Transfer Phenomenon

"According to the latest intelligence provided by the Tethys System, the final destination of the Transfer Phenomenon lies in the Icebound Forest ahead. After comparing database frequencies, the otherworldly creature transferred here has been tentatively identified as an evil life-form recorded in the archives and named a Demon."

Jing Ziyan pushed up her glasses, their lenses reflecting the glow of the screen. Her tone turned solemn.

"This creature poses an enormous threat to ordinary humans. Its most troublesome trait is its immortality. Other than being completely purified by exposure to sunlight, it is extremely difficult to kill through conventional physical means."

She turned her phone screen toward Nan Qiuqiu and pointed at the red dot. "According to the map, after briefly stopping, its coordinates moved toward a remote village called Blackstone Village. It has now stopped moving. We can't waste any more time, or everyone in that village could be eaten before dawn."

Hearing Jing Ziyan's grave words, Nan Qiuqiu's already gloomy little face fell further. She kicked at the snow beneath her feet and muttered, "Fine, fine, I get it. Human lives are at stake. This young lady will just have to suffer a little."

Even so, the thought of continuing through this awful weather made her wrinkle her nose.

Still, since an entire village's survival was at stake, this hardship truly amounted to nothing.

But soon, a new question surfaced in her pink eyes.

"Still, Senior Ziyan, it's just a demon that fell in from another world. Do we really need such a huge lineup?"

She turned back to examine the team and began counting on her fingers.

"Look, four of us from the Intermediate Division were sent this time: me, Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and Ye Guyi. We all became three-ring Soul Elders at ten years old. Against a mere demon, even one of the more troublesome Twelve Kizuki mentioned in the archives, the four of us joining forces should make victory certain, right?"

In her eyes, this lineup was already exceptionally luxurious.

Yet the academy had still sent three seniors from the Advanced Division.

Ji Juechen, Jing Ziyan, and Senior Ling Luochan, the silent woman at the rear of the team who resembled a goddess of ice and snow.

All three were battle-hardened Soul Kings despite being only fifteen or sixteen.

Senior Ji Juechen in particular still had a glorious record circulating on the academy forums: as a Soul King, he had defeated a Soul Emperor head-on.

"Our mission is different from yours."

Jing Ziyan's voice remained clear amid the wind and snow. "That demon is the target of the four of you. Once you successfully slay it, the credits will be divided equally among you. Our mission is to locate the demon's original arrival point and activate the Spacetime Stabilizer Mirror, thoroughly purifying and stabilizing the residual spacetime fluctuations there."

She paused before adding, "Activating the Spacetime Stabilizer Mirror requires, at minimum, the coordinated resonance of three Soul Kings' Soul Power."

"Spacetime fluctuations... could it be...?"

Meng Hongchen blinked her beautiful blue eyes and spoke curiously.

"Yes. It's no longer a secret in the Advanced Division, so there's no harm in telling you in advance."

Jing Ziyan nodded, seemingly believing that these juniors, who would eventually undertake core missions, had the right to know the truth.

"The so-called Transfer Phenomenon is essentially a brief accidental crossing and contact between the Dimensional Strings of two different universes during operation. This causes regional spacetime chaos, and objects or living beings caught at the point of intersection have a certain chance of being transferred into another universe. It wasn't just that demon... weren't we all brought here this way?"

Those final words erased the relaxed expressions from Nan Qiuqiu and the others' faces. As though they had recalled something terrifying, their complexions turned ugly.

Jing Ziyan continued, "Every location where a Transfer Phenomenon occurs inevitably develops weakened spacetime barriers. If a weak point like that is discovered by the Burning Legion's reconnaissance units, they may use it to bypass the protective barrier the Academy Head has established around this planet and launch an invasion directly. Therefore, whenever a Transfer Phenomenon is detected, the academy must send at least three Soul Kings carrying the Spacetime Stabilizer Mirror to restore the unstable spacetime as quickly as possible."

Her voice was calm, but the terrifying prospect described by her words weighed heavily on the young students.

"The Academy Head..."

Ye Guyi softly repeated the title, her azure eyes filled with undisguised yearning and reverence. "We outsiders from different worlds can live and study peacefully here on the Douluo Continent entirely because of the Academy Head's protection. I heard that the Academy Head is even stronger than the Burning Legion's seven Destruction Grand Dukes. I wonder if that's true... Senior Ziyan, have you ever met the Academy Head in person?"

At the mention of the Academy Head, the usually combative and impulsive blonde girl wore a rare expression of devotion.

To her, the Academy Head was not only a great being who had saved countless worlds, but also the savior of survivors like them, whose homelands had long since been burned to ashes by the Burning Legion.

"Met him? How could I possibly have?"

Jing Ziyan rolled her eyes, a trace of helplessness flashing through her violet eyes behind the lenses.

"The Academy Head is a legend who has long surpassed the understanding of mortals and even gods. He stands at the forefront of the battle against the Burning Legion all year round, safeguarding the peace of countless worlds. Do you think we can meet him whenever we want? As for me, I'm just an ordinary Advanced Division student at Sanctuary Academy. How could I possibly be qualified to meet such a great being?"

"Enough, enough, let's move!"

Xiao Hongchen urged them on, impatience gleaming in his heterochromatic eyes. "Let's find that demon, deal with it, return to the academy for our credits, and then I need to hurry into the Simulated Universe to kill those monsters and increase the age of my Soul Rings. I'm definitely making it into the top ten of the Academy Genius Ranking."

At the mention of that ranking, which represented the academy's highest honor, his handsome face brimmed with proud determination.

"I'm going to fight for a place in the top ten of the Academy Genius Ranking too."

Ye Guyi was instantly fired up as well. She clenched her fair little fist tightly, fighting spirit blazing in her azure eyes.

"Hey, hey, are you two really that ambitious?"

Nan Qiuqiu looked at them and puffed out her cheeks in frustration. "You're making it seem like I'm the only one being lazy..."