Unease

After cycling through the performances of the other favorites, the broadcast director finally switched back to Xing Yao's area of the secret realm.

The instant the feed changed, the entire audience fell silent.

In the dense forest, fierce beast corpses lay strewn everywhere, from low-tier Shadow Wolves to mid-tier Flame-Horned Beasts, lining the entire route. Black spear in hand, Xing Yao advanced at an unhurried pace, as composed as if he were strolling through a quiet courtyard. Any fierce beast that dared leap out along the way was crushed with a casual thrust. There were no wasted movements, no roaring energy, yet he swept through the entire area with terrifying efficiency. Wherever he passed, nothing remained alive.

He knew nothing of the frenzied discussion in the outside livestream, much less that he had already been dubbed "Brother Yao." He simply focused on clearing the fierce beasts along his route, steadily accumulating trial points.

Watching the screen, Su Wanqing's beautiful eyes filled with shock. She could not help exclaiming, "My goodness... we only cut away for a short while, and contestant Xing Yao has already cleared such a huge area. His mob-farming efficiency is simply beyond imagination!"

Gu Yan also drew a deep breath, his tone both grave and awed. "Steady, precise, ruthless. Not a single strike is wasted. Xing Yao's rate of point gain has completely left every other examinee behind. He's riding so far ahead that all they can see is his dust!"

The bullet comments instantly swept across the screen like an erupting volcano:

"I'm actually stunned! Is this Brother Yao's strength?!"

"He bulldozed the whole way through, leaving not a blade of grass alive. That's insane!"

"What's even left to compete over? An overwhelming gap in strength. This is a real genius!"

"Check the leaderboard already! His score must be through the roof!"

Urged on by the audience's frantic flood of comments, the two immediately checked the live leaderboard. One glance left them speechless again.

Even Gu Yan's voice trembled slightly. "The latest rankings are out! First place, Xing Yao, with a massive lead in points, firmly holding the top spot! Second place is Lin Chen, third is Lin Yue. The siblings' scores are a vast distance behind Xing Yao's!"

Su Wanqing added, "For an examinee working alone to open up such a huge gap, nothing more needs to be said about Xing Yao's strength!"

The livestream erupted completely, the screen filling with frenzied cries:

"Brother Yao is fucking awesome!"

"Brother Yao is fucking awesome!!"

"Brother Yao is forever a god!!"

"Brother Yao is fucking awesome! Sweeping the secret realm without an equal!!"

Xing Yao continued doing things his own way, methodically killing the fierce beasts coming toward him.

His movements were calm, his rhythm steady. Everything was going as smoothly as could be. His points were soaring, and for the moment, he had encountered no powerful enemies ahead.

Yet an inexplicable trace of confusion rose in his heart.

Everything was clearly going well, with favorable winds and smooth waters, and outstanding results.

Why... was there always this lingering sense of unease deep in my heart?

He wanted badly to find the source of his unease, yet could never detect it. That premonition of danger flickered in and out, elusive as a dark silhouette in the mist.

Little did Xing Yao know that the danger he sensed at this moment was not within the secret realm at all.

This trial ground, seemingly fraught with danger, was instead his safest harbor at present.

The true tempest and overwhelming danger all lay dormant outside the secret realm, quietly brewing in the real world beyond his sight.

Once this college entrance examination trial ended completely, the moment he stepped out of the secret realm and returned to the outside world, an enormous crisis capable of overturning everything he had would come crashing down without warning.

At this moment, however, he still knew nothing of it. He could only carry that faint trace of unease as he continued deeper into the forest.

The atmosphere deep in the forest grew increasingly heavy. The bloody scent of fierce beasts gradually faded from the air, replaced by two distinctly different yet equally powerful energy fluctuations.

One was sharp as thunder, domineering and unrestrained-the aura of the elder brother Lin Chen's Thunder Talent. The other was gentle yet tenacious, its vitality contained within-the younger sister Lin Yue's Wood Manipulation Power.

Xing Yao's steps paused briefly, and a nearly imperceptible flicker finally stirred in his indifferent eyes.

He could clearly sense two fairly powerful auras slowly approaching from the end of the dense forest a short distance ahead. Their path was about to intersect with his.

These two auras were stable and concentrated, without the slightest sense of hollowness. They were far beyond what ordinary examinees could possess, evidently belonging to the other two seeded contestants who had come along from Qingning City.

He neither deliberately avoided them nor took the initiative to approach, continuing forward at his original pace.

To him, whether they met did not matter. No matter who they were, they could not disrupt his rhythm.

At the same time, Lin Chen and Lin Yue ahead both stopped what they were doing.

Lin Chen raised his brows slightly, drawing in the thunderous aura around him a little as he turned toward Lin Yue beside him. "Sis, someone's ahead. Their aura is very strong."

Lin Yue nodded lightly, looking in Xing Yao's direction, a trace of gravity flashing through her eyes. "It's Xing Yao. He's coming this way too."

The siblings exchanged a glance, each seeing a measure of surprise in the other's eyes.

They had not expected to encounter this fellow seeded contestant from their city, whose strength was unfathomable, so early in the depths of the secret realm.

For a moment, the entire forest sank into an eerie quiet. Only the rustling of wind through leaves remained, along with the atmosphere silently tightening as the three drew closer.

In the livestream, the viewers also caught the scene on-screen. The bullet comments, which had only recently settled down, began scrolling wildly again.

"Here we go! The three seeds are about to meet!"

"The crossover of the century! Brother Yao is finally meeting the siblings!"

"Now we've got a show. Will they team up or go their separate ways?"

"I'm already getting nervous. The pressure is off the charts!"

At the commentary desk, Gu Yan and Su Wanqing instantly perked up as well, their gazes fixed firmly on the screen.

Gu Yan's voice carried anticipation and excitement. "Viewers, an exciting scene is about to unfold! Leaderboard champion Xing Yao is about to meet the siblings Lin Chen and Lin Yue, ranked second and third, deep in the secret realm! This is the first meeting between the strongest examinees since this year's college entrance examination trial began!"

Su Wanqing also watched the screen intently, adding softly, "Once they meet, will they move forward side by side or fight on their own? Let's wait and see!"

Meanwhile, in the dense forest, the three drew closer and closer.

Through the gaps between the trees, Xing Yao's impassive figure had already begun to emerge faintly in Lin Chen and Lin Yue's view.

A meeting watched by countless eyes was about to raise its curtain.

The next instant, Xing Yao's gaze abruptly sharpened like a blade, and his aura suddenly condensed. An alert flashed through his mind: Other examinees.

Not fierce beasts, but competitors taking the same trial. He had only sensed auras this powerful from Lin Chen and Lin Yue.

Almost instinctively, he took an extremely discreet half-step back, opening up a safe distance. His previously relaxed fingers slowly curled inward, his knuckles whitening slightly with force as he gripped the black spear tight. The shaft rose an inch beside his leg, and his arm muscles silently tensed, every contour taut with readiness.

His expression remained calm, but a layer of icy wariness had settled deep in his eyes. That flickering sense of unease abruptly intensified, leaving him unwilling to relax in the slightest.

Opposite him, Lin Chen and Lin Yue also stopped at the same time.

The elder brother, Lin Chen, instinctively stepped half a pace forward, shielding his younger sister Lin Yue behind him to one side. Thunder power churned silently around him, his lightning-sharp eyes firmly fixed on Xing Yao, carrying both the probing of one powerful fighter toward another and undisguised vigilance.

The younger sister, Lin Yue, lightly furrowed her delicate brows, her hands slightly curved, faint blue-green Wood Manipulation Power curling around her fingertips. She looked calmly at Xing Yao, making no move to provoke him, but maintaining ample distance and caution.

For a moment, the entire forest was deathly silent.

Three figures, three auras, faced one another quietly among the thick trees.

There were no attacks, no words, yet the tension in the air had already stretched to its limit.

No one spoke first. No one took the first step.

A silent clash had already begun.

Xing Yao's fingers held the black spear, his fingertips pressing slightly harder. The cold touch of the shaft kept him clearheaded throughout. He neither attacked first nor showed the slightest fear, merely watching the two ahead with indifference, his gaze calm and unruffled. Yet the unapproachable air around him told them clearly-do not provoke him lightly.

That inexplicable unease still lingered in his heart, making him even less willing to waste energy here on infighting with examinees from his own city. Points, rankings, conflict-none mattered as much as that faintly troubling sense of danger.

Lin Chen's brows drew together slightly. Thunder power surged several times in his palm before finally subsiding slowly.

He could clearly sense Xing Yao's unfathomable strength, and he also knew that fighting now was meaningless. There were countless fierce beasts in the secret realm, and points were what mattered. Fighting among themselves would only waste their strength, with the losses outweighing the gains.

Beside him, Lin Yue gently tugged her brother's sleeve and shook her head slightly, signaling that he need not fight.

She saw it clearly. Xing Yao bore no hostility and was merely on guard out of instinct. This confrontation should never have happened in the first place.

After a few seconds of silence, Xing Yao broke the stalemate first.

He said nothing, merely withdrawing his indifferent gaze and turning his steps lightly toward the forest on the other side. He did not look at Lin Chen or Lin Yue again the entire time, still doing things his own way.

No conflict, no fighting, not even a single exchange of words.

This meeting, watched by countless eyes, ultimately ended with them passing one another by and leaving each other alone.

Watching Xing Yao's retreating figure grow more distant, Lin Chen slowly let his imposing aura dissipate and said quietly, "He really is someone who comes and goes alone."

Lin Yue nodded gently, a measure of complexity in her eyes. "He's very strong, and his thoughts run deep. Let's go too. We shouldn't waste time here."

The two exchanged a glance, then turned and left in another direction.

The forest grew quiet again, as though that needle-point-against-wheat-awn confrontation had never happened.

Meanwhile, the livestream had already exploded over this dramatic outcome.

"That's it? I thought they were going to fight!"

"Brother Yao is way too cool. He just left without even looking!"

"A tacit understanding between experts. No infighting, just farming points!"

"Sure enough, the strong are all lone wolves. They can't even be bothered with anyone!"

The two at the commentary desk did not know whether to laugh or cry either.

Gu Yan cleared his throat lightly. "It seems all three seeded contestants are very rational. They've chosen not to interfere with one another and to fight on their own."

Su Wanqing added with a smile, "Perhaps this is the best outcome. After all, the true contest will still come down to the final leaderboard!"

Xing Yao, who had long since walked away, still knew nothing of this.

Tightening his grip on the black spear, he continued deeper into the forest. That flickering unease in his heart still had not faded.

He did not know that this peaceful passing encounter was merely a brief calm before the storm.