21: Chapter 21 The Spiritual Realm, Storms Rise Again

The first major exam for the Elite Plan arrived faster than Wang Pingan had anticipated.

Instructor stood before the group of boys and girls, his eternal poker face revealing no emotion.

"It has been a month."

His voice was flat, devoid of any emotion.

"It is time for your first major exam."

The air in the training ground suddenly tightened.

"The content of the exam is a resource competition in the 'Spiritual Realm'."

Instructor swiped the terminal on his wrist, and a massive holographic map unfolded in mid-air, displaying complex terrain with mountains, forests, and Gobi deserts.

"It is a simulated environment; you must collect resources within the allotted time. Spirit Crystals, energy fruits, and even killing simulated spirit beasts will earn you points."

"There are twelve of you in total—the eight Elite Plan members plus four specially invited sparring partners—divided into two teams. Each team will have six members."

Wang Pingan's eyebrows twitched.

Twelve people? That was quite a bit more than the eight originally mentioned.

Instructor's gaze swept over everyone.

"The team with the higher score will have their resource allocation doubled next month. The losing team's allocation will be halved."

He paused, his tone growing even colder.

"Additionally, the individual with the lowest score on the losing team, the one who performs the worst, will be eliminated from the training camp."

This wasn't an exam.

This was a death trap.

The eight geniuses, who usually held their heads high, now lacked their usual arrogance, their expressions solemn.

"The groupings are as follows."

Instructor looked at the light board in his hand.

"Team One: Lin Zhan, Wang Pingan, Qin Shan, Su Yue, as well as Zhou Ming and Gao Yu from the Second High School elite class."

Wang Pingan noted this silently.

Six people in Team One: four Elite Plan members and two sparring partners from other schools.

"Team Two: Zhao Hao, Qin Hai, Li Moran, Fang Lin, Zhang Yang, and Liu Na from the Second High School elite class."

Wang Pingan's gaze fell upon the name "Li Moran."

He had actually come.

He wasn't wearing the Elite Plan uniform, but rather a casual martial arts outfit that looked expensive. He stood in Team Two's ranks, staring fixedly at Wang Pingan from across the training ground.

That look was not just pure hatred.

It was a kind of bone-deep, paranoid gloom, like a vengeful ghost targeting its enemy.

Wang Pingan's heart skipped a beat.

He knew that if Li Moran could come here, he must have broken through to the Second Grade.

But this guy clearly hadn't entered the Elite Plan through normal channels.

He was still that "specially invited sparring partner" who was excluded but persistent.

And his purpose for coming was self-evident.

He was here for him.

Just then, the system interface in Wang Pingan's mind flickered.

【Energy Scan function has been upgraded to Level 2.】

【Scanning range increased to three kilometers.】

【New function: 'Energy Fluctuation Tracking', which can lock onto and continuously track specific energy sources.】

【Cost: 2 pay-to-win points/minute.】

Wang Pingan's spirits lifted.

This upgrade had come at the perfect time.

This realm was likely going to become his personal ATM.

Li Moran, oh Li Moran, do you think you are the hunter?

You have no idea who the real prey is.

On Team One's side, Lin Zhan gathered everyone together.

"The strategy is simple," he said in a low voice, looking at Wang Pingan and the others. "Prioritize resource collection and avoid conflict. Our goal is to win, not to show off our strength."

Su Yue pursed her lips.

"No fighting? That's so boring."

"Follow the plan," Lin Zhan said in an indisputable tone. He looked at Wang Pingan. "Your perception is sharp; you will be the scout and guide the way."

He remembered Wang Pingan's astonishing performance in the reaction test; although he didn't know the principle behind it, he trusted the results.

Wang Pingan nodded.

"No problem."

This was exactly what he wanted.

"Attention, everyone!" Instructor's voice rang out across the field. "The entrance to the realm will open in ten seconds!"

In the center of the training ground, a massive portal composed of countless blue light hexagons appeared out of thin air, emitting a humming energy roar.

The two teams stood on either side of the portal, their expressions varied.

Before entering, Li Moran gave Wang Pingan another provocative look.

Wang Pingan ignored him completely.

"Three, two, one... Enter!"

Following Instructor's command, twelve figures stepped into the light gate in unison.

A wave of dizziness ensued.

When Wang Pingan's vision cleared, the scene before him had completely changed.

The sky was a murky yellow, and under his feet was cracked, reddish-brown earth, stretching endlessly, barren and desolate.

It was a Gobi desert.

But the spiritual energy in the air, so dense it was almost tangible, made his entire body's blood flow feel uncontrollably comfortable.

"Wow! This spiritual energy concentration!" Su Yue took an exaggerated breath. "I feel like I could break through just by sleeping here!"

"Don't get distracted," Lin Zhan said in a deep voice. "Wang Pingan, direction."

The moment he landed, Wang Pingan had already activated his upgraded energy scan.

The 3D map in his mind instantly lit up.

A three-kilometer scanning range was practically like having a god's-eye view.

Countless green dots representing resources and several brighter blue dots were clearly distributed on the map.

He directly ignored those low-value targets and areas dense with spirit beasts.

"Southeast," he said, pointing in a direction. "About two kilometers away, there's a very strong energy reaction, and the path is clear."

"Let's go."

Lin Zhan did not hesitate in the slightest.

The four-person team set off immediately, their figures soon disappearing into the vast Gobi desert.

With Wang Pingan as a human-shaped mobile radar, their travel efficiency was shockingly high.

They accurately bypassed a nest of "Rock Lizards" and perfectly avoided a wandering "Sand Scorpion."

Twenty minutes later, they stopped in front of a low stone hill.

In a crevice of the stone hill, a plant that looked entirely like blue crystal was growing quietly, with a translucent fruit the size of a fist at its top, emitting an alluring energy fluctuation.

"Blue Crystal Fruit!" Su Yue's eyes lit up. "This one is worth five hundred points! A great start!"

Wang Pingan's "intuition" had been verified once again.

Lin Zhan glanced at Wang Pingan, his eyes filled with surprise, but he asked nothing, simply nodding.

"Qin Shan, collect it. Su Yue, keep watch. Wang Pingan, continue scouting."

The team cooperated tacitly, with extremely high efficiency.

Under Wang Pingan's guidance, they were like the most efficient harvester, rapidly scouring the resources in the realm.

The points on their team terminal soared, leaving Team Two far behind.

An hour later, they had already accumulated over three thousand points.

"This is way too smooth," Su Yue said indistinctly, chewing on a strand of low-grade energy grass she had grabbed along the way. "At this rate, we might break the record."

Wang Pingan, however, did not relax.

His scan remained active, his brain calmly analyzing the situation of the entire battlefield.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

A brand new energy signal, with brightness far exceeding the previous ones, appeared at the edge of his three-kilometer scanning range.

It was a blue dot, so bright it was almost purple.

"What is it?" Lin Zhan noticed his expression.

"A big one," Wang Pingan lowered his voice. "Northeast direction, almost at the limit of my perception. The energy reaction intensity is off the charts, at least ten times stronger than that Blue Crystal Fruit from earlier."

Everyone in the team's breathing quickened.

Ten times stronger? What level of rare treasure could that be?

"Let's go take a look," Lin Zhan decided immediately.

The team turned immediately, heading towards the new target at full speed.

The closer they got, the more dazzling that dot became on Wang Pingan's map.

This time, it was definitely the biggest hidden gem in the realm.

When they climbed over a massive sand dune, the scene below came into view.

It was a small, sunken basin; in the center of the basin, a massive cluster of crystals, resembling amethyst clusters, was emitting a dreamlike purple glow.

"Millennium Amethyst Heart!"

The value of this single item alone exceeded the sum of all their previous gains.

However, they were not the first ones there.

Another team was already standing before that amethyst cluster, their faces filled with greed and ecstasy.

It was Team Two.