Chapter 125: The Opening of the Realm

A week passed in the blink of an eye. Ye Bai had barely had time to prepare for anything—and indeed, there was little to prepare for. If what his instructor, Zhang Jian, said was true, the event would essentially be a clash between the sophomore Foundation-level students and the experts from the Earth-Core race.

He figured that even if there were any treasures to be found, they wouldn't fall to him. In a way, that was for the best. Ye Bai felt that his progress since entering the academy had been a bit too rapid. When he first started, he and the little monk had both been at the Entry-level Primary stage.

However, after the excursion into the radiation zone, he had been forcibly pushed to the Entry-level Intermediate stage. Then, upon returning from the Purple Sable Zone guard station, he felt he was already on the verge of breaking through to the Entry-level Advanced stage. Such swift advancement left him with a sense of instability.

Therefore, Ye Bai intended to use this exploration of the secret realm to consolidate the volatile attribute energy within his body. Since returning from the Purple Sable station, aside from the occasional morning visit to the library, he had spent almost all his time in the high-pressure training room, using the crushing atmosphere to stabilize the energy inside him.

Checking the time, he saw that the deadline set by Instructor Zhang Jian was approaching. He began to gather his things, preparing to rendezvous with the others who would be participating in the exploration of the new space.

Just as Ye Bai was preparing to leave, not far outside the main city of Green Forest, a place that should have been covered by towering trees now stood empty. Only a stone slab, deeply embedded in the ground and covered in intricate runes, remained.

Suddenly, a pillar of golden light erupted from the slab. Birds and beasts in the forest were startled, scattering in all directions. When the golden light dissipated, six figures emerged from within.

Leading them was an elderly man with long hair and a white beard, followed by five young men and women.

The old man’s expression was somewhat somber as he walked straight toward the main city of Green Forest. After a few steps, however, he stopped, remembering that the youngsters following him were visiting the city for the first time.

"This place is not like home. If something major happens, I may not be able to protect you. Do not do anything reckless, but do not be afraid of trouble, and do not let the humans bully you."

Looking at the fresh, youthful faces before him, the old man felt a complex mix of emotions.

The five young people bowed slightly, responding respectfully, "Yes, Prophet."

Deep in the borderland between Purple Star Academy and Skywood Academy, the area had been under strict lockdown ever since the Skywood King announced the emergence of a new space. No one was permitted to enter or exit.

Yet early this morning, the Skywood King had arrived at the site with the five candidates from Skywood Academy chosen for the exploration.

Normally, the Skywood King would not need to attend for a Fetal-Infant level space, but he was here today. It did not seem to be for the sake of the space itself, but rather to welcome someone—or perhaps to maintain a balance of power.

Before long, the group from Purple Star Academy arrived. Ye Bai followed within the ranks. The appearance of "Knife" did not surprise him, but what did catch him off guard was that the two sophomore Foundation-level leaders were Bai Wan'er and Feng.

Feng remained as he had been in the radiation zone, possessing almost no presence at all. If he weren't standing right there in the flesh, Ye Bai wouldn't have even felt his existence.

Bai Wan'er had become even more indifferent than the last time they met. Standing near her, Ye Bai felt as if he were not standing next to a person, but a walking iceberg.

Leading them on this exploration was Gu Zhi, the Dean of the Institute of Technology. Before departing, Gu Zhi had reiterated the same warning as always: survival was the top priority, followed by any treasures; safety was to come before everything else.

From afar, Ye Bai spotted the Skywood King standing near the new space.

The Skywood King appeared more approachable than he had in images. Dressed in a light green robe, he lacked the bloodthirsty aura of a soldier, resembling more of an aristocratic gentleman from the eras before the Dark Age.

Dean Gu Zhi also spotted the Skywood King. He walked toward him with a smile, showing no signs of tension.

The Skywood King noticed the group from Purple Star Academy and nodded in acknowledgment as he walked toward Gu Zhi.

"Haha, how many years has it been?" The emotions that Gu Zhi had suppressed for countless years finally broke through at this moment.

The Skywood King looked at Gu Zhi. The dean’s temples were white, and his face no longer held the youth and vitality of the past. Perhaps due to his excitement, Gu Zhi’s voice carried a hint of a cough.

"Thirty years, perhaps?" The two stood face to face. Gu Zhi appeared unusually moved, but the Skywood King’s expression remained unchanged, wearing his habitual smile.

Memories flashed through the Skywood King’s mind. The old man before him was only a few years older than he was, yet of the first generation of warriors, perhaps only the three of them remained. The others had all met the same fate.

"One cannot break the limitations of life until one reaches the King level," the Skywood King sighed inwardly. Perhaps in a few decades or a century, only the three of them would be left.

"Are they participating this time as well?" After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Gu Zhi turned to the business at hand.

The Skywood King nodded. "The Godwood Secret Realm is too vast. We have occupied it for so many years and have yet to fully explore it. The cake is too big for us to eat alone, and the Earth-Core people helped us through a great catastrophe at the beginning of the Dark Age. Even now, they only guard the various nodes of the secret realms. There is no reason to deny them participation."

The Skywood King spoke calmly, without any fluctuation in his tone. Yet Gu Zhi replied, "You have worked hard all these years."

There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, nor was there help without cause. If the Earth-Core race was willing to guard the secret realms for humanity for decades, the Skywood King would never believe they had no ulterior motives.

"Why haven't they arrived yet?" As they spoke, quite some time had passed. Gu Zhi looked toward the distance, frustrated at the lack of figures on the horizon.

The Skywood King, seeing that Gu Zhi’s temper was the same as it had always been, felt a sudden sense of nostalgia. He smiled and said, "They are already here, just currently in the city. Let us wait a while longer."

After speaking, the Skywood King turned to the ten candidates from the two academies. "Once you enter the space, it would be best for the two academies to unite. But there is one thing you must keep in mind: you must not kill your own companions. You may have already heard that it is not just humans exploring this space; the Earth-Core race is involved as well. They are our allies, and you must face the dangers of the new space together."

The Skywood King had long understood the darker nature of humanity from the days before the Dark Age. He did not expect these ten explorers to be perfectly united, but they absolutely could not turn on each other.

"What if the Earth-Core people try to seize our treasures and a conflict arises? How should we respond?" asked a man from Skywood Academy who bore a slight resemblance to the Skywood King.

The Skywood King did not look at him, maintaining his usual smile. He turned to glance at Gu Zhi and said, "They are here."

"Hahaha! Brother Dong, you have finally arrived. I thought perhaps only we humans would be exploring this new space today." The Skywood King laughed toward the sky, his voice filling the entire expanse.

"Haha, you are too kind, you are too kind." No one could see anyone else nearby, yet the answering voice was just as powerful as the Skywood King’s.

"The journey was long. Please forgive us, Skywood King. This old man offers his apologies."

Ye Bai felt a momentary blur before his eyes, and suddenly, six people—one old and five young—appeared before them.

The old man leading them looked even older than Dean Gu Zhi, but his vitality and spirit far surpassed the dean’s. Standing face to face with the Skywood King, both wore smiles, yet there was an underlying tension, as if the old man were perfectly capable of standing his ground against the Skywood King.

"Since you are here, let us begin." This was, after all, human territory; he did not wish to appear too aggressive. The Skywood King turned first toward the new space.

The old man followed, casting a glance at the sky. "It has indeed matured."

He shouted aloud, "Boys, step back! We shall open the space, and then we will send you in."

Ye Bai was surprised. He had assumed the new space was located within the Godwood Secret Realm, a sub-realm derived from the main one. He had never expected the exploration to take place right before his eyes. He had been standing here for over an hour, and aside from the sky and a few white clouds, there had been nothing.

At the old man’s shout, the sky before them began to fade, shifting from azure to silver-white.

Slowly, a massive bubble, spanning the entire border area, appeared before them, with silvery-white currents flowing across its surface.

"Is this the newly formed space?" Ye Bai whispered. Bai Wan'er, standing nearby, heard him and glanced at him before turning her gaze back to the Skywood King and the old man, who were busy opening the realm.

The two masters stood on opposite sides. They appeared to be right next to the new space, but without the proper method, even if one could see it, it remained untouchable.

*Hum... hum...*

Before either of them had made a move, the world itself seemed unable to bear their pressure, beginning to vibrate with a low hum.

The people nearby suddenly felt the surrounding pressure increase significantly.

With a sudden *boom*, both the Skywood King and the old man struck the new space with their fists simultaneously. There was no sign of attribute energy; it looked like a simple, physical blow.

Yet, the space before them began to rumble and fluctuate.

After the initial strike, the space rippled and then returned to calm. Neither the Skywood King nor the old man seemed surprised. Both began to rise slowly from the ground.

"Look, the King!" someone shouted softly, but everyone heard it.

The Skywood King, previously dressed in green robes with black hair, had transformed entirely into a silver-white hue, mirroring the color of the space nearby. On the other side, the old man had turned completely golden.

"It is the Prophet’s summoning!" The five young men and women from the old man’s group looked visibly excited.

*Hum... hum...* The humming in the sky was now sharp, almost piercing.

With another *boom*, the world blurred before everyone’s eyes. They heard a sound like shattering glass, followed immediately by the voice of the Skywood King.