Besides her, the others were a mix of men and women, slightly older, mostly in their twenties, and dressed like attendants.
Among them, a middle-aged man carrying a greatsword on his back stood out as a high-level class advancer. Although his level was not visible, Lu Fan could sense from his aura that he was definitely above level 20.
This setup was clearly not material hunters. It looked like a powerful family's young lady had just changed her job, and the family sent some experts to protect her while she trained and prepared for the big exam in the Rocky Plains.
Lu Fan thought about it and, to be safe, decided to withdraw Little Night back into the pet space first.
It wasn't that Lu Fan wanted to keep a low profile, but mainly because he didn't know much about this group's identity, levels, or strength, and it wouldn't be wise to reveal he had a dragon too early.
Originally, Lu Fan planned to wait until this group left before going to dig up the treasure.
In the wilderness, it's best to avoid contact with others whenever possible.
However, the group seemed to have no intention of leaving anytime soon; they all stayed in place, apparently resting and discussing something.
Lu Fan gradually lost patience and decided to descend from the mountain ridge directly, planning to dig up the treasure and then leave.
At the foot of the mountain, Qin Qiu held her staff, her beautiful face filled with disappointment and anxiety.
"Ge Shu, such a good opportunity—are we really going to just miss it like this?"
The "Ge Shu" she referred to was Sun Ge, the middle-aged man carrying the greatsword that Lu Fan had specifically noticed.
He was the highest level and strongest among the group and also the backbone of the team.
Facing the young lady's doubt, Sun Ge gave a bitter smile and stroked his tough stubble. "Miss, there's really nothing we can do."
"This Opportunity Secret Realm requires at least eight people, and we only have seven, so there's no chance of being allowed in."
Qin Qiu frowned, thinking for a moment before saying, "What if we send Cai'er, who has the highest agility, back to Jianghai City to call for more experts…"
A woman in leather armor, with an ordinary appearance, shook her head and dashed Qin Qiu's hopes. "That won't work."
"This place is too far from Jianghai City. Even for me, a round trip would take more than a day."
"The so-called Opportunity Secret Realm appears randomly anywhere in the wilderness. If no one enters, it will disappear and reappear elsewhere."
"The energy of this Opportunity Secret Realm is already unstable. It looks like it has been around for some time. I estimate it will disappear from here in half a day."
"In other words, there's no way to go back to Jianghai City to get reinforcements and return to enter the realm in time."
"… " Qin Qiu was speechless.
After a long while, she sighed deeply.
Secret realms are like dungeons.
But unlike dungeons, which may have been cleared countless times since their appearance, even if you're lucky to get equipment rewards, it's hard to find anything really good.
Secret realms are different; though they look like dungeons, their drop rates are far better.
If you get some top-tier equipment or skill books, it can launch a class advancer's power level immediately.
So encountering a secret realm, especially a randomly spawned Opportunity Secret Realm, is like finding money on the road.
But seeing money on the ground and not being able to pick it up because your group is too small—who can stand that?
Seeing Qin Qiu so disappointed, Sun Ge was more optimistic and comforted her, "Miss, you don't have to be so upset. With your strength, you can surely secure the top spot in Jianghai City, and even ranking in the top twenty in the southern province won't be a problem."
"Plus, with your hidden profession, any of the top ten academies will accept you easily. Once inside the academy, they will provide other secret realms for you to farm."
"Ge Shu, I know what you're saying…" Qin Qiu shook her head and then gave a bitter smile, "You're right. If it's not meant to be, there's no need to force it. Since we can't enter this Opportunity Secret Realm, then forget it…"
Just as Sun Ge was about to say more to comfort her, his warrior instincts suddenly tightened his expression. He immediately gripped the hilt of his greatsword behind his back and looked in a direction, shouting, "Who's there?!"
Everyone tensed up, drew their weapons, and moved to shield Qin Qiu in the middle.
Lu Fan hadn't expected such a strong reaction, but he didn't mind. He slowly walked forward and loudly said, "No need to be tense. I'm just passing through."
"Passing through?!"
Sun Ge and the others were stunned, watching this strange man walk to an open space just twenty meters from them. He stopped briefly, didn't even glance at them, and continued forward as if he was really just passing by and about to leave.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。