“We shall take our leave then,” Davi said, nodding to Zhang Ye. She turned and walked away as the surrounding crowd parted to make way for her.
As she passed by Talia, she paused for a moment and said softly, “You really did stumble upon a treasure.”
Talia didn't look at her. Instead, she stared at Zhang Ye, grinning to reveal a row of pearly white teeth.
“Yeah, I really did!”
With Davi gone, everyone's focus fell back on Zhang Ye once again.
Zhang Ye picked up the chest, walked over to Talia, who seemed to be dazed, and held it out to her. “Use this as development funds for the guild.”
This was the meeting gift Davi had left behind. Since it was a meeting gift, there was naturally no reason to return it.
Moreover, if Zhang Ye refused it, it would imply that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with the Rhyme Guild. Since he felt it was necessary to maintain a good relationship with them, accepting the gift was naturally the best course of action—and exactly what Davi wanted to see.
Besides, only a fool would pass up free stuff!
He was a warm guy, not a fool!
Talia finally seemed to snap out of it. Instead of taking the treasure chest, she reached out and hooked her arm around Zhang Ye's neck, pulling him into a headlock. She gave his hair a vigorous rub and burst into hearty laughter. “Good lad!”
It was clear she was absolutely thrilled.
Zhang Ye didn't mind her roughhousing.
Having spent the past few days with her, he had come to understand what kind of person Talia was.
A total tomboy.
She was very much like Leona, but with a bit less fiery temper and a bit more rustic simplicity.
Though getting pressed against her 'assets' like this was a bit much...
“Davi gave these to you, so keep them for yourself. The guild is back on its feet now anyway, so we aren't short on funds,” Talia said casually as she released Zhang Ye.
Zhang Ye didn't push the matter further and happily accepted them.
“We're entering the secret realm tomorrow. Are you ready?” Talia asked.
“Of course!” Zhang Ye grinned.
He had already packed all his preparations into his spatial ring long ago.
“Great, I'm really looking forward to this trip to the secret realm!” Talia laughed.
Zhang Ye nodded vigorously.
He was looking forward to it too. It was just that some people were destined to never walk out of that secret realm again.
That night, during dual cultivation.
Nan suddenly asked, “Are you going to make a move on Gajeel in the secret realm?”
Zhang Ye was startled.
He hadn't told Nan about his plan. How did Nan know?
Perhaps sensing Zhang Ye's confusion, Nan took the initiative to explain, “I can feel your killing intent.”
“Killing intent?” Zhang Ye scratched his head. “Did I let any leak out?”
Nan nodded. “It was very subtle and well-hidden, but I am very sensitive to killing intent. I can feel it.”
“The only one who could trigger your killing intent should be Gajeel.”
“It's the same killing intent as that day. You want to kill him.”
Hearing this, Zhang Ye smiled wryly.
It seemed his training was still lacking; he hadn't managed to completely prevent his killing intent from leaking.
He nodded. “Yeah, I plan to.”
“Do you want me to help you?” Nan asked.
Zhang Ye said, “No need. The fewer people involved in this, the better. Besides, I can handle him on my own. No need to trouble you.”
Nan nodded. “Alright... but if things go sideways, let me do it. I'm very good at killing.”
Zhang Ye chuckled and nodded. “I'll call you if I need you.”
“Okay.”
The night was terribly quiet, as if the world itself knew that something major was about to happen.
The next day, everyone gathered early in the center of the square.
Countless other students had also woken up early just to witness this event.
Leona stood before the students.
Because of the age limit of the Realm Bridge Secret Realm, she was the highest-ranking individual among those about to enter. No one under the age of thirty could compare to her cultivation. Therefore, she was the overall leader of this Realm Bridge Secret Realm expedition.
“This expedition will last seven days in our world. However, the time flow rate in the secret realm is three times faster than ours, which means we will be staying there for twenty-one days. Make sure you are prepared.”
“Any treasures or resources you obtain in the secret realm will be yours to keep. However, you must make discoveries. You need to record everything, including the cultural aspects of the Realm Bridge Secret Realm, the types and distributions of magical beasts, spirit materials, and minerals.”
“The more information you record, the more points the academy will reward you with.”
“So, don't just focus on treasure hunting. Do you understand?” Leona said.
“Understood!” everyone shouted in unison.
Zhang Ye also had his own suspicions. Was the academy's goal really just to obtain some data on an otherworldly dimension?
Naturally, there was a deeper purpose—for instance, to gain foresight and prepare for a large-scale entry in the future.
This could be interpreted as 【Invasion】.
The academy's target likely wasn't just the various treasures of the other world, but the entire other world itself!
Compared to that, the individual gains of the students were a mere drop in the ocean.
Furthermore, Zhang Ye suspected that the mastermind behind this eventual invasion might not even be the academy, but the All Souls Empire backing it!
Now that was a massive scale.
He was only speculating, and it might have sounded a bit like a conspiracy theory, but he felt the probability was extremely high.
After all, the total value of an entire other world carried a temptation that no ordinary person could resist, and it certainly wasn't something any individual could hope to monopolize.
Soon, the time to enter the secret realm drew near.
Grand Dean Betula also appeared in the center of the square, holding a staff in his hand.
The staff was very ancient and simple—just a reddish-brown branch with a fist-sized white crystal embedded at the top, surrounded by three other various-colored crystals the size of longans.
However, through his analysis, Zhang Ye knew that it was a semi-demigod artifact!
Not only that, but one of the four crystals embedded in the staff was the key to opening the Realm Bridge Secret Realm.
The Secret Realm Core!
Grand Dean Betula faced everyone and said slowly, “Children, exploring a new world is a grand and dangerous undertaking. Therefore, you must remember not to let the immediate benefits blind your eyes, causing you to overlook the hidden dangers.”
“I hope that every single one of you can return safely.”
“That will be far more precious than obtaining any treasure!”
His words brought a wave of warmth to everyone's hearts.
“Alright, I won't ramble on. The future belongs to your generation, and many decisions will be yours to make. Here, I can only offer you my most sincere blessings.”
With that, he tapped his staff, and a soft light enveloped everyone below who was about to enter the secret realm.
Instantly, everyone felt a surge of power blessing their bodies. Not only did it make their mana flow much faster and increase their mana recovery speed, but it also enhanced their physical attributes across the board. Furthermore, it placed everyone's minds in a peaceful and natural state; though they felt joyful about these enhancements, they were able to maintain absolute composure.
This was 【Blessing of Holy Light】, a Saint-tier spell with incredibly powerful effects.
Zhang Ye felt his mana recovery speed more than double, but the most powerful aspect was still the mind-calming effect.
It increased one's resistance to negative emotions like fear and anger, allowing them to handle crises with greater composure.
“Now, the secret realm opens. Everyone, prepare yourselves!” Betula shouted, his voice like a ringing bell. At the same time, a blue crystal on his staff burst with dazzling light.
A rectangular, deep blue spatial gate slowly appeared in the center of the square, looking as if someone had painted that patch of space deep blue.
Everyone immediately braced themselves.
Once everything was ready, Betula barked, “Enter the secret realm!”
Led by Leona, the mentors immediately guided their respective students, walking in an orderly fashion toward the entrance of the secret realm.
Once everyone had stepped into the secret realm and was enveloped by the deep blue light, Betula shook his staff once more.
The deep blue curtain of light slowly faded away.
The secret realm was closed.
It would reopen in seven natural days of the original world. By then, who knew how many of them would return safe and sound.
Rate on N.U.
