240: Chapter 240 The Trial Begins, the Grand Array Activated

The edge of the Gloomy Forest.

A massive alloy fence completely separated this primeval jungle from the civilized world.

The air was permeated with a faint scent of decaying leaves.

Hundreds of fully armed Jingda freshmen stood at the entrance, their expressions varied.

Some were rubbing their hands, their eyes flashing with a desire for points.

Others were pale, clutching their weapons tightly, their knuckles white from the exertion.

Professor Wang stood at the very front of the elite class, wearing a crisp combat uniform with a serious expression on his face.

He was conducting the final pre-battle mobilization.

"Remember, this is not a holographic simulation training room."

"The exotic beasts here bleed, they eat people, you will feel pain when injured, and if you die, you are truly dead."

"Maintain formation, follow orders, and do not leave the team just to chase after a few points."

Professor Wang's voice was loud and full of vigor.

The students of the elite class responded in unison, their momentum surging like a rainbow.

In contrast, the Blind Box Class on the other side...

...the atmosphere seemed somewhat bizarre.

The students were not checking their weapons, nor were they reciting tactical protocols.

They were gathered together, comparing the blind boxes they held in their hands.

"Hey, what package did you buy?"

"I bought the 'Life-Saving Family Bucket,' hoping to unbox a turtle shell shield or something."

"Tch, coward. I went all-in on the 'Berserk Output' gear. If I can unbox that flamethrower, I'll be the coolest guy in this forest today."

Lin Fan stood at the very back of the team, holding that signature megaphone in his hand.

He did not deliver a long-winded speech like Professor Wang.

He merely pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, a gentle smile curling the corners of his lips.

"Students, it's time to restock."

"Remember my words: even when running away, your posture must be cool."

"Let's go."

Following his command, the alloy gate slowly opened.

The heavy sound of gears grinding echoed across the vast wilderness.

Nearly a thousand freshmen surged into the Gloomy Forest like a tide.

Lin Fan walked at the back of the team, appearing to stroll leisurely, but in reality, his gaze had already pierced through layers of tree shadows.

His Eye of True Sight was quietly activated.

In his vision, the originally calm forest was now emitting an unsettling dark red fluctuation.

This fluctuation was extremely subtle; if one did not observe carefully, it would easily be masked by the dense wood-element spiritual energy surrounding it.

"It seems the guests are already impatient."

Lin Fan sneered inwardly.

He could feel several obscure auras moving rapidly deep within the forest; those were the hidden pieces arranged by the Zhao family.

Meanwhile.

On the outskirts of the Gloomy Forest, on a hidden hillside.

Several peripheral sentries of the Zhao family, dressed in camouflage, were lurking in the bushes.

They held special communicators, constantly monitoring the movement around the trial grounds.

"Sentry point one is normal."

"Sentry point two is normal."

"No military patrol squads have been detected approaching."

A sentry reported in a low voice.

However, just as his voice fell.

An extremely faint sound of something breaking through the air suddenly came from the atmosphere.

Pfft.

A specially crafted suppressed bullet precisely drilled into the back of his head.

Fresh blood splattered.

The sentry didn't even have time to scream before his body slumped down limply.

His companion nearby was terrified and just reached out to touch the alarm on his waist.

A black shadow fell from the tree canopy like a ghost.

It was Hou San.

He held a pitch-black dagger in his hand, his movements so fast that only an afterimage remained.

A flash of cold light.

The dagger precisely slashed across the companion's throat.

The action was clean and neat, without a trace of hesitation.

"Done."

Hou San wiped the blood off the dagger on the corpse and said into his headset in a low voice.

"Old Drunkard, have you taken care of the communication base station on your end?"

The slightly drunken voice of Old Drunkard came through the headset.

"Hic... Don't worry."

"Even a mosquito won't be able to send any message out now."

"The signal in this area has been completely cut off."

Meanwhile.

Deep within the Gloomy Forest.

Several Abyss Cultists wearing black cloaks were hiding behind a massive ancient tree.

The soil beneath their feet had been turned over, revealing a bottomless pit.

One cultist carefully took out an array foundation stone covered with blood-red runes from his bosom.

He placed the stone into the pit and then quickly filled it with soil to cover it.

After doing all this, he looked up at a student squad fighting an Iron-skinned Wild Boar not far away.

The students cooperated tacitly; amidst the flashes of blades and swords, the Iron-skinned Wild Boar let out a wail and crashed to the ground.

The students cheered and stepped forward to harvest the spoils of war.

They completely failed to notice that less than fifty meters away, the Grim Reaper had already silently arrived.

"Stupid ants."

A trace of cruel satisfaction flashed in the cultist's eyes.

"Cheer all you want."

"Your blood will become the key to opening the gates of the Abyss."

As time passed.

The fighting in the forest became increasingly intense.

The smell of blood began to permeate the air.

For the Abyss Great Array, this scent was the best catalyst.

In an underground secret chamber somewhere in the capital.

The Zhao family ancestor, Zhao Tianjue, stared intently at a huge crystal screen in front of him.

What was displayed on the screen was the real-time energy monitoring map of the Gloomy Forest.

As the array foundation stones were buried one by one, the energy field of the entire forest was undergoing drastic changes.

The originally green spiritual energy light points were being rapidly eroded by the dark red Abyss energy.

"The time has come."

Zhao Tianjue's voice was hoarse and insane.

He extended his withered palm, and a fist-sized core blood crystal hovered in his palm.

This was the final key to activating the Myriad Spirit Blood Sacrifice Array.

"Lin Fan, and those so-called Jingda geniuses."

"All of you, go to hell."

Crack.

Zhao Tianjue exerted force suddenly and crushed the core blood crystal in his hand.

A terrifying energy fluctuation instantly crossed the distance of space and directly detonated the array in the Gloomy Forest.

Rumble!

The originally clear sky changed color without warning.

A dark red energy light shield instantly rose from all around the forest.

The light shield quickly closed in the sky, forming a massive semi-circular barrier that completely sealed off the entire trial area.

The light in the forest dimmed instantly.

A suffocating sense of oppression shrouded everyone's heart.

"What's going on?"

"Why did the sky suddenly turn dark?"

The students who were cleaning up their spoils of war looked up in panic.

They saw.

The surrounding plants began to wither at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The originally emerald green leaves instantly turned charred black, as if they had been scorched by some invisible flame.

The weeds on the ground twisted crazily, growing sharp barbs and turning into man-eating magic vines.

The air was permeated with a strong smell of sulfur and blood.

Professor Wang was directing the students to dissect a Wind Wolf.

The sudden turn of events made his expression change drastically.

He immediately took out his communicator, wanting to contact the command center outside.

"Bzzzt..."

Only the harsh sound of static came from the communicator.

There was no signal at all.

"Damn it!"

Professor Wang's heart sank abruptly.

As an experienced veteran instructor, he instantly realized the severity of the problem.

This was not a natural phenomenon; this was an artificial array blockade. Someone wanted to trap them here to die.

"Everyone, assemble!"

"Gather towards me immediately!"

Professor Wang roared at the top of his lungs.

Panic spread rapidly among the crowd.

Those genius students, who had been high-spirited just a moment ago, were now running around like headless flies.

The fear of the unknown is often more devastating than facing death head-on.