Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener

After escaping the captain of the guards' intense gaze, all the students let out a collective breath of relief. They followed a few mentors along a winding ancient path.

On either side of the ancient road, there were still many soldiers stationed, armed with weapons and exuding an imposing presence. Occasionally, fully-armored patrols could be seen walking around them.

This caused the students to feel both uneasy and deeply awed.

"Mentor, is this the highest masterpiece of the empire's sealing arts? Could this be the Land of Eternal Sealing, the place where War Demon and Nightmare Overlord are imprisoned?" one student couldn't help but exclaim.

Though it was a question, he already had a solid guess in his mind. As one of the geniuses of the imperial academy and a direct descendant of one of the eighteen noble families of the empire, the secrets he knew surpassed those of most others.

At this moment, he was enjoying the awed looks from the other students around him.

Seeing this, the mentors exchanged a knowing glance, resigned to the fact that they couldn't keep up the suspense any longer. While they were the instructors of these students, in terms of status, each one of these students had a background no less significant than theirs.

To be able to bring these students to see the Land of Eternal Sealing was no small feat for the mentors, who had used their connections and influence, exchanging this opportunity to win the favor of the students' powerful families.

Fortunately, the Land of Eternal Sealing—while still one of the most heavily guarded places in the empire—was no longer as strict as it once was, where even approaching it had been forbidden.

After all, tens of thousands of years had passed, and War Demon and Nightmare Overlord had long since become historical figures. The once-feared Nightmare Legion had already been scattered by the Dream Spirit Empire's military.

Had it not been for the remaining nightmare factions retreating to the Land of Nightmares—a place that was difficult to access, resource-poor, and unworthy of occupation—it would have long been crushed to ashes beneath the empire's iron-clad horses.

"That's right. This is indeed the Land of Eternal Sealing, where War Demon and Nightmare Overlord are said to be imprisoned."

"Besides War Demon and Nightmare Overlord, the most elite forces of the Nightmare Legion are also held here. Each one of them is incredibly powerful. Even if we were to join forces, we would struggle to stand against them."

One of the mentors nodded, his tone grave as he spoke.

As soon as these words were spoken, the students' hearts rose to their throats, and their anticipation reached its peak.

"Oh my god! The legends are true! War Demon and Nightmare Overlord really exist!"

"I've heard that the Nightmare Legion was once a great enemy that even the mighty empire feared, but under Emperor Many Causes' leadership, they were finally defeated."

"Heh, you all don't know the full story, do you? The true purpose of the Land of Eternal Sealing wasn't just to seal Nightmare Overlord, but to seal War Demon. Now that is a monster born for war."

"It's been tens of thousands of years already! Even if those monsters were powerful, there's no need for such tight security. By now, their bones must have turned to dust."

The students were chatting excitedly, with some who knew a bit more about the situation trying to sound mysterious and exaggerating, adding an extra layer of tension to the atmosphere.

"Ahem, quiet down."

"Although tens of thousands of years have passed, we must maintain absolute vigilance and respect for such formidable enemies. This is a sign of strength, and it reflects the wisdom of Emperor Many Causes!"

As the situation began to get more chaotic, one of the mentors quickly spoke in a stern voice, and a subtle wave of Dream Spirit energy spread out, covering all the students.

At the mention of Emperor Many Causes, all the students fell silent, and they noticed the soldiers stationed around them glaring with increasing hostility. If the discussions continued, they might very well find blades slicing through their necks in the next moment.

Once the students fell silent, the few soldiers who had placed their hands on their weapons slowly withdrew their gazes. This made all the mentors breathe a sigh of relief.

As for the reason for such strict security, the mentors, as instructors of the imperial academy, were well aware.

It was because the Dream Spirit Empire had been thoroughly frightened!

This wasn't just the Dream Spirit Empire's enemy, but the empire's… nightmare!

Under the guidance of the mentors, the group quickened their pace. They only had thirty minutes, and although, with their level of understanding, viewing the seals wouldn't provide much new insight, the opportunity had come through the expenditure of considerable favors. Naturally, they needed to make the most of every second.

The students also stopped discussing and followed the mentors with eager anticipation.

Although most of them came from prestigious families with immense power, being allowed to witness the Land of Eternal Sealing was not something one could achieve just by having a distinguished background.

Even for them, this might be the only opportunity in their lifetime.

Furthermore, the seals were the crystallizations created by the most powerful seal masters in the entire empire.

If they could gain any insight from them, it would be an immense benefit.

Before long, the quiet path led to its end, where a large expanse of hazy mist lay. Despite their efforts to release all their sensory abilities, they couldn't penetrate the mist even by a fraction.

In front of the mist stood over a thousand fully armed soldiers. Each of these soldiers emanated a powerful aura, especially that of iron and blood, declaring that they were not mere decorations, but real veterans who had seen battle!

Under the gaze of these veterans, all the students felt a great weight of pressure. After all, no matter how talented they were, they were still just teenagers, not fully grown.

These veterans, however, not only had rich combat experience but were also powerful warriors who had integrated rune marks into their bodies.

The so-called Rune Warriors were warriors who had etched marks called runes onto their bodies. After integrating these runes, they would develop their own unique abilities based on their characteristics. Their bodies and souls would grow stronger, and they would also gain the ability to proficiently wield Dream Spirit power.

This power system was unique to the Dream Spirit Empire and was the foundation of their dominance over the entire world, making all other races bow to them in fear.

There were five levels of runes: White, Green, Blue, Purple, and Gold. The lower the quality of the rune, the stronger its effects.

Before being integrated, all runes were blank and had no specific attributes. Only after being engraved would they give birth to extraordinary abilities unique to the user.

As for the origin of rune power, it was tied to the core secrets of the Dream Spirit Empire. Only Emperor Many Causes and a few elder-level figures knew about it.

Of course, rune power was not something easily mastered. It required the engraver to have an extremely strong will, as the pain of integrating the runes alone could be so intense that it terrified many people.

Statistics showed that even the trained reserve soldiers had a terrifying 50% death rate when integrating the most basic white runes.

The higher the quality of the rune, the higher the death rate.

Furthermore, before attempting to integrate higher-quality runes, a potential test was conducted. Only those whose potential met the required standards were granted the opportunity to integrate higher-level runes.

Additionally, Rune Warriors did not have long lifespans like other powerful beings. Their lifespans were typically only one-tenth to one-hundredth that of beings at the same rank, meaning they lived around one hundred to five hundred years.

Currently, one of the Dream Spirit Empire's Grand Marshals had used his immense willpower and high potential to integrate a golden rune, which allowed him to break through from a rookie soldier to the rank of Grand Marshal.

With his powerful strength and commanding abilities, he had repeatedly achieved remarkable feats and eventually became one of the twelve Grand Marshals of the Dream Spirit Empire, holding an influential position of great power.

The rune-engraved army stationed here wasn't just one unit, but eight entire armies, nearly ten thousand seasoned veterans, constantly rotating to guard the area.

The lead instructor took out the envelope from earlier once again and handed it over to the army commander.

The commander examined the seal inside the envelope, then pulled out a metallic object shaped like an eyeball, glancing at the instructors.

"Recently, the remnants of Nightmare Beings have been making trouble again, so…" The commander paused, not trying to put on an impartial face.

Though he was a commander, a veteran who had seen dozens of battlefields, he still showed respect to these instructors from the imperial academy. After all, everyone had children, and it wasn't a bad thing to make connections with influential figures.

Moreover, he had been stationed here for over ten years, and there had never been an incident of Nightmare Beings breaking through.

As for the legendary War Demon, in the commander's view, even if it hadn't turned to ash, it should have long since died from exhaustion. After all, being trapped in a barren wasteland for tens of thousands of years—despite the Nightmare Beings' long lifespans and strong vitality—was enough to make any living being collapse from the endless solitude.

"I understand. Thank you for your hard work." The lead instructor nodded, discreetly passing over a gilded card.

The soldiers around them remained silent and respectful, as though they hadn't seen anything.

At this, the commander flashed a brilliant smile, raising the metallic object. A faint blue glow emanated from his chest.

Soon, the metallic "eye" was activated, and a light barrier enveloped all the students.

However, just then, the metallic eye suddenly emitted a loud, shrill alarm. A figure in the back of the student group was enveloped in red light, standing out conspicuously in the crowd.

"Remnants of the Nightmare Beings!"

The sudden appearance stunned all the students. However, the instructors and surrounding soldiers immediately sprang into action.

"This is a Phantom Weaver from the Land of Nightmares. No wonder it managed to sneak in here." The commander sneered, the blue glow on his chest flaring up as the rune power was immediately activated.

He swung his spear sharply!