Entering the Secret Realm (Please Follow!)

The atmosphere inside the bus suddenly grew heavy.

Yu Xiumin's delicate nose wrinkled slightly as she stared at Chen Wei with a hint of resentment in her eyes.

She had originally wanted to send Chen Wei a detailed map of the Southshore Mountain Secret Realm and exchange phone contacts while she was at it.

Now, it seemed there was no need. She had no desire to keep making a fool of herself.

Feeling Yu Xiumin's gaze, Chen Wei could only pretend nothing was wrong and observe his surroundings.

There were currently ten people on the bus. Most of them were prominent figures from Water Mountain First High School, and only two Beast Masters were familiar to him.

One was Meng Haoge, the refined young man he had competed against. The other was the handsome youth he had encountered at the Beast Master Association.

As for why Chen Wei remembered that youth so clearly, it was purely because of the lush green Soaring Cloud Green Cicada perched atop his head.

The emerald color of that pet beast was simply too eye-catching.

"Still, aside from me, there doesn't seem to be a single student from Water Mountain Second High School on this bus. How exactly were the secret realm slots allocated?" Chen Wei wondered to himself.

Before the awkward atmosphere between him and Yu Xiumin could last long, a well-dressed middle-aged man boarded the bus. After sweeping his gaze over the passengers, he declared in a resonant voice, "Since everyone is here, we'll set off now!"

Hearing that familiar voice, Chen Wei looked up and saw that President Meng from the Beast Master Association was leading the group this time.

Meng Bowen said gently, "The fact that all of you have become the first batch of freshman Beast Masters to explore this secret realm proves that you are the cream of the crop among Water Mountain City's new Beast Masters. I hope you'll achieve substantial gains in the secret realm."

"But compared to any gains you may obtain, you must understand that you only have one life." After raising them up first only to press them down, Meng Bowen's tone shifted, growing somewhat stern.

"Whoever finds a resource first owns it. I do not wish to see casualties in this secret realm expedition because of disputes over resources. Violators will be expelled from the secret realm immediately, and those whose conduct is particularly egregious will face further investigation and punishment. Understood?"

Meng Bowen's stern eyes swept across the Beast Masters around him.

The bus instantly fell silent.

Although this secret realm was low-level, and after the Association had swept through it there would basically be no cases of killing for treasure, he still had to give these youngsters a warning.

After all, the secret realm that had appeared in Long River City was a lesson from the past. Who could have imagined that such a tiny third-rank secret realm would contain such a precious rare pet beast?

As a result, an ordinary secret realm training session had cost Long River City two outstanding young Beast Master talents.

After giving them his warning, he decisively sat down beside Meng Haoge and continued in a gentle tone, "Next, I'll explain the details of this secret realm."

"..."

"They're both surnamed Meng, and they look alike too. They can't be father and son, can they?"

As Chen Wei watched Meng Bowen speaking without pause in the distance, with Meng Haoge seated beside him, a strange thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

As its name suggested, Water Mountain City was surrounded by strange peaks and beautiful waters. Southshore Mountain was an unremarkable little mountain in the outskirts of Water Mountain City, with an elevation of only a little over eight hundred meters.

The ancients once said, "In the deepest tangle of mist and vines, strange lights arise from forest and stone." Southshore Mountain thus gained the alternate name Purple Mist Mountain.

It was said that long ago, when clouds and rosy mist wreathed the mountain, a true dragon soaring through the clouds had appeared there, drawing countless powerful people to the area.

Unfortunately, the Beast Masters who came in droves found not the slightest trace of a true dragon. The mountain did not even contain any formidable exotic beasts.

Thus, the tale of a dragon living there became an insignificant rumor on people's lips.

As time passed, Purple Mist Mountain became the desolate Southshore Mountain.

At that moment, halfway up Southshore Mountain, a bus slowly came to a stop.

"Get off. The vehicles can't make it up the mountain path ahead, so we can only proceed on foot." After saying this, President Meng got off the bus directly.

The people on the bus became somewhat excited at his words and hurriedly disembarked in orderly lines according to their seating order.

The moment Chen Wei got off, he saw that the mountain before him was shrouded in a hazy, mysterious white mist.

Under the sunlight, the white mist lingering in the distance actually glimmered with a faint purple radiance.

"So this is the purple mist? It's really beautiful!" Yu Xiumin exclaimed as she looked at the scenery before them.

"Beautiful, sure, but Southshore Mountain has remained desolate all these years because it doesn't have any distinctive pet beasts."

Although Chen Wei also thought the scenery before him was nice, he did not pay it much attention.

Compared with something like scenery, he found Beast Master resources far more practical.

"The fog is thick. Let's follow the president and be careful not to get separated from the group," Chen Wei reminded her. The two of them were at the very end of the line.

"Ah! Okay." Yu Xiumin froze briefly, then quickly caught up with the group.

This mountain was not particularly high for Beast Masters. After just half an hour, the group arrived at the summit of Southshore Mountain, where a corps stationed by the Beast Master Association was encamped.

"We're here. The small hill ahead is the entrance to the secret realm." President Meng turned and said.

"Remember, keep the Void Stone Bracelets issued by the Association on your person. If you encounter danger, you can activate them yourself to leave the secret realm."

"Or once three days are up, the bracelets will automatically teleport you out," President Meng added as a final reminder.

"Oh, and if you lose your bracelet, you'll be fined. Trust me, you don't want to know how much this thing costs. Those who are ready may come forward to register and enter the secret realm!"

Upon hearing this, everyone chose to enter the secret realm at once, as if afraid that if they were too late, they would miss their chance to soak in the snow pool.

Chen Wei was still at the back of the line, but fortunately there were only ten people in total. It was soon his turn.

Looking at the soldiers standing on full alert before him, Chen Wei held out his Beast Master badge.

"Go on in!" After completing the registration, the soldier in front of him waved him through.

Chen Wei walked up to the hill and gazed at the enormous rune array emitting a faint red glow. Above it hung a hazy spatial gate, roughly ten feet tall and wide.

Even before drawing near, he could already feel the faint, icy chill blowing from the spatial gate in the distance.

"Looks like it really is a frigid environment on the other side!" Chen Wei remarked.

Watching the Beast Masters ahead vanish after stepping through the gate, Chen Wei did not hesitate. He strode forward and crossed into the secret realm's entrance.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."

Perhaps it was a lingering effect of the teleportation, but Chen Wei felt as though someone had dealt his head a heavy blow. A sudden wave of dizziness washed over him, and his footing turned unsteady.

It was not until an icy wind carrying snowflakes slapped against Chen Wei's face that he abruptly came to his senses.

"Hiss! So cold!"

The drastic shift in temperature made Chen Wei shudder. He was still wearing summer clothes.

The book has been recommended. If you think it's decent, please give it a follow.