Chapter 35: The Lin Family Convenience Store Officially Opens

A day passed in the blink of an eye, and the students who had entered the secret realm for their assessment were now facing their first night within its confines.

Gazing up at the crescent moon in the sky, Lin Xiao fell into deep thought.

He wondered whether the moon in this secret realm was the same one as in the real world.

Though the secret realm was connected to reality, it felt more like a separate world altogether.

Shaking off such impractical thoughts, he reminded himself that this was not something he should be worrying about.

Zhou Zhi yawned as he walked over to Lin Xiao’s side.

“Brother Xiao, it’s getting dark. What should we do next?”

“What else? Sleep! You’re not actually thinking of moving around at night, are you?”

Zhou Zhi shook his head at once. Nighttime exploration was certainly unwise.

Many spirit beasts possessed night vision; the dangers involved in moving about after dark were far greater than during the day.

“Of course, moving around at night is out of the question, but it doesn’t seem realistic to sleep soundly either. If we all fall asleep and some spirit beast sneaks up on us, we might not even know how we died.”

Lin Xiao was well aware of this. He had already come up with a solution.

“Aren’t you an earth-type awakener? Did you forget your earth wall from before? This time, just make a room for us. Don’t forget to seal the top as well—just leave a few air holes.”

Zhou Zhi’s eyes lit up. That was indeed a good idea.

He could create earth walls with ease, and their sturdiness was beyond question.

If a spirit beast tried to attack, it would take time to break through the wall. As long as they heard something, they would wake up. Thinking about it this way, they really could sleep in peace.

Without further hesitation, Zhou Zhi began to use his ability. Soon, a simple earthen hut stood before them.

The hut was finished, with only a few tiny vents left for air and nothing else.

Inside, it was pitch black; Zhou Zhi couldn’t see a thing.

Lin Xiao, on the other hand, was unbothered. His enhanced vision not only made his sight sharper but also gave him night vision.

“We’ll have to make do for one night.”

“How can you call this making do? Enjoyment is still important, even now.”

Lin Xiao rummaged through his snakeskin bag and soon found a flashlight. He switched it on, and the long-lost beam lit up the darkness.

He might have night vision, but Zhou Zhi did not.

“You even brought a flashlight?”

“I brought plenty of things. Here, take it!”

When he saw Lin Xiao toss over a sleeping bag, Zhou Zhi was utterly astonished.

“What? You even brought this, Brother Xiao? Amazing!”

“Enough talk. We’ve been exhausted all day. Time to rest!”

“Understood! Sleep, it is!”

Soon, Lin Xiao and Zhou Zhi drifted into a deep sleep.

Unlike their relaxed night, other teams weren’t nearly as lucky. They didn’t have an earthen shelter like Lin Xiao’s. Even if there were earth-type users among them, no one had thought of such a solution.

Everyone was worn out, but they could only take turns resting; no one dared let their guard down completely in the secret realm.

Those on night watch forced themselves to stay alert, but it wasn’t easy. Worse still, their stomachs kept reminding them of their hunger.

For many, it was destined to be a sleepless night.

In contrast to the students, the people responsible for protecting them were more vigilant than ever.

Those assigned to guard duty here were at least third-level powerhouses.

Their knowledge of the secret realm far surpassed the students’. While the students could rest, the guardians dared not, for they knew the dangers that lurked at night were far greater than those by day.

Many students would face elimination tonight. Their task was to prevent any fatalities among the students as much as possible.

Meanwhile, spirit beasts that prowled at night began to stir within the secret realm.

Many had already sensed the influx of unfamiliar scents.

Highly territorial, the spirit beasts would not tolerate intruders so easily.

Before long, some spirit beasts launched attacks against the exhausted students. The darkness made visibility poor, and the tired students failed to detect the spirit beasts in time.

By the time they realized what was happening, it was already too late to fight back.

Fortunately, the guardians were fully prepared, and no deaths occurred.

Nevertheless, all those who had needed rescuing were immediately disqualified.

The commotion woke many of those who had been asleep, prompting an effective counterattack.

Even after killing the spirit beasts, no one could be sure there wouldn’t be another ambush. All they could do was force themselves to stay alert and keep watch.

Facing a lone beast wasn’t too bad, but one team encountered a pack of bloodthirsty rats. Though each was only a level-one beast, their sheer numbers were overwhelming.

In the rats’ territory, two teams of more than ten members each were completely wiped out.

Of the original hundreds of students, more than half were eliminated in a single night. By dawn, only around two hundred remained.

Yet none of this had anything to do with Lin Xiao and Zhou Zhi, who slept soundly and undisturbed.

Perhaps they were lucky, or maybe the local spirit beasts simply hadn’t found them.

The entire night passed without incident for the two.

Now, the two of them were brushing their teeth with bottled water. If other teams saw how leisurely they were, they’d be furious.

After a simple breakfast, they set off again.

Lin Xiao soon found the main group.

Indeed, it was a large group; the night’s attacks had driven more and more people together. Now, ahead of Lin Xiao was a team of over a hundred.

After some thought, Lin Xiao and Zhou Zhi decided to check it out.

Within the group, Lin Xiao quickly spotted several acquaintances—Ji Boxiao, Liu Ruyan, and the students from First High were all there.

The SS-ranked Shen Yao was also among them. Lin Xiao didn’t recognize most of the others, but he did see some of the leaders from previous teams.

Yet fatigue was written plainly on all their faces.

He could even hear constant rumbling sounds.

Those were the sounds of empty stomachs growling.

Lin Xiao couldn’t help but chuckle. Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity?

“Wow, so many people! What a lively gathering!”

Lin Xiao and Zhou Zhi’s arrival had not gone unnoticed. The others looked at the energetic duo with a sense of resignation.

Why was it that after a night of struggle and exhaustion, these two could appear so relaxed?

The more they thought about it, the more annoyed they felt, and naturally, no one bothered to respond to Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao was unfazed, his thick skin unbothered.

He dropped his snakeskin bag onto the ground.

“Good news, everyone! Lin’s Snack Shop is now officially open for business! Supplies are limited, so first come, first served!”

As he spoke, Lin Xiao began pulling out food from his bag with practiced ease.

At the sight of food, the students couldn’t help but swallow hungrily.

At that moment, their stomachs seemed to feel even emptier.