Graduation Field Training

Blue.

Endless blue.

After leaving the forest and standing at the edge of the cliff, they saw a vast expanse of ocean in the distance! The place they were in was actually by the sea?

How was that possible?!

Chen Feng was stunned.

Back when they encountered the mutated shark, Shark Sea Bay had been along Jin City's coast, while Dragonfall Mountain was in an entirely different direction from Jin City!

Could it be an inland sea?

But they had flown for over a hundred kilometers without seeing a single drop of water!

Not even a lake!

How could there be a sea?

Thinking he had made a mistake, Chen Feng opened the Light Screen and searched the map. Sure enough, there was no sign of any water source.

This place was barren!

Even the satellite map showed nothing!

"No need to check."

Xu Fei shook his head. "This used to be wasteland, but one day, it suddenly became a sea. No one knows why. This sea isn't connected to any water source, yet it flows endlessly without ever stopping! If you had to find its source..."

"It's there!"

Following Xu Fei's gaze, Chen Feng saw a mountain peak on the sea's only island. It was their destination this time—Dragonfall Mountain.

The origin of this Nameless Sea might lie there.

"Dragonfall Mountain..."

Chen Feng memorized the name.

"Let's go."

Zhou Ling spoke.

Just as Chen Feng was wondering how they would get across, Zhou Ling smiled faintly and stepped forward. Ice crystals spread beneath her feet, and the surging seawater froze in an instant!

A layer of ice crystals formed across the sea's surface!

The group stepped onto the ice and walked toward the island. Every stretch of ice they passed over melted away on its own, while new ice continuously formed ahead of them!

What a powerful Gene Ability.

Chen Feng was secretly shocked. None of these four Gene Warriors was weak.

They were not the only explorers here, but after seeing Zhou Ling make her move, everyone else kept far away. That was the deterrent power of an E-Class Warrior.

Very soon.

Chen Feng and the others arrived on the island.

There was only one mountain on the island: Dragonfall Mountain. From the outside, it was covered in all sorts of enormous weeds and did not seem particularly remarkable. However, the instant Chen Feng followed Xu Fei and the others into the Mountain Range, his vision was filled with a dazzling icy blue glow.

"This is..."

Chen Feng's heart trembled slightly.

Inside Dragonfall Mountain was actually a cave formed from condensed ice crystals!

"This mountain is hollow."

Xu Fei spoke at that moment. "Seawater floats in the air and condenses into this Ice Crystal Cave. I don't know what force is affecting this place, but it definitely wasn't man-made. It's very strange. Once we get what we came for, we need to leave immediately. Under no circumstances should we draw the attention of the Fifth Layer."

There was a D-Class Mutated Beast on the Fifth Layer.

"You've been here before?"

Chen Feng asked quietly.

This place gave him a very bad feeling.

Danger!

Danger everywhere!

At that moment, it felt as though he had returned to the state from his previous life, where something could go wrong at any time. Fortunately, Chen Feng checked the remaining Luck Value on his Digitization Panel and felt somewhat more reassured.

"We came here once before, but we were stopped by a Restriction on the Third Layer."

Xu Fei nodded.

"Can't you force your way through?"

Chen Feng suddenly asked. Restrictions were also made of energy. As long as they were attacked with power far beyond what they could withstand, they could still be broken directly!

"We tried."

Xu Fei's expression remained blank. "It attracted thirty Mutated Beasts. We nearly got wiped out."

Chen Feng: "..."

"Then let's begin."

Xu Fei took a deep breath. "I'm determined to get that material!"

"Understood."

The group nodded quietly and slowly ventured deeper.

Chen Feng was kept safely in the middle, protected by several people. Besides, they were only going to the Fourth Layer to retrieve a material. With four E-Class Warriors making a move, there should not be much of a problem as long as they remained cautious.

"Buzz—"

A faint blue glow bloomed in Houzi's eyes.

At a time like this, he did not dare relax in the slightest.

Meanwhile.

Jin City, high school.

The students who had already graduated gathered at the school once more.

"Is everyone ready?"

Their homeroom teacher, Xie Kangzhong, looked at the thirty students before him. "This is our final graduation cultivation trip. According to tradition, we'll choose a Ruins Land for everyone to explore. This will also be the last time I lead you. Our destination this time is—"

"Dragonfall Mountain!"

The students immediately erupted in cheers.

Dragonfall Mountain!

They had heard of it many times.

It was said to be an adventurer's paradise. Especially recently, for some unknown reason, countless rare treasures had sprung up there, drawing innumerable explorers to the area! There were also many Mutated Beasts there. Killing them could yield quite a bit of Mutated Beast Blood Essence.

"Teacher, which layer are we going to this time?"

The students were excited.

"Which layer?"

Xie Kangzhong said calmly, "All of them!"

What?

The students' eyes widened.

"Dragonfall Mountain is nothing more than an adventure park propped up by those trash cultivators outside the school. But for us, it isn't even worth visiting. So the purpose of this expedition is to sweep through all of Dragonfall Mountain, including the Fifth Layer!"

Xie Kangzhong said proudly, "And this is the graduation gift your teacher is giving you!"

"Yeah!"

Countless people cheered.

Xie Kangzhong merely smiled without speaking.

How could Xie Kangzhong, a homeroom teacher at a key high school, be an ordinary man?

He himself was a D-grade Gene Warrior!

A mere Dragonfall Mountain?

He did not take it seriously at all!

He had already investigated it. The strongest creature in Dragonfall Mountain was merely a D-grade Mutated Beast on the Fifth Layer. It might be powerful to those wilderness warriors, but to him, it was nothing. He was confident that his strength far surpassed those ordinary warriors who had never received a formal education.

The reason he was leading these students on this expedition was also for investment!

All thirty students had basically been admitted to key universities and had bright futures ahead of them. As long as a few of them rose to prominence, Xie Kangzhong's own status would rise with them. And even if they did not amount to much in university, they would at least reach D-grade, with strength no less than his own.

One expedition?

In exchange for thirty favors?

No matter how he looked at it, this investment was worthwhile.

"But, Teacher."

A student suddenly spoke up. "Since Dragonfall Mountain is a place frequently visited by Gene Warriors in society, won't sweeping through it like this cause some trouble?"

"Trouble?"

Xie Kangzhong laughed. "Children, what trouble do you think that trash who could not even get into university can cause us?"

"Remember!"

"You are the strongest of the younger generation!"

"You are the most talented students, selected through countless rounds of screening by the school!"

"You have every right to be proud."

"In the future, this world will belong to you."

Xie Kangzhong said arrogantly, "That discarded trash is not worth your concern."

"Yes."

All the students' blood was boiling. So they were actually this badass? Exactly—this was an era where academic credentials represented absolute combat power! What did they have to fear? The ordinary warriors were the ones who should be afraid!

Amid the cheering, a female student's gaze drifted slowly over the surrounding crowd.

Chen Feng, you still hadn't come?

"Move out!"

At Xie Kangzhong's command, everyone set off.

Their destination—

Dragonfall Mountain!

Meanwhile.

Near Jin City, atop an utterly inconspicuous lone mountain.

Two figures dressed in black stared in Dragonfall Mountain's direction. Before them floated an enormous Light Screen displaying the entirety of Dragonfall Mountain!

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes. According to the plan, we cultivated plenty of rare treasures within Dragonfall Mountain. Now all of Jin City knows this is the most valuable place to explore. Recently, the number of people coming to Dragonfall Mountain has tripled compared to before."

"Good."

"Should we keep investing?"

"No need. It's about time to wrap things up."

That voice said coldly, "Did they really think the money we put in would be so easy to take? Heh heh, they'll find out soon..."