59: Chapter 59 Entering the Secret Realm!

"Yes sir! I guarantee the mission will be completed! For this trip to the Secret Realm, I'll make sure to bring you back a whole truckload of treasures!" Zhang Wen snapped to attention and saluted, his voice so loud it could pierce through the echoes of the training hall.

Lin Mo looked at his spirited appearance, but his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

For some reason, an inexplicable sense of unease lingered in his heart—though this Secret Realm wasn't particularly dangerous, Zhang Wen's flighty nature combined with Qingyue's casualness and Zhao Yu's focus made him feel like something was bound to go wrong with the three of them together.

He quietly pulled Zhao Yu aside and whispered instructions: "Keep a close eye on your Junior Brother when you get to the Secret Realm. Don't let him go around causing trouble."

Zhao Yu smiled and patted his chest, saying, "Don't worry, Teacher, I'll be watching him."

The next two days were relatively peaceful, except that Zhang Wen didn't stop for a single moment.

He pulled out his newly acquired skills and practiced them one by one. One moment he was practicing Thunder Element movement techniques on the field, his figure darting around 'whoosh whoosh' wrapped in purple electricity, scaring the passing students into scurrying away with their heads in their hands.

As a result, early on the third morning, someone from the Academy Security Office came knocking, holding a complaint list: "Teacher Lin, your disciple blasted a hole in the back wall of the Experimental Building..."

As Lin Mo listened, his temples began to throb again—great, they hadn't even entered the Secret Realm yet, and he'd already turned the school upside down.

On the day the Secret Realm opened, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Zhang Wen, Su Qingyue, and Zhao Yu were already waiting at the academy gate.

Zhang Wen and Zhao Yu had both changed into sleek black combat suits. The dark patterns on their shoulder guards glinted coldly in the morning light, making their tall figures look quite formidable with an unstoppable Aura.

Beside them, Su Qingyue was still in a plain white dress, her hem swaying gently in the morning breeze. Her dark hair was loosely held up by a single jade hairpin. Standing there like a magnolia by the water, she was so elegant that people didn't dare speak for fear of disturbing her.

The accompanying students couldn't help but look back repeatedly, and even the guards on duty stole a few extra glances.

"Qingyue, you're also coming to challenge the Secret Realm this time?" A slightly flamboyant voice cut in.

Everyone looked toward the source of the sound and saw Wang Zhe walking over with two followers. His gaze was glued to Su Qingyue, and his tone was full of self-importance: "Do you want to team up with us? I have three at the Peak of the Microscopic Realm on my side. With our protection, I guarantee you'll have a smooth journey."

Su Qingyue only gave him a faint glance, her expression unchanging as if she hadn't heard a word. She turned to Zhang Wen and said, "Junior Brother, check if you've brought enough Medicinal Pills."

Wang Zhe's face instantly froze. The followers behind him wanted to speak up for him, but he stopped them with a look.

He stared at Su Qingyue's back, a hint of gloom flashing in his eyes, before quickly putting on a smile again and turning to Zhao Yu: "Senior Brother Zhao is here too. Why don't we go together? It's better to have more people to look out for each other."

Zhao Yu looked at Su Qingyue and said slowly, "No thanks, the three of us are just right. We're afraid too many people will interfere with our little Junior Brother's monster hunting."

Zhang Wen nodded vigorously from the side, feeling secretly delighted: Want to poach my Senior Sister? Not a chance!

Wang Zhe's gaze pricked Zhang Wen like a thorn. In his heart, he cursed the kid eight hundred times—if it weren't for this suddenly appearing Junior Brother getting in the way, how could Qingyue be so cold to him?

But he still had to keep a graceful smile on his face. He waved his phone at Su Qingyue: "No problem, no problem. I'll go wait over there then. Qingyue, remember, if you run into trouble in the Secret Realm, call me anytime. No matter where you are, I guarantee I'll arrive within three minutes."

Su Qingyue didn't even lift an eyelid, spinning a jade bottle of Medicinal Pills between her fingertips as if Wang Zhe had just said 'the weather is nice today'.

Zhang Wen watched from the side with amusement, intentionally puffing out his chest and pulling up the zipper of his combat suit, looking just like a peacock spreading its feathers.

Before Wang Zhe could say anything else, a whistle for assembly sounded from afar. The teacher in charge of the team stood in front of a Hover Car and waved: "All groups come over, we're ready to depart!"

The group followed the teacher toward the outskirts. The further they went, the more humid the air became, and the plants took on a strange luster. Arriving before a valley shrouded in thick fog, the teacher stopped and pointed at a shimmering Light Gate faintly visible in the valley.

"That is the entrance to the Secret Realm. Once inside, remember to stay in touch. Safety first." As he spoke, he handed everyone a palm-sized token. "This is a Sensing Token. It can show the distance and approximate location of your teammates. Crushing it will also send out a distress signal."

Zhang Wen tucked the token into his bosom. Just as his fingertips touched the cold metal surface, he heard the teacher shout "Enter." He followed the flow of people rushing toward the Light Gate. The wind whistled in his ears, and the white light before his eyes grew brighter—when he opened his eyes again, the surrounding clamor had suddenly vanished.

"Senior Sister? Senior Brother?" Zhang Wen called out twice, but the only response was the chirping of birds in the forest. He quickly pulled out the token, only to see two light dots moving away at a very high speed—one was three miles to the southeast, and the other was five miles to the northwest.

"Well, we've split up as soon as we got in." Zhang Wen scratched his head but didn't panic—at least he knew his Senior Brother and Senior Sister were still safe. He weighed the gun in his hand and scanned the ancient trees that blotted out the sun. Glowing vines were wrapped around the trunks, and the fallen leaves on the ground felt soft underfoot, like a thick carpet.

"I'll find a safe place to settle down first." He set his sights on the southeast light point and started heading into the forest, thinking to himself: It sounds like there's the sound of flowing water in Senior Sister's direction, maybe I can find a water source first.

Zhang Wen followed the direction of Su Qingyue's light point on the token. The layer of fallen leaves under his feet was incredibly thick; every step sank down half a foot, making a soft "rustle" sound.

The light in the forest was filtered into broken gold by the layers of branches and leaves. The air carried a sweet scent of vegetation mixed with a faint, lingering fishy smell—the scent left behind by Vicious Beasts.

After walking for about the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, he indeed heard the sound of rushing water ahead. Rounding a cluster of giant rocks wrapped in glowing moss, the view suddenly opened up: a jade-like stream lay across the forest, with translucent fish swimming in the water, their tail fins splashing tiny bits of fluorescence as they brushed the surface.

Su Qingyue's light point was on the other side of the stream, only a few dozen meters away.

"Senior Sister!" Zhang Wen was about to call out when he suddenly spotted a dark shadow flashing through the bushes by the stream.

He suddenly pressed his hand on the gun handle at his waist. A leopard covered in green scales sauntered out from behind a tree, its triangular eyes fixed on him and saliva dripping from its mouth. It was a Green-Scaled Leopard, with strength equivalent to the Middle Stage of the Subtle Realm.

"Just in time, I'll use you for practice!" A hint of excitement flashed in Zhang Wen's eyes. The Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder inside him suddenly erupted, and purple electricity coiled up his arm onto the gun barrel, making "crackling" sounds. Irritated by the Lightning Radiance, the Green-Scaled Leopard gave a low growl and pounced, the wind from its sharp claws stinging his face.

"Hah!" Zhang Wen moved forward instead of retreating, his feet stepping out in a Thunder Step. His figure instantly shifted half a foot, and while dodging the claws, the tip of his gun, carrying purple electricity, stabbed directly toward the leopard's belly. The Green-Scaled Leopard reacted extremely quickly, twisting its body to dodge, but it was still scorched by the Lightning Radiance from the gun tip, losing a patch of scales and letting out a roar of pain.

At that moment, Su Qingyue's voice came from the other side: "Junior Brother, watch out for its tail sting!"

Hearing this, Zhang Wen looked up and saw the Green-Scaled Leopard suddenly whip its tail. The three-inch-long bone sting at the tip glinted with a faint blue light, clearly poisoned.

He tapped his toe, using the thunderous force to retreat rapidly. Simultaneously, he condensed three Water Arrows at his fingertips and shot them "whoosh" toward the leopard's eyes.

The Green-Scaled Leopard was forced to turn its head by the Water Arrows. Taking advantage of that brief opening, Zhang Wen had already rushed to its side, swinging his gun. The purple electricity descended like a net.

With a muffled "thud," the gun tip struck the leopard's neck squarely. The Lightning Radiance exploded instantly, and after a few twitches, the Green-Scaled Leopard fell to the ground, dissipating into a wisp of green smoke and leaving behind a greenish Beast Core.

"Ding, killed one Vicious Beast in the Subtle Realm, gained 500 Points."

"Not bad, you've improved quite fast." Su Qingyue had crossed the water at some point. Her white dress was stained with some mist, making her look even more ethereal. She bent down, picked up the Beast Core, and tossed it to Zhang Wen. "This thing can be exchanged for many good items."

Zhang Wen caught the Beast Core and weighed it. Suddenly, he noticed that Zhao Yu's light point on the token had stopped five miles to the northwest and was no longer moving. "Why has Third Senior Brother stopped moving?"