A Secret Realm challenge? Name your price

"So Leaf Strong Whirlwind could be used like this!"

"No wonder Mengyao could kick a Jonin-level dummy right into the wall."

"If I remember correctly, her Leaf Strong Whirlwind was at Proficiency."

As he absorbed the knowledge in his mind, Luo Yu couldn't help marveling.

Soon, he turned his attention to Great Fireball, which he hadn't checked in a while.

[Requirements to upgrade Great Fireball: Ninja Scroll 1/5 or Nameless Inheritance proficient in Fire Release 6/25]

Those six Nameless Inheritances had all been synthesized from fragments dropped while farming White Zetsu and Fighting Rabbits.

After all, this was a Genin-level Secret Realm, so the Mutant Beasts here usually still dropped gray fragments.

Some didn't even drop gray fragments!

"Looks like upgrading Great Fireball to Pinnacle before the Exchange Meet is impossible."

Luo Yu shook his head helplessly.

Next, he allocated all 65 attribute points dropped during his six hours of farming Mutant Beasts.

Stamina: 100 (+50%) → 131 (+50%)

Chakra: 116 (+100%) → 150 (+100%)

He needed just 19 more points of stamina to advance to second-stage Genin and claim his system level reward: a Ninja Scroll.

One Ninja Scroll was worth five Nameless Inheritances.

That would bring him another step closer to upgrading Great Fireball to Pinnacle.

But there was no rush. He had already worked hard for six hours today.

According to the rigorous theory of balancing work and rest, he should spend the remaining time grinding mobile games.

It wasn't just his Ninjutsu that needed upgrade materials. His anime waifus needed materials to improve their builds, too.

Of course, Luo Yu wasn't just looking for an excuse to play.

Managing his Dimensional Aura consumption ahead of time was essential.

After all, materials for many high-star Ninjutsu had to be obtained in higher-level Secret Realms.

Even Advent of a World of Flowering Trees required twenty-five White Zetsu Legacies for its next upgrade.

Leaf Strong Whirlwind needed five Rock Lee Legacies for its next level.

If he farmed those in Genin-level Secret Realms, who knew how long it would take or how much Dimensional Aura he would burn through?

It would be better to save his Dimensional Aura until he reached Chunin, then use it in Chunin-level Secret Realms.

That would make farming materials more efficient and economical.

With that thought, Luo Yu went home and played mobile games with a clear conscience.

The next day.

Since the Exchange Meet was tomorrow, Luo Yu planned to spend another six hours farming a Genin-level Secret Realm.

He figured that if he spent all that time farming Rock Lee Legacy fragments, he should be able to grind Leaf Strong Whirlwind up to Greater Mastery.

With that in mind, Luo Yu promptly got up and dressed.

He had just sat down at the dining table, ready to enjoy his sister's breakfast.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"Yu, it's me! Bai Mengyao."

Hearing the pleasant voice outside, Luo Yu looked puzzled. "Mengyao... she-"

The moment he spoke, he saw his sister scowl and fix him with a death glare.

Luo Yu quickly corrected himself. "What does that woman want with me?"

"Does she have some other cool Taijutsu to teach me?"

Luo Qingyu said sourly, "She's a distinguished Jonin. I'm sure she has something important to discuss with you."

"Go on and see her."

"I'm not feeling very well, so I'll give you two some space."

With that, she returned to her bedroom, her expression icy.

Although she didn't think much of the pretty women who approached Luo Yu.

She also knew that a distinguished Jonin probably wouldn't come knocking just to flirt with her little brother.

There had to be a more important reason for her visit.

So, however reluctant she felt, she could only quietly support him.

She could consider it supporting Yu's work.

After all, she was his older sister, not some little girl who liked fighting over a man's attention. She could at least be that broad-minded.

"Do you want me to make you some brown sugar water later, sis?"

Faced with Luo Qingyu's unpredictable moods, Luo Yu suspected she was on her period, so he asked thoughtfully.

To his surprise, his sister shot him a fierce glare, then went inside and slammed the door.

With mood swings that big, that must be it.

Besides brown sugar water, I should pick up some other essentials for her, too.

Luo Yu shook his head helplessly, then hurried to open the door for Bai Mengyao.

"You're here, Mengyao. Come in and have a seat."

Bai Mengyao chuckled. "I won't come in. I'll keep this short."

Despite her polite refusal, she allowed herself to be ushered inside.

Sitting on the soft, luxurious sofa, Bai Mengyao began slowly.

"Besides serving as an examiner at the Exchange Meet, I came back to Jiang Li because my mentor assigned me another task."

"I might need your help, Yu."

Hearing that, Luo Yu first asked curiously, "What kind of task would need me?"

He didn't mean anything else by it. He just wanted to know what he could get out of helping.

Teaching me Daytime Tiger as a little token of appreciation would work.

"Here's the situation. Every year, the Ninja Association discovers some abandoned neutral Secret Realms."

"Some of these neutral Secret Realms come from other planes and were abandoned by their creators. Others were secretly built by powerful humans in ancient times."

"Once we gain control of them, the Association can extract the resources inside."

"Part of the prize pool for the Exchange Meet comes from Secret Realms like these."

"As the most authoritative Ninja Academy in the Land of the Dragon, Imperial Capital University is naturally assigned the task of developing some of them."

"And some of the less valuable Secret Realms are turned into assessment tasks, which our mentors pass on to students like us so we can assist with their development."

"For example, I helped develop the Trial Grounds you visited."

Bai Mengyao explained earnestly.

Luo Yu looked utterly bewildered. "Developing Secret Realms? That's seriously high-level stuff!"

Bai Mengyao smiled. "Not really. We call it assisting the professionals with development, but we're really just muscle, clearing out potential threats inside the Secret Realms."

"Although these Secret Realms are ancient, they still have a few guardian Mutant Beasts or ruin guardians."

"Our job is to deal with those combat units."

After listening to Bai Mengyao's explanation, Luo Yu looked confused. "I'm just a weak, helpless Genin. Can I really take part in battles between Jonin like you?"

Looking at Luo Yu's harmless expression, Bai Mengyao didn't even have the energy to call him out.

He learned the Eight Gates after seeing it once. What kind of weak Genin could do that?!

It had taken her years of dedicated training just to open the first gate!

If she knew Luo Yu had already mastered the third gate, the Gate of Life, in just a few days, she would probably find it even harder to accept.

"The Secret Realm I'm helping develop doesn't have any ruin guardians, but we need to pass the challenges inside to gain control of it."

"One stage of the challenge only allows Genin to participate."

"We've recruited plenty of talented Genin. Some even came from prestigious clans and possessed green or even blue inheritances, or some kind of Kekkei Genkai."

"But they all failed the challenge."

"So I remembered that there was still someone like you among the Genin."

After hearing Bai Mengyao's explanation, Luo Yu finally understood.

Then he put on a troubled expression. "But I still have to prepare for the Exchange Meet. I can't afford any distractions."

What he really meant was: Name your price!

Although he was a little interested in this challenge that had defeated so many elite Genin.

Working for free was absolutely out of the question.

Otherwise, wouldn't he look like Mengyao's devoted lapdog, ready to come whenever she called?

If his jealous sister found out, she might punish him that very night.

NO!