Entering the Secret Realm
The shock of that revelation had yet to fully fade. The classroom remained silent for quite a while before erupting like a boiling pot, frenzied chatter buzzing so loudly it nearly lifted the roof.
"Did I hear that right? Xing Yao's already at tier one?!"
"He sells cards every day instead of cultivating, yet he secretly broke through to tier one? That's way too monstrous!"
"One of the school's three seeded contenders really does live up to his reputation. Even someone playing the pig to eat the tiger wouldn't take it this far!"
The clamor rose and fell, but Xing Yao remained in his seat, his expression indifferent, as though he were not the subject of their discussion at all. Lin Yue looked utterly dazed. Only after Lin Chen gently tugged her did she come to her senses. Neither said a word as they quietly returned to their seats, though Lin Yue still turned back from time to time to stare at Xing Yao as if he were a monster, disbelief filling her heart.
Just as the classroom descended into complete uproar, the clear, piercing exam bell suddenly rang throughout the campus!
The moment the bell rang, everyone fell so silent that a falling pin could have been heard.
A figure in a black teacher's uniform strode into the classroom. It was their homeroom teacher, who was responsible for this college entrance exam trial. His expression was stern as his gaze swept across the room, and an invisible pressure settled over them. The restless students instantly straightened their backs, not daring even to breathe heavily.
"Quiet."
The homeroom teacher spoke in a steady voice that carried unquestionable authority.
"In ten minutes, I will teleport all of you into the trial secret realm. This will be the most important test of your lives-the college entrance exam trial."
He paused, his tone abruptly growing heavier as he spelled out the secret realm's cruelty, word by word:
"Inside the secret realm, danger lurks on every side. Demonic beasts roam unchecked, and traps abound. There will be no lucky breaks, no retreat, and no second chances. Every step you take inside will affect your scores, your futures, and even your lives. Injuries are routine, and danger is everywhere. This is not a drill or a simulation. It is a genuine trial of life and death!"
As his words fell, the tension in the classroom instantly reached its limit. Many students went pale, their fingertips turning cold. Fear replaced their earlier anticipation, their hearts pounding wildly as tension nearly suffocated them.
The homeroom teacher continued gravely:
"Furthermore, this trial will be broadcast live nationwide for the first time in history. Not just our school-the trials at every high school across the country will be shown to the public in real time. Everyone will see your performances. Those who excel will be secured in advance by the leading academies, ascending to the heavens in a single step. But if you perform poorly, or even shrink back and flee inside the secret realm, it will stain you for life!"
At those words, the entire room erupted!
Shock, excitement, and tension were written across every face, apprehension and fervor mingling in their eyes. A nationwide livestream! That meant countless people would be watching their every move!
"Listen carefully, all of you. Once you enter the secret realm, you can rely only on yourselves! Stay true to yourselves, give it everything you have, and show your full strength!"
Finally, the homeroom teacher took a deep breath, his gaze sharp as a blade as he swept it across the room:
"All right, enough talk. I will now teleport you into the secret realm! Prepare to face your own college entrance exam trial!"
With that, the homeroom teacher waved a hand. Dozens of jet-black trial bracelets glimmering faintly appeared out of thin air, landing precisely in front of each student on their desks.
His gaze solemn, he warned them in a low voice, "This bracelet will record your points throughout your time in the secret realm. Your final college entrance exam scores will be determined entirely by it. If your life is in danger, crush it to teleport out instantly. However, your points will be frozen at that moment and can never be changed again. Unless you have absolutely no other choice, do not use it!"
Among the students, Qin Xiao knitted his brows tightly, lost in deep thought. Other cities probably aren't as heavily guarded and tightly secured as ours, are they? That inexplicable unease in his heart grew ever stronger, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.
At that moment, identical scenes were playing out across the entire country. Different classes, different schools, different cities-all followed the same procedure, received the same warnings, and shared the same tense atmosphere.
Xing Yao merely slipped the bracelet casually onto his wrist, his expression as indifferent as ever. What others saw as a trial that would determine their destinies was, to him, no more than an easy training outing, hardly worth mentioning.
After confirming that everyone had put on their bracelets, the homeroom teacher said no more. His hands rapidly formed teleportation seals. Pale golden light instantly swept through the classroom, and space warped slightly. As brilliant light erupted, the students vanished one after another, all of them teleported into the college entrance exam secret realm, where danger lurked on every side.
Xing Yao felt a dizzying sensation as though heaven and earth were spinning. When he opened his eyes again, his surroundings had changed completely.
He stood in an ancient, dense forest. Towering trees pierced the sky, their thick branches and foliage blocking it out entirely, with only scattered points of light falling through the gaps. The air was filled with damp earth and the fresh fragrance of vegetation, mixed with a faint, elusive hint of the primordial wilderness. Thick layers of rotting leaves and moss lay beneath his feet, soft and soundless underfoot. Insects chirped and birds called all around him, yet not a single person was in sight. A breeze passed, rustling the treetops. Occasional low beast roars sounded in the distance, leaving unknown dangers hidden throughout this seemingly peaceful forest, its stillness carrying a primitive, mysterious air.
His expression calm, Xing Yao casually closed his hand, and a jet-black spear appeared out of thin air in his palm.
This spear was precisely the supreme treasure Clone No. 6 had unearthed deep in the black market. Its shaft was as icy as cold jade, gleaming with a deep, chilly light. Its tip laid its sharpness bare; even a light swing could slice through the air. Sharp enough to pierce metal and stone and shatter the spiritual armor of demonic beasts, its edge was intimidating.
The instant the spear entered his hand, Xing Yao's entire bearing changed. His formerly casual gaze abruptly became as sharp as a blade, and a steady, imposing pressure quietly spread from him. Like a battle-hardened general facing combat, he stood as straight as a pine, his presence as biting as frost. Unfathomable strength lay hidden beneath his indifferent face. Merely by standing there, he made even the dangerous air of the entire forest subside.
Meanwhile, the nationwide college entrance exam secret realm trial livestream had already exploded through the heavens.
Bullet comments scrolled wildly across the screen, completely obscuring the footage.
"Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! The first nationwide livestream is already this exciting?! Who are those two at the commentary desk?!"
"It's Su Wanqing! The internet's number-one rich beauty of secret realm commentary! Those long legs are god-tier! Both her face and figure are absolute peak!"
"The guy beside her is the great Gu Yan! A top combat analyst! So handsome he practically glows, and his expertise is maxed out! Two megastars on the same stage!"
"The organizers have straight-up turned this livestream into a top-tier variety show, huh? I'm taking off on the spot!"
The instant the camera happened to switch to Xing Yao's feed, the livestream abruptly stalled.
"Wait! What's that guy doing? He pulled a spear out of thin air?!"
"Spatial type! That's definitely a spatial ability! No question!"
"Look at the other contestants! Every one of them is lugging a huge pack stuffed with rations, medicine, and weapons like they're moving house!"
"But him! Empty-handed, and he pulls out a spear whenever he wants! That's insanely cool!"
Su Wanqing shifted her impossibly long legs slightly, her beautiful eyes lighting up as she exclaimed into the microphone, "Viewers! This contestant can actually produce a weapon out of thin air. He's very likely an extremely rare spatial ability user!"
The bullet comments instantly burst into celebration. "A spatial big shot! Taking the college entrance exam open-book, huh!"
But the strikingly handsome Gu Yan beside her shook his head slightly, his fingertips rapidly swiping across the contestant information panel. A few seconds later, he suddenly looked up, his voice carrying shock he could not conceal.
"No, he isn't a spatial type."
"This contestant's name is Xing Yao. What he awakened is the Omnipotent Talent, which no one has ever awakened before!"
"His ability to retrieve objects out of thin air comes neither from spatial storage equipment nor from a spatial ability. It is an innate capability of the Omnipotent Talent... The potential of this talent is already terrifying beyond estimation."
At those words, the livestream went completely insane, the bullet comments convulsing with laughter:
"??? Not spatial? An omnipotent cheat?!"
"Everyone else brings a bag to the exam, and he brings a cheat talent! What's even the point of competing in this exam anymore?!"
"Locked onto Xing Yao! He's the only big shot I'm watching in this year's college entrance exam!"
The viewers chatted up a storm. What they did not know was that, among all those bullet comments, there was not a single person from Qingning City.
Time turned back a few hours. After all the students had entered their schools, the troops outside began a major operation, starting to move nearly everyone in the city into underground air-raid shelters.