Chapter 52 – Glory Virtual Realm

Virtual Combat?

Lin Ze and the others exchanged bewildered glances, all wearing puzzled expressions.

“Senior Jing, what is Virtual Combat?”

Guan Ning asked curiously.

Jing Tao smiled mysteriously and led them into the room.

Unexpectedly, the interior was enormous—almost the size of a standard gymnasium.

The spacious, brightly lit space was divided into rows, with aisles running through the middle.

Each row was further partitioned by dividers into semi-enclosed small booths.

Nearly half of the booths were occupied.

“You all know about the Virtual Realm, right?”

After stopping, Jing Tao suddenly asked.

Lin Ze and the others nodded.

Whether it was the Apprentice Assessment or yesterday’s Admission Assessment, both had taken place within the Virtual Realm.

Of course they knew what the Virtual Realm was.

Jing Tao gave a slight nod and continued:

“The Virtual Realm originates from the Origin Stele. Different Origin Steles produce Virtual Realms of varying sizes and internal rules.”

“Some Virtual Realms can give birth to various Ferocious Beasts, making them suitable for assessments or competitions, like the one from yesterday.”

“Others can be used for Beast Tamers to engage in simulated combat, like the Virtual Realm here.”

Lin Ze and the others looked more carefully and noticed that everyone sitting in the booths had their eyes closed without exception.

Upon closer inspection, they could also see that each person was tightly clutching a bronze token.

“That’s… the key to entering the Virtual Realm!”

Zhang Xiaoyun exclaimed in a low voice.

“That’s right.”

Jing Tao nodded.

“Do you know about the Glory Virtual Realm?”

Lin Ze and the others shook their heads in unison.

Jing Tao didn’t mind and continued to explain:

“Since the Great Cataclysm, the Federation has discovered over ten thousand Origin Steles, and the number of Virtual Realms they’ve gained access to is countless.”

“Some of them have been allocated to the Beast Tamer Association and the various Beast-Taming Academies, but most remain in the hands of the Federation Military.”

“Among them are the seven largest Virtual Realms, all of which have been given titles by the Federation Military.”

“The Glory Virtual Realm is one of them.”

As Jing Tao spoke at a measured pace, Lin Ze and the others listened with rapt attention.

Having just graduated from high school not long ago, they had never heard of such insider knowledge.

Their curiosity burned intensely.

“The Glory Virtual Realm cannot give birth to Ferocious Beasts, but it has a comprehensive Beast Tamer combat system. More importantly, its coverage range is extremely wide.”

“As long as you hold the key, you can enter from anywhere in the Federation!”

“For this reason, the Federation Military specially developed the Glory Virtual Realm into a Virtual Combat world and shared access with the various Beast-Taming Academies and the Beast Tamer Association, exclusively for Beast Tamers to battle and spar within, honing their practical combat skills.”

At this point, Guan Ning seemed to recall something and suddenly let out a soft exclamation.

“Ah, I remember now! A teacher from my high school once mentioned to me that there’s a highly popular combat circle among Beast Tamers that’s very well-received, with almost all Beast Tamers participating. Could it be referring to the Glory Virtual Realm?”

Jing Tao smiled and nodded.

“That should be it. The Glory Virtual Realm can only be entered by Beast Tamers of Apprentice level or above. Aside from students of Beast-Taming Academies, other Beast Tamers who wish to enter can only rent equipment from the Beast Tamer Association. It’s only natural that you weren’t familiar with it before.”

“By the way, the Glory Virtual Realm is divided into different combat zones based on Beast Tamer rank, such as the Apprentice Zone, Bronze Zone, and so on.”

“Each zone has its own ranking. Winning battles earns you points, and the more points you have, the higher your ranking.”

“To encourage students to actively engage in real combat, the Academy also grants a certain amount of Resource Points each month to students who reach a certain ranking.”

Zhang Xiaoyun and Liu Siyan’s eyes immediately lit up.

Their recent experience had already made them realize the importance of Resource Points.

Hearing that there was a way to earn Resource Points, they immediately became attentive.

“So what ranking do we need to reach?”

Jing Tao smiled and raised his right hand, holding up one finger.

“Within the top ten thousand.”

Zhang Xiaoyun and Liu Siyan were momentarily stunned.

That requirement… didn’t seem very high.

Jing Tao seemed to guess what they were thinking and curled his lips.

“Don’t think it’s easy to break into the top ten thousand.”

“This is different from the Admission Assessment. The Glory Virtual Realm isn’t just facing examinees—it’s facing Beast Tamers from the entire Federation.”

“Just the Apprentice Zone alone has hundreds of thousands of Apprentice Beast Tamers. To stand out among that many people and break into the top ten thousand is far harder than getting into Ningjiang Academy.”

Guan Ning and the other two girls drew in a sharp breath.

Even Lin Ze was somewhat moved.

Indeed.

The Ningjiang Academy Admission Assessment only targets senior high school students from a few dozen cities around Ningjiang City.

But in the Glory Virtual Realm’s Apprentice Zone, the opponents are Apprentice Beast Tamers from all over the Federation.

This includes not only students, but also veteran Apprentice Beast Tamers who have been in their position for a long time.

These people have spent considerable time at the Apprentice level, and their strength should not be underestimated.

“Just a friendly reminder—in the Glory Virtual Realm’s Apprentice Zone, there are quite a few Apprentice Beast Tamers with Tier 4 Pet Beasts.”

Jing Tao gave Lin Ze a meaningful glance.

Lin Ze and the others fell silent, not questioning this statement.

Although under normal circumstances, an Apprentice Beast Tamer with a Tier 3 Pet Beast could already attempt to challenge the Bronze Assessment.

Many Apprentice Beast Tamers would rather delay their advancement to continue accumulating strength, just to pass the Medium or Advanced Difficulty assessments.

Among these Beast Tamers, those with Tier 4 Pet Beasts are everywhere.

Some even have more than one.

Lin Ze’s strength may far exceed that of a typical Freshman, but compared to those Beast Tamers who have lingered at the Apprentice level for years with deep foundations, he might not necessarily have the advantage.

Seeming to feel he had been a bit too alarmist.

Jing Tao quickly added reassuringly:

“But there’s no need to worry. At the very least, Junior Lin Ze can easily break into the top ten thousand—even the top thousand shouldn’t be a problem. I have high hopes for you!”

The girls nodded in agreement.

Given Lin Ze’s strength, it would be strange if he couldn’t break into the top ten thousand.

“There are many similar Virtual Combat rooms on this floor. If you’re interested later, you can come here and give it a try. It’s quite beneficial for improving your strength.”

“Of course, entering the Glory Virtual Realm costs 10 Resource Points per hour. But compared to the rewards for the top ten thousand, that cost is nothing.”

Jing Tao said casually.

Lin Ze nodded lightly, already feeling somewhat tempted.

Yesterday’s improvement of Rock Ghost was still fresh in his mind.

Sparring against opponents of similar skill level might just be a good way to quickly boost a Pet Beast’s Growth Rate.

Plus, it could earn Resource Points as well.

It could be said to kill two birds with one stone.

“Worth a try.”

Lin Ze quickly made up his mind.

After leaving the training area, Jing Tao led them to other facilities.

It wasn’t until noon.

That the group finished their tour.

Lin Ze, Guan Ning, and the others then returned to the hotel to pack their belongings, and moved into the academy dormitories in high spirits.