Ink-Clad Creator

Four dark figures appeared in the thick fog.

The wooden puppets, entirely black, stood about seven feet tall, with dark red crystals inlaid at their joints, and their eyes gleamed with a dangerous red light. Their arms had been transformed into blades, the edges of which gleamed with a ghostly green, poisonous light.

What's most bizarre is their way of moving—not with stiff, mechanical steps, but with the agility of a cheetah, silently traversing the forest to form a perfect encirclement.

"It's a 'Shadow Puppet'!" Shui Liuli blurted out, quickly recording it on the jade slip in her hand. "But a standard Shadow Puppet should be gray, with blue eyelights. These have clearly been modified... its aggression rating has increased by at least two levels!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all four shadow puppets activated simultaneously!

There was no probing, no warning. Two figures charged straight ahead, their twin blades slashing out in a cross pattern; those on the left and right flanks moved in a flanking maneuver, their blades aimed at Li Xian and Jin Xuan's sides of the neck and back of the heart—all fatal positions!

"Be careful, it's poisonous!" Li shouted in a low voice, stepping back while raising his right hand. Orange-gold energy transformed into several diamond-shaped light shields, precisely blocking the trajectory of the blade's light.

"Clang clang clang—!"

The blade struck the light shield, producing a piercing metallic clang. Cracks appeared on the surface of the light shield, but it successfully blocked the first wave of attacks.

Jin Xuan's reaction was more direct.

He didn't even draw his sword.

Facing the shadow puppet attacking from the left, he simply turned to the side, his right hand forming a sword shape, and pointed out.

"laugh."

A condensed, almost tangible white sword aura shot from his fingertips, precisely piercing the core crystal in the Shadow Puppet's chest.

"Click."

The crystal shattered. The shadow puppet stopped abruptly, the red light in its eyes went out, and it collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The entire process took less than a breath.

Shui Liuli's eyes widened as she frantically recorded on the jade slip: "Unarmed sword energy! Condensation level 97%! Estimated energy loss rate less than 5%! These data are amazing!"

She even forgot that she was also fighting.

The shadow puppet on her right had already pounced forward, its twin blades aimed at her neck.

"Water Maiden!" Li exclaimed in surprise.

Shui Liuli then came to her senses, but her face showed no panic. She formed hand seals and chanted, "Based on the angle of attack, the optimal response is..."

She leaned back slightly, allowing the twin blades to glide past her nose perfectly. At the same time, her footwork changed rapidly, as if dancing on the edge of a blade, each movement precisely avoiding subsequent attacks.

This isn't movement technique; this is calculation.

She uses mathematical formulas to predict each of the Shadow Puppet's attacks, and then dodges them in the most energy-efficient way.

"Attack pattern recorded, the seventh move will cause a 0.3-second stun..." Shui Liuli quickly calculated in her mind while dodging, "Now!"

She extended her right index finger, and a drop of deep blue water gathered at the tip.

"Mysterious Water - Condensation".

Water droplets shot out and hit the shadow puppet's knee joint.

"Click".

The joints were instantly frozen! The shadow puppet's movements froze.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Xian darted forward and struck the shadow puppet on the back with a palm strike. Orange-gold energy penetrated, precisely disrupting the internal energy circulation.

The second shadow puppet fell.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the remaining two retreated at the same time, trying to disappear into the thick fog.

"Trying to leave?" Jin Xuan finally drew his sword.

It wasn't fully drawn; the sword was only extended three inches.

A curved sword aura swept out, so fast that even the afterimage was not visible.

"Heh heh."

Two soft sounds. The two shadow puppets were neatly severed at the waist, their upper bodies sliding off while their lower bodies remained in a backward posture.

The battle lasted no more than ten breaths from start to finish.

The fog has dissipated somewhat for now.

Li Xian walked to the first shadow puppet destroyed by Jin Xuan and squatted down to examine it. He pried open the damaged crystal slot on its chest, and inside, besides the shattered energy core, there was also a small blood-red token.

The token was only the size of a thumb, dark red in color, with a hideous ghost face engraved on the front and the number seventeen on the back.

"Blood Kill Order..." Shui Liuli leaned closer, her expression grave. "This is the identity token of an assassin from the 'Photo Studio.' The Photo Studio is the most mysterious assassin organization on the continent, only accepting high-priced commissions and never failing."

She looked at Li Xian: "The number on the token represents the assassin's ranking within the organization. Seventeen... that's already the level of a silver-ranked assassin. To be able to hire a silver-ranked assassin to infiltrate the secret realm, the target must be worth at least 100,000 gold."

"Are we the target?" Li Xian frowned.

"I'm afraid so." Jin Xuan sheathed his sword and said coldly, "The Shadow Puppet's modification style is the 'Poison Blade Puppet' commonly used by the Shadow Studio, designed specifically for assassinating cultivators. Moreover, the simultaneous appearance of four of them is no coincidence."

Li Xian's mind raced. Who would assassinate them in the secret realm? Han Meng? That guy was arrogant, but he shouldn't have the guts to make a move during the academy's trials. Was it... the "big shot" Granny Xu mentioned? Or someone connected to Peng Shutao's blueprints?

"Wait a minute," he suddenly realized, "if the goal was assassination, why only send four shadow puppets? Where is the silver-ranked assassin himself?"

Before he could finish speaking, Superman's alarm sounded in his mind:

"High-speed moving energy source detected! Location: 300 meters due north, rapidly approaching! Energy characteristics... 89% similarity to the Shadow Puppet core!"

coming.

The main character has arrived.

The thick fog was torn apart by a dark shadow.

It was a tall, thin man completely clad in tight black clothing, wearing a pure white mask without any holes, except for the eerie red glow emanating from his eye sockets. He held a short dagger in each hand, the shafts of which were jet black, with only a scarlet tip.

What's most unsettling is his aura—like a venomous snake lurking in the grass, cold, sinister, and with a restrained killing intent.

"Photo studio, Seventeen." His voice was hoarse and unpleasant, like the scraping of metal. "Target: Li Mo. Everyone else, get out of the way."

Shui Liuli immediately stepped in front of Li Xian, her hands forming a hand seal, water mist swirling around her: "Private duels are forbidden in the Academy's secret realm! How dare you violate the academy's rules?"

"Studio rules?" Seventeen scoffed. "Photo studios only recognize contracts, not rules. The employer raised the price; they want the right person. So..." He paused, "Don't resist, or you'll suffer less."

Jin Xuan stepped forward, blocking Shui Liuli's path. He still held his sword, but sword energy began to gather around him, causing fallen leaves on the ground to move without wind.

"You can give it a try."

Seventeen, wearing a white mask, turned to Jin Xuan: "Gengjin Sword Body... You weren't mentioned in the data. But it doesn't matter, killing one more won't cost extra money, and it won't be much trouble either."

Before he finished speaking, he moved.

Instead of rushing forward in a straight line, it transforms into a winding black line, refracting and changing direction among the trees, its trajectory completely unpredictable! This is the studio's signature movement technique, "Ghost Step," specifically designed to counter straight-line attacks and opponents with predictive abilities.

Almost simultaneously, Jin Xuan also moved.

He still didn't draw his sword, but instead used his fingers as a weapon, unleashing seven sword energies in succession. The seven sword energies intertwined in the air, forming a net that blocked all angles of evasion.

But Seventeen's movements were too unpredictable. He twisted and weaved through the gaps in the sword energy net, like a boneless snake, narrowly avoiding all attacks, and instantly closing in to within three feet of Jin Xuan!

Short thorns, like venomous fangs, pierce straight into the throat!

"clang--!"

Jin Xuan finally drew his sword.

Only one foot was pulled out.

The sword clashed with the short dagger, sending sparks flying. Both men took a half-step back simultaneously.

"A fine sword," Seventeen said hoarsely, "but unfortunately, it's not fast enough."

He vanished again, this time reappearing to Shui Liuli's left. The short thorn silently pierced her ribs.

Shui Liuli was prepared. Water suddenly surged from the ground beneath her feet, forming a water shield. But the short spikes pierced right through the water shield without slowing down at all!

At the critical moment, Li arrived.

He didn't use any energy; instead, he took something out of his pocket—the "portable energy detector" that Zhou Bapi sold, but he had already disassembled and reassembled it.

"Bang!"

The detector struck the short spike, and the runes on its surface lit up instantly before exploding. However, the turbulent energy from the explosion disrupted the spike's trajectory, grazing the hem of Shui Liuli's dress.

Seventeen was taken aback. He clearly hadn't expected someone to defend in such an unconventional way.

In that brief moment of distraction, Jin Xuan's sword arrived.

This time it's a full extraction.

The sword light flashed like a bolt of lightning, illuminating the entire fog.

Seventeen retreated frantically, his mask grazed by the sword's energy, leaving a deep scratch. He covered his face, his eyes flashing red light.

"You...you're asking for it!"

He formed hand seals, and the four fallen shadow puppet remains suddenly trembled, with the remaining energy within their bodies frantically converging to form a distorted energy vortex.

"He's going to self-destruct the puppet's remains!" Shui Liuli exclaimed. "The energy level is enough to flatten this entire forest!"

Jin Xuan drew his sword, ready to strike, but Seventeen had already retreated to a safe distance, grinning maliciously as he prepared to detonate.

Just then—

"Big Sister, disrupt the energy resonance frequency! Superman, calculate the optimal blocking point! Batman, prepare for the sonic blast!"

Li Xian's instructions were simultaneously transmitted to the three drones via telepathy.

Superman, who had been "playing dead" inside the water-glass capsule, suddenly flew out, a scanning beam shooting from the tip of his mechanical arm: "Energy convergence node locked—three on the left, four on the right, the main control rune is located in the chest cavity of the third puppet!"

Daya flew out from the other side, its pink body glowing with a pale green light—that was the "Wood-type Resonance Interference Device" that Li Xian had modified with the energy of the Green Wood Token, specifically designed to counter energy-type mechanisms.

"Buzzing—"

A strange vibration wave spread out. The puppet's remains, about to explode, suddenly froze, and the energy flow became disordered.

Batman swooped down from the sky, high-frequency sound waves emanating from the edges of his mechanical wings: "Target: Hearing System Enhanced Type, prepare to be hit—"

"squeak--!!!"

A piercing noise erupted! That wasn't an ordinary sound, but a specially modified "sonic needle" designed for people with hearing enhancement!

Seventeen screamed, covering his ears and collapsing to his knees. His mask, which enhanced his hearing to perceive his surroundings, had now become his fatal weakness!

Energy control was interrupted. The energy vortex of the puppet's remains began to dissipate.

Jin Xuan seized the opportunity and unleashed a sword strike.

It wasn't aimed at Seventeen, but at the collapsing energy vortex.

The sword energy, like a rainbow, forcefully cleaved, guided, and diluted the raging energy. The massive explosion was amplified into dozens of smaller blasts, greatly reducing its power.

The smoke and dust cleared.

Seventeen lay sprawled on the ground, his mask mostly shattered, revealing half of his pale, distorted face. He struggled to get up, but blood was seeping from his ears and nose, clearly indicating severe injuries.

Li Xian stepped forward and picked up the other Blood Killing Token that had fallen. On the back of this token, besides the number seventeen, there was a line of smaller text:

"Capture Li Mo alive and hand him over to the secret realm 'Ancient Tree Altar'."

Sure enough, the target was himself.

And... it has to be alive? And it has to be sent to the ancient tree altar?

Li Xian suddenly remembered the third mission—a Heavenly-level mission: defeat the Serpent Guardian, the location of which was the Ancient Tree Altar.

This is no coincidence.

As if to confirm his conjecture, a deafening roar came from the direction of the ancient tree altar in the distance.

The voice was deep and resonant, carrying a certain ancient majesty. Accompanying the roar was the rumble of falling trees and the violent tremors of the ground.

"The anaconda guardian has been alerted." Shui Liuli looked at the jade talisman. "Moreover... the energy reaction is intensifying rapidly! This is not right. The records indicate that the anaconda guardian is a high-level Earth Origin cultivator, but this fluctuation is now approaching the early-level Heaven Origin cultivator!"

Jin Xuan sheathed his sword and looked at Li Xian: "There's a trap at the altar."

"But we have to go," Li Xian said. "Someone is waiting for me there. And..." He looked at the Blood Kill Order in his hand, "there are some things I need to ask them in person."

He walked up to Seventeen, squatted down, and asked, "Who hired you?"

Seventeen gave a bitter laugh, black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth: "The photo studio... rules... I won't say..."

"It's fine if you don't want to tell me," Li Xian said calmly. "Then let me guess. Did your employer ask you to take me to the altar and hand me over to someone? Did that person promise to 'handle' the aftermath there?"

Seventeen pupils constricted slightly.

bingo.

"That person," Li continued, "was he wearing the robes of an academy instructor? Or... at least able to freely enter and exit the secret realm without being blocked by the formation?"

Seventeen's body began to tremble.

Li Xian had his answer. The ability to freely enter and exit the secret realm, to arrange assassins during trials, and to influence the native creatures of the secret realm—this level of authority was at least that of a senior instructor at the academy, or even higher.

"One last question," Li Xian stared into his eyes, "Is that person particularly interested in the 'theory of the origin of energy' or the 'legacy of ancient sages'?"

Seventeen's breathing quickened, and the red light in his eyes flickered. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but suddenly his body stiffened, and the light in his eyes went out completely.

died.

It wasn't suicide, but rather... some kind of restriction within the body was triggered.

Li stood up, his expression grave.

Shui Liuli examined the body and shook her head: "The brain's energy circuits were remotely detonated to silence them. The other party was very cautious."

Jin Xuan looked towards the altar: "Are we still going?"

"Go," Li Xian nodded, "but not to die. Miss Shui, on your map, are there any usable terrain features or resources near the altar?"

Shui Liuli immediately unfolded the map: "The Ancient Tree Altar is built in the hollow of a thousand-year-old sacred tree. The sacred tree is surrounded by a 'Miasma Swamp,' which is inhabited by a large number of 'Poison Dart Frogs.' The Anaconda Guardian is an amphibian, and its strength will be enhanced in the swamp, but the venom of the poison dart frogs has a certain restraining effect on it."

She pointed to a mark on the map: "In addition, according to records, a flock of 'flash birds' inhabit the canopy of the sacred tree. These birds are extremely sensitive to bright light and noise, and when startled, they will collectively release blinding flashes of light."

Li Xian's eyes lit up: "Poison dart frogs, flashing birds... and swampy terrain. We have room to maneuver."

He looked at the two of them: "Jin Xuan, can your sword energy cut through the swamp and create a temporary foothold?"

"Can."

"Water Maiden, can you control the water flow to lure the poison dart frogs to a specific area?"

"It requires calculating the flow rate and toxin concentration, but it's feasible."

"Okay." Li began to give instructions, "We'll fight like this..."

Fifteen minutes later, at the edge of the ancient tree altar.

The so-called altar was actually a towering ancient tree with a diameter of over ten zhang (approximately 33 meters). The trunk was hollow, and the interior had been transformed into a simple stone altar. The altar was surrounded by a black swamp with a radius of hundreds of zhang (approximately 33 meters), filled with miasma and overgrown with poisonous plants.

At this moment, a colossal creature was perched at the entrance to the altar.

Anaconda Guardian.

It was over fifteen zhang long and as thick as a giant barrel, its entire body covered in dark green scales with metallic edges. Its head was triangular, and its scarlet vertical pupils coldly scanned the swamp, its forked tongue flicking in and out from time to time, sensing the vibrations in the air.

Behind it, in the shadows of the altar entrance, a figure could be vaguely seen standing.

The distance was too great to see the face clearly, but one could sense the cold aura emanating from the person, which was completely out of place in the secret realm.

Li Xian and his two companions lay in ambush in the bushes at the edge of the swamp.

"Target confirmed," Superman hovered at treetop height, remotely observing with optical sensors. "The Anaconda Guardian's surface energy reaction has reached the critical point of the initial stage of the Heavenly Origin Realm, suspected of being forcibly catalyzed and enhanced by external energy. The figure inside the altar has energy characteristics that are 72% similar to the Shadow Puppet Assassin, indicating they are of the same origin."

"They really are in cahoots." Shui Liuli recorded the data. "Catalyzing the anaconda guardians requires a large amount of high-purity energy crystals, which is not something an ordinary instructor could produce."

Jin Xuan, sword in hand, asked, "Shall we just charge in?"

"No," Li said, "Let's stick to the plan. Clear the area first."

He looked at Daya: "It's your turn to go on stage. Remember your lines."

Daya's pink body trembled with excitement: "Got it! Watch me!"

It flew high into the sky, heading towards the canopy area of ​​the sacred tree where the flock of glittering birds roosted.

Soon, from over there came the academy song, played at full volume and completely off-key:

"Wanxiang Academy~~The best in the world~~Students are diligent~~Teaching is strict~~So many exams~~Even more homework~~Aww~~"

The shrill singing echoed through the secret realm.

In the treetops, hundreds of shimmering birds with iridescent feathers were startled and took flight, screeching angrily. They hate noise pollution the most!

Daya continued: "The weather is so nice today! Little birds, little birds, wake up! The sun is shining on your butt!"

"Eh-!!!"

The flock of flashing birds was utterly enraged! They all turned towards the source of the sound, flapping their wings violently, the light on their feathers converging rapidly—

"Buzz—!"

Hundreds of blinding flashes erupted simultaneously! The entire canopy area was as bright as day! Even from hundreds of feet away, Li Xian and the others had to close their eyes.

And directly opposite the altar facing the flock of shimmering birds...

"hiss--!!!"

The anaconda guard let out a painful roar! Its eyes were its weak point; suddenly blinded by the bright light, it writhed wildly, its thick tail sweeping down a grove of trees.

The figure inside the altar also let out a muffled groan, clearly affected as well.

"Now!" Li shouted in a low voice, "Jin Xuan!"

Jin Xuan drew his sword, and a sword aura slashed into the swamp.

Instead of attacking the anaconda, the strike was aimed at a specific location in the swamp.

"boom!"

The sword energy exploded, scattering mud and revealing a more solid layer of ground beneath. More importantly, the sword energy shook the bottom of the swamp, awakening the creatures dwelling there…

"Quack! Quack quack!"

Countless fist-sized, brightly colored poison dart frogs leaped out of the mud, angrily searching for their intruders.

"Water Maiden!"

Shui Liuli formed hand seals, and water mist surged around her. She guided the swamp water to form several small water tornadoes, "swirling" a large number of poison dart frogs toward the altar.

Poison dart frogs spray venom from the air—it's their instinctive defense.

The anaconda guard was writhing wildly, its massive body absorbing most of the venom.

"Hiss hiss hiss—"

The venom touched the scales, emitting bluish smoke! Although not enough to break through the defenses, the intense stinging made the anaconda guard even more ferocious.

It blindly sprayed venom and swept its tail in all directions, completely losing its composure.

The figure inside the altar finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"waste!"

With a cold snort, a figure burst forth from the altar. It was a middle-aged man dressed in a gray robe, his face sinister, holding a white bone staff in his hand. A dark red crystal was embedded at the top of the staff, emitting an ominous light.

He waved his staff, and a beam of blood shot into the forehead of the anaconda guard.

The anaconda guard shuddered, the chaos in its eyes gradually subsiding, replaced by a more ferocious, yet precisely controlled, killing intent.

"Soul control technique," Shui Liuli whispered, "is a method of the 'Beast Taming Sect,' a branch of the Demonic Cult!"

The gray-robed man coldly looked at the hiding place of Li Xian and the others: "Little rats, have you had enough fun? Come out and let me see what's so special about these little guys who can break the Spirit-Identifying Crystal."

He had obviously spotted them long ago.

Li Xian took a deep breath and stepped out of the bushes. Jin Xuan and Shui Liuli followed closely behind.

"An instructor?" Li Xian looked at the academy emblem on the other person's robes. "I wonder which academy you're from, and why you'd set a trap for your students during the trials?"

The gray-robed man laughed, a chilling laugh: "A student? No, you're no ordinary student. You're someone that old drunkard Chu Huaizhou pays special attention to, someone who can make the Spirit-Appraisal Crystal resonate across its entire frequency... You possess the aura of a wise man."

He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips: "Hand over what you know about the legacy of the sages, and I might give you a quick death. Otherwise..." He pointed to the controlled anaconda guard, "it will slowly chew you up."

Li Xian understood immediately. It was indeed for the sake of passing on the legacy of the wise.

"If I hand it over, will you spare my companion?"

"Of course not," the gray-robed man said matter-of-factly. "They all have to die. The secret realm trial has a casualty quota, and today is the perfect day to use it all."

Jin Xuan's sword was slightly drawn from its sheath.

Shui Liuli quietly took out several instruments from her bag—she was recording combat data and calculating the opponent's energy weaknesses at the same time.

Li Xian laughed: "Instructor, you made a mistake."

"Oh?"

"You shouldn't have let the anaconda guard lose its mind."

As soon as he finished speaking, Superman swooped down from the sky, and a beam of orange-gold energy with a special frequency shot out from the front of his mechanical arm—that was the "energy purification code" that Li had programmed in advance, specifically for energy bodies that had been forcibly catalyzed by external forces.

The energy beam struck the spot on the anaconda's forehead where the blood-red light had penetrated.

"hiss--!!"

The anaconda guardian let out a painful hiss, its massive body convulsing violently. The grey-robed man's soul-controlling technique and Li Xian's purification code clashed fiercely within its body!

The gray-robed man's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly increased the output of his soul control technique.

It's now!

Jin Xuan moved.

He transformed into a streak of white sword light, thrusting straight at the gray-robed man. It wasn't a slash, but a pierce—concentrating all his sword energy into a single point, pursuing ultimate penetration.

The gray-robed man had to focus on defense, using his bone staff to parry.

"clang--!"

Swords and staffs clashed, creating a shockwave.

Shui Liuli pressed her hands to the ground and unleashed her full power: "Mystic Water - Ice Seal!"

She wasn't a frozen anaconda guardian—that would be too big to freeze. Instead, she created a smooth surface of ice on the frozen swamp.

The anaconda guard, which was struggling in pain, suddenly lost its footing, and its huge body slipped on the ice and overturned with a crash!

The gray-robed man was tightly entangled by Jin Xuan and could not be distracted to control the situation.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Xian leaped up and jumped onto the fallen body of the python guard, placing his right hand on its forehead.

The orange-gold mark between the eyebrows is very bright.

He took the "energy synchronization" technique taught by Boltzmann's brain to its extreme, not through attack, but through... communication.

He "heard" the anaconda guards' pain, anger, and the humiliation of being forcibly controlled.

"I'll help you... find liberation..." He conveyed the message through his thoughts.

The influx of orange-gold energy is not destructive, but rather channeling, soothing, and purifying.

The anaconda's struggles gradually subsided. The madness faded from its crimson vertical pupils, and a sliver of clarity returned.

It looked at Li Xian, and its eyes revealed...gratitude?

Then, it turned its head and looked at the gray-robed man who was fighting fiercely with Jin Xuan.

An angry roar rang out again.

But this time, the target has changed.

The outcome of the battle that followed was a foregone conclusion.

Enraged, the anaconda guard joined the battle, instantly plunging the gray-robed man into a desperate situation. He attempted to regain control, but Li Xian's purification code had already been implanted into the anaconda guard's body, rendering the soul-controlling technique ineffective.

He tried to escape, but Jin Xuan's sword energy blocked all escape routes.

He wanted to fight desperately, but Shui Liuli's ice-based techniques constantly slowed down his movements.

Three minutes later.

The gray-robed man, his limbs broken, collapsed at the altar entrance. The bone staff shattered, and the dark red crystal was flicked away by Jin Xuan's sword, falling into the depths of the swamp.

The anaconda guardian slowly retreated into the swamp, nodded to Li Xian, and sank into the mud and disappeared—it needed to find a place to digest the purification energy in its body, and perhaps it could turn misfortune into blessing and truly break through to the Heavenly Origin Realm.

Li Xian walked up to the man in the gray robe.

"Who sent you? How many of your people are still in the academy?"

The gray-robed man gave a bitter laugh: "Even if you win, it's useless. 'They' have already set their sights on you. The legacy of the wise... is both a blessing and a curse... you'll be devoured until nothing is left..."

He suddenly bit his tongue, and blood gushed out, but the blood quickly turned black.

"He took poison." Shui Liuli shook her head after examining him. "It's a very potent neurotoxin; he can't be saved."

The gray-robed man's eyes began to glaze over, and he finally murmured, "Be careful..."

He died before he could finish speaking.

Li fell silent.

"The mission completion notification has arrived." Shui Liuli looked at the jade talisman. "The Heaven-level mission 'Defeat the Anaconda Guardian' is complete, the Earth-level mission 'Investigate the Abnormal Energy Fluctuation' is complete, and the Human-level mission... uh, I haven't picked the Mist Concealing Flower yet."

She put away the jade talisman and looked at Li Xian: "We now have enough points to get the highest rating. Shall we leave the secret realm?"

Jin Xuan also looked over, waiting for Li to make a decision.

Li Xian looked around. The thick fog was dissipating, and sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting dappled patterns. In the distance, he could faintly hear the voices of other examinees—the trial was still ongoing.

"No," he said, "we'll continue our trials. We'll pick flowers and explore as usual. Let's pretend... nothing ever happened."

Jin Xuan nodded: "Smart."

Shui Liuli was somewhat puzzled, but quickly realized: "Are you trying to mislead the people observing in secret? To make them think we haven't discovered a deeper conspiracy?"

"Not only that," Li Xian said, "I also want to see just how many eyes are watching from inside the academy. And..."

He looked into the depths of the altar.

There, where the gray-robed man had stood, there was a hidden groove in the ground, seemingly concealing something.

He walked over, pried open the groove, and took out a palm-sized black jade slip.

The jade slip felt cold to the touch, and its surface was engraved with complex runes.

"This is..." Shui Liuli leaned closer, "An encrypted jade slip! It requires a specific energy frequency to unlock!"

Li Xian put the jade slip away: "I'll study it when I get back."

He turned around and looked at his two temporary teammates.

"Keep today's events a secret. Once we leave the secret realm, we'll still be ordinary examinees and... future classmates."

Jin Xuan, holding his sword, said, "Alright."

Shui Liuli nodded vigorously: "Of course! But... could I make a backup of the data? The battle data from just now is too valuable! Especially the process of the anaconda guardian purifying energy, it's practically a textbook example of energy interference!"

Li chuckled: "Sure. But you'll have to use your own encryption method."

"no problem!"

The three looked at each other and smiled.

The fog dissipated, and the sun rose.

The trials in the secret realm have only just begun.

The real contest may only begin after leaving the secret realm.

(End of Chapter 60)