Daniel turned to look at the phantoms, specifically the sage standing at the front, who had just fought Reed, spear in hand.
“Abusing time… will eventually bring time’s retaliation…” the sage said with difficulty.
The sage phantoms Daniel had pulled from various timelines still retained fragments of their consciousness.
Daniel had intercepted them and turned them into this unique battlefield.
“Time’s retaliation? Then let it come. I don’t care!”
These sages had already died in reality.
This situation only existed here.
With that, Daniel ignored the phantoms and left for his next destination.
As Daniel re-entered the mysterious realm between reality and illusion, he noticed the environment had changed again.
Strange animals roamed along the paths, some even clearing away weeds.
The view was now wide open, yet Nina was nowhere to be seen.
At that moment, a ripple appeared behind Daniel, and a pig burst from the spatial rift, charging at him.
But just before it reached him, it transformed into a swirl of vibrant clouds and disappeared.
“It’s time to go. Stop playing,” Daniel said as he effortlessly pulled Nina from the surrounding space.
“Headmaster, you tricked me! There’s no trial here!” Nina pouted, displeased.
“It looks like you’ve grasped some of the rules here; otherwise, you couldn’t have hidden in the space. Well done. You’ll receive tens of millions of mana stones as a reward when you return,” he said.
“Millions? Did… did I hear that right?” Nina’s disappointment instantly turned to excitement.
“There’ll be more after the Mistriver Realm is over.”
“That’s wonderful, Headmaster! You’re the best! I’m going to dominate this secret realm and crush those two families!”
Daniel dismissed her enthusiasm.
Listening was enough.
He returned Nina to the academy, leaving only one person left to retrieve: Nora.
Since Nora was within the semi-artifact Regrets of Time, Daniel simply tapped the crystal.
In a flash of light, Nora appeared in Daniel’s office, though her expression was still slightly dazed, clearly not yet out of the life experience she’d gained within the artifact.
Moments later, her gaze sharpened, the confusion and helplessness gone.
Nora now exuded a special aura—the mark of time’s trials.
“Headmaster, is it time?” Nora asked first.
“Yes, the Mistriver Realm will open soon. So, did you find your path?”
Nora hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“Headmaster, can I go back in?”
“Of course. It looks like you gained quite a bit,” Daniel said, handing the semi-artifact back to her. This item was, after all, meant for her.
“Yes, in there, I experienced so much…” Nora said as her magical aura began to surge.
Originally, she was at the early stage of tier-silver, which she had only recently reached.
But now, her power surged past tier-silver mid-stage, tier-silver late-stage, and even reached tier-silver peak!
Just as tier-gold fluctuations began to emerge, Nora forcefully held herself back.
Seeing Nora’s restraint, Daniel’s eyes filled with satisfaction.
Resisting the urge to break through to tier-gold showed that Nora had indeed grown.
“Good choice. You’re not ready for tier-gold just yet.”
“Yes, I feel that I must complete my magic through the life simulations, refining it across different lives.”
“As long as you have your own ideas. But don’t use it again anytime soon—the secret realm is about to begin.”
“Yes, Headmaster.”
…
Rhine Tavern.
This was the largest building in Riverside City.
Despite the name, it wasn’t a simple tavern but a high-end establishment offering dining, drinks, scenic pavilions, and towers.
Rhine Tavern had a prestigious background, with branches in several cities and was known as the pinnacle of luxury in any city.
In the days leading up to the opening of the secret realm, Rhine Tavern had opened its doors to the young elites of the three major powers, making it a customary event for each faction to show off their strength before the competition.
“Sitting here is so uncomfortable,” Rose muttered, maintaining her expression.
“No choice—it’s a pre-Mistriver Realm ritual, and we’re the only ones from the academy who could come,” Green replied.
Reed was adjusting to his new weapon, Nora was internalizing her growth, and Nina… well, she wasn’t suited for this kind of place.
So, Rose and Green had come with their followers to represent Crossbridge Academy.
Naturally, their presence was accompanied by the interest, comments, and stares of Riverside City’s residents.
With the three powers gathered, it was only natural that people would be curious.
A fight breaking out would make things even more entertaining.
Who wouldn’t want to see that?
With all three factions present, the main event was about to begin.
Usually, things didn’t get too heated; it was more about raising the tension.
Displays of power were simple: spending money or showing off followers.
The main representatives rarely took action themselves, as everyone knew the real battle would happen in the secret realm. freewebnvel.com
At that moment, a man strode towards Crossbridge Academy’s section, his face full of disdain as if he looked down on everyone there.
“Who is Crossbridge Academy’s Rose? My lady wishes to see her.”
“Your lady?” Rose asked, a hint of frost in her voice.
“Our lady is from House Goldstone of De’an City!”
“Never heard of her,” Rose replied coldly.
She hadn’t taken a liking to the man the moment he arrived.
Hearing his words only deepened her dislike.
“Hmph, how could someone like you know her? Let me make it clear—my lady thinks you have potential. She’d like to make you her…” The man’s words stopped abruptly.
A sharp slap had sent him sprawling to the ground.
“You… you…” He scrambled up, staring at Rose in disbelief.
In a small city like Riverside, he hadn’t imagined anyone would dare be so brazen.
He was, after all, from House Goldstone of De’an City!
For his lady to take an interest in Rose was a rare opportunity.
Then Rose’s clear voice rang out:
“I don’t know anyone from De’an City. And this is Riverside City. If she wants to see me, she can come herself!”
“You… you’ll regret this,” the man spat, covering his face as he hastily left.
He returned to his lady in tears, whining,
“My lady, you don’t understand! I mentioned your name, and she slapped me! It wasn’t just an insult to me; she was slapping House Goldstone in the face!”
“She even said that this is Riverside City and that you should go see her yourself!” he finished, clutching his face as he knelt before the girl.
Shelly Goldstone looked down at her complaining servant with growing irritation.
“Silence!” she commanded, and the servant immediately shut his mouth.
“I didn’t expect such arrogance in this little Riverside City, someone who would dare make me come to her! How insolent!”
Shelly had heard that the Crossbridge Academy girl, Rose, had quite a reputation and thought she might make a suitable personal maid.
House Goldstone of De’an City stood leagues above any power in Riverside City, after all.
But she hadn’t expected Rose to be so disrespectful, even humiliating House Goldstone publicly.
In that case, Shelly saw no need to follow the rules of this small city.
Secret realm or not… anyone who slapped a member of House Goldstone had to pay the price.
That was House Goldstone’s law!
