"A'Luo, what ability did you gain after absorbing the Heart Demon essence yesterday?" On the second day of school, Chen Luo was asked this question during the first class.
Today was Tuesday, July 12th. Three days remain until summer vacation.
Three days until Chen Luo would either showcase his prowess or suffer humiliation in another world.
"Well..." Chen Luo had never actually absorbed the Heart Demon essence—what ability could he possibly have?
But he couldn't say that. At least, not to Yun Xia.
Yesterday, Yun Xia and Liu Wenxuan had repeatedly warned him to never let anyone else take the seed and to absorb it immediately.
If Chen Luo admitted he hadn't absorbed it now, there was no way he could explain himself.
"I gained the ability to construct a mental space where time flows differently. One hour outside equals 24 hours inside. I can practice swordsmanship there or even simulate enemies. But I can't bring others in."
With shameless audacity, Chen Luo passed off the Herrscher of Sentience's ability as his own—and even oversimplified it.
According to the Herrscher of Sentience herself, the time dilation in her mental space could reach a maximum ratio of 1,000:1 under sustained conditions.
If limited to just two or three minutes in the real world, it could even hit 10,000:1.
Compared to that, Chen Luo's claim of 1:24 was an understatement of epic proportions.
"Hmm, not bad. Especially for someone like you, who focuses on skill mastery. It's a perfect fit." Yun Xia nodded approvingly.
Abilities derived from Heart Demon essences varied widely, but most were mental in nature. A time-dilated training space wasn't hard to believe.
"Though using it too much is exhausting." Chen Luo quickly added a drawback.
Entering the Herrscher of Sentience's mental space did drain him—the extreme time differential took a toll on his mental energy.
The silver lining was that the Herrscher of Sentience could replenish his energy effortlessly. And using this ability as cover was foolproof—after all, he'd already said others couldn't enter.
"Did you read the book I gave you yesterday?" Yun Xia asked casually.
But she already knew the answer. Who could resist the allure of esoteric knowledge?
"No, I didn't read much." Chen Luo shook his head.
"Huh?"
"I was training. The mental space really drains mental energy, so I went to bed early. But my progress has been fast." Chen Luo tapped his temple.
This wasn't a complete lie, because Chen Luo did get captured by the Herrscher of Sentience and had dragged him into the mental space for intensive training last night.
Chen Luo's nightly routine was packed: dinner, running the bar, midnight snacks, training, then sleep. His evenings were more exhausting than his days.
And the result of all that training? No visible improvement.
With all his skills already maxed out, further breakthroughs weren't easy.
He'd be better off farming Primogems.
"By the way, Young Mistress, want to play yesterday's game again?" Chen Luo's eyes gleamed.
100 Primogems for a day of silence was basically free money. He could still pass notes if needed.
"What game… GET LOST!" Yun Xia's confusion lasted only a second before she remembered. Fuming, she turned away.
[Ding! New commission received!]
"..."
Chen Luo eyed the 10-Primogem reward, then glanced at the teacher and his classmates.
Sorry, Primogems. This time, I really can't.
Social suicide for 10 Primogems? Not worth it.
If it were a 2-star commission (100 Primogems), he might've hesitated.
Resigned, Chen Luo pulled out the manual Yun Xia had given him and began reading in class.
The student behind him was fast asleep, and Chen Luo's instincts were sharp—no risk of getting caught.
This world was far from simple.
By day, it was peaceful—occasional regional conflicts aside, Earth trended toward stability.
But when night fell, the hidden world awakened.
"hidden world" was a blanket term for a shadow society coexisting with the ordinary world yet operating by different rules.
Those entangled with it were drawn deeper. This is like a curse that entangles everyone who knows about the hidden world.
This was why Yun Xia and Liu Wenxuan, despite their concern, hadn't given Chen Luo powerful protective items—until they realized his wind affinity hinted at awakening talent.
The hidden world had always existed. Most just never noticed.
In the hidden world, both good and evil abide by this rule: Avoid involving ordinary people.
But rules were made to be broken.
Monsters that fed on lives wouldn't spare civilians.
Understanding the hidden world mattered—but this book focused on something else: the new Millennium.
Historically, every thousand years brought a tide of spiritual energy.
The first 50 years saw spiritual energy becoming more and more active. This stage is called "Spiritual Revival."
By year 250, energy peaked, plateauing until year 500.
When it reaches the 500th year, spiritual energy will begin to slowly decline. When it reaches the 550th year, the decline is more drastic and the spiritual energy is exhausted.
By year 750, spiritual energy neared depletion. The power of various mystic arts greatly decreases. At most, it can only be used to fool children.
The year 2000 marked a new Millennium.
Originally, this one should've followed the same pattern—unremarkable despite its grandeur—but something went wrong.
From the start, children were born with unprecedented talents. Once-rare S-rank abilities now appeared in clusters. Spiritual energy resurged faster than any recorded cycle. And the abilities themselves grew stranger.
But the most alarming divergence was the emergence of something never before documented—The Abyssal Realm.
Only then did the hidden world learn: Other planes existed beyond their own.
And among them, the Abyssal Realm stood as a higher existence.
Its name said enough. The moment it detected this newly revitalized world, it hungered.