My Misfortune Crushed Instances-Chapter 164: Another Kind of Misfortune

Li Rui met the four members of Dong Sanchuan's team once more.

They were also set to return to the Superpower Division to take part in the Secret Realm battlefield selection. To be precise, at this point, most of those who signed up have already passed the review and are preparing for the selection.

The five of them gathered, deliberately avoiding the topic of the mission. After all, everyone knew the mission was confidential, even though it's now widely known. Even with the information being public, meeting the requirements was still sensitive and discussing the details was frowned upon.

After a brief chat, Li Rui personally drove them to the airport. He mused over things and then started cleaning up the current realm alone in solitude.

Most people there for training went to the Superpower Division, so Li Rui had many choices now. He picked high-difficulty battles and occasionally dragged Kong Hua along to balance his luck, with results being average.

It wasn't until there were only ten days left until the registration deadline that Li Rui was having a meal with Kong Ji.

"Bro, do you have any assurance? Come on, give your elder brother a little hint. There's only a few days left, and after you're done, you need to advance."

Li Rui was fervently digging into his food. "Assurance or not, I have to wait for the seal's orders. Can it be delivered to me in a hurry?"

"If you're anxious, maybe it will know," Kong Ji joked.

"Fine then, I'll get anxious. Damn!"

After his words, Li Rui instinctively glanced at his seal. Sure enough, it started to blur, quickly indicating the formation of a new Secret Realm.

Kong Ji immediately plopped down on a chair nearby, focusing intently on the slow-moving imprint.

"Seven or eight stars are the best, lots of experience, and less likely to have accidents. If it's too low, the experience won't be enough to reach level 30. If it's too high, there's a chance of failure."

He murmured, "It's best if it's a matured Secret Realm, so there's a guide to consult."

Li Rui kept silent, only hoping in his heart for more stars.

As the seal slowly changed, its name and time finally appeared.

[Forest Spirit's Abode · Peach Blossom Spring ☆☆☆☆☆]

120:00.

"Damn."

Li Rui was truly anxious now. "Only five stars?!"

Staring at the half-eaten grilled meat bowl, he suddenly lost his appetite.

Kong Ji sighed silently; a five-star Secret Realm for levels 21-25, even if completely explored, couldn't raise someone from level 25 to 30. This wasn't about strength; even triggering all the Black Stars wouldn't provide enough experience.

Li Rui was well aware of this too, knowing even with his unfortunate streak maxed out, he couldn't gather more experience points.

This was troublesome.

If he missed this Secret Realm battlefield, the next opportunity would be at least several years later.

Meanwhile, others of the same period would return from it with high-quality gear and skills, widening the gap instantly.

Such opportunities to gain numerous legendary items were rare, and having more chances could always raise the potential ceiling.

Encountering an easy Secret Realm whilst wishing for a hard one might be another form of misfortune.

Li Rui shook his head, suddenly wolfing down his meal in a few bites, then stood up and said, "No way, I have to go back and study strategies. Who knows, maybe there's a hidden storyline?"

"Well, that's true..."

Kong Ji, despite feeling pessimistic, didn't dampen Li Rui's enthusiasm further, "Alright, I'll have someone bring the materials over later."

Nonetheless, he admired Li Rui's ability to adjust his mindset so quickly in such a short time.

.....

Song Yao temporarily handed over the provincial association's affairs to a vice president and arrived in the capital himself, at the Superpower Division headquarters.

He's not here to participate in the Secret Realm battlefield, but it's related because he's one of the reviewers for potential participants.

Upon reaching the capital, he promptly headed to the Superpower Division building. As a local high-level official, he lacked the authority to know the national situation, so he wanted to review the list of initial approvals quickly.

Knock knock.

Pushing open the door symbolizing the highest authority in Dragon Country's Extraordinary World, Song Yao entered the room and saw a back looking out the window.

"You're here."

The figure by the window was a seemingly ordinary man, appearing slightly younger than Song Yao, but he was Dragon Country's strongest in the Extraordinary World—Zhuo Feilong, Minister of the National Anomaly Management Division.

"Minister."

Song Yao didn't take things lightly, waiting until Zhuo Feilong returned to the desk and gestured for them to sit together.

"How's that young fellow doing?"

Right after they sat, Zhuo Feilong casually asked.

"Hmm?"

By rights, someone like Song Yao is accustomed to big scenes, usually calm and unperturbed. Yet upon hearing Dragon Country's strongest and most powerful Extraordinary's question, he couldn't help but be momentarily taken aback.

A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, unable to find a reasonable explanation.

Who else but Li Rui could the young fellow be? Yet he couldn't fathom why his interlocutor would bring this up first.

"He's still in the Northwest."

Unaware of the reason, Song Yao could only provide an accurate, albeit useless, response.

Zhuo Feilong nodded, continuing to ask, "He hasn't registered, so he hasn't reached level 30 yet?"

Song Yao, unable to grasp the query, simply set aside his confusion and blandly replied, "Indeed, luck wasn't on his side, the last Secret Realm only gave five stars, likely not enough. Even the cleverest housewife can't cook without rice. In my opinion, if he really needs to participate, just extend the registration time."

It was a jibe.

Policy, after all, needs higher-up approval, concerning Secret Realm agents nationwide. Suddenly changing policy last minute for someone barely over level 20 was unfeasible.

Yet upon hearing this, Zhuo Feilong tapped the table with his fingers, seemingly in deep thought.

"Why is that? Surely his potential makes him noteworthy, but not to that extent..." Song Yao couldn't help asking.

Zhuo Feilong smiled silently, pushing over a file stamped with top-secret insignia.

Song Yao, puzzled, took it, pulling out the contents—sparse, just a report looking like some surveillance record's text description, accompanied by a photo.

His eyes scanned the paper repeatedly, widening with disbelief, eventually looking up sharply: "Is this real?"

.....

In a deep garden, two individuals sat facing each other, one preparing tea, the other playing a qin.

It wasn't until the tea was served in two humble porcelain cups, and the music stopped, that they began to converse.

"You're placing pieces everywhere; maybe there's little you can savor, as there are too many nosy people," the one preparing tea said.

"Indeed."

The musician didn't mind, "What you and I seek is bound to face obstacles. I'm prepared for most plans to fail, but as long as a few succeed, the goal will be accomplished."

"Where to next?"

"There's a Peach Blossom Spirit west of Liangting, quite suitable for my use. I'll set out tomorrow."

The tea preparer frowned, "The past few days, those old folks from Shenxiao Palace have been looking for you, how will you manage?"

"I'll personally lead them away, then attach a soul strand to a puppet, using it as a doppelgänger, enough to deal with those Forest Spirits."

"You actually learned Fengdu's Soul-Splitting Secret Skill. In that case, alright, just be cautious, no slip-ups."

"No worries, the Forest Spirits are naive and easy to deceive. I'll act covertly; no conflicts. When it's over, if they discover it was my doing, Zuo Qiutian's, it'll be too late for regrets."