CHAPTER 232: CHAPTER 232: ENTERING THE SECRET REALM (PART 1)

EDITOR: DRAGON BOAT TRANSLATION

The sudden change in the ’Cotton Candy’ on the outside of the Secret Realm left many people dumbfounded, but some still remained calm.

Ren Suo and Gu Yueyan suddenly felt weightless and naturally started to fall.

The next second, they landed on solid ground. The sudden loss of weight caused them to momentarily lose control of their balance. However, as both were Cultivators, their reaction speeds and Physical Condition were superior to those of ordinary people. Thus, they regained control of their bodies within a second and avoided falling face-first.

"Are you alright?"

Ren Suo and Gu Yueyan heard Dong Chengling’s greeting from behind. Only then did they realize that in that brief second, they had crossed a hundred meters, teleporting from the outer layer of the Secret Realm to a safe position.

The Yangtze River Cultivators and the four Tactical Bureau captains remained in their original position.

"No, no problem." Gu Yueyan quickly let go of Ren Suo’s sleeve, which she had been holding, and turned around to see Dong Chengling, dressed in casual clothing, Casting Spells. Her purposely long hair gently floated up, her slender fingers drawing black ripples in the air, graceful as a startled swan, meandering as a dragon. A calm smile hung on her face, and concern was evident in her eyes.

"Teacher!" Gu Yueyan couldn’t help but rush over to hug Dong Chengling, who dissipated her Spiritual Energy. Being not much taller than Gu Yueyan, she gently stroked Gu Yueyan’s head.

"I won’t let you face danger," Dong Chengling stated in a calm tone, but the strong confidence born from within made Gu Yueyan nuzzle affectionately against her chest.

"Thank you, Teacher!"

Although it wasn’t the first time, Ren Suo couldn’t help but admire Dong Chengling’s ability to charm whenever he saw it—he couldn’t learn it no matter how hard he tried.

Ren Suo said, "Cheng Ling, thanks."

By then, the Changjiang Monks Corps and the four Tactical Bureau captains had returned. Qiao Muyi walked over, her expression a mix of annoyance and amusement. "Cheng Ling, you’re too sensitive!" she exclaimed. "They suddenly disappeared right in front of us, and we thought they were sucked into the Secret Realm!"

Dong Chengling explained, "Necessity prompted the action. That’s exactly why I came."

Li Dan was somewhat puzzled. "But I remember," he began, "don’t Cultivators need to activate Spatial Coordinates themselves before you can sense them? And once used, they break, right?"

Dong Chengling gave him a look and said, "That’s the standard version."

Qiao Muyi and the others understood. With a standard version, there naturally existed an exceptional VIP version. The VIP version and special services Dong Chengling now provided were clearly for those close to her. Asking further would seem ignorant—especially since the Tactical Bureau provided the materials for the VIP version as remuneration to Dong Chengling.

Ren Suo secretly felt a pang of frustration realizing that, if Dong Chengling wished, he could be directly summoned to her side as long as he was anywhere in Lian Province.

Thinking back to a few days ago when Dong Chengling had calmly broken through a door lock with her finger, that seemed quite mild in comparison...

"I want my freedom, please don’t monitor me..." Ren Suo could not help but mutter a line of lyrics. Dong Chengling glanced at him, and Ren Suo immediately said, "Never mind us for now. With the changes happening here in the Secret Realm, what do you plan to do? Have other countries experienced similar phenomena?"

Cheng Wenchao and his team immediately rejoined the group. Li Dan brought Ren Suo back to the Tactical Bureau’s squad, and they soon received news: "Secret Realms in other countries haven’t shown phenomena like the ones at Ailan Lake yet."

Ren Suo served as the Lian River Countermeasure Bureau’s dedicated Researcher and paper coder, while Dong Chengling was the Bureau’s Special Consultant. Li Dan needed their assistance, so he directly shared the intelligence with them.

Li Dan glanced at Gu Yueyan standing beside Dong Chengling but didn’t ask her to leave. He simply discussed with Ren Suo and the other captains, "Do any of the members skilled in Scouting Magic have any intelligence feedback?"

"No."

"No."

"How about you, Li Dan?"

"I am not skilled at observing transcendent phenomena," Li Dan stated coolly. Turning to Ren Suo, he added, "Though we still don’t know what’s inside, your description of the Secret Realm’s changes was essentially accurate. If you have any opinions, feel free to speak up. I will pass it on to the higher-ups on behalf of the Tactical Bureau."

Ren Suo smiled awkwardly—it really was just a coincidence.

As for the other Secret Realms, the intelligence department had received information late purely because other countries were also trying their best to block intelligence. Once they received other eyewitness reports, the intelligence department could easily link them to the Secret Realm at Ailan Lake.

But when Ren Suo mentioned that the Secret Realm was about to change, he hadn’t expected it to actually change just then.

However, Ren Suo calculated the timing. The Secret Realm had appeared in the early hours of the morning, and now it was almost noon. This timing matched exactly when he had cleared the first level in the game—the Magician and Red Hood were probably preparing to fight the boss, ’Iron Maiden,’ now.

Having been proven right so many times, Ren Suo didn’t dare to expose more information (actually, he had already revealed quite a lot), stating, "In any case, we must take action. After all, this Secret Realm isn’t exclusive to us; it exists globally."

"In this era, not advancing is akin to regressing."

Li Dan nodded, and other team leaders added some suggestions before he went over to the temporary command vehicle to report.

"What’s wrong, Xiao Yan, still nervous?"

Ren Suo turned his head and saw Dong Chengling holding Gu Yueyan’s hand. Gu Yueyan looked somewhat unwell. After a long pause, she asked in a low voice, "The change in the Secret Realm... could it be because of me and... him?"

Seeing Gu Yueyan’s expression, Dong Chengling knew what she was thinking and comforted her, "Don’t worry, we won’t let you go in. You’re just here to assist the investigation; we won’t let you handle dangerous tasks."

"But..." Gu Yueyan hesitated, "If it really was because of..."

"I’m here too, what are you worried about?" Noticing the fear in the high school girl’s heart, Ren Suo said, "If the higher-ups really think that we two caused the change in the Secret Realm, then I’ll go. You don’t need to—I’m at least a formally trained Cultivator."

"Students should act like students and not hold onto adolescent fantasies, taking on responsibilities that aren’t theirs."

"I won’t let you, a student, risk your life."

Gu Yueyan was slightly startled, muttered a sound of agreement, and stopped talking.

Qiao Muyi, who was protecting them, looked at Ren Suo with some surprise. "I didn’t expect you to have such a brave side," she remarked. "Just a heads-up, when it comes to transcendent phenomena, it’s hard to say what the higher-ups will decide. You might really have to go in."

"If I have to go in, I will go in." Ren Suo patted his chest, confident and spirited.

"What’s happening here is related to me. I’ll take responsibility!"

Gu Yueyan heard this and blinked, turning her head to look at other scenery, but the blush on her face was undeniable.

Ren Suo was so brave for a few reasons, of course. First, when he played the game, he never saw himself.

Second, even if he somehow intruded into the area, as long as he stayed in the farthest zone, the ’Iron Maiden’ boss wouldn’t notice him before she took down the Magician and the Yangtze River Cultivators.

Third, Ren Suo didn’t actually need to enter because he had Struggle Warrior (Segmented). Before going in, he could just find a bathroom and create a clone. Ren Suo, having anticipated this, had even brought an extra set of clothes for it, just in case.

Of course, Ren Suo was certain none of this would actually happen. The first group of Yangtze River Cultivators would likely emerge within an hour of entering and losing contact. Surely, neither the Tactical Bureau systems nor the military would be too impatient to wait even that long.

Ren Suo spoke these noble words, and Qiao Muyi’s gaze moved past his shoulder, quickly glancing at Dong Chengling, who was smiling, and at Gu Yueyan, whose face was flushed as she hid behind Dong Chengling.

"...You wouldn’t be saying this on purpose, would you?" Qiao Muyi glanced at Ren Suo.

"What, on purpose?" Ren Suo was startled.

This is too fun. Qiao Muyi couldn’t help but snort with laughter. "Never mind," she said, "you hopeless titanium-alloy virgin."

"Hey, hey, hey, what proof do you have to say I’m a virgin!"