Cang Shan continued by stating that those who failed the trial had two possible options: first, to leave directly, and second, to remain at Kongming Academy as an external student. So-called 'external students' simply cultivated on their own while doing odd jobs around the academy, in preparation for taking the trial again in three years' time.

Of course, this required the student surviving the current trial; neither the imperial expedition nor the current trial was guaranteed to be safe.

““Now, the secret realm shall open!” Upon hearing Cang Shan's command, the six instructors behind him began to emit spiritual energy from their hands, forming two door-shaped portals. This was a teleportation gate that would bring the students to the location of the trial.

The students gathered up in neat rows as they stepped forward, preparing to enter the gate. Shui Yun and Mo Yun were each responsible for one door, and supervised the collection of the students' storage rings and spiritual weapons. Despite their displeased grumbling, the students had no choice but to hand over all their possessions before receiving a normal steel sword and a storage pouch.

Miss Li, who was right ahead of Yun Ruoyan, was apparently planning on sneaking some contraband into the secret realm. However, a mirror that Shui Yun held up foiled her ploy. That mirror could detect items imbued with spiritual energy. Miss Li had hidden a high-grade spiritual pill on her body, and the mirror's surface began to flash as soon as it reflected her image.

Zhuo Yifeng's tiger-canine arrows were only fifth-tier, and narrowly passed the examination. Lin Qingchen's soft sword and Lin Qingxue's twin daggers weren't spiritual weapons, and didn't need to be handed over.

However, the storage ring that Li Mo had given Yun Ruoyan and Lin Qingchen's storage pouch were both confiscated.

Yun Ruoyan retrieved the dagger from her storage ring and strapped it to her leg. While no one was paying her any attention, she removed a few antidotes and spiritual pills from that ring and transferred it to her silver bracelet, judging that the mirror wouldn't be able to identify it.

“Remove that spiritual weapon from your possession!” Mo Yun suddenly snapped, attracting the crowd's attention.

“This is the Pei family's heirloom spear…” Pei Ziao held a miniaturized spear in his hands, unwilling to hand it over.

“You have two choices: hand the spiritual weapon over and enter the secret realm, or leave the academy with your spiritual weapon.” Mo Yun's attitude brooked no dissent.

“Brother Pei, why don't you hand your spear over? I'm sure Kongming Academy will take good care of your family heirloom,” Wang Meng advised from behind, handing over two yellow jade tablets and a storage ring to Mo Yun, before walking through the gate.

With no other recourse, Pei Ziao could only hand over his spear and follow in Wang Meng's footsteps.

On Yun Ruoyan's side, Zhuo Yifeng walked through the portal with his bow and arrow, right in front of Yun Ruoyan.

Yun Ruoyan walked up to Shui Yun and handed her her storage ring. After taking it, Shui Yun held the mirror up in front of Yun Ruoyan. Yun Ruoyan had quite a number of treasures in her possession, and she couldn't help but be a little anxious that the mirror would be able to detect them. Luckily, the mirror remained inert even after passing over her silver bracelet, causing her to relax. However, as the mirror scanned her neck, it let out a weak, white glow. Only then did Yun Ruoyan remember the serpent-core necklace on her neck.

Yun Ruoyan was about to take it off when Shui Yun interjected, “This isn't a weapon or a spiritual pill, so you can keep it.“

Shui Yun nodded gratefully at Yun Ruoyan, collected a sword and storage pouch, and then walked through the portal. A startlingly white flash blinded her for a few moments, and she shut her eyes subconsciously. By the time the flash of light dissipated and she opened her eyes once more, a whole new world was laid out in front of her.

Yun Ruoyan had anticipated that the location of the trial would be in a forested valley like the imperial territory, but she actually found herself in a vast, seemingly endless desert instead.

She stood on yellow sand, a harsh red sun pulsing in the sky. Rough, warm wind blew against her cheeks, and she felt as though she had suddenly gone from heaven to hell.

“What on earth? Why did they send us to a desert of all places?!” Clearly, just about everyone else was as flummoxed as she was.

Lin Qingchen and Lin Qingxue appeared behind her. Dumbfounded, the two of them looked at a desert landscape that they had never before seen in their lives.

A sandy dune rose up some distance away, and there were quite a few students trying to climb up for a better vantage point. Those who had already done so cheered and hurriedly rushed over to the other side of the sand dune, as if they had found some miraculous treasure.

Yun Ruoyan could see Zhuo Yifeng looking at the sand dune in front of her, as though waiting for them to appear. The three girls walked over to Zhuo Yifeng's side, and the party of four then continued toward the sand dune.

As they marched onward, Yun Ruoyan saw Yi Qianying, Yun Ruoyao, Rong Yueshan, and the other eight or so members of their party. Wang Meng, Pei Ziao, and their eight-man team was also climbing up the sand dune. Only when Yun Ruoyan's team climbed up as well did they realize why the other students had been so excited. Not far away from the sand dune were some green, verdant oases, like jade that had fallen from the heavens into the mortal world.

“They're beautiful...” Yun Ruoyan couldn't help but murmur, before heading in the direction of one oasis. Most of the students were running toward the larger oasis in the west, including Yi Qianying and Pei Ziao. A smaller subset ran toward an oasis to the east, and Yun Ruoyan followed this group of people.

Minutes later, when the four-man party arrived at the oasis, they were shocked by the flora that they had never before encountered. They gazed at the unusual trees and fruits all around them, before hearing more cheers and the sound of splashing water from up ahead.

Yun Ruoyan and her group headed in the direction of the sound, passing through the forested region and finding a large lake of water. By the side of the lake, a dozen students were splashing each other with water.

The scorching heat of the desert made the lake particularly tempting to the students, and even Yun Ruoyan could barely resist the temptation to jump in. Just as the four of them headed toward the lake, Qiuqiu warned, “Mistress, be careful! There's a magical beast in the water.“

Yun Ruoyan immediately stopped moving and pulled the other three members of her team back.

“Sister Ruoyan, what's the matter?” Lin Qingxue asked. She was feeling hot and sweaty all over, and her throat was almost steaming from the heat. She couldn't wait to get into the water!

“Don't you think it's too peaceful around here?” Yun Ruoyan looked all around her, then at the surface of the lake. Except for the students by the lake, they couldn't hear a single sound.

This really was quite unusual. Given that this was the location of the trial, there surely were plenty of magical beasts lying in wait. In that case, why didn't the crowd encounter any even within the forests?

Unless... unless the beasts were hidden in the lake!

The four of them looked at each other, realizing this point simultaneously.

“Argh!“

Just then, a student at the edge of the lake suddenly let out a shrill scream, followed by frenzied yelling. Those students who had been playing around the lake, farther from shore, all seemed to be pulled into the center of the lake by some unknown force. In the blink of an eye, half of the dozen students who had been by the lake had vanished.

“Run, run! There's a beast in the lake!” the remaining half-dozen students yelled out as they tried to escape.

Quickly following behind them were countless thick, black tentacles, reaching out for the running students. Four fell prey, and there remained only two lucky survivors. They pulled out their swords and began chopping at the tentacles reaching out for them; faced with resistance, the tentacles retreated, leaving the two lucky students behind. The surviving male and female youth ran toward Yun Ruoyan's party, their faces pale.

Yun Ruoyan had seen neither of the two students before. In particular, the female student had a hooked nose reminiscent of an eagle, and appeared to be a foreigner.

Lin Qingxue told Yun Ruoyan that that was precisely the Miss Li who had been provoking them outside their cottage that morning. Based on her appearance, Yun Ruoyan confirmed that she was indeed from the Mo kingdom.

The two students only began to relax when they made it to Yun Ruoyan's party, panting heavily.

“Who would have expected the Chen kingdom's water demons to make it all the way to this desert?” the male student that Yun Ruoyan didn't recognize exclaimed.

“You're from the Chen kingdom?” Yun Ruoyan asked. “Do you know the identity of that beast?“

The Chen kingdom was situated right next to the eastern seas, which were infested with all sorts of water demons. Members of the Chen kingdom were thus intimately familiar with such aquatic beasts.

“Right, I'm from the Chen kingdom. That's a beast that only appears in deep water, the eight-legged evil spirit. I was really shocked to see it appear in such a small lake, and especially in a desert, no less!“

The youth was trembling as he spoke.

“This demon's really frightening. I think we should head to one of the other oases,” the Mo kingdom's Miss Li said. The Mo kingdom was a landlocked territory, and even regular land-based magical beasts were rare around the region. Clearly, the eight-legged evil spirit had scared her half to death.

Before Yun Ruoyan's party could say anything, the two of them left.

“Sister Ruoyan, what should we do? Should we stay, or should we leave?” Lin Qingxue and Lin Qingchen both looked at Yun Ruoyan. On the other hand, Zhuo Yifeng glanced at the lake.

“If we can lure it out, what are your chances of killing it outright?” Yun Ruoyan asked, turning to Zhuo Yifeng.