Half a month has passed since Gu Shenghui made those bold declarations in his office, and it has been a week since entering the Hell Realm Plane. Pei Yan looked up at the scorching sun above and calculated the time difference between the two planes; barely a few hours might have passed in the real world.

Unlike the previous missions where they always acted as a small team, this time marked Pei Yan's first solo mission. He prepared thoroughly for this because he was undertaking long-term training in the Hell Realm. The Investigation Office specially made twenty large storage rings for him.

Due to the preserving properties of items stored in the rings, Pei Yan brought enough vegetables, fruits, meats, instant foods, various seasonings, and a large quantity of drinking water to last him five years.

Besides food, there were enough clothes for him to change once a day, various daily necessities, emergency medical supplies, and absorption technology equipment that Engineer Li prepared for him after his level promotion. The Investigation Office also secured various light and heavy weapons and a large amount of ammunition from the military, hoping he might have some means of self-defense under certain conditions where abilities cannot be used. The most crucial equipment among his gear is three Plane Wall Breakers. Nowadays, breaching the Hell Plane from the outside is exceedingly difficult, requiring several origination points to work together, but breaking out from the inside is relatively easier. In times of crisis, as long as Pei Yan finds a weak spot in the plane barrier, he can return to the real world using the Plane Wall Breaker.

But installing the Plane Wall Breaker and completely breaching the plane takes a whole hour. Pei Yan wondered if he really encountered a crisis event, would the enemy give him time to find a weak spot and install this device? Nevertheless, having some fallback plans is better than none. After all, no preparation is too much for a completely unfamiliar world.

After a week of thorough preparation, Pei Yan embarked on his training journey in the Hell Realm. He didn't inform anyone before leaving and certainly didn't tell his sister Pei Jin, quietly setting off with the guitar his sister had given him.

Walking through the dense forest and looking up at the cloudless sky through gaps in the tree canopy, Pei Yan surveyed his lush surroundings, occasionally fanning himself with his hat. Maybe it was an issue with transmission, but after being in the Hell Plane for a week, let alone the dimensional invaders Gu Shenghui mentioned, he hadn't encountered a single intelligent creature.

What's more surprising to Pei Yan is how the scenery of the Hell Plane contradicts its name utterly. The vision of a dark and fiery inferno was nowhere to be found, including volcanic eruptions or harsh weather impossible for humans to breathe in; everything was not merely normal but rather picturesque; he walked through landscapes of mountains and vibrant waters with lush trees, and after Suzi confirmed there was no problem with the air quality, Pei Yan stopped using the gas mask, the air filled with a sweet rural scent.

If it weren't for the Investigation Office's serious emphasis on the accuracy of this transmission, Pei Yan might even suspect he was transported to the wrong location. Upon arriving at a different plane, Pei Yan didn't dare to recklessly use flight for travel, choosing to walk instead. After a few days of crossing mountains and venturing into dense forests, Pei Yan finally noticed something strange about this place.

It's one thing not to encounter enemies or intelligent creatures along the way, but not even a single animal appeared before him, nor were there any in the river with crystal-clear waters he passed — not a single fish. The vast forest was devoid of insect hums or bird calls. It was eerily silent except for Pei Yan's footsteps and the rustling of leaves, a terrifying silence.

Despite Pei Yan's feeling of unease and oddity, he was powerless to change it. He didn't know whether the Hell Realm was inherently like this or if it had become this way after being affected by an invasion. Regardless of the situation, he could only be extremely vigilant and proceed cautiously.

A few hours later, as he continued marching, Pei Yan checked his watch: 7:30 PM. He glanced skyward and saw the sun still shining brightly, though he was gradually getting used to this. This was the second distinctive feature of the Hell Realm compared to the real world; dusk fell particularly late and suddenly, until right before 9 PM; the sun was still in the sky, but once it passed 9, it was as if someone switched off the lights, day instantly turning to night without any transition. If not for the fear of exposure, Pei Yan would have loved to fly up and study it carefully.

Taking advantage of the daylight, Pei Yan started to set up camp to rest. Though he hadn't encountered any enemies in the week-long journey, he decided to avoid traveling at night for safety's sake. After releasing nanorobots and miniature drones to establish multiple lines of defense, Pei Yan shook his hands and several strands of iron streamed out, quickly building a simple iron hut amid the forest.

After disguising the iron hut with some basic camouflage, Pei Yan entered, shut the door, and took out a storage ring to begin washing rice and cooking. At times like this, Pei Yan always felt grateful for his abilities; not only did they allow him to carry a mobile home and set up a comfortable living space in the wilderness, but they also solved the issue of eating and drinking, handing it all to appliances and kitchen utensils eliminating the need to start a fire.

As the rice simmered, Pei Yan started chopping vegetables, and in no time, a spicy stir-fried meat dish was ready. Once the meal was complete, Pei Yan devoured his dinner swiftly, cleaned the empty bowls and chopsticks, returned them to the storage ring, stretched out comfortably, and lay on the couch.

Glancing at his watch again, it was nearly 9 PM; with a wave of his hand, he opened the iron tent's roof and gazed at the still sun-bright sky. Indeed, five minutes later, the sky instantly turned black. Though far less shocking than his first time witnessing it, Pei Yan was still enamored by the scene. Gazing at the starry sky and a crescent moon, after resting sufficiently, Pei Yan rolled to his feet, sat cross-legged, and began meditating, circulating the essence within himself repeatedly purifying his meridians, a method of cultivation told to him by Lin Junzhao.

In everyday life, Pei Yan's essence would typically remain dormant, but Lin Junzhao now required him to keep his essence activated and flowing constantly, promising greater concord between his body and essence, giving him an edge in combat with quicker recovery and attack speeds.

Pei Yan initially thought this would be a simple task, but when he genuinely tried it, he discovered that it exhausted his mind greatly. Like a machine that originally had on and off states, now needing to operate around the clock, made Pei Yan feel unbearable fatigue. However, after persevering for a week, he gradually got his body accustomed to this state, extending from opening it eight hours a day to sixteen hours, needing only an hour's rest.

Turning the flow of essence into an innate part of his body, Pei Yan strove to maintain this even during light sleep. When he operated his essence while drifting off, suddenly, his eyes snapped open, he leapt out of bed, sweeping his hand to absorb the surrounding iron tent into him instantly. After ensuring no visible traces were left, Pei Yan closed his eyes and concealed his form within the deep night.