Fantasy: I Become God by playing a game [Dungeons + LitRPG +Xinxia]

**Chapter 26: Mock Exam (11)**

"Boom. Boom. Boom."

As the sun set completely, three solemn bells echoed through Wuquan Mountain.

With the last reverberation, the golden barrier surrounding the mountain slowly vanished, replaced by a dense fog that blanketed the area. The mist was so thick that one could barely see their own hand in front of their face.

Simultaneously, the watches on every candidate's wrist vibrated as a new message appeared.

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[The second phase of the mock exam begins.]

[Exam Content: Survive and accumulate points.]

[Duration: Three days. Rankings will be based on points at the end.]

[Note 1: Upon entering Wuquan Mountain, candidates will be randomly teleported to different locations.]

[Note 2: The location of the top ten candidates will be revealed every half hour.]

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After reading the message, Su Chen slid his phone into his pocket and turned to Lu Xiaoye.

"Xiao Ye, it's time for us to go."

Lu Xiaoye nodded, then patted the giant snow leopard beside her. "Alright, Dubai, you can go now. And remember—don't roar like that again."

She added with a grin, "Not everyone is as kind-hearted as me. Some people might not hesitate to kill you."

The giant-toothed snow leopard gave Lu Xiaoye a conflicted look before turning and bounding into the forest without a backward glance.

Lu Xiaoye waved at the retreating figure. Then, looking at Su Chen, she said, "Alright, Xiao Chen, let's go."

The two walked into the fog, one following the other.

**Inside the Fog**

As soon as Su Chen entered, he felt the same disorienting sensation as when he'd first been teleported into the secret realm.

'Wuquan Mountain… so it's actually a multi-layered secret realm.'

After an indeterminate amount of time, Su Chen emerged from the fog. Lu Xiaoye was nowhere to be seen, but he wasn't surprised.

Looking around, he found himself in an eerie forest.

The trees were a strange blue-gray color, with trunks resembling steel. Despite feeling a strange familiarity, Su Chen was certain he had never been here before.

Unlike the lush, vibrant forests of Wuquan Mountain's outskirts, this area was unnaturally silent, its oppressive atmosphere weighing heavily.

Su Chen's pupils contracted as a realization struck him. Quickly, he pulled out his phone, opened the game, and navigated to the Qingxuan Forest outside the Qingyun Sect's gates. He zoomed in on the screen.

Moments later, he raised his head, staring at the blue-gray trees around him in disbelief.

"These… these are Qingxuan Wood Trees!"

He recognized them instantly. Their dark green bodies and steel-like texture were identical to those in the game.

"The world from the game… it's appearing in reality," Su Chen muttered, his thoughts spiraling.

Su Chen had long harbored two theories about the game world:

1. The game world and the Kyushu Immortal Alliance belonged to the same universe but existed in vastly different eras. The Qingyun Sect might have existed long before the Kyushu Immortal Alliance, so much so that no records of it remained.

2. The game world was a separate dimension, similar to the countless secret realms that occasionally appeared in Kyushu.

The appearance of the Qingxuan Wood Trees now seemed to support his first theory.

'But can someone really bridge two eras and two timelines?'

The thought felt absurd. Shaking his head, Su Chen realized he still lacked sufficient evidence to confirm either theory.

"Unless I find traces of the Qingyun Sect outside this secret realm, or discover records of it in Kyushu's history, I can't say for sure. For now, I need to focus on the present."

His chaotic thoughts began to settle, and Su Chen's attention shifted to the Qingxuan Wood Trees in front of him.

He remembered the Qingxuan Puppets he had encountered in the ancient cultivator's tomb, as well as the Qingxuan Puppet Technique he had obtained.

The trees were the key material for creating Qingxuan Puppets, yet Su Chen had never found any mention of Qingxuan Wood in the Kyushu Immortal Alliance. With no access to the material, he had set aside the puppet technique.

But now, with these trees at his disposal, the possibilities were endless.

Grinning, Su Chen pulled out his magic sword and walked toward the nearest Qingxuan Wood Tree.

'Forget the mock exam. Chopping trees is far more important!'

Outside the Secret Realm

In the observation area, Chen Fugui frowned as he watched Su Chen unsheathing his sword.

"Is Student Su… chopping trees? During an exam?"

He turned to Li Youquan. "In the first phase, he played games. Now, in the second phase, he's wasting spiritual energy on trees. What's wrong with this kid? Doesn't he care about failing and losing credits?"

Li Youquan, equally baffled, shook his head. "Credits aside, does he even realize how hard it is to chop down one of those Qingxuan Wood Trees? Their hardness rivals the peak of the Qi Gathering Stage. It'd take him three days just to chop one down!"

Pausing, he added, "And even if he wants Qingxuan Wood, why doesn't he just exchange for it in the academy's treasure pavilion?"

Chen Fugui gave him a pointed look. "We only just discovered the second layer of Wuquan Mountain's secret realm. These Qingxuan Wood Trees are the first batch ever found. They're not available in the treasure pavilion yet. Where do you think he'd exchange for them?"

Li Youquan's face twitched. He realized his mistake but remained confused.

"Still… why is Su Chen so fixated on those trees? Even we haven't figured out their full potential yet. What could he possibly know that we don't?"

The question hung in the air, unanswered, as they continued to watch the strange student immerse himself in chopping wood.

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