The 1st of every month is when the Spirit Realm begins. This event is globally unified, with Western countries starting in the evening and America, where the time is 11:11 AM, beginning around early morning.
When Ben woke up from his sunbathing device, his attributes had once again changed.
Race: Human
Constitution: 300
Spirit: 98
Strength: 300
Agility: 300
Talent: Kryptonian Bloodline
Spirit Energy Points: 0
…
His Constitution, Strength, and Agility were all exactly 300. Even his Spirit attribute was nearing 100! Meanwhile, his classmates hadn't even broken 100 in total attributes, and the highest single attribute among them was likely only around twenty or thirty. Ben clenched his fist and felt the surging power in his body, clearly satisfied.
He glanced at the time. It was still early, so he went downstairs for breakfast and then returned to play mobile games for a while. He procrastinated until 10:30 before finally heading to school.
When Ben arrived at the playground, almost all the freshmen were already gathered. Luckily, most of the sun on this world was blocked, with only faint light shining on Blue Star. If the sun were any stronger, they might've risked heatstroke standing on the playground in this season!
Not only had the freshmen arrived, but several teachers were also present. When they saw Ben arriving so late, some teachers frowned. However, Ben didn't mind. Lao William had said to arrive before 11:00, and it was only 10:59 now, so he wasn't technically late.
After Ben arrived, he scanned around and noticed that only freshmen were present, and none of the senior students were around. It seemed the senior students had their own venue.
At exactly 11:00, a vice-principal arrived.
"Students, you are about to enter the Spirit Realm soon. This will be your first time facing the challenges of the Spirit Realm. On behalf of the school, I wish you all a good start…" After offering a few encouraging words, the vice-principal quickly left the stage.
The students then began to split into their respective teams. When Ben and Leo stood together, they instantly became the center of attention. While many students already knew these two would team up, seeing them together still felt surreal. One was the freshman with the best talent and most outstanding attribute growth, and the other was the worst. The most outstanding and the worst! They shouldn't have had any reason to interact, yet now they stood side by side.
The surrounding students weren't the only ones surprised—the teachers were equally stunned.
"What's going on with these two students? Is there no one else willing to team up with them?"
"It shouldn't be, right?"
"That girl looks a bit familiar… I remember, she's Leo from the Henry family, a powerhouse seed recruited specifically this time. She possesses the Natural System-Burn-Burn Fruit ability."
"Ah? How can someone this outstanding only have one teammate?"
"Quickly add two excellent teammates to them!"
"It's too late now, they're about to be forcibly teleported into the Spirit Realm."
The teachers exchanged worried looks, but Ben and Leo paid no attention to them. Time quickly moved toward 11:10, and the teacher in charge raised a loudspeaker.
"Last minute, everyone, get ready!"
At this announcement, all the freshmen grabbed their teammates' hands. As long as teammates held hands, the Spirit Realm would recognize them as a pair, forming an alliance contract and sharing benefits.
Ben grabbed Leo's hand. Her hand was white and slender, soft like a piece of jade. He couldn't help but smile, enjoying the sensation.
Looking at Leo, he noticed her trying to maintain composure, though the slight blush rising on her face betrayed her feelings. Ben smiled a little more, feeling pleased with the moment.
But then, realizing he was still holding her hand, he chuckled. "Sorry, it just felt too good, I didn't react for a moment."
Leo's face turned slightly redder, probably surprised by Ben's bluntness.
At that moment, the freshmen who had been teleported with them began to speak up. "Here… is this the first level of the Spirit Realm? It looks like a completely different world."
"It's so amazing."
"Didn't the teacher say each level of the Spirit Realm is an independent world?"
"It's so gloomy here. I wonder what challenges we'll face next?"
"Why are there so many foreign freshmen?"
Ben noticed many foreign faces among the group—blond-haired, blue-eyed individuals and black people. He understood. Lao William had said that the teleportation to the Spirit Realm was unpredictable. Except for teammates being fixed, everything else was random.
Looking around, Ben silently counted the number of freshmen—around thirty people in total. Among them, the only one he recognized was Leo from the Henry family.
The Vice-Principal's Conversation
When the freshmen were teleported, the vice-principal stood up to investigate. He found Teacher Aryan and asked, "I remember Leo is a student in your class, right?"
Teacher Aryan nodded helplessly. "Yes."
"Then why does she only have one teammate?" the vice-principal asked.
This question caused Teacher Aryan some frustration. He turned to Lao William, who had been silent until now.
The vice-principal then asked, "Is the young man who teamed up with Leo also in your class? What's his talent?"
Teacher Aryan passed the responsibility to Lao William. "You'll have to ask William about that. Ben, the boy who teamed up with Leo, is his prized student and the team captain!"
"Oh?" the vice-principal raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "A prized student?"
"Yes," Lao William said, with a stiff expression. "His name is Ben, and his talent is… Kryptonian Bloodline."
The vice-principal's voice immediately rose in shock. "Kryptonian Bloodline?"
In the Spirit Realm
After a flash of white light, Ben regained his senses and realized he was in a completely unfamiliar place. The sky was dark and oppressive, and they stood in a barren wilderness. A city wall stood far off in the distance, to the east.
Is this the first level of the Spirit Realm? It certainly didn't look like much.
As Ben looked around, Leo whispered beside him, "How long… are you planning to hold it?"
"Huh?" Ben suddenly realized he was still holding her hand. He quickly let go and smiled.
"Sorry about that," he said sheepishly.
Leo's face flushed slightly, not expecting such a casual comment from him.
The other freshmen who had been teleported with them spoke amongst themselves.
"Is this really the first level? It doesn't seem as grand as I expected."
"It's so gloomy here, I wonder what kind of challenges await."
"Did the teacher say each level was an independent world?"
Ben observed the crowd. There were about thirty people in total, many of whom were foreign—blond-haired, blue-eyed students, as well as several black students.
He was aware that the teleportation process to the Spirit Realm was random, with only teammates being fixed. As he scanned the crowd, Ben realized the only person he recognized was Leo.