Entering the Secret Realm

The bus drove for a day and a night, finally stopping on the afternoon of the second day.

The teacher woke up all the students on the bus. Shen Yi woke up dazed, stretched, and looked out the window.

What met his eyes was a colossal city wall, about thirty meters high, packed with soldiers. Every soldier was equipped with a submachine gun, standing ready and staring intently into the distance. Similarly, various large-scale weapons were deployed on the wall, all of which were war machines that could only be seen on TV.

In the middle of the wall was a giant gate forged from an unknown metal. All the buses stopped outside this massive gate. On the city gate, four large characters were clearly visible: [Lanyuan Secret Realm].

After the instructor got off the bus, he gestured to a camera on the gate, and the metal gate slowly opened a small door. A soldier stepped out from inside, wearing a neat military uniform, with a resolute face and a majestic posture, causing many girls' faces to turn red.

“So handsome, soldiers are indeed the most handsome.”
“I must marry a soldier in the future.”
“Didn't you say you wanted to marry your Brother Kun Kun?”

The soldier walked up to the instructor, gave a standard military salute, and handed over the documents in his hand. After skimming through them, he led the students inside through the small door.

Entering past the city gate, they walked through a wall about thirty meters thick before reaching the military camp inside. Looking around, soldiers were everywhere, and tents were pitched in neat rows.

Once all the students had gathered, Li Mengxue, the person in charge of this special training, appeared before everyone.

“Students, this is our trial location this time, the Lanyuan Secret Realm. I believe the instructors already introduced the Lanyuan Secret Realm to you on the bus, so I won't say much about it here. I will tell you some rules and requirements of the trial.”

“Our trial this time will last for forty days, divided into three stages. First, the first stage is survival. In a moment, you will enter the actual Lanyuan Secret Realm. Everyone will receive a bracelet. After receiving the bracelet and entering your personal information, the bracelet will automatically lock, and a map will be displayed on it.”

“Our first stage trial is to reach the location displayed on the bracelet. There are all kinds of Fierce Beasts in the Secret Realm, though the ones on the outskirts are relatively weak. If you encounter danger, you can press the red button on your bracelet.”

“After pressing the red button, the bracelet will activate a defensive shield, and someone will come to rescue you. Of course, pressing the red button also means you have been eliminated.”

“We will rank you based on the order you reach the destination. The higher your rank, the more points you will receive.”

“If you fail to meet the requirements within the specified time, you will also be considered eliminated.”

“In a moment, someone will lead you to receive living supplies. Students without weapons can also go receive them. This special training is very unique, and we cannot guarantee absolute safety for your physical well-being.”

The students below, hearing that absolute safety could not be guaranteed, began to waver. Combined with what the instructors had said on the bus, many began to feel a bit of fear in their hearts.

“The entry locations are randomly teleported and not fixed. Although the outskirts are relatively safe, everyone must still be extra careful.”

“Furthermore, the Esper Skills taught to you before will be of immense use here. After entering, always remain vigilant.”

“The environment inside is not like our current one; it is extremely harsh, and the spiritual energy is thin. I hope you students can help one another.”

“As for the trial requirements of the second and third stages, they will be announced on your bracelets when the time comes.”

“Now, begin lining up to receive living supplies and weapons.”

After Li Mengxue finished explaining the rules and requirements of the trial, the students who were wavering began to whisper among themselves.

“Seeing the situation here, I don't even want to go in anymore. I wonder if it's too late to give up now.”
“I want to go home too. The atmosphere here makes me feel uncomfortable. Mom, I want to go home.”

Some students were even crying out of fear.

Li Mengxue also noticed the situation of the students on this side.

“Those who wish to give up can speak up now and stay here to wait. Once the trial ends, you will return with everyone. This place does not force every student to enter.”

Hearing Li Mengxue's words, Shen Yi roughly understood the trial. Beside him, Huang Ren wasn't listening at all. He planned to press the red button to give up the competition as soon as he entered, so that it wouldn't count as disobeying his grandfather. He could be considered to have participated in the trial, just lacking the ability. Thinking of this, Huang Ren praised his own ingenuity.

“Shen Yi, what do you plan to do?” Huang Ren shared his thoughts and asked Shen Yi.

“I'll go in to check out the situation. I'll probably do the same as you, find a place to hide, and then wait to be eliminated,” Shen Yi said.

He thought of something and reminded him, “I suggest you'd better not press the red button right after entering. Wait a short while, and if there's no danger, find a place to hide until the first round of the competition ends. That way, it'll look better when you come out. Otherwise, aren't you afraid your grandfather will beat you up?”

“Right, right, you're still the one who thinks things through. Let's do that.” Huang Ren nodded. As expected of his good brother, thinking of more than he did.

The two of them didn't go to receive weapons because they had already bought their own. Between them, they had three weapons; Huang Ren only took one, while the other two were in Shen Yi's backpack.

Su Lanqing also walked over at this moment, saw Shen Yi, and said, “Shen Yi, be careful when you go in later. I heard the Fierce Beasts on the outskirts might all be Tier Two.”

“You too,” Shen Yi nodded.

After receiving everything, each person was led by an instructor to a large cave entrance, which seemed to appear out of nowhere. As soon as a person touched the entrance, they were instantly swallowed by it.

Shen Yi walked to the entrance and tested it with his hand. It felt as if something inside was tearing at him, with a mild ripping force acting on his arm. Stepping inside, after about ten seconds of spinning through space, he once again stood on solid ground.

The environment inside startled Shen Yi. This place was not the rolling mountains and towering ancient trees he had imagined; instead, it looked more like a desert wasteland. There was not a soul around him, and the place exuded an air of desolation.

Before he had walked even a few steps, he saw dry bones on the ground. They were the bones of some animal, though Shen Yi couldn't tell which species. The presence of bones meant there were Fierce Beasts nearby.

He looked at his bracelet. A map was displayed on it, with a glowing dot representing the destination. The distance from Shen Yi's position to it was very far; he had been teleported to the border area.