Star Martial Era: From Mortal to Emperor

Chapter 98: Gathering of All Parties on the Eve of the Secret Realm

The day before the start of the Freshman Secret Realm Trial, Xingwu University was like a boiling pot, bubbling and bubbling.

From the morning onwards, the number of people on campus was two to three times higher than usual. The queues in the cafeteria stretched to the entrance, the training rooms were full, and even the benches by the playground were packed with people, gathered in twos and threes, some flipping through maps, some checking their equipment, and some quietly discussing tactics. There was an indescribable restlessness in the air, like the oppressive calm before a storm, making everyone feel tense.

The Trial Square is located at the far east end of the campus and is not usually open to the public, but today it was bustling with activity.

The plaza was vast, capable of holding two to three thousand people. The ground was paved with massive bluestone slabs, each the size of a tabletop, their joints perfectly sealed, and covered in dark green moss. In the very center of the plaza, over a hundred array-department teachers had been setting up the array since dawn, working until late morning. The teleportation array, covering nearly a hundred square meters, was circular and resembled a giant eye from above. Its edges were covered in runes drawn with spiritual ink, densely packed, ring upon ring, the smallest no bigger than a fingernail, the largest taller than a person, their patterns as intricate as an unsolvable tangled mess.

The magic circle was activated, and spiritual energy flowed continuously from its core, condensing above it into a cloud of white mist, like a giant pot boiling water, steam rising upwards. The runes flickered, their silvery-white light shining through the mist and casting a cool hue over the entire plaza. People walking on the plaza had white spots of light reflected from the runes on their faces, hands, and clothes, making them appear as if they were standing underwater.

The square was packed with people.

Students, teachers, school staff, and representatives from various factions who had come from outside the school. Members of aristocratic families, dressed in their custom-made school uniforms with their clan crests embroidered on the chests, stood together, clearly distinct. Military personnel, in uniform dark green training uniforms, stood ramrod straight, even their lines were more orderly than the others. Exchange students from various countries were scattered throughout, their skin colors and languages ​​differing, but their eyes all shared the same gaze—observing others while being observed in return.

Qin Hao stood on the east side of the square, surrounded by more than a dozen people.

Their equipment was clearly not up to par with ordinary students. They wore identical silver-trimmed school uniforms, with the Qin family crest—a single seal script character for "Qin" surrounded by a ring of fine cloud patterns—pinned to their chests. Their waists were bulging with storage bags, undoubtedly filled with countless valuables. Several also wore protective jade pendants on their belts, the pendants gleaming warmly in the sunlight, clearly not ordinary items.

Qin Hao clutched a roll of something in his hand. It had a leather cover, and the edges were badly worn, suggesting it was quite old. He glanced down at it occasionally, then looked up at the magic circle in the center of the square, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips. He tucked the roll into his pocket, patted it, and then whispered a few words to the person next to him. The person nodded, turned, and squeezed into the crowd, quickly disappearing from sight.

Qin Hao's gaze swept across the crowd, landing on the west side of the square. Lin Chen stood there. His eyes darkened, the smile on his lips vanished, replaced by a chilling hatred. He stared at Lin Chen for a few seconds, then glanced at the four people beside Lin Chen. His lips moved as if he were silently reciting something, before he looked away, straightened his collar, and resumed his nonchalant expression.

On the north side of the square stood the military's new recruit squad.

There were about twenty men, all former subordinates of Leng Feng. They wore matching dark green training uniforms, without the flashy accessories of scions of wealthy families, and each carried a standard-issue combat sword, the scabbards uniformly engraved with the military's serial number. They didn't chat or whisper; they just stood there, like a row of iron stakes driven into the ground. Someone glanced in Leng Feng's direction and nodded slightly; Leng Feng nodded back, as if to say hello.

On the south side of the square, several blond-haired, blue-eyed exchange students were looking in Lin Chen's direction. They stood together, talking in hushed tones in a language no one else could understand, their gazes occasionally sweeping over. One of the tall boys, with a large sword slung over his shoulder—twice as wide as Leng Feng's battle blade—tilted his head, scrutinizing Lin Chen, chewing something slowly, as if he were chewing a piece of meat that couldn't be chewed properly.

More attention was drawn from all directions. The news of Lin Chen defeating Qin Hao had already spread throughout the school. Although the school administration had suppressed some of the information about destroying the evil clan's stronghold and exposing Qin Hao's evil deeds, many people still knew about it. He became an unavoidable name among the freshmen—some admired him, some were unconvinced, and many more were watching to see how far this special admission student from a small border town could go in the secret realm.

Lin Chen didn't care about the stares.