"This is the divine pillar that supports our Yamato nation? We Japanese are blessed by Amaterasu, the most superior race in the galaxy—all other races are inferior!"
"Fuma-kun, well said!"
"Our Yamato race will surely rise and dominate the entire Milky Way!"
...
The group of Japanese, clad in diving suits, gathered before the iron pillar, marveling with smug, arrogant expressions. Though sound barely traveled through seawater, their words couldn't escape Feng Lin's telepathy.
Feng Lin snorted coldly.
These Japanese bullies cowered before the strong and preyed on the weak, their old ambitions still burning in secret, insatiably greedy.
Whether in ancient Earth times or the interstellar age, the Japanese were a weak race, yet they harbored such wolfish ambitions—truly, a leopard never changes its spots!
Feng Lin's gaze deepened as he studied the leader, pausing slightly.
He realized this man was the Japanese who had passed the first round of the Cosmic University enrollment assessment ahead of him, boasting an extremely high vitality index—not to be underestimated.
With the second round imminent, what was he doing here in this deep-sea trench?
It didn't seem like training under deep-sea pressure; his purpose had to be far from simple.
With a cultivator's keen instincts, Feng Lin sensed something amiss and silently trailed them.
Meanwhile, the Japanese were still circling the divine pillar, exclaiming in awe.
The leading man grew impatient. "Enough talk! Let's hurry into the shrine! Completing the mission is what matters—summon the Divine Maiden!"
This man was at least a Grandmaster-level interstellar cultivator, yet he wasn't the leader? There was a Divine Maiden too?
Feng Lin remained expressionless, closely monitoring their every move.
Just then, another figure in a diving suit emerged from the submarine—a bewitching woman with narrow, fox-like eyes, radiating an uncanny allure as if reincarnated from a fox spirit. The moment she appeared, she became the center of the Japanese group.
"Fuma Taro, move out immediately! The secret realm is paramount—no delays!" The so-called Japanese Divine Maiden commanded as she appeared, and the group, clustering around her, dove deeper into the trench.
Could there be secrets hidden in this trench?
Feng Lin followed closely, noting their purposeful, well-defined route.
He carefully concealed his presence to avoid detection.
Fortunately, the trench was surrounded by endless black seawater, devoid of light, rendering vision nearly useless—making it hard for them to spot him.
And with his psychic power for detection, Feng Lin had a massive advantage, never fearing losing them.
But these Japanese were no pushovers; they were highly vigilant, scanning their surroundings. Any slight anomaly wouldn't escape their detection, so Feng Lin couldn't get too close.
"Divine Maiden, Fuma-kun, do you think that secret realm really works? Can it boost our cultivation before the college entrance exams?"
The Divine Maiden shot him a cold glare. "The exams are imminent. Precisely because our Yamato nation has, for the first time in history, had two pass the Cosmic University assessment and eleven pass the Stellar Nation University assessment, His Majesty the Emperor has granted us this one chance to enter the secret realm. This rare opportunity is the Emperor's grace—Yamashita-kun, it's not for you to question!"
"Hai!" The Japanese man, his face paling, quickly bowed in deference.
The group pressed on without pause, speeding forward.
A mythical secret realm?
Feng Lin's interest was piqued.
A mythical secret realm was the most precious type of mythical relic, a self-contained world said to preserve remnants of ancient cultivation civilization's environment—truly extraordinary, offering boundless benefits to those who entered. This was his first time encountering one.
He marveled at how, whenever he crossed paths with the Japanese, he always reaped some inexplicable gains.
Fate was truly wondrous!
Could the Japanese really be his lucky stars?
A smirk crept across Feng Lin's lips. In his eyes, these Japanese were nothing but gift-bearing cherubs.
The Japanese hurried along, eager and impatient, unaware that a fearsome wolf was stalking them from behind.
Techniques, treasures, resources... I'll take them all!
Soon, Feng Lin followed them to the bottom of the trench, where a vast expanse of land lay, dotted with rolling mountains.
His heart stirred as he recalled that before the divine pillar propped up the Yamato nation, part of its territory had slid into the trench—could this be it?
"Where's the Yamata no Orochi?" The Japanese looked around, puzzled by the stillness.
"Probably out hunting," Fuma Taro said dismissively.
The others nodded. The Yamata no Orochi was a terrifying monster over a hundred meters tall, with a bottomless stomach and a huge appetite—it was normal for it to be out foraging.
Its absence was convenient, as dealing with the serpent would have been a hassle.
The mythical secret realm was the priority. Though curious, they didn't dwell on it and entered a submarine tunnel.
Feng Lin suppressed his aura and followed them in.
The tunnel was deep and dark, like a massive serpent's lair.
Could this be the Yamata no Orochi's den?
Feng Lin grew more eager for what lay ahead. Something guarded by a monster like that had to be extraordinary.
But suddenly, his heart jolted. Through his psychic sense, he detected that the Japanese ahead had vanished without a trace, as if erased from this space entirely.
What was happening?
This eerie development put Feng Lin on alert. He quickened his pace and caught up. At the tunnel's end lay a vast underwater chamber, where an ancient divine shrine sat submerged in seawater. Built in classical Japanese style, it looked brand new despite millennia, untouched by decay or corrosion.
Feng Lin carefully scanned the area, sensing no anomalies, and cautiously stepped into the shrine. Inside stood a thirty-meter-tall stone statue of a deity, muscular, with a blue face, fangs, and wild, disheveled hair—exuding a savage aura like an incarnate demon, fierce and terrifying.
Where had the Japanese gone?
Feng Lin wondered, circling the statue to inspect it.
His eyes fixed on a single-edged greatsword in the statue's hand, radiating a fierce, murderous aura. Despite soaking in seawater for ages, it showed no rust—razor-sharp, clearly a weapon that had slaughtered countless lives!
Could this be another rare treasure?
Feng Lin distinctly sensed fresh traces of energy on the blade—marks left by the Japanese.
Was this greatsword some kind of mechanism for a hidden entrance?
Confident that if anything unexpected happened, he could retreat safely, Feng Lin reached out and gently touched the blade.
The next moment, his psychic power was yanked in as if by an irresistible force.
Whoosh!
The seawater around him spun rapidly, forming a massive whirlpool. At its center, a terrifying black hole appeared, like a gateway to an unknown world, swallowing Feng Lin whole before vanishing without a trace.