Looking at the distant peaks, Lin Guang couldn't help but recall the time when he first entered the Secret Realm.

At the foot of the mountain lay an abandoned small town where a Bone Hammer Dragon reigned as the town's overlord.

Most wild Spirit Beasts, without the blessing of a Spirit Master of the same level and potential, are powerless, but the Bone Hammer Dragon was different.

Not only had it reached the peak of Tier Two, but it also possessed Purple Legendary level potential and was strengthened by Demonic Qi, giving it further attack and defense capabilities that shouldn't be underestimated.

It could curl its body and tail into a ball to roll, combining offense and defense with extremely destructive skills. In just a brief encounter, the battlefield at the town center was in complete disarray, with the Otherworldly-style buildings destroyed in patches.

Fortunately, two days before entering the Secret Realm, Vishdair had timely reached the domain of Tier Two.

But even so, this Bone Hammer Dragon wasn't easy to deal with. Lin Guang and Lily exerted quite an effort to control it, creating an opportunity for Vishdair to use the Explosion Fist to forcefully break through its tough White Bone Armor, relentlessly dealing heavy blows from within, thus achieving victory.

It's a pity that the Spirit Beasts in the Demon Qi Secret Realm were all tainted by Demonic Qi; otherwise, the collection of spiritual materials from the Bone Hammer Dragon could sell for a significant amount of money.

After dealing with the Bone Hammer Dragon, Lin Guang relied on the guidance function of the Profound Dragon Jade Token—once a candidate entered within ten meters of a supply box, it would provide direction—to find a purple treasure chest, which yielded substantial supplies. Not only was there a Low Tier Space Ring, but there were plenty of replenishment items like Refreshing Soda, as well as a substantial amount of Etheral Crystals with a purity of Tier Three in Fire and Spiritual Attributes.

This wasn't just good luck on Lin Guang's part to happen upon usable items; rather, the hidden compartments in the supply boxes contained Ethereal Crystals of various attributes. It was only by sensing the information of Lin Guang contained in the Profound Dragon Jade Token, which acted as a key, that these two types were dispensed.

Suffice it to say, tampering with supply boxes is a violation of the rules.

Additionally, Lin Guang obtained a black metal Hook Jade and a map from the supply box.

The black Hook Jade didn't seem to be a Spiritual Artifact, as infusing it with Spiritual Power elicited no reaction. Lin Guang casually placed it into the Space Spiritual Artifact and then focused his attention on the map, roughly understanding the situation in the Purple A1 area.

The periphery was a vast plain, the original landing point for Lin Guang, with a mountain range in the center and four towns at the mountain's foot, separated by the mountains.

At the mountain's center, the peak was encircled with bold red markings, indicating something significant was there.

In this view, though the entire examination area was unrestricted in terms of the students' range of activities, it was by no means without guidance, revealing that plans had been laid from the start.

The four towns corresponded to four overlords guarding treasure chests, and Lin Guang, who was already suspicious of under-the-table operations in this examination, could almost confirm that candidates from the three major families had likely also headed to the other three towns to defeat the overlords, obtain ample supplies, and attempt to climb the mountain range.

There was ample reason for suspicion.

Due to the dedicated nurturing by the families, a Two-star Spirit Master with Purple Talent was capable of easily defeating most Three-star Spirit Masters in combat, with no small amount of commotion.

While Lin Guang, Vishdair, and Lily's senses were exceptionally acute and still detected nothing, it indicated that they had been completely isolated.

Though knowing the ultimate target was atop the mountain, Lin Guang still opted not to advance directly towards it.

He decided to wait a while to see if Wang Dawei and Lv Rui would come to meet.

The trio had agreed that both Lv Rui and Wang Dawei would be equipped with Tracking Spiritual Artifacts to avoid one party chasing while the other unknowingly drifted further away. The effective range of Tier Two Artifacts wasn't wide, and the small town was quite conspicuous, so if Lv Rui and Wang Dawei were nearby, they would rush over immediately.

Though Lin Guang had sufficient confidence, this was an important joint examination; more people were always better.

Afterward, the trio spent a day briefly clearing the abandoned small town. The Demonic Qi had little capacity to shield against Spiritual Power, allowing Lin Guang and Lisa to pick up any sign of nearby enemies in advance, avoiding encirclement. They could also uncover hidden foes like the Giant-mouthed Earthworm lurking underground.

After circling the town, Lin Guang roughly discerned a pattern in the appearance of supply boxes.

Supply boxes typically appeared near clusters of Magical Beasts or strong Magical Beasts' lairs.

The more precariously placed the supply boxes, the higher their level, with better contents and greater points upon opening.

After waiting a day, Lin Guang realized that Lv Rui and Wang Dawei probably weren't nearby, so he prepared to advance towards the mountain center.

This led to what had just occurred.

With a thought, Lin Guang infused Spiritual Power into the Black Dragon Jade Token, opening the score leaderboard for this joint examination.

[First Place: Huai Shouren]

[Second Place: Jiang Xinyue]

[Third Place: Wang Feng]

[Fourth Place: Lin Guang]

As expected, the top four spots were occupied by the three major families and Lin Guang, while the fifth place was far behind them.

The overlord of the small town provided a significant score, easily creating a gap.

The disparity among the four wasn't too large, and Lin Guang, adventuring solo through the examination field, was prepared for less efficient clear rates compared to those likely "illegally teaming" with family members.

The surprise was that Huai Shouren, with less apparent strength on paper than Jiang Xinyue, was in first place.

Huai Shouren might've "illegally teamed" aggressively, seizing the last hit on Magical Beasts, or ensuring he opened supply boxes personally.

Whoosh—

In the decaying woodland, Lin Guang, climbing with Vishdair and Lisa, suddenly halted and looked up.

In the sky, three kilometers away, an orange-red flame appeared suddenly, piercing through the barrier of Demonic Qi to reflect in his eyes.

This flame seemed alive, flickering and bright for a few moments before gradually dissipating in mid-air.

Lisa, puzzled, gazed at the flame's vanished trail: "Is that... a signal?"

Lin Guang nodded: "Looks like they've found me."

He infused Spiritual Power into the running shoes at his feet, nimbly leaping over a fallen deadwood, eyes gleaming with nothing obstructed by Demonic Qi or dimness, and ran across the branch-strewn hillside.

"Let's go."

"We need to get there quickly."

Before the exam, Lin Guang discussed with Lv Rui that if something unexpected occurred along the way, or if she located him with a Spiritual Artifact but couldn't notify him, she should have the Fire Spirit Eagle release its skills to fly into the sky and flash three times as a signal flare.

Now this agreement was in effect.

While meeting up should be good news, Lin Guang's eyes now held a trace of solemnity.

The reason was simple.

In this Secret Realm, a signal like this was exceptionally conspicuous, to both Magical Beasts and candidates alike.

Given Lv Rui's capabilities, she likely wouldn't face anything overly problematic at the mountain's base, but sending such a signal while deeper in the woods could easily attract hordes of enemies.

Lv Rui wasn't Wang Dawei; she had to know that. If she was deliberately risking it in a supposedly safe situation to ensure he saw it, then something must be amiss...

Lin Guang thought, troubled.

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