Chapter 128: An Accidental Encounter with the Earth-Core Clan

The gap, a stark and undeniable gap.

Bai Wan'er stood motionless, but her ashen complexion already revealed everything. A single word, "Senior," had laid bare the vast chasm between the two academies.

Of the four major academies, three were founded in the names of the Three Sovereigns, while only the Purple Star Academy was established by someone who was not a sovereign. Although Bai Wan'er knew there would be differences, as Purple Star consistently ranked last in the annual inter-academy examinations for freshmen through seniors, Ye Bai had not expected it to be this significant.

The leader of the Tianmu Academy group, who wielded a sword, was likely also a freshman, yet he was capable of holding his own against Bai Wan'er. To have reached the high-tier Foundation Level in one's first year—either the Tianmu Academy’s resources were immense, or his own talent was terrifying.

As for the remaining four, excluding the one wounded by a blade while vying for the Fire Crystal Tiger’s core, and the one who had obtained the core because their opponent was unfamiliar with the Fire Bodhi’s properties, the other two had seized their cores with overwhelming force.

The atmosphere grew stiflingly oppressive. Frustration and resentment condensed in the air, until Bai Wan'er finally broke the tension.

"You all saw it, didn't you?" Bai Wan'er no longer looked at the spot where the Fire Crystal Tiger had perished. In truth, after such a creature died, there was no carcass left; everything it possessed condensed into a crystal core.

Turning around, she swept her gaze over each freshman. "Until now, did you all think you were heaven’s favorites, undefeated and invincible wherever you went?"

As she finished, her eyes lingered briefly on Li Feng. "In fact, the sophomores weren't originally supposed to participate in this spatial exploration. But you were all so weak—so weak that without me, you wouldn't even be able to lap up the leftovers of others—that it was decided the sophomores should join."

"You saw it just now. The people from Tianmu Academy are freshmen just like you, and their leader is no weaker than I am. Of course, I don't deny that they usually have access to far more resources than we do, which is why we must seize this opportunity to acquire more."

A sharp rebuke followed by a touch of encouragement—this was the art of leadership. Seeing the resolute expressions on the four students before her, Bai Wan'er knew she had achieved her goal.

"Very well, let’s move on. That was only the first skirmish. We have a month ahead, and there will be more encounters. Who will emerge victorious remains to be seen. Don't forget, we are not the only ones here."

Bai Wan'er walked deep into the forest, with the others following closely behind. This time, Li Feng did not attempt to chat with Wang Jiao; he walked silently, seemingly shaken by the recent events.

Ye Bai walked at the very back. Within his body, the power of various attributes surged and settled, surged and settled. After a while, he let out a long breath, though his heart was filled with excitement.

Originally at the mid-tier of the Entry Level, after absorbing the two Fire Crystal Tiger cores, the previously unstable attribute power in his body began to form thin, black mists under the influence of the cores. Before long, it began to solidify. The immense energy within the cores not only stabilized his volatile powers but also brought him a step closer to the high-tier Entry Level.

***

"Lang Xin, this place feels strange. It’s exactly like the Primordial Land."

The members of the Earth-Heart Clan had been brought in personally by the elder Dong. Aside from him, no one knew where this place was—not even the five members of the Earth-Heart Clan participating in the exploration. Hui Xin felt the surroundings resembled the Primordial Land of their clan.

"Hui Xin, look closer and see if this truly is the Primordial Land." Lang Xin possessed an enviably handsome appearance. The dark red, small, sharp-angled pupils in his eyes were a symbol of recognized talent among all Earth-Heart people, and the legend of the "Horned Pupils" existed among the first generation of Earth-Heart prophets.

"Hui Xin, this place only looks like the Primordial Land on the surface; internally, it is worlds apart."

The leader, Tian Xin, the son of the Earth-Heart Clan’s chieftain, spoke. In every generation, only one person could be named Tian Xin—the designated successor to the chieftain.

Tian Xin turned to look at the only girl in their group. "In our Primordial Land, primordial power exists in almost every corner. But here, there is only a gray sky, silver-white currents flowing like soul power, and land that exists somewhere between illusion and reality. There is no sense of authenticity."

With every step Tian Xin took, he could feel the ground beneath him sink slightly, but the rules of this world immediately repaired it, restoring the earth to its normal state. This change was minute; had it not been for the "Earth-Heart Power" possessed by every chieftain and their successor, one would never have sensed it.

"This looks a bit like the new spaces we see outside that haven't been opened yet. Could it be that Old Man Dong didn't send us inside? Are we still outside the space?"

"Zi Xin, you are still as naive as ever. How have you not grown up after all these years?" Yu Xin, walking at the back, said with a faint sneer. "Old Man Dong is one of our clan's prophets; he has been loyal to the Earth-Heart Clan from birth until death. How could he fail to send us in? Besides, Tian Xin is with us."

"Enough. Jokes aside, it’s time to get to work. If we don’t bring back the right things, even as the chieftain's son, I will be punished. You should all know how many resources it takes for us newcomers to reach the surface."

Tian Xin ended the banter. Doing the right thing at the right time was the law by which their clan remained strong.

"Understood." Seeing the sudden seriousness of their leader, the other four bent their knees slightly, placed their right hands over their chests, and bowed in the unique salute of the Earth-Heart Clan.

"Every space has its own source land, whether it is newly formed or has fully established rules," Tian Xin said, looking at the space that resembled the new one they had seen upon arriving at Green Forest City.

"So, did Old Man Dong transport us to the location of the source land?" Hui Xin guessed.

"Hmm. If I am not mistaken, he sent us directly through the spatial gate to arrive here. Dong never does anything without meaning. Perhaps we will make unexpected discoveries here."

Silver-white currents, gray-white sky, and a source land—if this space hadn't just been born, perhaps no one would have discovered it.

There was nothing in this space yet. Perhaps because it had just been created, all sources of attributes were busy constructing the outside world. But once the outside world was finished, all attribute sources would return here. At that time, this place would be worth more than gold.

The five of them soon arrived at a wooded area filled with giant trees and weeds; dew dripped from the branches from time to time.

In Lang Xin’s eyes, however, it was a different sight. Threads formed by the Wood Attribute source flickered before him. Wherever they passed, the leaves on the trees would solidify, the silver-white currents in the sky would fade, and the ground they walked upon was densely packed with Earth Attribute sources flowing back and forth.

"This place is still under rapid construction," Lang Xin said to Tian Xin.

"Oh? Lang Xin, what do you see?" Tian Xin knew the Horned Pupils could perceive what ordinary eyes could not.

"There is no sense of attribute power here because the sources are still constructing the world and haven't returned to the source land to fixate. Everything before us is an 'interim entity.'"

The dark red glow in Lang Xin’s eyes faded, and the scene returned to normal.

"An interim entity—that is rare." Tian Xin reached out and plucked a leaf. It was not fully materialized; green light flickered within it, and the wood-attribute veins were clearly visible. A moment later, it dissipated in his hand, merging back into the space.

Ye Bai had been following behind Bai Wan'er for over an hour. The five of them, along with the "Wind" who had not appeared again, were venturing deep into the space.

Whether it was because the space had just been born or otherwise, very few creatures could survive here. Along the way, they saw nothing but trees and grass.

As they walked another few hundred meters, the trees ahead seemed to change. Green light frequently erupted from between the leaves, and the ground beneath their feet became much firmer.

"What is this?" Wang Jiao was astonished, having never seen green light emanating from green leaves before.

"Material construction. I didn't expect that wandering aimlessly would lead us to such a good place. Stay alert—this is a place of great opportunity. If you can capture an attribute source, advancing a major rank will be no problem."

Bai Wan'er’s expression turned exceptionally serious. Her cold eyes scanned everything, not wanting to miss a single anomaly.

Ye Bai didn't quite understand what she meant, and perhaps no one else present—save for the "Wind"—did either. Suddenly, a voice drifted from the opposite side.

"May I ask which academy our friends are from?"

Ye Bai was startled for a moment before realizing it was the Earth-Heart Clan. Outside the space, due to the pressure of the two sovereign powers, he had barely noticed them.

"Purple Star Academy," Bai Wan'er replied coolly.

Five young figures emerged from behind the trees. Ye Bai noticed that the leader had a heart-shaped mark on his forehead, and among those following, one had a faint, strange mark in their eye.

Tian Xin led the others to face the Purple Star group. The ten stood face-to-face: Tian Xin against Bai Wan'er, Ye Bai against the man with the Horned Pupils, and the two girls facing each other.

Tian Xin and Bai Wan'er exchanged a look, a smile touching his lips. "Earth-Heart Clan, Tian Xin."

Bai Wan'er smiled rarely, responding, "Purple Star Academy, Bai Wan'er."