Hidden Boss

Xing Yao's retreating figure vanished completely into the depths of the forest. The needle-point-against-wheat-awn tension of their confrontation dispersed like mist scattered by the wind, leaving no trace.

Lin Chen watched that indifferent figure walk away. The lightning surging around him slowly subsided, and his fists clenched involuntarily. As a fellow seeded contestant from Qingning City, the competitive spirit in his bones had already been ignited, but reason kept reminding him that the secret realm trial was not over. Fighting among themselves would only turn them both into stepping stones for others.

His younger sister, Lin Yue, gently patted his arm. Her mild wood-controlling aura soothed his agitation as she said softly, "Brother, don't let it bother you. Xing Yao has always been a loner. Let's keep grinding monsters and accumulating points. The final result will still come down to the moment the trial ends."

Lin Chen took a deep breath and nodded, the eagerness for battle in his eyes turning into firmer resolve. "You're right. Points in the secret realm are what really count. Let's see who ends up at the top!"

With that, the siblings exchanged a glance, turned, and raced off in the opposite direction from Xing Yao, leaving only the slaughtered beasts' remains strewn across the ground as proof that three top contestants had stood there moments before.

Meanwhile, the livestream chat had already erupted over the confrontation that had fizzled out.

Everyone had originally assumed that a meeting between the three seeded contestants would inevitably lead to an earth-shaking battle. Some had even started betting on who would win. Who could have imagined that the two sides would face off for just a few seconds before going their separate ways, without exchanging so much as a word?

"Holy crap! I already took my pants off, and this is what you show me?"

"Brother Yao is way too aloof! He walked away without even looking at Lin Chen and Lin Yue. He's practically oozing dominance!"

"The unspoken understanding between experts: no infighting, just focus on points. I'm with Brother Yao on this one!"

"Lin Chen has insane self-control. If it were me, I'd have gone up and traded blows already!"

"This is killing me! When are they finally going to fight?"

"Easy, easy. The secret realm definitely has another big move in store. I bet five packs of spicy strips there'll be a surprise later!"

At the commentary desk, Gu Yan watched the wildly scrolling comments and shook his head with a laugh. "It seems our viewers are all eagerly anticipating a head-on clash between these three contestants. But judging by the current situation, they've all chosen the most rational course of action. After all, in a secret realm trial, points always come first."

Elsewhere, in a temporary break room along the border defense line.

A young man covered in blood had just withdrawn from the brutal battlefield, carrying a long saber stained with dark blood.

His steps were steady, but he could not conceal his exhaustion. He walked straight into the command room, casually propped his saber against the desk, and slowly sat down.

The next second, he raised a hand and switched on the enormous monitoring screen before him.

The screen flickered, cutting directly to the livestream of Qingning City's secret realm trial-

At the center of the picture was Xing Yao, walking alone through the secret realm.

The man gazed at the proud, solitary yet resilient young figure on the screen. His tightly drawn lips slowly curved upward into an extremely faint smile filled with gratification.

A team member beside him noticed and could not help stepping forward.

"Captain, aren't you going to see him?"

The man shook his head gently, his gaze still on the screen, his voice mild but firm.

"There's no need. When he's strong enough, I'll go find him myself."

No sooner had he spoken than the encrypted hotline on the desk rang urgently.

The smile vanished from the man's face in an instant, and he reached out to answer.

"Captain! Urgent intelligence! There's unusual activity on the border battlefield. A large number of demonic beasts have suddenly broken away from the main battlefield and are charging toward Qingning City together!"

The command room fell deathly silent.

Everyone's expression changed sharply, and even their breathing stopped for a moment.

The man's fingers tightened slightly around the phone, his voice low and cold.

"Has the information been verified?"

"One hundred percent confirmed! Their numbers far exceed anything we've seen before. At their current speed, they'll reach Qingning City just as the secret realm trial ends!"

Just as the oppressive atmosphere reached its peak, the communications officer on the other end spoke again, his tone considerably steadier.

"But please rest assured, Captain. A week ago, that prophet already made a prophecy, explicitly warning that the demonic beasts would make an early move. The higher-ups have already drawn up a complete response plan based on the prophecy, and all defenses are in position. You don't need to worry too much."

Only after hearing those words did the unbearably tense atmosphere in the command room slowly ease.

The man fell silent for a few seconds, then slowly hung up.

The team member beside him leaned closer again, probing with a hint of teasing.

"Captain, you're actually... worried about him, aren't you?"

The tips of the man's ears warmed almost imperceptibly. He immediately turned his head away, his tone instantly becoming cold and stiff, full of tsundere defensiveness.

"I am not!"

"I'm only monitoring the situation in the war zone!"

"Let him truly find his footing and earn the right to stand beside me first. As he is now, he isn't worth making a special trip for!"

The team members exchanged glances, all revealing knowing smiles.

The man turned back to the screen, looking at the young man who remained entirely unaware. Deep in his eyes, a trace of gravity and concern flickered past, unnoticed by anyone.

The trial inside the secret realm continued.

The feed instantly cut back to the secret realm livestream.

At the commentary desk, Gu Yan stared at the real-time data panel. His expression gradually grew grave, and he lowered his voice slightly, as though about to reveal a secret.

"Viewers, I wonder if you've noticed something unusual-from the beginning of the trial until now, the ferocious beasts in the secret realm have been disappearing at an extremely rapid rate."

Su Wanqing paused briefly, then immediately looked at the data. "That's right! The beast spawn rate has dropped noticeably, and the closer you get to the center of the secret realm, the fainter their auras become. That isn't normal."

Gu Yan nodded, his gaze deep as he slowly dropped a major teaser.

"Based on classified records from previous years and my own judgment, this secret realm is extremely unusual."

He paused and lowered his voice further. Every viewer instantly pricked up their ears.

"The ferocious beasts here don't spawn endlessly. There's a fixed total. Once the contestants have killed enough beasts to bring their numbers down to a certain threshold, the secret realm's ultimate mechanism will be forcibly triggered."

Su Wanqing let out a startled cry. "A threshold? What happens after it's triggered?"

Gu Yan took a deep breath and spoke one word at a time.

"Those slain beasts won't simply disappear for nothing. Their auras, energy, and resentment will be absorbed directly by the secret realm and turned into the deadliest bait."

"And that bait has only one purpose-to lure out the hidden boss concealed in the deepest reaches of the secret realm!"

The livestream chat instantly exploded.

Gu Yan continued his commentary, his tone carrying intense anticipation and a sense of pressure.

"And this won't be an ordinary boss fight. Once it's successfully triggered, two hidden bosses will appear in succession!"

"First, you fight the first one. The instant you defeat it, a second, stronger boss will immediately appear! Twice the difficulty, twice the danger-but if you take them down, the rewards will be the ceiling for this year's trial!"

Su Wanqing covered her mouth, her eyes filled with shock. "So, while all the contestants are still grinding ordinary points, the real ultimate test is still waiting ahead?"

"Exactly." Gu Yan stared at Xing Yao, still walking alone on the screen. "Whoever can last until the total beast count drops below the threshold, whoever can endure two rounds of boss battles, will be the true number one in this year's trial."

Deep in the forest, Xing Yao continued calmly forward.

But the instant the host finished speaking, his steps stopped abruptly, and the aura around him suddenly tightened.

The black spear trembled slightly in his palm. A sense of alarm originating deep within his soul instantly swept through his entire body.

He slowly raised his eyes toward the deepest reaches of the forest. For the first time, intense gravity surfaced in his indifferent gaze.

Within his perception, two incomparably vast, incomparably terrifying auras were slowly awakening from the heart of the secret realm.

One cold, one hot; one hard, one soft. They carried pressure that could destroy heaven and earth, like colossal beasts that had slumbered for countless ages slowly opening their eyes.

Their auras were faint yet extraordinarily distinct. Every surge made the air throughout the entire secret realm freeze.

Xing Yao tightened his grip on his spear, his knuckles paling slightly.

He said nothing. He simply stood quietly where he was, his deep gaze fixed on the direction from which those auras came.