The Battle Hall.
In this world, what was popular and loved by the masses wasn’t sports, but combat!
Combat against people!
Combat against soul beasts!
In individual or team formats!
The Battle Halls in every city never had to worry about selling out seats, even though the ticket prices for each fight were far from cheap.
Moreover, gambling was permitted inside the Battle Halls by the Soul Energy Alliance, which was perhaps one of the reasons for their enduring popularity.
But today, Maple City’s Battle Hall was closed to the public, denying entry to spectators. In their place were wave after wave of students in school uniforms.
When the students from Thirteenth Middle School arrived at the Battle Hall, led by their two teachers, they were already considered late. There were at least a hundred people already inside.
"These are all the top students from the other fourteen middle schools. This time... for the mock college entrance exam, the pressure on you is immense, but I believe you can all perform well!"
After leading the students to Thirteenth Middle School’s designated area, Yang Limeng immediately offered words of encouragement to soothe everyone’s nerves.
"Teacher Yang! What exactly is the Secret Realm we’re going to this time?"
However, more than any reassurances, the students were curious about what kind of environment this Secret Realm would be. And it clearly wasn’t just one person who felt this way.
At that moment, almost all twenty-three of them turned their gazes to the two teachers, hoping for an answer.
But both teachers indicated that they didn’t know yet, either. They would find out when they went to get the Teleportation Talismans in a little while.
"Teacher Yang and I are going to get your Teleportation Talismans. You all rest for a bit! Get yourselves into the right state of mind."
With that, the two teachers left the Thirteenth Middle School’s area.
Li Heng wasn’t particularly curious about what kind of environment the Secret Realm was. He was currently staring at the wolf pelt in his Space Stone, thinking, ’If it’s too cold, I might have to wear this to get around.’
"Until we get our hands on something related to soul energy, all talk is cheap. But we’re all classmates from Thirteenth Middle School. Once we’re inside, we’ll be competing and fighting against the other schools. It’s best if we don’t wear each other down!"
Just as Li Heng was lost in thought while looking at his soul-energy wolf pelt, a student with a layered haircut suddenly spoke up. After he spoke, several others chimed in to agree.
It was Wang Zhipeng, the student who had been promoted to Soul Apprentice in the Wild Wolf Valley Secret Realm.
No one voiced an opposing opinion to Wang Zhipeng’s words. At the very least, no one jumped out to stand against him, because his statement struck everyone as reasonable at first impression.
And so, the students of Thirteenth Middle School chatted idly until their two supervising teachers, Yang Limeng and Wang Guodong, returned to the group with the Teleportation Talismans.
However, when the two teachers returned, the atmosphere suddenly grew tense.
The teachers didn’t speak, but seeing their deeply furrowed brows, the students knew that the situation in this Secret Realm might not be very optimistic. They all had the good sense not to break the silence.
After about two minutes, Yang Limeng finally spoke slowly. "This time, the Secret Realm... is the Fallen Jiao Icefield!"
The students looked bewildered, not quite understanding what that meant.
Wang Guodong picked up the conversation and explained, "The extremely low temperatures are just the entry-level test for this Secret Realm. The Fallen Jiao Icefield is divided into three regions: the Icefield Area, the Wind Snow Area, and the Ice Lake District. The Secret Realm Creatures that appear also vary, and soul beasts with Tiers are not uncommon in the Fallen Jiao Icefield!"
As he mentioned soul beasts with Tiers, Wang Guodong glanced at a student carrying a bow and arrow before continuing, "Frost poison, frostbite, and paralysis are some of the main problems you need to watch out for. And also... it’s best not to act alone! If you encounter a soul beast, even a Tier One Lower Grade one, we’re worried you won’t even have time to use your teleportation!"
None of the students thought Teacher Wang Guodong was just trying to scare them. This was a competition against other schools, and a Secret Realm exam that came with a death quota.
In the last Wild Wolf Valley Secret Realm, three students never returned, and no teacher had given them such repeated warnings like they were today!
’The Fallen Jiao Icefield must be a terrifying and difficult Secret Realm. This mock college entrance exam... is probably going to be brutal!’
This thought surfaced in the minds of most students at that moment.
"Teacher... if we teleport out on the first day... will it be really embarrassing?" a student asked.
No one laughed at him. Not a single student mocked him or tried to argue. They just stared at the teacher, waiting for an answer.
"It will definitely be embarrassing! But safety... is what’s important! Let me be honest with all of you. Before I knew this time it was the Fallen Jiao Icefield, I was very confident in Thirteenth Middle School’s results—I thought we’d make the top five, at least! But after finding out it’s the Fallen Jiao Icefield, my only hope is that at the end of all this, Teacher Yang and I will still see all twenty-three of you! One last piece of advice: It’s best not to go near the Ice Lake area! And even in the Wind Snow Area, you must act within your limits!"
Wang Guodong’s tone was sincere, and it was this very sincerity that made the atmosphere grow even more tense.
"But don’t get too discouraged, everyone! Opportunity and challenge coexist within the Secret Realm, and the students from other schools aren’t necessarily better than you! What’s more... this time, the Fallen Jiao Icefield also has gathering points!"
Seeing that morale was flagging, Yang Limeng once again tried to console the students, while also directing their attention to the other schools’ areas.
The situation there was similar to Thirteenth Middle School’s. The teachers were speaking while the students hung their heads. They had entered with their heads held high, full of vigor, but now their heads were bowed, and the atmosphere was just as grim.
Seeing this, the mood warmed slightly. But what truly lifted their spirits wasn’t the state of the other schools’ morale, but the two words Yang Limeng had just mentioned.
Gathering points!
Hearing this, some of the students’ eyes lit up, while others continued to hang their heads, lost in thought.
"This is all the information we teachers have for now. Come and get your Teleportation Talismans."
As each person took a Teleportation Talisman, their inner thoughts were practically written on their faces, and the supervising teachers offered them either comfort or encouragement.
However, the expressions of a few students helped to ease the two teachers’ own uneasy hearts.
They were especially relieved by the state of the two Soul Apprentices, Wang Zhipeng and Li Heng.
Wang Guodong could sense that Wang Zhipeng was calm, while Li Heng’s attitude was... nonchalant?!
’Just how confident in his own strength must he be to display such a nonchalant, even laid-back, attitude in such a grim situation?’
Wang Guodong didn’t know whether to call Li Heng self-confident, carefree, or just arrogant. But as a teacher, he knew it was best not to place too much of a mental burden on a student in this situation, so he simply offered Li Heng encouragement.
In truth, what Wang Guodong didn’t know was that Li Heng wasn’t being laid-back, nor was he overly confident in his own strength. He was just thinking: ’That Ice Lake area sounds really dangerous... Could it be a new Dungeon recording point?’