Chapter 527: Gale Light Secret Realm

「In a city tens of thousands of miles away from Gale Light Academy.」

"It seems Lv Feng and Chen Jin are more likely dead than alive this time."

BANG!

Duan Tianlang slammed his fist down, shattering the long table before him, his face contorted in a ferocious snarl.

"Vice Sect Master Duan, how could this have happened?"

Crazy Battle and the others, standing below, asked in disbelief.

They had spies within Gale Light Academy and had learned not long ago that the survival assessment was over.

At the same time, they received news that Lv Feng had not returned from the assessment and had mysteriously disappeared.

This was something they found completely unbelievable.

In order to kill Xuan Ye, they had secretly provided Lv Feng with a host of treasures.

The Sky-Screening Bead, the Demon-Imprisoning Chain, the Demon Heaven Armor—any one of these treasures was enough to make even a Tier Seven Martial King Level expert covet it.

Considering Lv Feng’s own strength was comparable to a Tier Seven Martial King, it was expected that with these treasures, he would be a match for even one of them, a Supreme Elder. Killing Xuan Ye should have been effortless.

Who would have thought that when the news came back, they would all be pale with shock?

They immediately tried to contact Lv Feng and Chen Jin through the Array Disc.

But the messages sent to Lv Feng were like a stone sinking into the sea; there was no response.

And the message that came back from Chen Jin only confirmed the news from their other informants.

Duan Tianlang and his men naturally pressed for more details, trying to learn the truth. But after a few exchanges, Duan Tianlang’s sharp senses picked up on something wrong with Chen Jin’s replies.

Ever since their sect began targeting Gale Light Academy, Duan Tianlang had been in frequent contact with Chen Jin. As a former veteran outer court disciple of Gale Light Academy himself, Duan Tianlang knew Chen Jin’s speech patterns very well.

Although the codes in the messages sent by Ye Xuan were correct, the style of speech was completely different from the Chen Jin of the past.

Duan Tianlang saw through this mistake immediately.

’Looks like Chen Jin is also more likely dead than alive,’

Duan Tianlang muttered to himself in the room, his expression unsettled.

"Vice Sect Master, could it be that Xuan Ye’s doing?" Crazy Battle asked from the side, his face twisting into a snarl.

"Crazy Battle, has your desire to kill Xuan Ye driven you mad?"

Duan Tianlang shot him a cold glance. "Xuan Ye might have a few tricks, but how could he possibly be a match for Lv Feng? Besides, even if he really did kill Lv Feng, he’s just a student. How could he possibly get to Chen Jin after he returned to the academy?"

"In my opinion, it’s more likely that old coots like Ge Puzi noticed something was wrong, which led to the two of them being exposed."

"Then what should we do now?"

"What can we do? Right now, we do nothing, lest we ruin the Sect Master’s plan."

Duan Tianlang said, his eyes filled with menace.

Early the next morning, Ye Xuan and the other eight students gathered together.

Everyone looked excitedly at Instructor Lu Jun, who stood before them.

"Congratulations on successfully becoming this year’s inner court disciples. Today, I will be the one to lead you to the inner court. Follow me."

Under Instructor Lu Jun’s guidance, the group arrived at a building behind Gale Light Academy, drawing curious glances along the way.

"Isn’t the inner court supposed to be separate from the outer court? What is Instructor Lu Jun doing?"

The students were utterly confused as they walked into the building.

Led by Instructor Lu Jun, the group came to a stop in a large hall.

At the front of the hall, two elders were sitting cross-legged in meditation. When they sensed Instructor Lu Jun’s arrival, they opened their eyes, a sharp glint appearing in their gazes.

"Lu Jun, are these this year’s inner court students?"

One of the elders spoke lightly, then paused when he saw Ye Xuan and Dongfang Zisi.

"There are actually two at the Tier Five Third Layer of the Martial Sect realm? The competition in the inner court is brutal. Can Tier Five Martial Sects even survive?"

A hint of surprise appeared on their faces, as if they were worried about the quality of this year’s inner court disciples.

"Heh, don’t underestimate them. The quality of this year’s batch is no worse than any other."

Lu Jun said with a smile.

Ye Xuan’s strength had been on full display during the elimination tournament. It would be a grave mistake for anyone to underestimate him because of his cultivation level.

"Oh?"

Hearing Lu Jun’s high praise for the new students, the two elders were even more surprised. They knew Lu Jun’s personality well; it wasn’t easy to hear him praise a student.

"Haha, since you’ve said as much, we’ll be looking forward to it."

The two elders smiled faintly. One of them waved a hand, and a stream of Profound Power sank into the floor of the hall.

BUZZ!

The next moment, a brilliant light suddenly flared up throughout the hall. Before the students’ astonished eyes, a series of complex and ancient arrays materialized before them.

’A teleportation array?’

Ye Xuan immediately understood. The inner court of Gale Light Academy was indeed in a different location from the outer court, but the method of entry was unique: a teleportation array. This way, almost no student could ever know the inner court’s true location.

Led by Lu Jun, the group stepped onto the teleportation array. A blinding white light flared, and a powerful suction force pulled at them. Ye Xuan felt his body suddenly become weightless as his surroundings turned into a vast expanse of white. All his senses vanished for an instant. A moment later, he felt his weight return as his feet touched solid ground.

Ye Xuan’s first sensation was the density of the Profound Qi. When he opened his eyes, he saw milky-white Heaven and Earth Profound Qi swirling like a mist, madly pouring into every student’s pores.

"Where is this?"

"Have we arrived?"

"The Heaven and Earth Profound Qi is so dense!"

All the students cried out in shock, their faces alight with excitement.

Ye Xuan roughly estimated that the concentration of Profound Qi here was about five times that of the outside world.

In other words, cultivating here meant there was no need for a training room; the speed of absorbing Heaven and Earth Profound Qi was five times the normal rate.

It was no wonder the geniuses of Gale Light Academy’s inner court were so formidable, being constantly immersed in such a cultivation environment.

Looking out as far as he could see, beneath the wisps of white Profound Qi mist lay a dense jungle. The wind whispered through the treetops, making a soft, rustling sound.

"Where is this place?"

"To think there’s a place like this in our Dream Realm Plain."

"How have I never heard of a place with such a high concentration of Profound Qi before?"

The students exclaimed in amazement again and again.

’Something’s off. The Profound Qi concentration here is strange. It doesn’t feel like a natural area. It’s more like... a secret realm!’

Only Ye Xuan’s mind jolted as he guessed the truth.

Sure enough, Lu Jun chuckled and said, "Everyone, this is the location of our Gale Light Academy’s inner court. This jungle doesn’t actually belong to any part of the Dream Realm Plain. It is a secret realm, one we call the Gale Light Secret Realm."

"This secret realm was discovered and modified by the first headmaster of Gale Light Academy to serve as our inner court."

"The inner court itself is located deep within this jungle. You just need to travel forward for a little while to see its buildings. Among them is a Core Hall."

"When you get there, simply take your tokens to the Core Hall to register."

"As for me, I have to head back now, so this is as far as I take you. Before I go, I have one piece of advice..."

At this, Lu Jun’s gaze suddenly turned serious. "The inner court is the territory of the strong. The competition is beyond what you can imagine—it’s even cruel. If you aren’t strong enough, then joining the inner court might not be a good thing for you."

"Of course, my greater hope is that each and every one of you will become one of the elite figures of the Dream Realm Plain in a few years, or perhaps a few decades from now."

With that, Lu Jun turned and left, leaving the nine students behind.

With Lu Jun gone, the students felt a sudden sense of emptiness, as if they had lost their pillar of support.

They exchanged glances, and the eyes of the vast majority fell upon Lin Yuan.

Among everyone present, Lin Yuan had the highest cultivation and the greatest reputation. Being new to the inner court and unfamiliar with everything, many of them couldn’t help but look to him for leadership.

But to everyone’s surprise, Lin Yuan turned his gaze toward Ye Xuan.

"Let’s go."

SWOOSH!

Without wasting any words, Ye Xuan shot off into the depths of the jungle.

The group followed close behind.

Sure enough, after flying for only a quarter of an hour, a vast complex of magnificent buildings appeared before them.

’The inner court... have we finally arrived?’

The students excitedly flew toward the buildings.

Among the many structures, one was particularly eye-catching and grand. On the plaque above this building was written the single word, "Core." This was the Core Hall, the place where newly promoted students reported and where older students socialized and traded with one another.

There were no guards in the inner court, nor was there anyone to give directions. There were barely even any people coming and going between the buildings, making it feel like a ghost town.

It wasn’t until Ye Xuan’s group arrived at the Core Hall that they saw a few scattered students landing and taking off in front of it. Among these people, the weakest was a Tier Six Martial Venerable, and each one had wings unfurled behind them.

Whether through flight-type Spiritual Treasures or flight-enabling spiritual techniques, it seemed almost no student here couldn’t fly.

"The inner court is really something else."

Everyone was completely shaken.

Moreover, these students all carried themselves with immense pride. Their gazes were sharp, and their every movement exuded a unique aura. Although they were only Tier Six Martial Venerables, their eyes held more arrogance than some Tier Seven Martial Kings.

Just as the group was observing their new surroundings,

"Li Xun, you bastard! You finally showed your face! I’ve been waiting for you. Last time, you injured my arm and kept me from cultivating for over half a month. This time, I’m going to make you lie in bed for a month!"

A furious roar suddenly echoed from a distance, followed by a surge of astonishing Profound Power.

Ye Xuan immediately looked over and saw two students confronting each other on a nearby plaza. One of them had let out a roar and launched an attack without another word.

A brilliant blue light erupted from the attacking student’s hands, transforming into a torrent of Profound Power that rushed toward the other student.