Chapter 32: The Secret Realm Core

Inside the nameless cave,

Despite having just endured a perilous battle, nothing had changed in the slightest.

The flat ground, stone pillars, seats—everything had returned to its original state, as if they had never moved an inch.

The only difference was the addition of over a dozen more opponents.

The scene was truly chilling.

Ke Lu's words left Su Rou completely baffled: "Defect? What defect?"

Su Rou racked her brain, reviewing her memories again and again, but she couldn't find an answer.

Against an immortal opponent, no matter how much higher your cultivation level, it was utterly useless.

For instance, the barrage of Spirit Artifacts she had unleashed earlier—any one of them should have been capable of instantly killing the Mountain Tiger.

Yet they had no effect whatsoever.

Worse still, even if it were a standard resurrection, they might have been able to restrain him using various methods. But the Mountain Tiger's ability clearly surpassed mere resurrection by an unknown margin.

In her view, their only hope lay in the school teachers activating the teleportation array to evacuate them.

As for Ke Lu's earlier suggestion of devouring the Mountain Tiger, how that could be achieved remained a mystery.

Though they had killed the Mountain Tiger many times, they had always relied on external forces and had never truly subdued it. Nor did they know how to devour it—was it simply a matter of eating it?

The thought made Su Rou chuckle to herself.

"Seriously, how can a Secret Realm boss be so overpowered? Shouldn't the school be doing something about this?"

This was another point that bothered Su Rou. Why hadn't the school ensured the safety of a Secret Realm used by countless students?

If they hadn't been the ones trapped this time, what chance would other students without such powerful Spirit Artifacts have had of surviving?

And why had this incident occurred specifically to them?

These mysteries tightened around her like an ever-shrinking net, trapping her deeper and deeper in a fog of doubt.

But even if I can't figure it out, it doesn't matter.

Su Rou glanced at Ke Lu beside her, who radiated unwavering confidence. She felt little panic.

She considered herself intelligent—but only ordinarily so. She scored better grades than most and learned faster, making her an above-average student.

Ke Lu, however, was different.

If a perfect exam score was 100, Su Rou might score in the low 90s—that was her absolute maximum.

But if Ke Lu scored 100, it meant the exam simply didn't offer more points for her to earn.

Su Rou knew she wasn't exceptionally clever, but she was certain her best friend was. So, she figured, she might as well follow her friend's lead.

Therefore, when Ke Lu demonstrated her ability to solve problems, Su Rou's anxiety immediately subsided.

She quickly asked, "What's the flaw?"

Instead of answering directly, Ke Lu countered with another question: "Do you know what the Secret Realm Core is?"

"Secret Realm Core?" Su Rou was certain she'd never encountered such knowledge before, but the name itself gave her a rough idea.

"You mean it controls the Secret Realm Core, thus controlling the Secret Realm itself and gaining the ability to reset itself?"

Su Rou considered this. Given the Mountain Tiger's behavior, it seemed plausible.

The defining characteristic of an Instance Secret Realm was its ability to be explored repeatedly, each exploration resetting the realm to its initial state.

She hadn't made this connection before, but Ke Lu's prompt instantly clarified things.

Slapping her forehead, Su Rou exclaimed, "It wanted to devour you... was that to completely seize control of the Secret Realm Core?"

The image of the divine beast—a fusion of dragon and phoenix—that had appeared during Ke Lu's Awakening flashed before her eyes. Her intuition told her there was a connection.

"Exactly! Excellent." Ke Lu nodded in approval, affirming Su Rou's reasoning.

"It doesn't seem to have complete control over the Secret Realm Core, otherwise it wouldn't have spoken like that. I've also noticed something else."

"Complete mastery of the Secret Realm Core would make one the Lord of the Secret Realm—essentially, the Creator God of this realm."

Ke Lu spoke fluently, without pausing to recall details, demonstrating her thorough knowledge of the subject.

"Judging by its recent behavior, it can only reset the Secret Realm, not create it."

"Even its apparent ability to reset itself unconditionally has limitations."

"In fact, every Mountain Tiger appears in the same location—that throne, its NPC spawn point—and their numbers never exceed twelve."

"In conclusion, I believe it doesn't fully control the Secret Realm Core and may even be trying to devour me to achieve that goal."

"Seriously, how do you know so much?" Su Rou asked, her hands on her hips, her voice tinged with envy. "It's like there's nothing you don't understand."

"Even in such a desperate situation, you were still observing?"

Su Rou knew how Ke Lu managed it, but that only deepened her admiration.

In her memory, Ke Lu rarely let a spare moment pass without a book in her hands.

The books Ke Lu read were so profound that Su Rou had absolutely no interest in them.

Now, that knowledge was about to be put to use.

"Read more books, stay informed, snack less, sleep more," Ke Lu said calmly, as if it were a trivial matter.

"Fine, I can't do any of that," Su Rou said, shrugging and clinging to Ke Lu's arm. "Just knowing is enough, right?"

She meant it—she was just lazy.

Ke Lu didn't dwell on this. She gently withdrew her arm and strode forward. "There's no time to explain the details now. Remember, you'll provide support from a distance while I secure the Secret Realm Core."

"Follow the plan: first, clear a path with the Explosive Talisman. Then, focus on containing the other Mountain Tigers to create an opening for me to approach the Crown Mountain Tiger."

"That Ruby is the Secret Realm Core."

She opened the car door, signaling Su Rou to get out and take her position.

"You're going alone?" Su Rou asked, her eyelashes drooping, casting an anxious shadow across her cheek. Her fingers unconsciously tightened, crumpling the hem of her shirt into tiny wrinkles.

"You have to come back alive!"

Tears had welled up in her eyes, but she fought desperately to hold them back, not wanting her emotions to affect Ke Lu.

She was terrified—terrified that this might be their final parting, that Ke Lu might never return.

But there was no time. No choice.

The protective barrier's duration was dwindling by the second, and with no sign of the school staff arriving, Su Rou had lost all hope.

Might as well try anything.

Su Rou raised her dual pistols.

In her memory, Ke Lu had always been invincible. This time would be no different, she was certain.

Clinging to this hope, her eyes fierce, she stared ahead.

All she could do was complete the mission Ke Lu had entrusted to her flawlessly.

If worse came to worst, she'd fulfill the promise she'd made when they fell into the cave: We may not be born on the same day of the same month of the same year, but let us die on the same day of the same month of the same year.

Su Rou chuckled bitterly: I really hope I'm not jinxing myself.

Ke Lu gave her a deep look, then slammed the car door shut and charged straight through the protective barrier.

The Explosive Talisman roared to life again, instantly obliterating all the Mountain Tigers into ash.

The cave collapsed once more, but this time Ke Lu didn't retreat. Instead, she advanced through the falling debris.

In a few swift leaps, she reached the base of the throne.

The Rook dissipated, and the Mountain Tigers reformed in the void.

Startled by the human's audacity to appear before him unguarded, the Crown Mountain Tiger lashed out with its claws, closing the distance in a heartbeat.

Su Rou's startled cry echoed from behind.

But Ke Lu remained unflinchingly calm, showing no panic or surprise.

She had calculated the timing perfectly, ensuring she could complete her summoning before the blow landed.

Besides, she preferred the distance between them to be as short as possible. If it managed to escape while they were too far apart, they'd never get another chance to kill it.

A chess piece clattered to the ground, and a towering phantom materialized behind Ke Lu:

"Queen."