Chapter 128: Secret Realm Ruins, a Legendary Item?!

Zheng Gang appeared before all the students to announce the results of the Beast Tower challenge.

Xu Han was, unsurprisingly, the undisputed first-place winner, earning a Silver-grade skill book as his reward. Zheng Gang then announced the subsequent rankings: Qiao Chao’s team took second place, while Shui Lingyao’s team placed fourth. After distributing the academic credit rewards and offering a few words of encouragement to the freshmen, he declared the Beast Tower event officially closed.

Once finished, Ye Yuanzheng led Ye Die, Zheng Gang, and Xu Han toward the center of Dragon Nation University. They arrived at the Central Office Building, the tallest structure on campus and the heart of the university’s administration, where the offices of the senior leadership were located.

On the top floor, which was entirely dedicated to the President’s office, Ye Yuanzheng stood with his hands behind his back, gazing out the window at the scenery. "It has been far too long since I was last here," he sighed. "I had intended to return in time for the freshmen’s orientation to say a few words, but I was delayed by some matters. Zheng, has anything unusual happened at the school recently?"

Zheng Gang shook his head quickly. "No, President. Everything has been proceeding in an orderly fashion."

Ye Yuanzheng nodded slightly. "That is good to hear, though it is unfortunate that I returned just in time to encounter trouble with the Beast Tower. Tell me, what exactly happened?" He turned his gaze toward Zheng Gang and Ye Die. Though he exerted no pressure, beads of cold sweat broke out on Zheng Gang’s forehead, while Ye Die remained entirely indifferent.

"President," Zheng Gang replied, "I am not entirely sure of the specifics, but I can confirm that no suspicious individuals approached the tower, and no students were orchestrating any heresy inside."

"Oh?" Ye Yuanzheng frowned. "Then where did the Void aura come from?"

Ye Die spoke up suddenly. "I believe it may be related to spatial power."

Zheng Gang looked at her, puzzled, as did Xu Han. Ye Yuanzheng gestured for her to continue.

"Based on recent research," Ye Die began, "the power of the Void can be projected directly onto objects through space, though it requires immense power to achieve. According to the level of erosion, the culprit’s strength likely does not exceed the seventh rank. Furthermore, they cannot be far away; they must still be within the school grounds."

Zheng Gang immediately offered, "President, shall I order the security department to investigate?"

"Conduct a covert investigation first," Ye Yuanzheng decided. "I suspect they utilized some sort of artifact. If a true powerhouse of the Void had infiltrated the school, you would have sensed it. Since an artifact was used, there is no need for excessive concern. The cost of such an item must be prohibitively high, or the culprit would have used them in bulk long ago."

The others nodded in agreement, and Zheng Gang hurried out to handle the aftermath.

Ye Yuanzheng then turned to Xu Han. "Little one, what is your name? Which department are you in, and who is your mentor?"

Xu Han provided his information honestly. With an authority figure of this level, there was no point in hiding anything; if the man wanted to harm him, he would not have waited until now. When Ye Yuanzheng learned that Ye Die was Xu Han’s mentor, he looked at her with surprise.

"Is there a problem?" Ye Die asked, glancing at him.

Ye Yuanzheng chuckled. "No, I am simply pleased that you are willing to take on a student."

Xu Han watched them curiously. Ye Die seemed more like the president than Ye Yuanzheng, who, in her presence, dropped all formality and remained good-natured. *Wait,* he thought, *they both share the surname Ye. Could they be family?*

As Xu Han pondered their relationship, Ye Yuanzheng looked at him with a kind smile, as if regarding a junior of his own. "Xu Han, you suffered quite a bit during the Beast Tower incident. The school has decided to provide you with some additional compensation."

Xu Han felt a surge of excitement. He had assumed the reward from the spirit boy was the school’s only compensation. "President, what is the additional reward?"

"You earned first place, which came with a Silver-grade skill book, correct?" Ye Yuanzheng said with a smile. "I have decided to upgrade your reward to a Platinum-grade skill book instead."

Xu Han was stunned. A Platinum-grade skill book? These were worth as much as an Epic-grade piece of equipment and were truly priceless—money could not buy them. Combined with the reward from the spirit and the numerous benefits he had already gained inside the tower, this trip had been an absolute windfall. "Thank you, President!" he said with a grin.

"No need for thanks; it is what you deserve," Ye Yuanzheng replied. Ye Die looked at him with surprise—since when had this old man become so generous?

Ye Yuanzheng continued, "By the way, Xu Han, are you interested in exploring a Secret Realm Ruin?"

"A Secret Realm Ruin?" Xu Han asked, having never heard the term before.

Ye Die frowned slightly, as if to speak, but Ye Yuanzheng nodded. "That is right. You may not be familiar with them, so let me explain. You know about Secret Realms, right? They constantly descend upon the world. Small ones disappear after being cleared, but some large ones, once cleared, fuse with our world to form unique regions. We call these 'Secret Realm Ruins.' They often contain treasures that were never discovered during the initial clearing."

"I was away for so long recently precisely because I was dealing with a Secret Realm Ruin on the border of the Dragon Nation," he added.

Xu Han’s eyes lit up. "So, there are definitely good things inside?"

"Indeed," Ye Yuanzheng confirmed. "According to our intelligence, a large amount of rare ore and an Epic-grade item have been discovered deep within the ruins."

Xu Han’s interest waned slightly—traveling so far for just one Epic item felt unnecessary. But Ye Yuanzheng’s next words immediately pulled his attention back.

"It is said that this Epic-grade item has already developed a sliver of consciousness. With just a little more refinement, it could evolve into a Legendary-grade piece of equipment."