At the Secret Realm entrance, five high school principals awaited their respective school's students, their expressions a mix of anticipation and nervousness.
"It's been a month. I wonder how these ten students are doing?" Principal Chen Xiaoyu of No. 1 High School gazed at the Secret Realm entrance and couldn't help but ask, "They should all have at least two or three levels of improvement, right?"
"That's right. Every year around this time, a few Geniuses emerge who have reached the Martial Master Second or Third Realm. Your school's Zhu Wenhan should be fine; he has the highest talent among everyone," the principal of No. 2 High School echoed, "It's just that I don't know what Realm the top student, Shen Han, will reach."
"At least Martial Master Third Realm," Principal Principal Wang Siyuan of No. 5 High School replied casually, unwilling to easily reveal Shen Han's true strength. Based on his judgment, Shen Han's progress would definitely not stop there. After the Secret Realm training, he might have already reached the Martial Master Fifth Realm.
"At this rate, by the time of next year's National Higher Education Entrance Examination, the most outstanding students in this group will be able to reach around the Seventh or Eighth Realm. There's still a certain gap compared to the Geniuses in Lingzhou City and even Nanjiang Province," everyone couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "Every year, those developed regions can even produce Prodigies in the Middle Stage of Martial Spirit."
Principal Wang Siyuan, however, had no worries, his heart filled with confidence. Shen Han's performance had repeatedly exceeded expectations, and he believed that Shen Han would certainly not disappoint him.
At another entrance,
Two assassins dressed in black with cold expressions stood in the shadows. The leader was Ying Liu. He expressionlessly looked at his companion, Ying Jiu, and slowly said, "Ying Qi is dead."
"Are you sure? This time, Ghost Hand and Ying Qi went on a mission together, and the opponent's strength was only around Martial Master Third Realm. How could they possibly fail?" asked Ying Jiu, another masked Ying Ren member.
"We just received information. The Life Soul Stones of Ying Jiu and Ghost Hand, kept at headquarters, have shattered. There's no mistake."
"It seems this mission failed. Ghost Hand is one thing, but Ying Qi's death will likely displease the higher-ups," Ying Jiu sighed.
"Definitely. Although Ying Qi's ranking wasn't high, he possessed innate dual-element Special Ability talent, and a one-in-ten-thousand Space Element, with immense potential. He was born to be an assassin. Furthermore, I heard he was highly regarded by a certain Elder among the higher-ups and had already become that Elder's Personal Disciple."
"While there's still time, let's go into the Secret Realm to investigate. We might find some clues," the two assassins stealthily entered the Secret Realm.
Before he finished speaking, the figures of Ying Liu and Ying Jiu quietly disappeared into the darkness, stealthily moving into the Secret Realm.
Yang City Tang Family
"Father, we just received news from the Assassin Hall. They failed and lost two assassins, one of whom was a highly promising Genius," Tang Yunfei reported, trembling.
Tang Haoran's face darkened upon hearing this, his anger rising. He snorted coldly, "Useless! They can't even handle such a simple matter." A cold glint flashed in his eyes, clearly showing his extreme displeasure at the Assassin Hall's failure.
"Father, don't worry. The situation might be more complex than we imagined. According to the Assassin Hall's information, Ying Qi, who died in the Secret Realm, had his Divine Soul completely extinguished. However, the killer did not take his belongings or Storage Ring, possibly to prevent being tracked. Furthermore, traces of Lightning Element, Dark Element, Fire Element, and even Space Element combat were found around the fight scene, but no Ice Element aura was detected," Tang Yunfei added.
"Are you sure the information is accurate?" Tang Haoran looked up at Tang Yunfei, tapping his finger lightly on the back of his chair, lost in thought. "This is strange. If there are no Ice Element traces, then it directly overturns the conclusion that Shen Han is a dual Lightning Element and Ice Element Martial Artist. But Ying Qi is said to be a dual Dark Element and Space Element Martial Artist, cultivated with great effort by the Assassin Hall in recent years, and it's almost certain he only had these two Special Abilities. That is to say, if it really was Shen Han who acted, then he either only has Lightning Element, or he might also possess Fire Element Special Ability."
"Could it be that someone else was involved in this conflict?" Tang Yunfei was also very confused.
Tang Haoran nodded slightly, his eyes deep: "Perhaps Shen Han only has Lightning Element Special Ability, or perhaps he truly possesses both Lightning and Fire Elements. Regardless of the situation, all of this introduces variables to our deductions. We must re-examine this matter."
"Then what should we do next? Continue to track news of the Ice Element Martial Artist?" Tang Yunfei asked tentatively.
"Let's put Shen Han's matter aside for now. Let the Assassin Hall worry about that debt themselves. Ying Qi was a promising member cultivated with great effort by the Assassin Hall. Now that his Divine Soul has been extinguished, whether Shen Han is the direct killer or not, he cannot escape responsibility. As for the killer of Yun Xiang, we will continue to investigate according to the original plan. Also…" Tang Haoran's gaze deepened, "We have another clue we can use."
"You mean that the Ice Element Martial Artist once registered as a member of the Hunter Alliance, and the Hunter Alliance sends a Hunter's Badge to newly registered members. And to prevent theft or forgery, the Hunter's Badge retains the Mental Energy information of the registrant?" Tang Yunfei naturally understood, but this was still like searching for a needle in a haystack.
"Exactly." Tang Haoran nodded slowly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Go and have someone collect the residual Ice Element Mental Energy aura from Yun Xiang's body and create a tracking compass. In the future, if we encounter that person, we will be able to pinpoint his location accurately. Although the method is a bit clumsy, it's the only clue we have."
Assassin Hall
"Fools! Useless! How exactly do you people handle things? You botched such a simple assassination mission like this!" roared a stern-faced, white-haired old man. Those who knew this old man were well aware of his terrifying nature. He was Ying Hanchuan, one of the seven Grand Elders of the Assassin Hall, the founder of the Ying Ren team, and also Ying Qi's Master.
When he discovered Ying Qi possessed dual Dark Element and Space Element Special Abilities, he was astonished, believing no one was better suited to inherit his mantle than Ying Qi. Yet now, he had died inexplicably in the Secret Realm, perishing in a small assassination mission that no one really cared about.
"Investigate for me! I don't care who touched my Disciple, I will exterminate their entire clan!" the old man's gaze was sinister and resolute.
Meanwhile, back at school, Shen Han attended classes normally during the day, while also thinking about how to better utilize his current Special Ability talent, especially the Space Element.
The Space Element, mysterious and powerful. He had heard that with Space Element Special Ability, one could Cultivate Instant Movement, open up independent Dimensional Spaces for storage or escape, perform fixed-point teleportation, and even Space Severance. However, Space Element skills were rare and powerful, and a small place like Yang City certainly wouldn't have them. He either had to wait until after the National Higher Education Entrance Examination to go to a big city for university and then search for and learn Space Element skills, or continue to take on missions to earn money to buy them.
Shen Han felt a sense of urgency, knowing he desperately needed to improve his strength. Although the Tang Family might have temporarily cleared him of suspicion, it was only temporary. He knew that the Tang Family would inevitably pursue the matter again, especially with Tang Haoran being a Late Stage Martial King. He stood no chance against him. Moreover, the Assassin Hall had also set its sights on him. That organization far surpassed the Tang Family in both strength and mysteriousness. If he didn't have enough power to protect himself, his future days would be filled with peril, and he might even lose his life.