Demon Island was just remodeled this year. Now there's more than just a harsh environment. Let's see how long your pride can keep you going..."
Li Chen and the others also chose a gate and entered. Their abilities didn't really have any environmental requirements, since none of them were elemental, and Li Chen only needed to practice manipulating energy.
The green gate slowly opened, and the group walked in amid a faint, fresh fragrance.
A secret realm really was a secret realm. The energy was many times more abundant than in the outside world, keeping their bodies saturated at all times.
In the gloomy forest, Su Zhe looked at a spot in some panic and shouted, "Chen-ge, I just saw that tree move!!"
"The tree moved?" Not only Li Chen but Jianping and the others looked over, though none of them saw a moving tree.
"Were your eyes playing tricks on you? There shouldn't be any living creatures in the secret realm, should there? That's what it says in the books in Canglan Academy's library," Meng Xi said, lifting her eyes.
Su Zhe rubbed his eyes and looked carefully at the spot. It really wasn't moving. Had his eyes actually been playing tricks on him?
The group didn't ask any more questions after that. Instead, they looked for a suitable place to cultivate. After all, in such a good environment, it would be a shame not to cultivate with all the abundant energy here.
But for some reason, Li Chen, who was walking at the front, kept feeling a sense of familiarity. He could clearly sense the energy in the forest circling around him, unwilling to leave.
He didn't know what was happening. Had his Vector Manipulation activated on its own?
With that feeling lingering, he continued forward, but suddenly he realized something. Where was Su Zhe's voice?
Su Zhe could never sit still and chattered all the way. Where was his voice now? Li Chen turned to look behind him, only to find the forest empty. Su Zhe and the others were nowhere to be seen.
From time to time, leaves rustled in the gloomy forest, sounding like wind chimes, but at this moment the sound was unusually frightening.
Li Chen raised a finger slightly, and a thin, colorless film instantly appeared over his entire body. It could effectively protect his frail body.
Something unexpected had happened in the forest. Li Chen checked his Student Badge, but there was no notification. That should mean the academy was behind it. After all, the academy couldn't possibly put its students in a hopeless situation. As long as it wasn't hopeless, then this was a place for the students to train.
What Li Chen hadn't expected was that in just a few seconds, he would become separated from the others.
"Am I a separation magnet?" Li Chen rubbed his temples and muttered.
He was now considering whether to wait where he was or go looking for them, since he didn't know what exactly had happened here either.
According to Meng Xi, there couldn't be any living creatures in the secret realm. Now that something so bizarre had happened and the academy hadn't intervened, it should naturally mean there was no danger. But what if the academy didn't know about it either?
That left Li Chen deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Jianping had also become separated from the others. Carrying his case on his back, he walked through the forest, a chill in his eyes. "Come out," he said coldly. "I can see you."
But no one answered him. There was only the rustling of leaves.
In an instant, he drew the sword from his case and slashed at a tree.
The tree actually began thrashing its branches like a person, seemingly feeling pain.
"Heh... Su Baozi really wasn't wrong. The trees here actually can move."
Jianping sneered, gripping his blood-red sword as he stared at the still-swaying tree like a swordsman.