Chapter 22: Mountain Collapse

Within the Lost Woods, Ke Lu's words hung in the air, momentarily freezing the surrounding forest.

Hundreds of pages of Secret Realm strategy guides, complete with memorized maps and complex route calculations, seemed to flow effortlessly from Ke Lu's lips.

If someone could truly memorize such a vast amount of information with a single glance, it would be no different from the legendary photographic memory.

Shi Lei and his companions shared the same thought almost simultaneously: This is too absurd!

If Ke Lu had claimed to have memorized it over a long period, they might have been more inclined to believe her. But to claim photographic memory? That was another matter entirely.

Even if Ke Lu herself insisted, they would find it hard to accept.

Su Rou, noticing their disbelief, scoffed coldly:

"Our Ke Lu was born with this incredible ability. She's always been like this. Just because you haven't witnessed it doesn't mean it's impossible. Believe it or don't, I couldn't care less!"

She paused, her tone dripping with sarcasm:

"Oh, speaking of which, I actually prefer your old arrogant attitude, with your noses in the air and looking down on everyone. Want to go back to that?"

Her words ignited the fuse on a powder keg.

Shi Lei, never one for a mild temper, instantly glared back at Su Rou, his eyes widening like saucers and anger surging to his head.

He whipped his head around, his neck stiffening as he glared defiantly at her.

Su Rou's almond-shaped eyes widened in turn, meeting his glare with equal intensity.

The air crackled with tension, thick with the smell of gunpowder.

Seeing a full-blown conflict about to erupt, Ma Fei and Bai Yu reacted swiftly, flanking Shi Lei and restraining the seething man on either side.

"Brother Lei, Brother Lei, calm down!"

"Yeah, yeah, we're still in the Instance Secret Realm!"

Meanwhile, Ke Lu intervened smoothly, gently pulling Su Rou, who was still about to retort, behind her. She shook her head slightly at her.

Ke Lu retrieved a delicately wrapped candy from her Space Ring and pressed it into Su Rou's hand, her voice softening: "Alright, it's not worth getting upset over this."

Su Rou clutched the candy, her lips still slightly pursed. "I just can't stand their attitude! Especially when you're so amazing, Ke Lu."

"They were already giving us the cold shoulder before we even entered the Secret Realm, and then they doubted your answers. Who do they think they are?"

Watching her fiercely defend her, a genuine smile flickered across Ke Lu's eyes.

"A moment's impatience can ruin a grand scheme. Before we possess absolute power, we can't afford reckless actions." 

And I will make them follow willingly... Ke Lu thought to herself.

She paused, then added, "Besides, what you said earlier really stirred up trouble."

Su Rou instinctively touched her forehead, muttering, "I know, I just couldn't help myself."

Meanwhile, Bai Yu pulled a bottle of drink from his Space Ring. With a subtle flick of his fingers, ice energy surged through it, instantly transforming it into an ice-cold beverage.

He tossed it to Shi Lei. "Brother Lei, cool down. What's with picking on a girl?"

Shi Lei caught the icy drink, but the chill did nothing to quell his anger.

He took a massive gulp in front of his two teammates, wiped his mouth, and growled:

"You guys know Boss Gu, right? Yesterday, when I asked him to carry me through a dungeon, he insisted on checking the strategy guide first. He always gets the top theoretical scores in our grade. Could this Ke Lu really have a better memory than him?"

The more Shi Lei thought about it, the angrier he became.

"Hmph! I'm taking that route anyway!" he declared with a dismissive wave.

"The Great Dao points to the heavens! Each goes their own way! Whether they join us or not is their choice!"

"Acting like we can't manage without them."

They weren't even close friends—why should he hold back? Shi Lei couldn't, and didn't want to, swallow his pride.

So what if he'd chosen the wrong path? It might be harder, but with the death protection mechanism, what was there to fear?

With that thought, Shi Lei hooked his finger. "Follow me. Let's ignore them."

Ma Fei and Bai Yu hesitated briefly before falling into step behind him.

After all, Ke Lu and Su Rou were merely slightly familiar strangers, far less important than their long-time friends.

In this situation, Su Rou and Shi Lei both bore some responsibility, and naturally, their loyalty lay with their own.

"Wait," Ke Lu called out as she saw them set foot on the left path, finally understanding Shi Lei's intentions.

Both Shi Lei and Su Rou were hot-blooded young people, unlike Ke Lu, who had an older soul within. Sometimes, pride mattered more than reason.

They dared to openly confront anything that displeased them, refusing to yield an inch.

Ah, to be young, Ke Lu thought with a sigh.

Before Ke Lu could continue, Shi Lei's foot had already moved forward.

"What's it to you?" Shi Lei snapped irritably. "Go mind your own business. I don't need your help anyway."

Zzzzt!

In an instant, a catastrophic transformation erupted.

Cracks radiated outward from Shi Lei's feet across the rock, spreading rapidly until they engulfed the entire mountain peak in mere seconds.

Rumble!

The mountain shook violently, as if a colossal beast had been awakened.

Everyone lost their footing and was violently thrown to the ground.

Almost simultaneously,

Screech!

Awooo!

The entire forest erupted into chaos. Countless birds took flight in panic, beasts howled as they fled, and the cacophony of panicked cries and the thunderous roar of collapsing rock wove together a symphony of destruction.

Light from the shattered mountain peak streamed into the caves below, where a colossal beast slowly opened its eyes.

Shi Lei, covered in dust and grime, executed a nimble backflip to his feet. Pebbles and dust cascaded from his body.

Wiping the grime from his face, he gazed up at the mountain, where massive boulders continued to tumble down with terrifying roars. His pupils dilated in shock.

This scene far exceeded his expectations, yet instead of instilling fear, it instantly ignited the adventurous spirit deep within his bones.

"What the hell is this Secret Realm? Now this is awesome!" Instead of retreating, he spat out the sand in his mouth, his eyes blazing with a burning intensity—a mixture of surprise and extreme excitement.

This exhilarating chaos was far more thrilling than grinding through the usual mobs! Since the game's protection mechanism prevented death, it was pure, unadulterated fun for him.

The frustration he'd felt moments ago vanished as quickly as it had come.

Shi Lei glanced back at the somewhat disheveled Ke Lu and Su Rou, feeling a pang of guilt. He'd intended to split up, yet they'd been caught up in his mess after all.

Shi Lei was undoubtedly arrogant and overbearing, but he wasn't completely unreasonable. He held no deep grudge against Su Rou, and dragging them into this felt unfair.

He muttered, "Those delicate girls... are they going to start crying?"

Meanwhile, on the other side...

Ke Lu's mind raced, instantly grasping the implications of their situation.

"We've triggered the Secret Realm's strongest boss!" she shouted. "This is its territory."

The boss guide she had read flashed before her eyes:

Boss: Mountain Tiger

Difficulty: High for beginners

Introduction: Hidden within a stone cave in the Lost Secret Realm's mountains. May be triggered by taking the wrong path during the navigation segment.

May be triggered... How could this coincidence be so precise? Ke Lu's lips twitched.

However, she quickly focused on the next steps.

To face this boss, she knew they first had to solve one crucial problem: how to survive a freefall from this height.

Ke Lu was acutely aware that with their current strength levels, even the most defensively skilled Martial Artist of their rank would certainly die if they fell from this height without protection.

Of course, in this Secret Realm with its safety mechanisms, they would simply be ejected from the realm.