Outside, the Crimson Emperor's face flushed red with fury, and even the temperature around him seemed to rise.
He could clearly sense it: there was one fewer Half-Dragon with royal blood inside the secret realm!
A Half-Dragon had died in the secret realm!
"Useless!"
The Crimson Emperor had never imagined that a Half-Dragon with royal blood could actually die in the secret realm.
Indeed, if the Black-Robed Man hadn't been frightened off by Yi Tian and happened to teleport behind the Half-Dragon, there would have been no chance of that happening.
But now, not only had they lost a Half-Dragon, the Yagu Dynasty's progress had also been slowed!
"Useless!!!"
Beside him, Wei Yuan remarked casually, "Crimson Emperor, mind your image..."
At those words, the Crimson Emperor's eyes turned bloodshot. He stared daggers at the unruffled Wei Yuan, growing angrier by the second.
"You think our four remaining people can't win!?"
"Your Great Xia's progress is only... only..."
As he spoke, the Crimson Emperor glanced at the secret realm's progress bar. His eyes widened, and he suddenly fell speechless.
The progress bar showed that Yi Tian's team had already reached the final boss of the third stage, with their progress at 95%!
They were just one final push away from clearing it.
Meanwhile, the Yagu Dynasty's four remaining Half-Dragons had only just finished the second stage.
A faint smile curled at the corners of Wei Yuan's mouth.
For some reason, after receiving Yi Tian's message a moment earlier, he had felt an inexplicable certainty: Yi Tian would take first place!
Inside the Secret Realm, on the final stage's giant Levitation Island.
Ye Xiu, Bai Qiu Li, Wan Jiang, and Jiang Che stood in a semicircle around the enemy, with Ye Xiu issuing orders nonstop.
"Hold your attacks. Save your skills and mana until I break its armor..."
"The boss is low on health. It's about to use its final killing move. Qiu Li, interrupt it!"
Before he even finished speaking, Bai Qiu Li was ready. Powerful frost energy gathered continuously in the longsword in her hand.
"Ice-Sealing Breathless Slash!"
A streak of white flashed past, and the rampaging Firmament Sovereign was sealed inside a mass of ice crystals.
Immediately afterward, countless slashes struck the ice.
Ye Xiu said swiftly, "Focus fire! Burst the boss down!"
Ice-Sealing Breathless Slash had a freezing effect that could forcibly interrupt a boss's skill.
But once the freeze ended, the boss would unleash its berserk attack even faster, so they had to kill it within that window!
The boss had only 5% health remaining. At that threshold, bursting it down was child's play for Ye Xiu and the others.
Crack-boom!
The ice shattered, scattering chunks of the boss's corpse and broken crystals across the ground.
[Your team has slain the secret realm boss-Firmament Sovereign!]
Yi Tian had just returned when he witnessed the boss's death.
He had barely lifted a finger, yet his team had carried him through a Medium Secret Realm. He might well have been the first person in history to manage that.
"Nice!" Jiang Che and Wan Jiang cheered as they bumped fists.
It was everyone's first time clearing a Medium Secret Realm, but Ye Xiu was particularly moved. It had taken him two years after joining the Sega Guild to clear his first Lesser Secret Realm.
Yet here, he had cleared a Medium Secret Realm on his second day!
Ye Xiu smiled as though he had been given a new lease on life. "How was that, Boss?"
"Excellent!" Yi Tian affirmed.
In truth, what made Yi Tian even happier was Wei Yuan's reply: there was a way to prevent spatial teleportation!
That meant the next time he encountered the Black-Robed Man, he would have a chance to recruit this exceptional talent!
Two pieces of good news at once!
At the same time, the completion announcements appeared.
[You have cleared the Medium Secret Realm—Sky Isle Realm. Your level has increased to: 25!]
[You have reached level 25. Complete your advancement quest to advance your class for the second time and gain class-exclusive skills!]
[Employees—Bai Qiu Li, Wan Jiang, Jiang Che, and Ye Xiu—have earned the first-clear achievement for a Medium Secret Realm. Profit Sharing rewards: funds +20 × 4, Legendary Equipment Blind Box × 4!]
The rewards this time were downright lavish! Four people had cleared the Medium Secret Realm, earning four shares of the rewards and bringing in a total of 80 funds! This was Yi Tian's first major windfall. Added to his existing balance, his funds now totaled 94.3! Even if he recruited someone with Special Potential, he would still have plenty left over. And beyond that, the most important gain this time... Was ownership of the Medium Secret Realm!
[Your team was the first to clear the Medium Secret Realm. Under your team's distribution rules, you, as team leader, have gained 100% ownership of the secret realm's output!]
The team had agreed on this before entering the secret realm. All ownership of the Secret Realm's output would go to Yi Tian. After all, the realm's resources required people to develop them. A resource-rich Resource Secret Realm capable of sustaining two or three cities needed people to manage it even more. Everyone agreed that this was something the Boss should worry about. Still, apart from the military, Yi Tian's team was probably the only one willing to relinquish ownership of a secret realm so decisively. All the team members had gained levels, though clearing the secret realm offered no equipment or skill rewards. Seeing this, Yi Tian decided to take out four Legendary Equipment Blind Boxes and reward the four of them! After all, every employee's hard work was plain to see. As their boss, he absolutely couldn't be stingy when rewards were due. Besides, Yi Tian already had the Heavenly Wolf Set Wei Yuan had given him. The others ought to have some decent equipment too. "Great work, everyone. Consider these your bonuses. Each one gives you a random piece of legendary equipment for your class!" **"Holy shit!!!"** Jiang Che's eyes widened in disbelief. A piece of legendary equipment worth a fortune, handed over just like that? Bai Qiu Li and Wan Jiang also stared fixedly at the Mystery Box, both somewhat stunned. That was especially true of Bai Qiu Li. Her equipment was relatively poor and might have put her at a disadvantage in the college entrance exam, but Yi Tian had directly made up for that weakness. "Boss, you're so generous!" Ye Xiu accepted his Mystery Box, his eyes showing not only shock but also a touch of emotion. During his two years in the guild, he had seen far too many bosses who wanted to keep every last bit of wealth clenched in their own hands. Even when handing out the meager rewards their employees rightfully deserved, they acted as though they were dispensing charity, as if the employees had received some monumental favor. Yi Tian, by contrast, could have done nothing at all, and none of them would have complained. Yet he had chosen to give out legendary equipment as bonuses. This had to be a first in two hundred years! If Ye Xiu had previously been motivated more by a desire to repay Yi Tian, he now genuinely approved of him as his boss! "Come on, everyone, say it once: 'Boss, you're so generous!'" **"Boss, you're so generous-you're awesome!"** "..." Before leaving the secret realm, Yi Tian checked his advancement quest. Now that he had reached the required level, his second advancement wasn't far off.
[Second-tier advancement quest: ① Recruit 1 talent with god-tier potential; ② Have any employee earn a regional-level honor!]
[Completion progress: 1/2.] ```
He already had Ye Xiu, a talent with god-tier potential. All he lacked was a regional-level honor.
More specifically, an honor meant some kind of award, such as Bai Qiu Li's all-time first-place ranking in the Apprentice Trial or Wan Jiang's first-place contribution ranking among the reserve teams during the demon tide.
As for regional-level, China was divided into five major war zones: East China, South China, West China, North China, and Central China. It would undoubtedly require a more significant award.
Yi Tian immediately thought of the college entrance exam!
In present-day Great Xia, the former nationwide college entrance exam had been divided into separate exams for the five major regions.
The East China Region's college entrance exam was in just two days.
If Bai Qiu Li, who was preparing to take it, earned a ranking, that would surely count as a regional-level honor!
Two days from now... Yi Tian silently made his calculations.
On the day of the college entrance exam, every candidate in East China will participate. There are bound to be plenty of talented people among them!
It'll be a great day for recruitment, too!
Before you continue