“Good morning, Brother Ye!” Lina greeted as usual, full of energy and bouncing around with her typical liveliness.
“It’s theory class today,” Samanra said with a smile.
Everyone’s eyes immediately lit up.
Zhang Ye was the substitute for the theory class. His previous sessions had provided everyone with immense inspiration and growth, so they were all looking forward to today’s lesson.
Zhang Ye chuckled and handed out breakfast to the group. They ate as they made their way toward the classroom.
Today’s theory class was as interesting as ever, further cementing the group’s admiration for Zhang Ye.
Over the next few days, their lives were filled with laughter and joy. Under Zhang Ye’s guidance, Lina’s strength improved rapidly.
Furthermore, the two of them successfully developed the Arc Blink technique, taking their combat capabilities to a new level!
Every afternoon, Zhang Ye would visit the research institute to work on magic and magic devices with Ke Lan and Ke Ling. When he had time, he would also visit the library with the rest of the group to supplement his knowledge.
With his Permission Level increased to five stars, Zhang Ye could now access the third floor of the library. The second and third floors were dedicated to magic books, containing various spells ranging from Tier Three to Tier Ten. There were even a few Saint-tier magic books, which excited Zhang Ye immensely as he quickly parsed them all.
In the evenings, Zhang Ye would practice singing with the group in the back mountains, and Paige would often join them.
With Paige’s inclusion, the back mountains were filled with the sound of drifting songs every day.
Paige learned many songs and instruments from Zhang Ye, while Zhang Ye learned the intricacies of sound magic from her, causing his own mastery to skyrocket.
Paige even started joining them for dinner.
This was a bit of a clever trick on her part; she specifically timed her arrivals to coincide with mealtime so she could conveniently stay for dinner.
Zhang Ye saw right through it, of course, but he was more than happy to have her join them.
During these few days, Zhang Ye also discussed the matter of joining guilds with the others.
Unfortunately, everyone had their own preferences. Samanra and her two companions intended to join the Wind Spirit Guild, Paige was set on the Rhyme Guild, and Copico wanted to join the Wave Guild. It turned out that the only ones without a specific guild in mind were Lina, Renomon, Nan, and Zhang Ye himself.
Nan was used to being a loner and didn’t want to join a guild, and Zhang Ye didn’t pressure him.
Lina’s situation was because the younger generation of the Lionheart Royal Family mostly attended Lionheart Academy within the empire. There weren't many of them at All Souls Magic Academy, so they hadn't established a guild there.
As for Renomon, it was simply because the Flame Lion family hadn't formed one.
In Leona’s words—it was too much trouble.
Running a guild required management, which was something Leona and Renomon, who weren't fond of mental labor, preferred to avoid. Most members of the Flame Lion family shared this sentiment, so no guild was ever established.
As for Zhang Ye, he had considered starting his own guild, but after looking into the requirements, he shook his head and gave up on the idea.
Just as Leona had said—it was too much trouble.
It required proof of strength, a series of complex procedures for academy approval, finding a guild training ground, and a massive amount of funding and resources...
So, the three of them agreed to join the same guild. They eventually decided on the Rock Guild.
However, since the Freshman Welcome Party was approaching, they decided to set the matter aside until after the event.
Soon, it was time for the party rehearsals.
Zhang Ye drew a number and discovered he was the very last to perform. In other words—the finale!
After learning the rules, Zhang Ye realized he didn't even need to participate in the rehearsals since he was the closing act.
He figured he could use that time more effectively for singing practice and cultivation. As for stage decorations, he didn't need any; he planned to create his own special effects when the time came.
The night before the welcome party, the group gathered to chat.
“There’s news about the special secret realm,” Samanra said. “The special secret realm will open in one month. Only those under thirty years old and below Five-star Saint-tier are allowed to enter.”
Everyone nodded in understanding.
It was precisely because of this special secret realm that so many geniuses had appeared in this year’s recruitment.
Usually, the strongest new students might be at Tier Seven or Tier Eight, but this year, they had jumped straight to Tier Nine. One had to keep in mind that many senior students were only at Tier Nine themselves, and many lacked the ability to fight above their rank.
This showed how much importance various factions placed on this special secret realm.
“This secret realm is called the Realm Bridge Secret Realm,” Samanra continued, sharing what she had learned. “It opens once every thirty years, and we just happened to catch it.”
“The reason it’s called the ‘Realm Bridge’ is because the secret realm actually connects to another world.”
“Through the portal, we can be directly teleported to that world. However, we can only move within a certain range; those are the rules of the secret realm.”
“The area within that range is the secret realm itself. Outside that range is a completely unknown, real world.”
“So, while it’s called a secret realm, it’s more accurate to call it a bridge to another world.”
“Are there people in that world?” Zhang Ye asked curiously.
“Yes,” Samanra nodded. “There are many human cities within the secret realm’s boundaries, and there are certainly more beyond them. It’s certain that the world is massive, and the area we can access is just the tip of the iceberg.”
“There are many ancient ruins within that secret realm. Our goal in entering is to explore those ruins.”
“Treasures left behind from ancient times are often priceless and possess immense power.”
“In the past, someone from a small family entered the secret realm and obtained an ancient relic. Because of that, their entire family rose to power in just a few decades. At their peak, they were no weaker than the current Wind Spirit family.”
Zhang Ye asked, “What was that family called?”
“I think it was the Bero family. But later, that family vanished overnight.”
“Vanished?!” Zhang Ye was taken aback.
Samanra nodded. “Mhm. It was likely the work of the Dark Demon Cult.”
“It’s possible that the ancient relic the Bero family obtained was useful to the Dark Demon Cult. So, the cult dispatched powerful experts and wiped out the Bero family in a single night. Not a single person from the entire family survived.”
“To wipe out a major family overnight... just how strong must the experts of the Dark Demon Cult be?” Zhang Ye couldn't help but ask.
“I’m not sure, but it’s likely they were above Seven-star Saint-tier. The head of the Bero family at the time was a Six-star Saint-tier.”
“In any case, the ruins in the secret realm hold treasures of immense value. That’s why all the major families sent their core descendants to join All Souls Magic Academy—to compete for a spot in the secret realm.”
“Last time, there were only ten spots available. But this time, it’s said that the accessible area within the secret realm has expanded, so the number of participants has increased to fifty.”
“Ten spots are reserved for mentors, and twenty are for senior students.”
“So, the test at the end of the month will determine which twenty students from the hundred in the two Rainbow Classes will get the remaining spots.”
“However, the top three freshmen are guaranteed a spot. They just have to participate in the matches as a formality. It’s considered a reward for being in the top three.”
Everyone nodded, understanding the situation.
This was likely why Leona had insisted on Zhang Ye aiming for the top three.
At this point, Paige asked curiously, “Teacher, who are the powerful people in Class One?”
Zhang Ye chuckled. “The people you see right here are pretty much the strongest in the class.”
Everyone burst into laughter.
Perhaps it was fate, but the strongest members of Rainbow Class One had ended up together in this dorm.
Paige giggled and then said, “In Class Two, there are a few people you should watch out for.”
“Katelansi, Tier Nine early stage, from the Morton family. She’s an ice mage.”
“Qiya, Tier Nine early stage, from the Moyani family. She’s a space-attribute mage.”
“Costovar, Tier Nine early stage, also from the Moyani family. He’s a space-attribute mage as well and is Qiya’s older brother.”
“Shana, Tier Nine early stage, from the Cadilot Empire’s royal family. She’s a fire mage, and her explosive fire magic is very powerful.”
“And Gajeel. He just broke through to the Tier Nine mid stage yesterday. He’s currently the strongest in our class. He’s a genius of Dark-attribute Magic-Martial Dual Cultivation with incredible combat strength. He’s from the Black Dragon Empire’s royal family.”
“The Black Dragon Empire?” Lina cried out in surprise.
Zhang Ye looked at Lina and asked, “What’s wrong, Lina?”
Lina said with some concern, “The Black Dragon Empire and the Lionheart Empire are mortal enemies...”
With that, everyone understood.
Mortal enemies meant they would draw swords upon meeting, often fighting to the death!
So, if Lina and Gajeel were to face each other, it would likely be a death match!
Even if the other party might refrain from killing her to avoid sparking a war, they would certainly show no mercy.
Even with mentors present, no one could guarantee that accidents wouldn't happen.
As Albert—the one Zhang Ye had previously beaten into the ground—had said: magic has no eyes.
Zhang Ye smiled and comforted her. “Don’t worry, Lina. You’re very strong now; you won’t necessarily lose to him. And even if you can’t beat him, it doesn’t matter. Big Brother will help you beat him up!”
Upon hearing this, the worry in Lina’s eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a brilliant smile.
“Mhm!”
...
...
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