40: Chapter 40: The History of Earth, On the Eve of Departure

The procedure for establishing a club was not complicated.

It only required registration at the Academic Affairs Office.

Li Fan took some time to go over and finalized the club's setup.

After completing the registration, Li Fan gained a new understanding of what a club entailed.

It turned out that besides finding teammates within the club to run Secret Realms, North Emperor University clubs also participated in a point system called Club Points.

Simply put, clubs would accept missions issued by the academy, and upon completion, they would receive corresponding points.

Every month, the academy would allocate resources to the clubs based on their point rankings.

Generally, any club ranked in the top twenty-five would receive good rewards.

The source of the academy's missions mainly came from clients and commissioned departments across the country.

These usually involved dealing with lower-level Collapsed Secret Realms or helping resolve minor Beast Tide issues.

Of course, there were also many tasks like transporting goods or acting as escorts.

Li Fan didn't find this particularly tempting.

For him, it felt like a waste of time.

However, if Lu Qilai and the others were interested, he could let them handle those.

...Time flew by.

Three days had already passed since the official start of North Emperor University.

During these three days, all New Students at North Emperor University had been attending public lectures.

Li Fan was no exception.

It had to be said that the content of these public lectures was very meaningful.

They not only broadened Li Fan's horizons but also gave him a deeper understanding of this world.

Especially the history class.

The history of the first appearance of Awakened Ones and Secret Realms on Blue Star was not the focus, as that was mandatory coursework since elementary school.

What mainly interested Li Fan was the history of humanity's research into Secret Realms.

From the beginning when humans believed these were divine miracles and that they were the chosen people of the gods, it gradually evolved to the current view that Secret Realms are partial projections of a higher world, and the humans of Blue Star are merely frogs in a well.

Clearly, this viewpoint was incredibly difficult for the natives of Blue Star to accept, almost impossible for them to believe.

But for Li Fan, a Transmigrator, this viewpoint was indeed worth investigating; perhaps such a higher world really did exist.

If he could confirm the existence of this higher world and successfully learn how to reach it, perhaps he might even have a chance to return to his original world.

However, no matter what, all of this was currently just speculation, with no evidence to prove it.

The only thing certain and relatively real that directly concerned students like them was the crisis facing humanity on Blue Star.

And this crisis lay in the ocean.

It had been over three thousand years since Secret Realms first appeared on Blue Star.

Yet, humanity's exploration of the Secret Realms remained very limited.

The vast majority of unexplored areas were located over the ocean.

It wasn't that there was no way to go there; rather, the ferocious beasts in the deep ocean were simply too terrifying, and bizarre mists frequently appeared, making it easy to lose one's way.

A thousand years ago, a Quasi-God Rank expert ventured deep into the ocean to investigate the situation there.

To this day, he has never returned.

Only a few high-ranking members of humanity know whether he ultimately lived or died.

But since the higher-ups chose to remain silent on this matter, the result could already be guessed.

Of course, for all of humanity, this was just a preliminary issue; at worst, they simply wouldn't venture into the sea.

The greater threat from the ocean was the Beast Tide.

And the source of these Beast Tides came from the shattered Secret Realms located over the ocean.

Shattered Secret Realms causing a Beast Tide could also be seen on land, but most were relatively controllable, the numbers weren't too large, and they were simpler to deal with.

But the Beast Tides surging from the depths of the ocean were earth-shattering every single time, requiring the sacrifice of countless Federal Awakened Ones to resist them.

The place where students like them would eventually have to go was the coastline, to build a Great Wall for future generations.

As their predecessors did, so too shall their descendants.

Li Fan remembered that when the instructor reached this point, all the students were filled with righteous fervor.

Li Fan was no exception.

No matter which world it was, when many people united to protect something and selflessly made sacrifices for it, that spirit would always be moving.

Li Fan, unlike the other students, didn't have the urge to rush to the front lines right then and there to fight side-by-side with the predecessors on the coast.

On the contrary, he was very self-aware.

His current strength wasn't even at the level of a Transcendent; going up would just be suicide, right?

Although he could use the Annihilation Eye, that was his trump card and couldn't be easily exposed for the time being.

If someone discovered it and managed to study it thoroughly, he would probably be close to being dissected.

...

At night, Li Fan accompanied Gu Ling to a nearby small restaurant for dinner as usual.

However, this time, Gu Quan was also present.

Speaking of older cousin Gu Quan, after learning that Li Fan's mentor was Zhu Tianzheng, Gu Quan boasted to everyone he met in the academy that Li Fan was his cousin-in-law!

Every time he said it, a large group of people would flatter him, giving him considerable prestige!

Clearly, Gu Quan had already highly approved of Li Fan.

"Cousin, I plan to go train in a Secret Realm in a few days."

"I'm worried He Wenguang might play dirty tricks on Lingling, so for this period, I'll have to trouble you to look after her."

At the dinner table, Li Fan raised a glass to Gu Quan.

He had already finalized his Secret Realm strategy the night before.

Starting tomorrow was free activity time, and he planned to enter a Secret Realm.

Thinking of He Wenguang, the only person he was worried about was Gu Ling.

"What kind of talk is that? Lingling is my cousin; I'll take good care of her even if you don't ask. Go train with peace of mind."

"When you win first place in the Freshman Cup, I'll arrange for you two to meet the parents!"

Gu Quan thumped his chest and laughed heartily at this moment.

He was already feeling the effects of the alcohol.

Upon hearing about meeting the parents, Gu Ling, who was beside him, couldn't help but blush, her eyes avoiding looking directly at Li Fan.

Li Fan, however, was straightforward, laughing loudly, "Alright then, I'll have to trouble Cousin to put in a good word for me. When Lingling and I get married, I'll ask you to be the best man."

Gu Ling's face turned even redder, and she couldn't help but lightly punch Li Fan's chest with her small fists.

"Alright, Brother-in-law Li Fan, I'm not joking anymore. I've looked into He Wenguang's background too. My suggestion is to try and avoid provoking him if possible."

"There's no need to bother arguing with people like that."

Gu Quan finished his drink, and his expression gradually became serious.

He had also learned about the issues between Li Fan and He Wenguang.

Regarding this, he felt it necessary to voice his opinion, perhaps advising Li Fan not to act impulsively.

Li Fan smiled faintly.

"If he doesn't keep provoking me, I definitely won't bother with him."

"Cousin, rest assured, I know what I'm doing."

Hearing this, both Gu Quan and Gu Ling beside him were somewhat relieved.

No friction was naturally the best outcome.

Soon after, they finished eating and drinking.

After sending Gu Ling back, Li Fan returned to the villa to prepare for the Secret Realm journey the next day.