Chapter 145: Chapter 143: Departing for Suspended Mountain

8:00 AM. Apron No. 1 of the East Sea Fortress City military airport.

The Alloy Square reflected the cold morning light.

The low hum of engines and the faint glow of dissipating Spiritual Power filled the air.

The area was already teeming with people.

Hundreds of students, clad in various combat uniforms and wearing the insignia of East Sea Martial Arts University, had assembled here.

Their expressions varied.

Some faces showed uncontrollable excitement.

Others nervously double-checked their gear.

Most, however, gathered in small groups, conversing in low voices while their sharp gazes scanned for potential rivals.

Ambition and desire burned in everyone’s eyes.

These were the elites, selected from the various academies of East Sea Martial Arts University—the fresh blood that would secure the future of the Fortress City.

They were about to set foot in the legendary Tier Two resource Secret Realm, Suspended Mountain—a place said to be rife with opportunities.

Han Feng stepped out of a Hovercar alone.

He was fully armed in black clothes, with a black sword and a menacing shield strapped to his left arm. His figure didn’t particularly stand out in the crowd.

But his calm gaze was silently scanning everything around him.

He quickly locked onto the most conspicuous groups on the square.

Members of the Flight Academy’s Celestial Wings Society were gathered together, centered around the two brothers, Sun Rui and Sun Hao.

Most of them wore expensive Tier Two Spiritual Energy Power Wingsuits.

The streamlined armor gleamed with a metallic luster in the morning light, their faces wearing the innate arrogance of those from the Inner City.

Han Feng’s gaze found Li Wei in the crowd.

He was standing beside Sun Rui with a subservient demeanor, looking every bit the lackey.

He activated his [Spiritual Vision].

In Han Feng’s Perception, the energy fluctuations within Li Wei’s body were even stranger than last time.

The dark-red mass of light coiled around his heart pulsed more forcefully, like a second heart.

Threads of blood-colored energy had spread to nearly every corner of his body, exuding an ominous aura.

’This guy’s internal energy structure is becoming less and less human.’

On the other side, the students from the Martial Arts Academy were a completely different sight.

Each of them was powerfully built, their Qi Blood as vigorous as a blazing furnace.

Just by standing there, they seemed to make the surrounding air grow hot and dry.

The few in the lead weren’t wearing Wingsuits, but a type of light exoskeletal Battle Armor that clung to their bodies.

The Battle Armor covered the key parts of their limbs and torsos, and the energy patterns on its surface flowed slowly, as if breathing.

"Fengzi, over here!"

Zhang Hao’s voice called out.

Han Feng looked toward the sound and saw several members of the Sharp Sword Club waving at him.

He walked over.

Wang Meng greeted him with a bear hug and a hearty laugh.

"Fengzi, your gear is pretty slick!"

"All pitch-black. You look like someone not to be messed with!"

"Captain, Brother Meng."

Han Feng greeted them with a smile.

"Look over there."

Zhang Hao jutted his chin toward the Martial Arts Academy’s group.

"The one in the lead is Lei Qianjun. He’s a big shot in the Martial Arts Academy, an A Level Student at the Peak of the Third Layer of the Meridian Passage Realm."

Han Feng followed his gaze.

A young man nearly two meters tall with a buzz cut stood with his eyes closed, Nourishing the Spirit.

He just stood there quietly, like a silent god of war, with no one daring to come within three meters of him. He commanded his own presence.

"That suit he’s wearing is the Mad Ape Type Three Combat Skeleton, jointly developed by the Martial Arts Academy and the Celestial Craft Group. It significantly boosts strength and reaction speed."

Zhang Hao explained.

"It can’t fly, but on the ground of a Floating Island, its close-combat capabilities are absolutely top-tier."

"A full set costs at least five hundred thousand Contribution Points."

Wang Meng clicked his tongue.

"Damn. Five hundred thousand Contribution Points worn on your body. These guys from the Inner City really have money to burn."

Han Feng’s [Spiritual Vision] saw it even more clearly.

The Energy Circuits of the Combat Skeleton faintly resonated with Lei Qianjun’s own meridians.

It was clearly custom-tuned, capable of amplifying the power of his Inner Qi by at least thirty percent.

Just then, a commotion broke out across the square.

Three middle-aged men in the special uniforms of the university’s upper management walked onto the high platform at the front of the square, surrounded by a dozen or so instructors.

Han Feng recognized the man in the center from the university’s promotional materials.

One of the vice deans of East Sea Martial Arts University, Chen Beixuan.

A genuine Tier Four Grandmaster.

His gaze, sharp as lightning, swept across the entire assembly.

The once-noisy square fell instantly silent.

"Students."

Chen Beixuan’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an authority that drilled clearly into everyone’s ears.

"Today, you stand here representing the most elite force of East Sea Martial Arts University."

"The Suspended Mountain Secret Realm you are about to enter is a land of opportunity, but it is also a graveyard."

"I’m not going to waste your time with nonsense like ’be careful’ or ’come back alive’."

"The path of Martial Arts is, by its very nature, a fight against fate itself."

"Those who fear death are unworthy of becoming strong."

His words were cold and direct, sending a chill through the hearts of many of the previously excited students.

"Inside the Secret Realm, your status, your background, and your wealth can all become meaningless in an instant."

"The only things you can rely on are your strength, your wits, and the weapons in your hands."

"You will face not only ferocious native Demon Beasts, but also something far more unpredictable: the human heart."

"You are both comrades and competitors."

"I have only three rules for you."

Chen Beixuan held up three fingers.

"First, you are forbidden from killing one another."

"This is the bottom line. If you are discovered, no matter who you are or who you have backing you, the university will show no mercy!"

"Of course, we will not interfere in reasonable competition for resources."