Chapter 1288: Chapter 1288: Overlord Swallowing Wind Python
Within the barrier, there seems to be another world of day and night.
Just looking from the outside in, it clearly appears as a vast forest.
Inside, various towering trees densely populate, intertwined with mountains, rivers, and lakes.
Suddenly, a sharp-eyed disciple exclaimed, "Is that... Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures? So... many."
Everyone looked closely, and at the forest’s edge, clusters of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures covered the mountains, with an astonishingly rich aura of life.
"Silence." Deacon Youu pressed his hands down slightly, signaling the disciples of each academy to be quiet.
The whole place became quiet.
Deacon Youu said in a deep voice, "Within the Heavenly Hidden Secret Realm, there’s an independent world."
"Inside, the vast stretch of green wood is no less expansive than an entire region."
"Within there are demon beasts and various Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures."
"Killing demon beasts earns no points, but collecting Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures does. The higher the grade, the more points you get."
"In the second round, it’s a team points-based contest. In the end, rankings are given according to each team’s total points."
At this moment, a disciple blurted out and asked, "What about those Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures?"
Deacon Youu glanced at this disciple and said, "Once you pick them, they’re yours to keep."
The Heavenly Talents around heard this and their eyes suddenly brightened.
Deacon Youu continued in a deep voice, "The second round, lasts for a total of 10 days."
"Later, you will be randomly placed anywhere within the formation through the Secret Realm formation."
"Danger exists within the Secret Realm."
"If you’re outmatched, you may crush the Academy Token you carry at any time."
"The token is already connected with the formation, allowing immediate exit from the Secret Realm, returning to this mountaintop."
In fact, the detailed rules of the second round had been explained by the elders of each academy.
Deacon Youu was now just outlining it briefly.
As for the rule about crushing the token, it’s a protective measure for the disciples of each academy.
If faced with an overwhelming threat, they can immediately crush the token and return to this mountaintop.
However, at the moment this disciple crushes the token, it is equivalent to forfeiting, and regardless of points they have, it is deemed as zero points.
"Teams from each academy, step forward." Deacon Youu shouted lightly.
Teams from each academy stepped forward one after another, standing outside the Secret Realm barrier.
"Thank you, all the elders." Deacon Youu looked at the elders beside him.
The Academic Palace elders nodded slightly.
Their purpose here, besides opening the Heavenly Hidden Secret Realm, was also to assist the operation of the Secret Realm’s formation.
Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh...
Bursts of light flickered.
In just a moment, all the disciples from each academy vanished from their original spots.
Several Academic Palace elders waved their hands, and they too instantly vanished.
All teams from each academy had already entered the Heavenly Hidden Secret Realm.
"Academic Palace elders." Deacon Youu looked at the elders of each academy and cupped his hands in courtesy.
"The barrier of the Heavenly Hidden Secret Realm is closed. After ten days, when the second round contest ends, the barrier will be reopened."
"During this period, I’d like to trouble everyone to wait here."
...
Within the Heavenly Hidden Secret Realm, this immense forest no less expansive than an entire region has existed for countless ages.
Towering trees are countless.
Now, as unfamiliar presences begin to appear in every corner of the forest, the ancient calm of the Secret Realm is instantly shattered.
The Heavenly Talents who had just found their footing already show vigilance.
Although the Secret Realm inside is vast, with three thousand Heavenly Talents scattered throughout like drops of water in a river.
But those who could enter the second round, which one isn’t exceptionally skilled.
The so-called vast area to them is merely a short distance measured in hours.
The second round contest, known as the points race, naturally targets accumulating points.
The so-called points, gained from Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures across the Secret Realm, with higher grades awarding more points.
Participating disciples also count as points, regardless of their strength, the points are the same.
Simply put, each academy’s disciple must rely on their own abilities to seek out Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.
The Secret Realm already contains demon beasts.
Meanwhile, disciples from each academy must also watch out for other opponents; otherwise, it’s possible that the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures they find may only be a wedding dress for others.
Of course, a disciple themselves is also considered a point.
Seeking, preventing, this requires Heavenly Talents to have considerable skills.
Additionally, according to the rules, in the second-round points race, academy teams only need to accumulate sufficient points to advance.
The so-called elimination rule applies to those academy teams who still have zero points or have not accumulated enough points by the end of the competition after ten days.
Thus, academy teams can completely hide after accumulating enough points to avoid combat, prevent their points from being taken, and wait until the Secret Realm barrier reopens in ten days.
Seeking, preventing, hiding, all of these test the individual strength, even the overall level, among the Heavenly Talents.
Ten days, neither short nor long.
Though the Heavenly Talents haven’t encountered each other yet, this is merely a brief peace before fierce confrontation.
Once it breaks out, this will become the most intense battle within the Hundred Schools dispute, and it will be a chaotic war.
...
At this moment, in a corner of the forest, a bored-looking figure wanders idly.
After not wandering for long, the figure sat down angrily.
After sitting for a while, suddenly seeming unable to sit steadily, they stood up again.
After standing for a while, the figure wandered idly for some time, eventually lying down on a nearby towering tree and fell asleep.
Not long after falling asleep, snores began to echo.
Just at this moment, behind the towering tree, a massive body began to coil up.
A pair of icy huge eyes stared directly at the sleeping figure on the trunk.
Hiss... Hiss...
The reddish tongue flicked out.
Clearly, this is a giant python demon beast.
Roar... the next second, a roar.
The giant python’s mouth swiftly lunged toward the sleeping figure.
The figure, who was deeply asleep, suddenly opened their eyes wide, "You’re bothering me even when I’m sleeping?"
The figure jumped up, with incredible speed far exceeding that of the python demon beast.
"Overlord Swallowing Wind Python?" The figure was slightly surprised.
Overlord Swallowing Wind Python, a demon beast at the peak of the Saint King Realm, massive and extremely fierce.
"Hmph." The figure snorted coldly, completely unafraid of the giant snake mouth coming at them, instead their hands grabbed.
With powerful hands, they caught the python’s head.
The next second... boom... boom... boom...
The massive Overlord Swallowing Wind Python was thrown around constantly by the figure, its huge body smashed the surrounding trees and ground to pieces.
Minutes later, the figure finally struck down with a palm, gasping for breath.
As the palm fell, a flash of Annihilation Gang Wind passed by, and the Overlord Swallowing Wind Python was immediately dismembered and died.
Just as the Overlord Swallowing Wind Python perished, not far away in the destroyed trees, a strand of azure light suddenly rose.
"Hmm?" The figure, puzzled, didn’t care if there was any danger, and flickered away.
As they saw that azure light clearly, the figure looked joyous, "Thousand Wind Imperial Fruit, no wonder I encountered such a demon beast as the Overlord Swallowing Wind Python."
Thousand Wind Imperial Fruit, a rare Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure of the Wind Attribute, graded as Emperor Grade.
Even within the view of this Heavenly Hidden Secret Realm, this is a rare treasure.
Its high points surely rank within the top three of all Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures in the Secret Realm.
"Good stuff." The figure looked pleased, about to pick it.
Just at this moment, not far away, a burly figure walked briskly toward them.
"Thousand Wind Imperial Fruit?" The burly figure looked at the Vermilion Fruit emitting azure light ahead, with a pleased expression.
But seeing the figure about to pick the Vermilion Fruit, their face turned cold, "Trash from Black Cloud Academy? Fate truly brings foes close together."
The figure frowned and turned their face toward the burly figure, "Shi Jingtiao?"
Indeed, the burly figure walking over from afar is Shi Jingtiao, a Power Mad Disciple from Five Fools Academy.
And the figure about to pick the Vermilion Fruit is Qing Lin.
Qing Lin glanced at Shi Jingtiao, seemingly indifferent, "I’m in a bad mood now, I advise you not to provoke me, scram."
...
Third update.
