Han was sitting beside Mo Zhan's bed, burning with curiosity about what had happened to his friend last night.
It had been the middle of the night and Mo Zhan still hadn't returned.
He had searched every room in the house and even the courtyard, but there was no trace of him. His mind kept racing—what if something had happened to him? Or what if that girl Mo Zhan had quarreled with had hurt him? His imagination ran wild until he ran into an Eternal Realm guard. He immediately asked him to inform Senior Yu Lin that his friend was missing.
When Yu Lin learned of the situation, he used aura-tracking to follow his trail, and eventually found Mo Zhan near a waterfall—unconscious and completely disheveled.
Two immortals carried Mo Zhan back to the residence, and the healer used inner force to heal the damage done to his neck and chest.
From the moment they found him at midnight till now—when night had fallen again—Mo Zhan still lay unconscious.
The healer assured them that he was completely fine and said, "He just needs rest."
Finally, Mo Zhan slowly woke up. He groggily forced his eyes open. His whole body felt stiff, making it hard to move. His mouth was dry from thirst.
When he fully opened his eyes, he saw Han leaning over him.
Han noticed him waking and exclaimed with joy,
"Mo Zhan!—Mo Zhan, are you okay? Hey, can you hear me?"
Mo Zhan coughed and whispered weakly, "Water…"
Han quickly grabbed the cup of water he had poured for himself. With his help, Mo Zhan sat up halfway and downed the cup in one go.
After drinking, it was as if life had returned to him. He perked up, shifting a little and stretching—only to feel a faint sting in his chest. It was as if the imprint of Lan Sezui's palm strike still lingered there.
Seeing Mo Zhan's pale face and shaky condition, Han decided it wasn't the right time to ask anything.
After a while Mo Zhan had recovered enough to laugh at his own messy hair in the mirror.
Seeing him in a decent mood, Han finally asked, full of curiosity,
"What's up with you? You look way too happy. Don't tell me you spent last night with some fairy girl?"
At that question, Mo Zhan suddenly remembered everything from the previous night—one memory after another—and his blood instantly started to boil with anger.
With eyes blazing like fire, he snapped,
"No. Actually, I ran into a real demon. No—a demon? Forget it—a whole monster hiding under the skin of an angel."
Then he punched the floor.
Han stared at him, confused.
"A demon? But nobody from the Demon Realm came with us?"
Mo Zhan shook his head.
"No, idiot. I said a demon disguised as an angel—I mean an immortal!"
Han scratched his head.
"How am I supposed to know what you mean when you randomly shout 'demon'?"
Mo Zhan said sharply,
"Well, inside he IS a demon."
Han shot him a frustrated look.
"Ugh, stop talking in riddles. Just tell me what happened last night."
Since Han wouldn't let it go, Mo Zhan reluctantly—angrily—told him the entire story.
Instead of worrying about Mo Zhan's injuries, Han burst into uncontrollable laughter, collapsing beside the bed.
Mo Zhan pinched him with irritation.
"Hey! Shut that big mouth of yours!"
Through the scraps of remaining laughter, Han said,
"Aww, poor baby. You just felt sorry for him, didn't you? Why him though?…"
He let out another small laugh.
Mo Zhan shot him a sideways glare.
"Immortals are only good in name. That girl was shameless, and that boy—ugh, that boy is a total walking disaster."
He squeezed his eyes shut and muttered,
"How pathetic… He's cute like a damn kitten… ferocious like a wounded tiger… stupid like a donkey… and arrogant like a deer."
Han had stopped laughing and now listened with pure enjoyment.
He kicked Mo Zhan lightly and said,
"So? Did he tell you his name? You can get revenge later if you know."
Mo Zhan clicked his tongue.
"Nope. Before I could say a single word, he already wrecked me."
Han teased,
"So basically… you got beaten up? Riiiiight?"
Mo Zhan shoved him.
"No! He caught me off guard!"
The two of them started bickering again. Right then, the talking book appeared in the air—glowing with golden aura.
Its calm yet powerful voice echoed through the room, stopping both of them mid-argument.
"Welcome to the Eternal Realm."
This time the two stayed put and didn't bother trying to attack it.
They stared for a moment before Mo Zhan spoke sarcastically,
"You really didn't have to welcome us this early."
For the first time, the talking book chuckled at the boy's sharp tongue.
"My apologies for the delay, but I was late for good reason. Entering the Eternal Realm wasn't your only second mission. There was also a hidden mission specifically for you, Mo Zhan. Now that you've completed it, the mission is considered finished."
Mo Zhan stared at it in surprise.
"A hidden mission? What mission? When did I complete it?"
"That's a secret. I can't tell you."
Mo Zhan grumbled under his breath,
"Of course. Everything's a damn secret…"
Han, who had been listening quietly, stood up and stepped forward.
"So what's our next mission?"
"This time your mission is a bit unusual.
Actually… you have two missions."
The two exchanged looks.
"Two missions?"
"Correct. Two.
One of them will take time—you'll complete it gradually."
"So what is it?"
The book spun in the air and glowing letters formed.
"Locate the appointed individual within the Eternal Realm."
The boys weren't surprised—just curious.
"You mean the one who can kill the Demon Lord?" Mo Zhan asked.
"Correct. But this person is far more important.That person is one of the two chosen ones."
Hearing that made both of them thoughtful. They tried recalling details from the novel—
the creation of the two realms,
the two powerful cores,
the Golden Sword,
the Abyssal Lotus,
and the fact that the fate of the story hinged on the two chosen individuals.
They were certain their identities had been revealed in the novel, but they just couldn't remember who they were.
A worried Han asked,
"The novel definitely mentioned who it was. So why can't I remember?"
Mo Zhan nodded.
"Yeah, same here."
The book circled them once and returned to its place.
"That's because I intentionally erased the key parts of the novel from your memories."
They exchanged shocked looks.
"But why?! If you hadn't erased it, we wouldn't need to search for the person!"
Han agreed.
"Exactly! That would've made our job way easier!"
The book chuckled.
"You were sent here to unravel everything through your own struggle and effort. Otherwise, it wouldn't be called a mission."
Mo Zhan protested,
"We didn't ask to be here in the first place!"
"Sorry, boys. We can't discuss this further.
I can give you one small hint:
On the chosen one's chest, there is a golden sword mark. That might help you find him easier."
The two still stared at it in confusion.
The book spun again and another glowing text appeared.
Second mission: Increase your strength.
"In this mission, I will test you.
Over the next month, I'll see how hard you work to increase your inner light force, and how much of the martial and sword techniques you can learn."
Both boys looked annoyed and bewildered.
"Hey! Did you forget you literally shut off our inner power?"
Mo Zhan snapped.
"That is true. But inner power can be awakened in many ways. A person can even hold both demonic and sacred energy.
By following the cultivation methods of immortals, you can still grow stronger."
Mo Zhan stood beside Han and asked seriously,
"And if we can't?"
"Then you will face far harsher obstacles in the future—possibly fatal ones.
Meaning you may never be able to return to your world."
A chill washed over them.
The fear of death seeped into their bones.
The talking book ended with,
"Good luck."
Then vanished.
Han sat on the bed in frustration.
Mo Zhan, however, screamed in rage:
"WHO ASKED YOU TO BRING US HERE?! HEY! WHERE DID YOU DISAPPEAR TO?!
If you were a real person I would've strangled you by now—cut you to pieces and fed you to starving dogs!"
He was shouting at the empty air, cursing nonstop.
Just then, an immortal appeared at the doorway.
Seeing Mo Zhan yelling at air and walls, he froze and muttered,
"What a lunatic…"
Han quickly rushed over, clamped a hand over Mo Zhan's mouth, and whispered,
"Someone's watching us—look at the door."
When Mo Zhan realized, he tried to smile but—thanks to Han's comment—the smile turned into a furious glare.
"Ever since he woke up, he's been a little… off," Han said.
The immortal—a tall, slender boy, one of the two who had carried Mo Zhan earlier—smiled faintly.
"My name is Ji Woo. Given the injuries he suffered, it's natural. I came to check on him and to inform you of something."
Han smiled politely.
"Please go on."
Ji Woo continued,
"Tomorrow, a ceremony will be held to introduce and induct the new disciples of our realm. It isn't just for you—disciples from other realms will also take part."
Both boys stared at him in surprise.
"You mean… besides your realm, you're friends with others too?"
Mo Zhan asked.
Ji Woo's smile deepened.
"Looks like you didn't know. Our realm has been on friendly terms with several others for ages.
Every century, as a gesture of goodwill, our realm accepts two or three disciples from each allied realm.
After they raise their cultivation and learn our history, they return to their own realms."
At the word "history," Mo Zhan perked up.
"You have history too?"
Ji Woo frowned.
"Of course. Every realm does."
Seeing the frown, Han stepped forward.
"Please don't take it the wrong way. My friend just meant—what kind of things are in your history?"
Mo Zhan opened his mouth to protest—"That's not what I meant"—but shut it when Ji Woo spoke.
"There are all kinds of things. For example:
the life stories of immortal lords,
important figures,
the battles that took place,
and more."
Then, without caring about their confused faces, he added,
"In any case, be ready early tomorrow. I'll come get you."
He gave them a short nod and left.
Mo Zhan's legs gave out from sheer frustration and he fell to the floor with a groan.
"I thought I'd finally escaped school…"
Han smirked mischievously.
He knew all too well how much Mo Zhan hated school.
He used to skip classes constantly, hiding in the library to read novels.
Worst of all, he despised history—and now it had found him again.
Han chuckled, ruffled Mo Zhan's hair, and said,
"This place isn't like school back home where you can just ditch class whenever you want."
Mo Zhan angrily stomped on his friend's foot.
"You know damn well if I'm in that class, I'll turn it into a disaster."
Han helped him stand, then said seriously,
"Forget all that. We need to focus.
We have to complete these missions."