"I can see it."

"Even though the sun has set now, the plain created by the devoured secret realm space isn't entirely dark; many Spirit Masters have established camps around its edges."

"Looking down from the sky, you can see that the small-powered [Sunny Day] and lighting Spiritual Artifacts together form the starlit perimeter of the plain spanning several dozen kilometers in diameter."

"On the fourth day of the secret realm's arrival, its official name has already been revealed."

"It's called the [Celestial Ladder Mountain Secret Realm], a flat secret realm with a diameter exceeding three thousand kilometers, resembling a continent, with a towering mountain range stretching straight up into the sky like a celestial ladder, visible from anywhere within the realm, hence the name."

"Although there are no signs of intelligent civilization inside the secret realm, there are various landscapes that do not seem to naturally form, as if different landscapes have been forcibly combined, filled with contradictions—a thriving rainforest and a winding river at the center of a barren desert, unmelting millennia-old glaciers in the midst of fiery volcanoes... the peculiar landscapes are beyond count."

Lisa said softly, "Celestial Ladder Secret Realm... Recently, news about it has been overwhelming online."

Miaomiao gazed bewilderedly at the pure black spatial fissures occasionally appearing and quickly disappearing on the plain in the footage.

"This suggests that although the boundary wall of the secret realm has been opened together by True Men, its connection with Blue Star's main interface has not completely stabilized yet, and entering hastily could easily result in being thrown into the high sky or embedded underground."

"But still, countless Spirit Masters have prepared themselves, either relying on their skill and bravery, ready to enter as soon as possible to gain a share of the rewards."

Her tone carried with it curiosity: "Rumor has it, explorers have already brought out treasures from inside that can upgrade a white grade talent to green."

Lin Guang sighed, "Talent upgrade..."

"Indeed, there are some opportunities in this world that can elevate the talent and potential of Spirit Masters and Spirit Beasts."

"Like being blessed by Holy Beasts or Divine Beasts, receiving True Intent Implantation from High-Star Spirit Masters, or obtaining Divine Objects, some top-tier opportunities can even upgrade blue to purple, or even beyond."

"But even upgrading gray talent to white is extraordinary in its significance."

"After all, a change in talent grade means a fundamental transformation of the soul, something ordinary people cannot possibly encounter."

"It's imaginable how frantic the wave of exploration would be after such news is released."

Miaomiao smiled warmly, "What's the matter, feeling tempted? Want to explore it a bit?"

Waving his hand, Lin Guang replied, "Forget it, the chance to upgrade blue talent to purple might exist in a Tier Seven secret realm, but that's not something I can touch."

"Moreover, the surroundings are quite unstable; you never know when Tier Five Demon Race might break through again."

Lin Guang referred to the incident that happened at noon on the second day after the secret realm's arrival, which is to say, the day before yesterday."

"At that time, three Tier Five Demon Races simultaneously crossed the boundary wall from different places, descending upon the perimeter of the Celestial Ladder Secret Realm at intervals of several hundred kilometers, before being dealt with by powerful military figures and formidable passing Spirit Masters."

"Interestingly, one Demon Race had particularly bad luck, landing directly in the densely populated area barely ten kilometers from the entrance plain of the Celestial Ladder Secret Realm during the vulnerable phase of its invasion."

"Someone amidst it filmed a footage segment, which was later uploaded to the Ether network after returning to Zhen Sheng City."

"Lin Guang had naturally watched it too."

"Due to the demonic qi contaminating the recording Spiritual Artifacts, the footage appeared inexplicably blurry, but it was still clear that the Tier Five Demon Race boasted an immensely huge physique, surpassing a hundred meters in height, with twisted humanoid limbs spread all over, resembling a thousand-handed, thousand-footed ominous mountain of decaying flesh."

"Even under the siege of nearly ten Five-Star Spirit Masters, it stubbornly attempted to break through in the Zhen Sheng Forest, with demonic qi spreading everywhere and quickly corrupting the surrounding environment—it's like a scene from a monster movie."

"In the footage, it fought and fled, only a fleeting glance, and the entire video lasts for only a few dozen seconds, with the final result not captured."

"However, the result is well-known, as it was surrounded and beaten to death within less than three minutes by enthusiastic citizens."

"…The timing also fits well with a monster movie."

"It's said that among the remaining two, one is even stronger, having reached Tier Five Peak, even alerting the stationed True Man of the military to intervene."

"Indeed," Miaomiao sighed, "Luck is something no one can predict."

"Yeah."

Lin Guang glanced at his system panel, where his evolution level had just reached 10 percent, and chuckled lightly, "So, it's best to steadily follow one's own path."

As they chatted, the television switched to the next news segment.

[In the early hours of August 11, the base of the crime organization Divine Heart Association in Hualong District was attacked by unidentified individuals. The Hualong District Public Safety Bureau took immediate action upon receiving the report, arresting a total of 67 illegal personnel from Divine Heart Association and rescuing 33 abducted wilderness residents.]

[Arrested personnel included 25 Two-Star Spirit Masters, 11 Three-Star Spirit Masters, 31 related researchers, and one Four-Star Spirit Master whose injuries were too severe to save.]

[According to insiders, besides poaching and smuggling Spirit Beasts from protected zones for illegal experimentation, Divine Heart Association crossed the line by secretly conducting human experiments, severely violating the laws of Great Xia.]

[Zhen Sheng City's Public Safety Bureau director "Liu Wanyou" stated that a campaign against crime organizations will be launched in the near future to bring peace to society.]

[If citizens discover information related to Divine Heart Association, do not mimic the unidentified individuals; please promptly dial the report hotline to report.]

Lin Guang subconsciously glanced at Lisa and Chelina, noticing that they both appeared calm, and then he exhaled lightly.

"Human experimentation... That's really too much. But speaking of it, the news mentioned unidentified individuals, so that means it wasn't a turf war between illegal organizations."

"I was wondering why the Divine Heart Association suddenly went quiet in the thesis space; I thought Kaiwen, the doctor, helped resolve it, but it turned out to be such a big disturbance."

Miaomiao sincerely remarked, "I wonder which brave soul did it—I really want to thank them."

"…"

— Did she actually know about the connection between Protective Umbrella Company, Divine Heart Association, and Lingmiao Company?

Lin Guang and Chelina remained composed, but Vishdair's eyes flashed a hint of pride, while Lisa slightly bowed her head, her gaze somewhat evasive.

Realizing the atmosphere suddenly turned a bit strange, with no one talking, Miaomiao gently turned to look around.

Miaomiao, perceptive as ever, seemed to notice something, and tentatively asked, "Is it someone you all know?"

"…"

Chelina began to keep her eyes to her nose and her nose to her heart, Lisa's head lowered further, and Vishdair's gaze started to wander.

Then Miaomiao joked, "Why is everyone silent—it can't be all of you, right?"

"…"

Lin Guang's expression froze slightly, but he immediately realized he shouldn't react; his mind raced, trying to say something to deflect the issue.

However, seeing his micro-expressions, Miaomiao's smile gradually faded, turning into disbelief.

Perhaps due to practicing the Equal Contract, Lin Guang had always been poor at lying to those he knew, and whenever he started spewing nonsense to cover up something, those familiar with him could easily tell.

And Miaomiao…

Without a doubt, she was the one among them who knew him the earliest.

Seeing that hiding was meaningless, Lin Guang could only sigh, rub his brow, and nod in acknowledgment, "Yes, we did it."

"No, no way..."

Miaomiao's eyes widened in shock, slightly losing composure as she said, "But you're only a Two-Star Spirit Master now?"

Her voice suddenly rose a few pitches: "Why do something so dangerous?"

"And it happened on the morning after I messaged you?!"

"…Various reasons, I guess."

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