114: Multicolored black

In the following days, Xie Ning devoted himself entirely to improving his strength, even skipping classes.

In the mornings, Xie Ning would spar with Little Mantis and Baiya, sometimes even fighting Lu Bingyun and the others or their Demon Tamers Beasts.

In the afternoons, he followed Yan Ruyu to practice swordsmanship and martial arts. While being abused by Yan Ruyu and mocked by Little Mantis, his swordsmanship, though still far from excellent, had gained considerable proficiency.

At night, he cultivated on his own, practicing either the Divine Sun Canon or mental techniques, ensuring both his ancient martial arts and Demon Tamer Rank progressed.

During this period, the world was peaceful and uneventful. The only thing that puzzled Xie Ning was Little Mantis's whereabouts.

Every night for the past few days, it had been absent, only returning the next morning. When asked what it was doing, it refused to say. Xie Ning simply stopped thinking about it.

In the blink of an eye, five days passed. Although his Rank hadn't increased, Xie Ning's actual combat strength had made significant strides.

Today was the day the Houtu Secret Realm opened.

The entire Lingnan Academy and Lingnan City were buzzing with activity. All forces, big and small, were sharpening their blades, ready to show their prowess.

There were two entrances to the Houtu Secret Realm: one in the outskirts of Lingnan City, and one within Lingnan Academy.

At this moment, inside the academy...

Nearly a thousand students had gathered in the square. Everyone carried a backpack on their back, the designated container for this journey. Within the Houtu Secret Realm, inanimate spatial items like storage stones and Storage Rings were unusable.

Xie Ning, Fei Shanqiu, Lu Bingyun, and the others stood together. Nearby were the remaining dozen or so students from Yan Ruyu's class. Further away were various other teams of different sizes.

"Strange, why isn't Qin Tianyu here today? He clearly signed up. This isn't like his style," muttered Class Monitor Jing Xiang, holding the class roster after taking roll call.

Xie Ning smiled, "Who knows? Maybe something urgent came up."

He was dressed in the same form-fitting combat uniform as everyone else, with the changhong sword at his waist, making him look even more dashing and untainted by worldly cares.

"Perhaps," Jing Xiang nodded.

Fei Shanqiu, standing beside Xie Ning, became as excited as if injected with adrenaline upon seeing Lu Bingyun and the other girls. He eagerly buzzed around them, joking and laughing, but unfortunately, they didn't give him the time of day.

"Old Xie, is this fatty going to be in our group?" Xiao Ya asked Xie Ning with a look of utter helplessness. Her sharp tongue was completely useless against Fei Shanqiu's impenetrable thick skin.

Xie Ning replied, "Don't worry. Once we enter the Secret Realm, he and I have things to do. We won't be with your group."

"That's a relief," Xiao Ya sighed deeply, then paused, "Huh? You're not coming with us?"

"No," Xie Ning explained.

He also noticed a team in the distance staring intently at his group with unfriendly eyes. It was Tiger Zhao's team. Seeing this, Xie Ning, though unconcerned for himself, still warned Lu Bingyun and the others to be cautious.

Above the crowd, on a raised platform, dozens of instructors had gathered, observing the nearly thousand students below.

"Instructor Yan Ruyu, your students better do their best today. It concerns the earth cracking beast inner core. If they don't bring back a single one, that would be unfortunate," Yan Chengze suddenly walked over.

Yan Ruyu glanced at him but didn't respond. Her eyes were fixed on a specific spot in the crowd—Xie Ning's direction.

Now, she had no other choice but to pin her hopes on Xie Ning.

Seeing Yan Ruyu remain silent, Yan Chengze's smile widened. He looked down at the students below and feigned a sigh, "Ah~ such promising talents, what a pity. Geniuses usually have two outcomes: either they are wasted, or they are led astray. A pity, truly a pity..."

...The outskirts of Lingnan City.

A certain forest was now packed with people.

This was the other entrance to the Houtu Secret Realm.

Compared to the nearly thousand people within Lingnan Academy, the crowd here was even larger. Surrounding cities and various forces had dispatched their Disciples to participate, hoping to stir the waters and profit from the chaos. Everyone here also carried large backpacks.

People Xie Ning couldn't see at the academy, like Mu Tian, Ye Feiyu, Zhao Long, were all here.

At the moment, Mu Tian and Ye Feiyu each stood with their own followers, forming two separate groups, each consisting of about seven or eight people. On the opposite side, Zhao Long was also present.

Zhao Long's faction had nearly thirty people. Besides him, there were two other leaders: one was a pale-faced man holding a fan, resembling the Sick Young Master, about the same age as Zhao Long; the other was a burly man wearing a Lingbei Academy combat uniform, his fists like iron.

Judging by their attire, the nearly thirty people were divided into three factions, temporarily cooperating.

"The rumors are true. Zhao Long has indeed allied with the Flower Sect. Not only that, Lingbei Academy has also gotten involved. This is troublesome," Ye Feiyu frowned as he observed the scene.

Mu Tian responded, "Don't be so pessimistic. Just stick to the plan. As long as he succeeds first, our objective will be achieved."

Ye Feiyu nodded, then glanced around and whispered in an extremely low voice, "That matter... you're really going to help him?"

Mu Tian: "Yes."

"But..."

"Don't interfere with my choice," Mu Tian turned to look at Ye Feiyu, his tone deep and carrying a warning.

Ye Feiyu took a deep breath, steadied himself, and said with a resigned tone, "Fine. If that's the case, I'll gamble too. My Duobao Sect isn't afraid of those from the Imperial Capital!"

Mu Tian smiled faintly.

Mu Xiaolong, standing behind them, was somewhat confused and about to speak when Mu Tian raised a finger to his lips, forcing him to swallow his words.

Suddenly, the ground lit up. A beam of earthy-yellow light shot out, fell back to the earth, and began moving along a specific trajectory, like a drawn formation.

The crowd stirred with the changing light, eager and ready. In the eyes of most, there was a clear lust for treasure.

At the very edge of the crowd, in a tiny corner almost no one would notice, a figure clad entirely in black moved with the throng. He slightly raised his head, his eyes cold and resolute.

This person was Qin Tianyu.

The changes at Lingnan Academy and the city outskirts were almost identical and nearly simultaneous. As the light formation completed, the people on-site vanished with a 'whoosh', leaving behind ground that was either clean or messy.

While everyone's attention was captivated by the Houtu Secret Realm, Mo Yu and Su Qin arrived within Lingnan City.

They found a small advertising design shop that specialized in large posters and entered.

"Boss, please make this material into advertisements. I want all formats: pull-up banners, large posters, horizontal banners, everything," Mo Yu handed a USB drive to the white-haired designer boss, adding emphasis, "Make them big, bright, and preferably the kind that can make noise."

Su Qin also chimed in, "Right, and the color scheme should preferably be an iridescent black. The font should be large, but the overall size a bit smaller. It's best if it looks both grand and refined."

Thump!

The boss was so startled he fell to the floor, his legs twitching, unable to get up.

He had thought that in the era of Demon Tamers, there would no longer be such prehistoric, perverse design demands. Who would have thought...