The Mistriver Realm has opened.
The younger generations of the three major factions have successfully passed the entrance test for the secret realm and entered one by one.
According to the rules, since Crossbridge Academy came in first last time, their people are the last to enter this time.
First to enter was House Lunastone, followed by House Windwhisper.
Seeing this, the heads of House Lunastone and House Windwhisper exchanged subtle glances, a slight curve forming at the corners of their mouths.
Such minute actions were almost unnoticed by anyone else. One of the reasons their plan could proceed smoothly lies here.
Once inside the Mistriver Realm, not all members of a faction will be together. Each person’s location upon entry is random.
This provides an opportunity for the two families, as their members can enter the secret realm first.
This means they have the advantage, allowing them to unite and work together to hunt down the isolated members of Crossbridge Academy.
In the secret realm, anything can happen, including death!
Their goal is simple: to bury the most talented members of Crossbridge Academy within this secret realm.
If they succeed, Crossbridge Academy can be declared finished! No matter how well you nurture your students, it still takes time!
Moreover, they have prepared other surprises for Crossbridge Academy.
Daniel captured the subtle movements of the two family heads using his mind power.
He knew they would resort to underhanded tactics; after all, that’s just who they are.
But he wasn’t worried. For the past month, only he knew just how much the five individuals he trained had grown.
…
Rose stepped through the entrance and into the secret realm.
She had gathered some information about the Mistriver Realm beforehand, so when she found herself alone, she didn’t panic.
She understood she had simply been randomly teleported to a different area. If she kept exploring, she would eventually encounter others.
The secret realm was a place that humanity had yet to fully explore on the continent.
It was known to contain many rare treasures, and with a bit of luck, an ordinary person could suddenly rise to become a tier-sage.
Of course, such occurrences were exceedingly rare.
With rare treasures come dangers. Most people cannot safely leave the secret realm. In this realm, danger and opportunity coexist.
However, there is a peculiar rule in the Mistriver Realm: the ultimate victor will receive the rewards from the secret realm that they desire.
It sounds wonderful, but it purely depends on luck.
The secret realm randomly selects something the winner desires at a specific moment.
For instance, someone once received a meal because they had been so engrossed in their magical studies that they forgot to eat and were extremely hungry.
There are even stranger examples.
Daniel’s father once obtained numerous items in the secret realm to aid the academy’s students.
Setting aside the random rewards, the Mistriver Realm was just a typical secret realm, and it has always been controlled by Riverside City.
Rose chose a random direction to explore.
Suddenly, she halted, hands gripping the hilt of her sword. “I can’t believe you found me!” a voice called out from the bushes ahead. A figure emerged: Prins from House Windwhisper.
Rose recognized him. Previously, at the border, he had tried to seize others’ spoils, leading to a confrontation where Rose intervened.
In the end, Prins left with a threat that their conflict would be resolved in the Mistriver Realm.
Now, just as Rose entered the secret realm, they encountered each other again. “I said our feud would be settled in the secret realm!” Prins declared without rushing to attack, his voice calm. “Rose, do you know what changes have taken place in me over these past few months?”
As Prins spoke, a tier-silver peak mana wave emanated from him. “Tier-silver peak! That’s my strength now! My family has invested many resources in me for this moment—to kill you!”
“The secret realm prohibits killing one another,” Rose stated, wielding her greatsword and recalling the agreement made by the three factions.
After all, they were all young representatives from different factions, and the secret realm could harbor dangers.
Thus, it was agreed that young people from the three factions were not to kill each other.
If injured, they were to assist one another.
These young individuals were the future of their factions; it would be a waste to lose them to infighting in the secret realm.
From Prins’s tone, Rose could tell he intended to violate this rule.
“Are you planning to break the rules?” she confirmed one last time.
“Rules? What rules? Only those who survive in the secret realm matter! As for you Crossbridge Academy people, it’s only natural to die here due to your lack of strength and poor luck!” As his words fell, Prins activated the magic patterns within him.
A torrent of mana surged through his body, surrounding him with a whirlwind.
House Windwhisper specialized in wind magic, and this was the effect of their magic patterns.
As mana flowed through Prins, the wind around him intensified.
Rose’s expression remained vigilant, showing no signs of relaxing.
Her months of experience at the border had taught her never to underestimate an opponent; one must always use their full strength, even against a rabbit.
With her greatsword held firmly, her own mana began to surge. Sensing the mana fluctuations from Rose, Prins smiled, knowing she was weaker than him.
“Crossbridge Academy? Nothing special!” he scoffed, launching several wind blades that hurtled toward Rose.
The air crackled with the sounds of slicing as the wind blades sped through, and Prins could already envision Rose’s demise. But in the next instant, Rose moved.
With a swing of her greatsword, she unleashed an awe-inspiring force. Even at a distance, Prins felt a surge of fear wash over him.
He forcibly pushed the fear from his mind, adding more wind blades to feel secure again. Rose would be killed by him…
But then, in the next moment, Prins saw something he couldn’t comprehend. He watched as an arc of electricity flashed along Rose’s greatsword.
With one powerful strike, Rose shattered all the wind blades Prins had launched, then moved with a speed that left him in disbelief, appearing right before him.
The terrifying greatsword seemed to signal his death!
Prins shut his eyes in despair, awaiting his demise. A sharp pain pierced his chest.
Rose didn’t kill him outright; instead, she used the blunt edge of her greatsword to send him flying. He crashed heavily against a tree before falling to the ground.
Rose… didn’t kill him? Why?
With great difficulty, Prins opened his eyes, meeting Rose’s calm gaze.
It was as if defeating him was as mundane as kicking a pebble on the road—there was no tumult of emotions.
Why… I’m clearly stronger than you. Why do you look at me like that?
Prins’s fear transformed into rage. Then, everything went dark, and he lost consciousness.
Although Rose hadn’t directly killed him, the force of her sword strike was more than enough for someone of Prins’s tier-silver peak strength to handle.
After defeating Prins, Rose felt no inner turmoil and turned to seek out others.
If what Prins had said was true, the other students entering the secret realm would be in grave danger.