28: Gray Stone Spider
May 24, 2030, 10:00 AM on a weekend.
On the playground, the over 200 students in Zhang Sheng's large class had all finished assembling.
Rows of armored transport vehicles were also parked in a line.
"Brother Sheng, this formation is so grand, it's like we're heading to a battlefield. It's just visiting a White-Grade Secret Realm, is this really necessary?" Fatty whispered.
Zhang Sheng's brow furrowed. "Fatty, stay close to me once we enter the Secret Realm."
"Everyone, listen up! Head to the warehouse immediately to collect your combat uniforms and individual combat equipment. Reassemble here on the playground in ten minutes. Anyone who is late will fail this week's assessment!" Xu Anmin shouted; he was already fully armed.
"The countdown starts now!"
Seeing that Fatty was still in a daze, Zhang Sheng quickly grabbed him and ran toward the warehouse. "Hurry up and charge! Why are you just standing there?"
The crowd's reaction wasn't slow; everyone immediately sprinted at full power, with some even using their speed Talents.
With his powerful physical fitness combined with his Perfected State Running skill, he quickly left the others behind.
Because registration had been done long ago, the warehouse contained custom-made combat uniforms for every student.
Besides the combat uniforms, there was also individual combat equipment: 191 automatic rifles, 120 rounds of rifle ammunition, five high-explosive grenades, and a pistol.
As well as a Tang Dao.
In less than five minutes, Zhang Sheng returned to the playground, the third to arrive, and that was only because he had intentionally slowed down.
However, the first few to arrive did not receive any praise from the teacher.
Xu Anmin said sternly, "Idiots! Talents aren't meant to be used in places like this. Especially when you're about to face combat, consuming Mental Energy beforehand—do you want to die?"
The two who arrived before him had clearly used their Talents, but Zhang Sheng didn't care; he had only been jogging.
Finally! Just before the ten-minute mark, Wu Xingyang finally reached the playground.
"Fatty, you really need to lose weight, otherwise how will you fight alongside combat units in the future?" Zhang Sheng said helplessly.
"I want to, but I gain weight even from drinking water!"
"186 people present. Everyone else fails this week's assessment!" As Xu Anmin's words fell, the playground gates also closed.
For all the students, this assessment had come too suddenly, but they had no room for negotiation.
If they slacked off on their Cultivate, there would be only one result—elimination.
And on the battlefield, the result would be death.
"Students! Do not forget that at First Cultivation University, competition and elimination are the main themes!" Xu Anmin shouted.
"The Yao Beasts in the Secret Realm won't give you any leeway; life and death are decided in an instant! The Yao Beasts in the Secret Realm we are visiting today have not been completely wiped out, so there is still some danger. Everyone must be on high alert!"
The students' expressions varied; some were excited, some were solemn, and some, like Zhang Sheng, were expressionless.
A convoy of over a dozen armored vehicles set off with the students toward their destination.
Two hours later, a white gate of light appeared before everyone's eyes.
The light gate was like a giant white door-shaped mirror, appearing out of thin air in the middle of the road. A cordon had been set up far around it, with military personnel standing guard nearby.
"Everyone, get out and prepare! Watch your formation!"
Xu Anmin walked toward the temporary guard post in front of the light gate. "Class 12, everyone is here."
"Old Xu, do you really want to do this? Isn't it a bit too dangerous?" the officer at the guard post asked; it seemed they were acquaintances.
"Grey Wolf, this isn't for you or me to worry about. Everything is being done according to the instructions from above for their training. Besides, with you and me here, their lives won't be in danger!"
"Is it really an instruction? Or did you suggest it to the higher-ups? I haven't heard of any other classes having these so-called 'visiting activities'."
"Grey Wolf, how many soldiers have we sacrificed to obtain the resources to train them? Right now, Huaxia is fraught with danger; there's no time for them to grow up in peace. Do even you not understand me?"
"If any casualties occur, I will take full responsibility! You won't be held accountable!"
"You—can you even take that responsibility?" Grey Wolf said angrily. "Old Battalion Commander, I hope you really can keep them safe, otherwise..."
Led by Xu Anmin and the other officer, the students lined up and entered the white light gate.
Zhang Sheng only felt a flash from the white light gate before him, and the surrounding scenery changed abruptly.
He felt his whole body lighten, and every cell in his body seemed to be cheering.
Such dense Spiritual Qi!
The Spiritual Qi here was at least several times that of Earth.
The world before him was a desolate Gobi Desert, but strangely shaped rocks could be seen everywhere.
Behind everyone was the light gate connecting the two worlds.
Everyone remained quiet; this was basic common sense when entering a Secret Realm.
Some were curious, some were nervous; everyone maintained a tactical formation and moved forward slowly, their footsteps very, very light.
As they moved forward, they carefully observed the surrounding scenery.
Something's not right!
Something's very, very wrong!
Waves of shock surged in Zhang Sheng's heart. After combat personnel kill the vast majority of Yao Beasts in a Secret Realm, they would typically send in massive amounts of manpower and resources to mine all the materials within the realm within seven days.
Then, before the Seven-Day Natural Disaster, they would kill the final Secret Realm Yao Beast.
But the environment before him showed no signs of battle or mining; it was clearly a brand-new White-Grade Secret Realm.
Crazy! This is crazy!
This wasn't a visit to a Secret Realm at all; it was clearly a live combat exercise!
Zhang Sheng noticed that several students' expressions had changed; clearly, there were quite a few smart people.
Zhang Sheng quietly tightened his grip on his rifle.
The Secret Realm was vast. The squad walked for several kilometers without seeing a single Yao Beast, though they did see some peculiar lotuses blooming sporadically among the rocks; they were likely some kind of spirit plant.
Without instructions from the teacher, no one dared to act on their own; one slip-up could lead to expulsion.
As they walked, more and more rocks appeared around them, but some of them were off—Zhang Sheng couldn't quite put his finger on it, but they were just too smooth and rounded.
The sky here was slightly different from Earth's; there wasn't a single cloud, and it was bright yet had no sun. It was unclear where the light came from.
Suddenly, Zhang Sheng wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but a greyish-white rock nearby seemed to move slightly.
"There's a Yao Beast! Run!"
Someone screamed and ran back quickly, ignoring the formation!
Zhang Sheng looked and saw it was An Shenhu, who possessed the Eye of True Penetration.
He was the first to notice the Yao Beast that even Xu Anmin hadn't detected.
He moved extremely fast, without the slightest desire to fight.
But in the next moment, Zhang Sheng understood.
Rustling sounds echoed around everyone as "greyish-white rocks" the size of domestic chickens detached themselves from the surrounding rock groups.
The "rocks" rolling on the ground extended eight greyish-white sharp claws.
"It's Yao Beasts! Prepare for battle!" Xu Anmin shouted.
However, faced with the sudden appearance of a large number of Greystone Yao Spiders, some people lost their composure. In their retreat, they either bumped into other students or fell to the ground.
The speed of these stone spiders was astonishing, and they soon approached the group. There were at least a hundred of them, and the number was still increasing.
In an instant, gunfire erupted everywhere!
The students who reacted immediately used their rifles to shoot at the rapidly approaching stone spiders.
"Battalion Commander, we're in trouble! These Yao Beasts aren't emitting even a hint of an aura!" Grey Wolf said, while quickly killing the approaching Yao spiders.
This clearly caught Xu Anmin off guard. To ensure it was as close to real combat as possible, this White-Grade Secret Realm had been immediately cordoned off after it appeared; even they were entering it for the first time.
He hadn't expected the Yao Beasts here to be different from previous ones, being able to perfectly hide their presence. If An Shenhu hadn't discovered them early, the trouble would have been even greater.
However, a student, trembling from panic, accidentally shot a classmate in the calf.
A scream rang out. Zhang Sheng turned his head and saw that Tian Xingxing had fallen and was struggling to bandage her calf.
Her legs were not bulletproof, and blood stained her black combat uniform red.
Several stone spiders were about to close in!