Entering the Mystic Realm

Hong Tan remembered the matter, and his willpower surged immediately. A moment later, a little ball of fluff appeared before Su Yu's eyes. A white little fur ball! At that moment, two little black dots suddenly surfaced on the fur ball—those were eyes. Su Yu was taken aback. What on earth was this? Why was his grandmaster always coming up with such bizarre things? Just as the thought crossed his mind, the little fur ball opened its eyes, suddenly revealing a tiny pink nose. The nose twitched, and in the next instant, with a whoosh, it broke free from Hong Tan's grasp and flew straight toward Su Yu! Before Su Yu could even react, he felt something burrowing toward his sea of will! "Impudent!" Hong Tan let out a furious roar and snapped out a hand, squeezing the little fur ball tightly in his palm with a squeak. Annoyed, he said, "Courting death!" "Eek, eek, eek!" The little fur ball seemed to scream in pain, yet also seemed to be begging for mercy. Its two beady black eyes, however, rolled around, staring fixatedly at Su Yu. Hong Tan also glanced at Su Yu, looking puzzled. "What special divine character did you outline? This little thing says it caught a delicious scent and wants to eat!" "……" Su Yu was speechless! What did that mean? Just what kind of creature was this? "This is a member of the God-Devouring Race. Of course, that's just a name I came up with!" Seeing that the fur ball was unharmed, Hong Tan felt somewhat relieved and chuckled. "Catching this little guy cost me several months and a massive amount of energy!" "The God-Devouring Race?" Su Yu was surprised. Was there really such a race? Bai Feng had mentioned earlier that a new race had appeared on the All-Heavens Battlefield, which was why Hong Tan had gone there for months without returning. Had Grandmaster gone all that way just for this little ball of fluff? "Don't underestimate it!" Hong Tan said with an aching heart, "This thing isn't weak at all. It specializes in devouring divine characters! It can bore straight into a sea of will to consume them. Of course, its tier isn't very high right now—equivalent to the Tengkong Realm, so it can only devour Tier-2 divine characters at the moment……" Saying that, he wore a helpless expression. "To lure this fellow out, several of my divine characters were eaten by it. Swallowed root and stem!" The God-Devouring Race! This was a race appearing on the All-Heavens Battlefield for the first time—mysterious and extraordinarily formidable. Devouring divine characters! Consuming them root and all by burrowing directly into the sea of will—a truly terrifying ability. Su Yu was inwardly alarmed. It could devour divine characters? Holy crap! This fellow had flown straight at him just now, and he had even felt something trying to dig into his sea of will. Had it been planning to enter his sea of will to eat his divine characters? If it had swallowed them, wouldn't he be finished? It hadn't been easy to outline those divine characters of his…… As he pondered, Su Yu's heart stirred. The little fur ball said it smelled something delicious—could it have set its sights on the golden album? Were its senses really that sharp? No, that would be seeking death. Although Su Yu didn't know how powerful the album truly was, if it were considered a divine character, it was at least at the true Eternal Realm. If this little fur ball could swallow an Eternal divine character, it wouldn't just be at the Tengkong Realm. "Eek, eek, eek……" The little fur ball grew somewhat anxious, looking pleadingly at Su Yu. One couldn't even tell where its face was; it was just two eyes and a nose, and it seemed exceedingly impatient. Hong Tan listened for a moment before explaining again, "This race is newly appeared, and it doesn't speak the common tongue. I don't understand its language either, so I can only make rough judgments……" Su Yu couldn't help asking, "Grandmaster, a new race—does that mean it had never appeared on the All-Heavens Battlefield before?" "Correct!" Hong Tan explained, "The All-Heavens Battlefield is a rather unique plane connecting all the other realms. Every realm can open up an entrance and exit on the battlefield. It serves as a transit plane for the myriad realms and exerts no suppression on any realm. Some realms might have only just discovered the All-Heavens Battlefield and opened an entrance, while others might have discovered it long ago but lacked experts!" "Without the strength of the Shanhai Realm or above, there's no way to establish a passage to the All-Heavens Battlefield. Being able to open an entrance means that an expert above the Shanhai Realm has appeared in that race or realm." Saying that, Hong Tan held up the little fur ball and shook it gently. "This God-Devouring Race likely only just opened their planar passage! I had never seen one before, and it took an enormous amount of effort to track it down this time…… This little thing is quite troublesome. It can burrow into a sea of will and devour divine characters, and its physical body exists between the corporeal and the ethereal, somewhat similar to a cultural weapon." That was why he had only brought it out just now. He had tossed it into his sea of will and ignored it ever since. Lately, he had been swamped with work, and because this fellow had been very obedient inside his sea of will, he had nearly forgotten about it. Su Yu stared curiously at the little fur ball, which stared right back at him. Its nose twitched constantly as if catching some irresistible scent. Even while held by Hong Tan, its gaze remained glued to Su Yu. Su Yu looked at it as well. Devouring divine characters…… that was a rather formidable ability. Still, he didn't pay it too much mind. Hong Tan had captured it, likely intending to use it for research. Just as he was thinking, Hong Tan said, "This thing isn't easy to keep contained. I'll forge a specialized cage for it later. You still need to cultivate in seclusion, so help me raise it. It doesn't eat anything else, only divine characters…… You know about the Divine Character Fragment Room, right? Get some fragmented divine characters to feed it so it doesn't starve to death." "Eat divine characters?" Su Yu bared his teeth. "What a high-maintenance creature! Where am I supposed to find so many divine characters to feed it? Does it eat willpower?" "It eats that too!" Hong Tan chuckled and nodded. "Actually, this thing is best raised in piles of corpses! Especially heaps of dead Civilization Masters. Besides, it's quite handy for underhanded tricks. In a battle against a Civilization Master, the moment they bring out a Tier-2 divine character, it could swallow it whole in an instant. Now wouldn't that be fun?" A Divine Character Master's primary method of combat was their divine characters. Once those were devoured, they would be entirely at the mercy of others! Su Yu rubbed his chin and said, "You know, Grandmaster, when this thing devours a divine character, does it cause the host's sea of will to collapse?" "No, and it's very stealthy. You won't even feel it……" Su Yu's eyes lit up. "Grandmaster, this isn't meant for killing—this is a medical divine beast!" Hong Tan paused slightly. Su Yu said urgently, "You mean that when it devours a divine character, it doesn't cause a backlash in the sea of will? Right now, some of our people want to shatter their God and Demon divine characters. But shattering them isn't just about losing the character; the main danger is the backlash on oneself!" At those words, Hong Tan's eyes gleamed with brilliant realization! Right! He had almost completely overlooked that. Or rather, in the past, no one was willing to see their carefully outlined divine characters shattered and destroyed, so a creature that devoured divine characters was seen strictly as a scourge. Yet now, an issue had arisen with God and Demon divine characters. Some people wanted to abandon them, but they were reluctant. On one hand, they hated the thought of destroying their divine characters; on the other, they feared the process could prove fatal. The backlash was simply too severe! But if this little fur ball of the God-Devouring Race were used to devour them, couldn't the problem of conflicting divine characters be resolved painlessly and without injury? Hong Tan's eyes sparkled. "Indeed, it truly does possess medical utility! When this thing devours a divine character, it's essentially acting like medical anesthesia. It numbs your sea of will, preventing you from sensing the divine character's presence before swallowing it…… That way, divine character conflicts can be resolved painlessly, and it will even allow the creature itself to grow stronger……" As he spoke, Hong Tan frowned again. "It's still a bit weak, only at Tengkong, so it can only devour Tier-2 divine characters. Those who wish to switch cultivation methods right now are mostly at the Shanhai Realm or above. Divine characters that are too powerful are beyond its ability to swallow." He was an example himself. His divine characters were exceedingly powerful, so even if he tossed this creature into his sea of will, it couldn't devour them. If this creature had been around earlier, Bai Feng wouldn't have needed to shatter his own characters, suffering a backlash that caused severe injuries. He could have selectively let this thing devour a portion of them instead. After a few more words, Hong Tan said, "I'll study it for a few days first, and then I'll lock it in the detention area. Don't forget to feed it." Su Yu gave a dry laugh and said nothing. *I forget all the time!* That batch of great demons downstairs hadn't been fed in nearly a week. Fortunately, that wasn't too long. They could wait. He would deal with it after leaving the mystic realm! Just as he was thinking this, the little fur ball in Hong Tan's hand suddenly began to struggle, desperately trying to burrow toward Su Yu. Hong Tan frowned slightly and squeezed it. "Eek, eek, eek……" The little fur ball squeaked and cried out in extreme urgency. Hong Tan frowned, struggling to interpret its sounds before translating roughly, "It seems to be saying that you smell delicious……" Su Yu was speechless. Delicious scent? That was the scent of death! Could this little guy truly have targeted the golden album? Did it not understand that it was courting death? The little hammer from the Expanding Will Art was overbearing enough, yet when it tried to attack the album last time, it had fled in terror from a distance, frightened out of its wits. Did this little fur ball really think it could devour his golden album? Su Yu smiled and said, "Used properly, this thing could make a formidable pet. Grandmaster, you study it first, and later I'll take a look too to see if I can produce a devouring-type divine character from it." As for raising it as a mount—forget it. He didn't want the creature eating up all of his own divine characters. If that happened, he wouldn't even have tears left to cry! …… They didn't chat much longer. Hong Tan seemed to have taken a keen interest in the little fur ball and carried it off to the research lab, likely intending to study it through the night. As he left, the little fur ball continued trying to burrow toward Su Yu. Its two eyes never left him! *Fragrant!* *So fragrant!* *If I eat it, I'll definitely become super, super strong!* Unfortunately, Su Yu couldn't understand its meaning, and Hong Tan could only make rough guesses, unable to decipher the specifics. …… That night, Su Yu took a brief rest to adjust his state, awaiting his journey into the mystic realm the next day. …… October 25th. Early in the morning, Su Yu woke up. He wasn't heading there alone; Chen Yong and Wu Jia had arrived together at dawn. Hong Tan also emerged from his experiments, bubbling with excitement. If he hadn't remembered that the mystic realm was opening today, he probably wouldn't have come out at all. The moment he emerged, he said excitedly, "Kid, you were right! I ran another test on that thing, and it indeed has the effect of numbing the sea of will. Later, I'll go ask Wu Yuehua to see if we can extract some substances from it. If we can manufacture a pill with a paralyzing effect, that would be incredible—it could be used as a poison to paralyze a Civilization Master's sea of will!" Su Yu thought about it and found it made sense. If this creature could truly extract divine characters painlessly, it certainly had the power to numb the sea of will. Once refined into a poison, it might paralyze a Civilization Master so completely that they couldn't even move. "Teacher……" Seeing his teacher's excitement, Chen Yong couldn't help interrupting, "It's about time. We should head to the Secret Realm Area!" "Right, right, right, I almost forgot!" Hong Tan laughed, in high spirits. The newly captured God-Devouring creature was extraordinary, and he felt a path to wealth opening before him. Once it was nurtured to the Shanhai Realm and could devour Shanhai divine characters, it might serve as a money-making beast. Exclusively helping people excise unwanted divine characters! And without any backlash! What a wonderful demonic beast! Ignoring them, Su Yu spoke quietly to Wu Jia. "Senior Sister, did you learn the Sky-Shaking Art?" "Mm……" "Then after going inside, don't wander around. Follow right behind Xia Huyou!" Su Yu reminded her in a whisper, "That way, no one will notice anything amiss if you absorb willpower too quickly." Xia Huyou had already opened his divine apertures, so his absorption speed wouldn't be slow. If Wu Jia stayed with him, there was no need to worry about anyone noticing anything unusual. Otherwise, if she stayed near other Yangxing students and absorbed willpower too quickly, attracting attention would only cause trouble. As for Su Yu himself…… He would see if anyone from the Single Divine Character Faction who had just stepped into Tengkong was entering. He would just follow them. Someone too strong wouldn't be suitable, but someone newly entered into Tengkong certainly wouldn't absorb willpower faster than him. Plus, it would help conceal any irregularities! As for whether the other party felt something was off…… their words wouldn't count. *You absorbed it yourself, but you insist on blaming Su Yu—are you trying to frame me?* Those people from the Single Divine Character Faction wanted to target him anyway. No need for them to take the initiative—he would facilitate it himself! The moment he entered, he would stick close to their people! Wu Jia nodded hurriedly, indicating she understood. Up ahead, Chen Yong smiled, and Hong Tan smiled as well, transmitting his voice: "Su Yu still has talent and brains. Are you planning to play matchmaker between him and Jiajia?" "Let nature take its course!" Chen Yong replied via voice transmission, "Master, regarding matters of the younger generation, let them handle it themselves. On the other hand, Su Yu's strength hasn't seemed to advance over the past few days, yet his willpower has become noticeably clearer. Has he thought things through and stopped drilling into dead ends?" "He figured it out on his own; I don't know the details either." Hong Tan was also at a loss. Who knew how the kid had thought it through? It was a good thing regardless! As for the rest, he couldn't be bothered to ask. After a pause, Hong Tan added, "Your martial uncle and junior brother are both leaving soon, and I don't feel easy about them. Once I reach the Sunmoon Realm, I'll be heading to the All-Heavens Battlefield before long. As for your side…… why don't you break through to Shanhai and go to the battlefield to lend a hand, while I stay to watch over the academy……" "Master, you should go. Even if I break through to Shanhai, going there won't be of much help to Martial Uncle and the others." Chen Yong shook his head and quickly added, "The Divine Character Battle Technique Wall, the Library Pavilion, and the Wen Tan Research Center all need someone to look after them. Senior Martial Uncle Xia Yunqi and the others also need someone to help comb through their divine characters. In your absence, I can handle it. If we all leave, this Great Xia Civilization Academy will truly have nothing to do with us anymore." Hong Tan let out a sigh, glanced at him, and said no more. After walking a few more steps, he suddenly said, "Master knows you have a knot in your heart, but will keeping yourself cooped up at the Lingyun Realm forever do any good?" Chen Yong remained silent. "Your foundation is far too deep, yet your physical strength is insufficient. If you advance, I fear your physical body will burst. If that happens, you'll fail to walk the invincible path of a Civilization Master, and there will be almost no hope left for the invincible physical path!" "Teacher, that is still too far away for me." "Far?" Hong Tan scolded via voice transmission, "Far, my foot! When I took you in, it was because your talent was astonishing. I even thought you were a second coming of my senior brother, stronger than me! You've been in the academy for forty years, and you reached Lingyun decades ago. If you hadn't been holding yourself back, you would have reached the eighth or ninth layer of Shanhai long ago!" "Let's wait a little longer!" Chen Yong said softly, "Now is not the time!" Saying that, Chen Yong transmitted, "Master, over the years, I've cleared out quite a few of those who took action back then. There are still several who haven't shown themselves. The mastermind who ambushed me that day was definitely in the Shanhai Realm! After all these years, he might already be in the Sunmoon Realm. Even if he hasn't reached it, he shouldn't be far off." "I can help you……" "No need. He knows I'm waiting for him to appear, so over all these years, as long as you were around, Master, he never showed himself. A few months ago, you went to the All-Heavens Battlefield. Unfortunately…… you returned too quickly." Chen Yong sounded regretful. Something had gone wrong; otherwise, it would have been better for Hong Tan to stay on the battlefield longer. With Hong Tan present, the mastermind behind the ambush dared not appear. Over the years, Chen Yong had also killed many people, forcing that person into hiding. Hong Tan's departure this time had actually been a prime opportunity to lure the snake from its hole. Chen Yong added, "That fellow might be connected to the Invincible behind the scenes, or perhaps to the Single Divine Character Faction. Master, now that you've displayed your strength, he'll be even less inclined to show himself. When you leave for the All-Heavens Battlefield, that will be my moment to break through to Shanhai……" Taking advantage of that day to slay the enemy! To seek vengeance! Hong Tan sighed and tried to persuade him no further. He felt that breaking through safely was the better course, but clearly, Chen Yong did not see it that way. …… Amid their conversation, they arrived at the Secret Realm Area. A grand hall far larger than the yuanqi secret realm stood before them. At this moment, students and instructors preparing to enter the mystic realm were arriving one after another. Zhou Mingren was present, along with several elders from the Single Divine Character Faction. Many other elders had come as well. The moment Hong Tan, Chen Yong, and the others arrived, the hall instantly fell silent. Su Yu spotted Zhai Feng right away! That look…… that gaze…… It was as if he couldn't wait to fight a duel to the death with him on the spot! Su Yu kept his head down, not even bothering to look back. Pointless! There were many familiar faces: Zhan Hai, Xia Huyou, Wan Mingze, Hu Qiusheng, Xia Chan…… Familiar students were all present. In addition, he saw Wu Lan, Liu Ke, and a few others. Wu Lan being able to enter was no surprise to Su Yu, but that diminutive Liu Ke being able to enter caught him slightly off guard. She was also a student from the Divine Pill Department, but this time, the Divine Pill Department didn't seem to have been allocated many slots. This woman either had exceptional talent or solid backing at home. As for Zhang Hao from the Divine Talisman Department and Lin Yao and others from the Single Divine Character Faction, their presence was entirely expected. There were quite a few freshmen entering the mystic realm this time. Senior students, however, were few! Su Meng, a descendant of Principal Su; Hu Qiusheng, a descendant of Chief Hu; Wan Mingze, related to Principal Wan…… Those with backing had secured spots with ease. There was also a somewhat familiar girl who caught Su Yu's eye. He remembered her—she seemed to be the daughter of the head of the Yuqiang Department, and she was standing among the crowd right now. She was an honest person as well! Last time, when she asked for three books, she meant exactly three. She didn't ask for a single one extra, nor did she settle for one less. The Single Divine Character Faction had withheld texts of will from many people last time, but for her, not a single volume was missing! Three meant three! This time was no exception. The Ji family had no experts holding positions within the academy, yet Ji Xiaomeng had still secured a slot effortlessly, without the slightest pressure. The Single Divine Character Faction dared provoke Hong Tan, but they didn't dare provoke that person. "Is everyone here?" Zhou Mingren couldn't be bothered to say much. Looking around, he said calmly, "The materials required for the mystic realm have been gathered, sufficient to open the realm and sustain it for three full days! Old Sun and I can maintain it for one day; the remaining time will require others to step in……" Hong Tan chuckled. "I can maintain it for a day!" From within the crowd, Elder Qi said indifferently, "I'll maintain it for a day as well. Let's strive to keep it open for the full three days so the Heavenly River Sand doesn't go to waste!" "Very well!" Zhou Mingren's voice was calm as he announced, "This time, there are thirty-three students at Yangxing entering, five at Tengkong, and three at Lingyun. The mystic realm should be able to accommodate them." Forty-one people! Fewer than fifty, because there were Tengkong and Lingyun cultivators entering. These individuals consumed far more than those at Yangxing, and their presence inside exerted greater pressure on the realm, significantly increasing the difficulty for the Shanhai experts maintaining it from the outside. Among the five Tengkong cultivators was Liu Hong. The other four consisted of three men and one woman, all from the Single Divine Character Faction—likely having divided the slots among several elders. As for the three Lingyun cultivators, Su Yu hadn't seen them yet. Elder Qi asked out of curiosity, "At Lingyun, which ones are entering?" "Me!" Right at that moment, a figure blocked the sunlight at the entrance of the grand hall. Xia Yuwen looked calm, his injuries fully healed, his complexion only slightly pale. He seemed to have completely recovered as he strode inside, saying coolly, "I will be entering this time!" The crowd was somewhat surprised, looking at him with strange expressions. Hadn't it been said that Xia Yuwen was nursing his wounds at home, not even daring to step outside? He had actually come out! Just then, another person laughed. "I'm going in as well." "Hu Wensheng!" The crowd was surprised at first, then came to a realization—Hu Wensheng had successfully advanced! This fellow shared the same plight as Xia Yuwen, having both been utterly devastated by Bai Feng. In comparison, however, Hu Wensheng was slightly better off. At least it had been a clash between Tengkong cultivators; though his defeat had been humiliating, compared to Xia Yuwen, Hu Wensheng should consider himself fortunate. Two of the three Lingyun cultivators had appeared. Both were geniuses of Bai Feng's generation! Too bad Bai Feng wasn't here, or today would have been an even better spectacle. Hu Wensheng had not only come himself, but had also brought two of his students: Chen Qi and Guo Shengquan. Chen Qi's side was fine, as he had been allocated a slot this time, but Guo Shengquan…… Elder Sun and several others wore slightly strange expressions. Guo Shengquan hadn't been allocated a slot! Even though, among the Single Divine Character Faction, he was currently considered part of the strongest tier of students. "Wensheng……" Elder Sun glanced at Guo Shengquan. Before he could speak, Guo Shengquan respectfully said, "I am a student recommended by Elder Hu. Elder Sun, I will not be taking anyone else's slot." At these words, Elder Sun's expression turned rather unsightly! Zhou Mingren also frowned slightly! The Elder Hu he mentioned was precisely a low-profile elder in the academy, belonging to the so-called third-party faction. This time, slots had been allocated to them as well, and they had actually given one to Guo Shengquan! Elder Qi, not bothering to dwell on it, spoke up: "Two Lingyun cultivators have arrived. Who is the third?" "Me!" From the crowd, Zhou Pingsheng, who had been ignored all this time, suddenly spoke. At this, many people gave him strange looks! Elder Qi frowned. "Director Zhou is already at the seventh layer of Lingyun; you should sit this one out! First, the improvement would be limited, so it's better to give newcomers a chance! Second, your entry will put too much strain on the mystic realm, greatly increasing the burden on the Shanhai experts maintaining it! If Director Zhou doesn't enter, we could easily swap in five Yangxing students instead." This was somewhat unexpected! None of them had anticipated that Zhou Pingsheng would be allowed to enter. He was already at the seventh layer of Lingyun, considered part of the academy's upper echelon. For him to vie for a spot in this mystic realm—wasn't that just robbing newcomers of an opportunity? Xia Yuwen and the others were one thing, as they were still relatively young. Zhou Pingsheng was truly showing no shame! Zhou Mingren said indifferently, "I permitted it. Furthermore, a portion of the materials used to open the mystic realm belongs to Pingsheng. Years ago, when he entered the Xingyu Residence, he seized a considerable amount of Heavenly River Sand. Without him, we might not even be able to open the mystic realm!" Zhou Pingsheng had also been a genius student back in his day; otherwise, he wouldn't have been accepted by Zhou Mingren. He had visited the Xingyu Residence as well! And had seized Heavenly River Sand! This was crucial for opening the mystic realm, and it was evident that Zhou Pingsheng was determined to enter. Seeing that he insisted on going in, Hong Tan frowned. Without raising an objection directly, he swiftly transmitted his voice to Su Yu: "Be careful. That fellow might just be targeting you!" Su Yu nodded almost imperceptibly. Indeed, entering the mystic realm offered limited benefits to Zhou Pingsheng. For him to insist on going in, even at the cost of taking fewer slots for students, was likely aimed entirely at Su Yu. As Su Yu was thinking, Hong Tan spoke up: "I believe that to give the students more opportunities, why not add a layer of the Grand Star-Shift Array to scatter the students across the mystic realm? That way, they won't interfere with one another……" Pausing, he added, "Furthermore, the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm carries no inherent danger. I hope no harm befalls any student, otherwise……" He cast a deep, piercing glance at Zhou Pingsheng. "Plotting against a student carries only one penalty: death! Not only will the perpetrator die, but their clan, their instructors, and their students will all be implicated. Old Zhou, what do you say?" Zhou Mingren said indifferently, "Naturally!" "Very well!" Hong Tan chuckled. "Then we add a layer of the Grand Star-Shift Array?" With that, he transmitted his voice to Su Yu: "Forget about the first day. On the second day, when I take over maintaining the realm's opening, I'll give you special treatment and shift that fellow far away from you. Follow the traces I leave behind, and I'll arrange an area with high-purity willpower for you to cultivate!" The implication was clear: Su Yu shouldn't contest things with them on the first day, to avoid causing trouble. "Is that really necessary?" Zhou Mingren said coolly, "The mystic realm is only so large. Why waste the energy?" Hong Tan chuckled. "It's quite necessary. I'm not worried about the Yangxing students, but about those at Tengkong and Lingyun. If they attempt a breakthrough and get disrupted, that would be troublesome! Students lack discretion; if someone accidentally barged into their breakthrough area, that would be terrible, wouldn't it?" Saying that, he looked at Su Yu and laughed. "Su Yu, don't wander around! Some people might be breaking through. If you wander in by mistake, they won't be able to kill you or even dare to severely injure you, but if you lack discretion, it'll still be quite troublesome!" Su Yu said with feigned innocence, "Grandmaster, I understand. I'll be careful!" The unspoken message was obvious: once inside, if Zhou Pingsheng interfered with him, he wouldn't bother cultivating—he would simply go disrupt someone else! Let's see who loses more! Zhou Mingren frowned slightly, then quickly said, "Fine!" Zhou Pingsheng was at the seventh layer of Lingyun; finding Su Yu would be simple enough. If everyone clustered together and Su Yu ran off to disrupt others, opening the mystic realm this time would have been for nothing. Zhou Mingren wasted no more words. Countless materials appeared out of thin air before him, and he barked, "Then enter, all of you! Remember, no one may disrupt another's cultivation without cause!" As he said this, he deliberately cast a glance at Su Yu! Then he looked at Zhou Pingsheng, signaling: *You don't need to cultivate; your mission this time is to ensure this kid can't cultivate!* "Understood!" Zhou Pingsheng replied with a smile. The others wore diverse expressions. Without asking, they already knew what would unfold inside. This time, the Single Divine Character Faction had dispatched an expert at the seventh layer of Lingyun just to harass Su Yu—a massive price to pay. Otherwise, several more students could have entered. Of course, it was also partly because many of their students had been crippled by Su Yu. They had yet to recover; entering now would have been pointless, as they wouldn't have been able to cultivate anyway. Hong Tan remained silent. If Su Yu didn't cultivate on the first day, so be it; on the second day, he would step in to resolve the problem himself. A single day of absorption would be more than enough for Su Yu. The crowd wasted no more time. Within the grand hall, a portal was unveiled. Several Shanhai experts took action in unison, their willpower erupting to sustain the portal's stability. "Enter!" Following a clear shout, the crowd began walking toward the portal. Su Yu and Wu Jia entered separately. Wu Jia went in first, while Zhou Pingsheng waited unhurriedly, keeping his eyes on Su Yu. Su Yu said nothing. Only when someone else was about to step through did he suddenly slip into the gap, stepping through the portal alongside them. Xia Chan! He had darted in right beside Xia Chan! Zhou Pingsheng cursed under his breath and hurriedly tried to follow, but at that exact moment, Hong Tan suddenly sneezed! "Achoo!" With that single sneeze, the entire entrance to the mystic realm shuddered violently, instantly blocking Zhou Pingsheng's path! Zhou Mingren frowned and glared at Hong Tan, who laughed dryly. "Not feeling well. Someone must be cursing me behind my back. My apologies, my apologies! Keep it open, sorry about that!" "……" The others remained dead silent. Even an idiot knew he had done it on purpose! Yet one had to admit, this fellow's strength was truly terrifying. A mere sneeze had caused the mystic realm entrance, maintained by several Shanhai experts, to shake! Zhou Pingsheng cursed silently in his heart, not daring to speak. Only when the entrance stabilized once more did he quickly dive into the portal.