Chapter 38: Return to School

Outside, at the school 

For the students of Liaocheng No. 1 High School, this day offered a rare moment of respite from the relentless pressure of preparing for the College Entrance Examination.

The reason? After being missing for a full month, the two transfer students, Ke Lu and Su Rou, had finally returned to class.

These transfer students had only been at the school for a few days, yet they had already caused quite a stir.

First, Ke Lu helped them break the "Gu Yunfan" curse.

Heaven knows how stunned they were when they saw that the top spot on the school's theoretical exam honor roll wasn't occupied by Gu Yunfan, but by Ke Lu, the new student.

Even more unbelievable was her perfect score across all subjects—a feat most students wouldn't even dare to dream of achieving—which had miraculously materialized in reality.

The other transfer student, Su Rou, also ranked among the top thirty in the grade, solidifying her status as a top-tier academic powerhouse.

Throughout history, academic powerhouses like Ke Lu have always been the focus of students' heated discussions.

But the most shocking twist? On that very day, both transfer students vanished simultaneously, and the "Lost Woods" Secret Realm was permanently sealed off by the school.

As if by some strange coincidence, insiders revealed that the two transfer students had visited the Lost Woods Secret Realm shortly before their disappearance.

Shortly afterward, the Superintendent, who had been throwing his weight around at school, was dismissed under rather humiliating circumstances.

All these events became fuel for the students' gossip mill, igniting the restless curiosity of the already stressed-out high schoolers.

The entire campus buzzed with curiosity and speculation about the two mysterious transfer students.

Even the school's official explanation—that the pair had obtained some opportunity within the Secret Realm and were currently cultivating—couldn't dampen the students' fervor.

On the campus website, hundreds of posts had sprung up discussing the incident.

Beep beep beep. Ke Lu's phone buzzed restlessly in her pocket, prompting her to check it.

She casually glanced at the screen and noticed Su Rou had @mentioned her on the campus website.

Clicking the notification, Ke Lu's face immediately darkened. She glared at Su Rou, who was struggling to suppress a laugh beside her:

"Can you stop @mentioning me in these weird posts? I can't even look at the crap you're pushing."

On Ke Lu's phone screen, the post Su Rou had tagged her in blared with the sensational headline: Five Secrets from the Secret Realm That Must Be Told.

What a clickbait artist.

Clicking through to read the full post revealed even more absurd claims:

"According to eyewitness accounts, Shi Lei's five-member team entered the Secret Realm one after another that day. When they emerged, their clothes were disheveled, and their expressions were dazed..."

"What truly happened? Is this a sign of moral decay or a perversion of human nature?"

Ke Lu rubbed her temples. The person who wrote this post clearly has a... unique way of thinking.

This kind of gossip had absolutely no effect on Su Rou.

Su Rou stuck out her tongue and made a silly face. "Nope! Good things are meant to be shared!"

Ke Lu sighed inwardly. Fine, let Su Rou have her fun. It's just a way to kill time anyway.

She opened the campus website and scrolled through posts about their disappearance.

One thread claimed:

"As everyone knows, Gu Yunfan has always been the school's top student. Now that his Chief position is threatened, he's driven by jealousy..."

"And as everyone also knows, Gu Yunfan comes from a wealthy and powerful family, so he's resorted to some underhanded tactics..."

Clearly, the author of this post was a master of conspiracy theories.

Ke Lu wasn't about to be swayed by such baseless speculation.

What did catch her attention was the phrase "Gu Yunfan comes from a wealthy and powerful family."

As another key figure connected to the Red-Tier Faction, Ke Lu naturally paid close attention to Gu Yunfan's affairs.

"A vast family and a grand estate..." Ke Lu committed this to memory before searching "Gu Yunfan family background" on the campus website.

The search results flooded her screen with countless threads and posts. After all, as the perennial top-ranked scholar and a Demon Race exchange student, Gu Yunfan was a figure of intense public interest on campus.

Most speculations about Gu Yunfan's family wealth were mere guesses:

[That wristwatch he's wearing looks like a limited-edition "Dark Night Stars," priced at two million Credit Points.]

[His shoes must be Demon Realm-exclusive Cloud-Treading Boots. Notice the mist swirling around his feet when he walks.]

[Someone saw his fountain pen last week—it automatically refills its own ink! No need to change cartridges! It's definitely an Alchemical Product!]

These tidbits pieced together in Ke Lu's mind, forming a rough picture.

The distance from the Secret Realm exit to the classroom wasn't far. The two chatted and laughed as they walked, and before they knew it, they were standing at the entrance of the academic building.

They had arrived just in time for morning reading.

The campus pathways teemed with bleary-eyed students rushing to grab breakfast and attend morning reading.

When they entered Class Five, only a few students were present. The vast majority were still having breakfast in the cafeteria.

The handful of students in the classroom turned their gazes in unison, curiosity and inquiry flickering in their eyes.

"Ke Lu, Su Rou, where have you two been for the past month?" Although they weren't particularly close, a bold and naturally sociable student approached them to ask.

Ke Lu gave the school's standard explanation: "We gained an opportunity within the Secret Realm and stayed there to cultivate..."

The student didn't seem entirely convinced but thanked them and walked away.

"Ke Lu." A familiar voice called out. Ke Lu looked up to see Shi Lei, Bai Yu, Ma Fei, and two unfamiliar faces.

These must be the original members of Shi Lei's Team, Ke Lu thought, as she asked, "What's up?"

"Uh, we just wanted to treat you to a meal," Shi Lei said, scratching his head awkwardly. "We meant to invite you when we first came out of the Secret Realm, but now... it's kind of a celebration of your return."

Shi Lei patted his chest. "Don't worry, we'll eat at Lao Tian's house. His father is the best chef in Liao City."

He gestured to Tian Qiu and Qin Yu beside him, introducing them: "This is Tian Qiu and Qin Yu. Let me introduce you two."

"Lao Tian, Lao Yu, this is Ke Lu, the girl I told you about."

"The best chef?" Ke Lu's interest piqued. "Rou Rou, what do you think?"

"Sure, I haven't had a proper taste of the local cuisine since I got here," Su Rou replied, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"In that case, I'll humbly accept your invitation," Ke Lu said, thanking them.

Soon, the other students began trickling into the classroom, their curious gazes lingering on Ke Lu and Su Rou.

Even the teacher supervising morning study hall was momentarily stunned by their return before waving them over.

"New students, your homeroom teacher wants to see you in the office."