Chapter 76 – The Pale Wall

A total of seven Tier 5 Pet Beasts.

They were scattered around, guarding Lin Ze and the others in the very center.

Considering that the Tier 3 Steel-patterned Wyrmling had little role to play in this team and might even hold them back, Guo Xinyi did not summon her Pet Beast. Instead, she took out a delicate, compact box.

The box appeared to be made of wood, its surface painted with exquisite cloud patterns, carrying a unique antique charm.

As Guo Xinyi opened the box, a faint white mist, visible to the naked eye, drifted out slowly and swirled around the girl’s body.

Before long, most of Guo Xinyi’s body was shrouded in the white mist, her figure flickering in and out of view.

“This is the Wonder Item ‘Mist Spirit.'”

Song Ting had somehow walked up beside Lin Ze. Seeing the look of surprise on his face, she explained in a low voice:

“The Mist Spirit is a combat-type Wonder Item. It can attach itself to its holder. Besides protecting the holder from harm, it can also be manipulated to launch attacks. It’s both offensive and defensive—an extremely rare and powerful Wonder Item!”

It sounded like a Pet Beast parasitic on its holder.

Lin Ze couldn’t help but take another look at the Mist Spirit.

According to what Liu Man had said earlier, with the help of this Wonder Item, Guo Xinyi could unleash power no less formidable than that of a Tier 5 Pet Beast.

At a Tier 3 level, she could bring out Tier 5 combat strength.

From that point alone, the Mist Spirit could indeed be called a formidable Wonder Item.

Once everything was ready, the group set off, heading deeper into the Secret Realm.

“Roaming in the fifth ring area of the Stone-Condensing Secret Realm are mostly Tier 3 Ferocious Beasts, with occasionally a small number of Tier 4 Ferocious Beasts appearing.”

As they advanced, Song Ting shared her knowledge about the Stone-Condensing Secret Realm.

Among the five in the team, the three Second Year students were regulars at exploring Secret Realms.

They had already been to the Stone-Condensing Secret Realm countless times.

Only Lin Ze and Guo Xinyi, the two newcomers, were entering for the first time.

As they moved forward, the passages on both sides gradually widened.

Eventually, the width even exceeded twenty meters.

Visibility also greatly improved.

At the same time, Lin Ze and the others spotted many Ferocious Beast corpses on the ground.

Each was a gaunt creature, its body wrapped entirely in yellowed bandages.

“These are Mummies, common Tier 3 Ferocious Beasts in the fifth ring area.”

Gu Lengyan glanced at them, a thoughtful expression on her face.

“Fifteen in total, and basically all killed with a single blow.”

“There are also many human footprints on the ground around us, and the tracks lead all the way ahead.”

“It looks like a fairly strong team has gone ahead of us.”

“And they should also be Second Year students.”

Encountering other student teams within a Secret Realm was quite common. Liu Man and the others paid it no mind and continued forward.

On the road ahead, they came across more Mummy corpses one after another.

Thanks to the team ahead, Lin Ze and the others saved the trouble of clearing out Ferocious Beasts.

They didn’t stop along the way and soon passed through the fifth ring.

The fourth ring area was much more expansive, with many roads and complex paths.

Walking through the dim, eerie passages felt like an adventure in an underground city.

Perhaps they had inadvertently taken a different route from the team ahead, as Lin Ze and the others no longer saw any Ferocious Beast corpses.

Instead, after walking for a stretch, they heard strange rustling sounds coming from up ahead.

Then, seven or eight monsters—similar in appearance to Mummies but with pale gray bandages and much larger builds—emerged one after another from the darkness.

A nauseating stench immediately filled the air.

Accompanying it were hoarse, low growls.

The Necro-Heralds, drawn by the scent of living beings, spotted Lin Ze and the others and immediately charged at them.

Gone was their earlier sluggish movement—they now moved like beasts sprinting at full speed.

“Necro-Heralds—the evolution form of Mummies, Tier 4 Pet Beasts!” Song Ting warned at once.

Necro-Heralds primarily fought through physical attacks.

Their desiccated, hardened bodies granted them formidable defensive capabilities.

Combined with the powerful vitality inherent to undead creatures.

This made Necro-Heralds a notoriously troublesome presence even among Tier 4 Ferocious Beasts.

However, for the five people present, this was clearly not a problem.

Lin Ze struck first.

Sensing its master’s intent, the Rock Ghost immediately stomped the ground with tremendous force.

The earth beneath its feet split open on cue, and countless sharp Earth Spikes burst forth from the ground, surging toward the Necro-Heralds in a relentless wave.

The Necro-Heralds at the very front bore the brunt of the attack, instantly pierced and lifted into the air by the spikes.

Their tenacious vitality kept them from dying on the spot.

But they had lost their footing, leaving them flailing helplessly midair.

Even the companions behind them were blocked in their tracks.

The Necro-Heralds’ formation fell into chaos in an instant.

Seizing this opportunity, the Rock Ghost condensed a massive boulder between its palms.

With a piercing howl as it tore through the air.

The enormous rock shot forth.

Crashing into the horde of beasts like a cannonball.

Stone Burst!

In that instant.

A thunderous boom erupted as a violent shockwave swept outward in all directions.

The Necro-Heralds at the epicenter of the explosion didn’t even have time to resist before being torn to shreds.

In a single exchange.

Seven or eight powerful Tier 4 Ferocious Beasts were completely wiped out.

Gu Lengyan and Song Ting, who had been watching the entire time, exchanged glances—both faces flashing with shock.

Though they had long heard of Lin Ze’s formidable strength, witnessing his power firsthand still made them involuntarily draw in sharp breaths.

Is this really a Freshman?

If the two of them had acted instead, even if they could take down seven or eight Necro-Heralds, they absolutely couldn’t have done it with such ease.

Not to mention that Lin Ze had only used a single Pet Beast.

This strength was simply astonishing!

Perhaps only Liu Man could outmatch him.

Guo Xinyi and Liu Man were equally watching with sparkling eyes.

Lin Ze didn’t notice the girls’ expressions.

He commanded the Rock Ghost to take the lead and clear the path ahead.

Most creatures roaming the Fourth Ring area were Tier 3 or Tier 4 Pet Beasts, posing little threat to the Rock Ghost.

This was the perfect opportunity to raise its Growth Rate.

Though the increase might be modest, every little bit counted.

Lin Ze had high hopes of bringing the Rock Ghost to full Growth Rate during this Secret Realm expedition.

Along the way.

The group encountered several more waves of beast attacks.

But without exception, they were quickly dispatched by the Rock Ghost.

Neither Liu Man nor the other three ever had a chance to make a move.

The girls had no idea that Lin Ze was doing this to raise his Pet Beast’s Growth Rate.

They simply assumed he was taking on the task of clearing out the trash mobs on his own initiative, silently admiring his sense of responsibility.

Over an hour later.

The group smoothly crossed the Fourth Ring area and arrived at the entrance to the Third Ring.

What unfolded before Lin Ze’s eyes was a towering, expansive white wall.

“This is the Pale Wall,” Song Ting said.

“It’s the great wall that separates the Third Ring from the Fourth Ring.”

“From the Third Ring all the way to the innermost First Ring, everything is enclosed within the Pale Wall.”

Lin Ze looked up, but could barely see the top of the massive white wall.

And considering that the massive wall was long enough to encircle an area the size of the Third Ring Road.

One could only imagine its sheer grandeur and enormity!