The comments said I was deeply affectionate, I just added points by using an alternate account.

The southern region, where the secret realm is located.

The absolute silence and the suffocatingly solemn atmosphere instantly silenced the students who had just been excited, and they even subconsciously slowed their breathing.

This place and the academy are two different worlds.

"Stay close to me, don't wander off, and don't look around."

Situ Ming's voice was very low. He walked at the front, leading the group through several gates that required both iris and genetic verification.

Finally, a heavy alloy door, as thick as a city wall, slid open in front of them.

Behind the door was a circular command center that was larger than anyone could imagine.

Hundreds of staff members dressed in uniform black were working at their respective control consoles, with countless data streams flowing like waterfalls across the holographic screens in front of them.

In the center of the hall, a huge holographic projection was simulating a dark purple nebula that was constantly twisting and collapsing.

Before that nebula projection, a towering figure, as imposing as a mountain, stood with his hands behind his back.

He was dressed in a crisp black general's uniform, his broad shoulders stretching the garment into sharp angles, the stars on his shoulders gleaming metallicly under the lights, giving him a rather dignified appearance.

Although the man was just standing there quietly, the staff members who came and went would unconsciously slow down and hold their breath when they passed by him, as if breathing loudly was a desecration.

Situ Ming straightened his collar, strode forward, stopped three meters behind the man, put his legs together, and gave an impeccable military salute.

"Reporting to the General, the Huaqing Academy reinforcement team, consisting of sixteen members, has arrived. Please provide instructions."

The figure turned around.

The light shone on his face.

An Changqing's breath hitched.

On the other side, Long Ao stood frozen in place, his eyes wide open, as if he had seen a ghost.

Even Chen Guan himself raised an eyebrow.

It was a face they knew all too well, with sharp, angular features, and beneath its bronze skin, a powerful, surging energy like magma flowing from the earth.

Those eyes, like copper bells, were more reserved and deeper than I remembered.

"Teacher Li?!"

An Changqing's voice was filled with uncontrollable elation as he blurted it out.

It was Li Yan, their physical training teacher who sacrificed his life to protect his students, ultimately suffering severe injuries and near death.

At this moment, Li Yan no longer showed any signs of his dying weakness. The tailor-made officer's uniform he wore accentuated his burly, bear-like physique, making him appear like a war god descended to earth.

"Now you should call me General."

Li Yan spoke, his voice booming like a bell, making the entire command center buzz.

He strode confidently to the front of the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the familiar faces.

"Also, Dean, when there are no outsiders around, just call me by my name as before."

Li Yan's gaze fell on An Changqing, and a smile appeared on his face.

He stretched out his hand, which was twice as thick as a normal person's, and patted An Changqing's shoulder heavily.

boom!

A muffled thud.

An Changqing staggered from the slap, almost losing his balance, but his face was filled with uncontrollable elation.

"Teacher, you, you really..."

"I heard you've become quite successful since I left."

Li Yan grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. That familiar boldness instantly dispelled the distance he exuded as a general.

An Changqing's eyes immediately reddened.

Li Yan turned his large hand to the other side and patted Long Ao's shoulder, which had been stiff since earlier.

"And you, Long Ao, not bad, you didn't embarrass me."

Long Ao opened his mouth, but couldn't close it for a long time.

"Long time no see, teacher."

"Haha, okay, all good."

Li Yan laughed heartily, his gaze sweeping across the crowd before finally settling on Chen Guan.

"I heard you won the championship this time?"

"Good luck."

Chen Guan was concise and habitually modest.

Li Yan gave Chen Guan a deep look, trying to glean something from his calm face, but ultimately gave up.

He looked away, the smile on his face vanished, and the approachable demeanor of a teacher disappeared, leaving only a serious, businesslike air.

"Alright, that's enough of the personal time."

Li Yan's voice rose sharply, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, startling all the students.

"Let me introduce myself to those who don't know me. My name is Li Yan. I am currently under the command of the Great Wall Military Department and am the chief commander of the Fourth Theater Command in the South. My rank is Major General."

It seems that the 280,000 yuan was well spent.

Chen Guan was secretly alarmed by Li Yan's current title. Looking at that figure, he silently made his calculations.

When he used the World Tree's dew to save someone, the system deducted 280,000 popularity points from him, which hurt him for a long time.

Looking at it now, his 280,000 probably broke Li Yan's original talent ceiling, so he has been promoted all the way up, from a school teacher to a major general after being recalled for the second time.

Li Yan's eyes swept over everyone: "Dean Situ should have already explained the nature of the mission."

I'll say it again.

Li Yan's voice wasn't loud, but it struck everyone's nerves like a hammer.

"This is a battlefield, not your playground. Once you enter the Void Realm, Dean Situ and I will be with you."

He paused, his gaze turning as sharp as a knife.

"But we are your last resort, not your babysitter."

"We will not intervene unless we encounter a danger that you cannot handle."

"Your prey, your battles, your glory, your harvest—you must earn them with your own hands."

"What you are about to face are true void creatures. They will not go easy on you just because you are geniuses. Any carelessness will mean certain death."

"Did you understand?"

"clear."

The fifteen trainees, spurred on by the intense atmosphere, shouted in unison, their voices filled with barely suppressed fighting spirit.

"very good."

Li Yan nodded, no longer looking at them, and turned to Situ Ming: "Dean, it's about time, take them over."

"Um."

Situ Ming responded and led the group to follow Li Yan through the huge command center and into the deeper passage.

At the end of the passageway was a more spacious circular hall.

The dome is so high that you can't see the top. Researchers in white lab coats are working silently here, with only the instruments humming softly.

All eyes were drawn to what was in the center of the hall.

There was no door, only a huge circular metal frame with a diameter of over fifty meters.

Inside the frame is a slowly rotating dark purple nebula, so deep it seems to draw your gaze in.

Countless thick energy pipes connect to the metal frame from all directions, forcibly anchoring this scene that does not belong to the world here.

This is the entrance to the Void Realm.

As Chen Guan stood there, he felt something scratching at his soul. Behind the nebula, it seemed as if countless eyes were greedily staring at the students who were about to arrive.