Ordinary observers in fast time travel

He couldn't hear what Madam Lanxin and the others said afterward, but the crisis in the world of painting was already obvious.

The heavy mood that had been somewhat relieved by reading quietly resurfaced. A sense of urgency washed over her again, and Shi Jia could only immerse herself even more in reading, searching for answers.

Because he saved Madam Lanxin, Shi Jia's access level increased significantly, allowing him to read some confidential documents within Madam Lanxin's company, including her research on turbid energy and formations.

This was very rewarding for Shi Jia, who even improved the purification formation by two versions.

Time flew by unnoticed, and Green Jade ushered in a new semester. This semester, the courses for all majors underwent significant changes; if the previous semester focused primarily on theory, this semester would be more practical.

They would even go to the Black Zone for a day of trials every two weeks, and sometimes they would encounter students from other academies.

The college competition will be held a month after the start of the semester.

Shi Jia arranged her courses for each major in advance, brought all the painting tools she had prepared, and arrived at the competition venue with the Qinglan team.

According to Cheng Zi, this small secret realm is actually part of the Black Zone. It was created by a dozen purple-rank experts through formations and secret techniques.

Upon entering the small secret realm, everyone received the competition rules: 1. Hunt the turbid beasts; 2. Design a method to repair the small secret realm (optional, bonus item).

Upon learning the details of the match, everyone fell silent. Undoubtedly, the second option was the one that could widen the score gap. But, devising a method to repair the small secret realm? Was that really possible?
Keep in mind that this is a small space enclosed by more than a dozen purple-rank experts. Their highest rank is only blue-rank, okay?
"Lord Lan Chen, isn't the content you added too difficult for the contestants?" What can a bunch of green-tier and blue-tier kids possibly discover?
A beautiful and noble woman looked at Lan Chen with doubt. She came from the Zi family and was one of the strongest fighters in the family. Her name was Zi Linglong!

The handsome middle-aged man in a silver-blue robe smiled and said, "Your Excellency Linglong, why are you so nervous? I think young friend Lanxin is quite calm."

Zi Linglong glanced at Madam Lan Xin with disdain. "Lord Lan Chen, I'm not nervous, but I'm wondering what the point of designing this problem is? Do you really think that those little guys can solve the problem of the collapse of the small secret realm?"

Lan Chen didn't mind Zi Linglong's rudeness and said calmly, "So, you didn't see the word 'choose'? Besides, you underestimate these little guys."

He then looked at his junior, "Lan Xin, you seem very expectant. It seems you have high hopes for this little guy."

Madam Lanxin quickly replied, "Uncle, you flatter me. One of the little ones I sponsored also participated in the competition. He's a very good kid."

"Oh? Tell me?"

Seeing the two chatting as if no one else was around, Zi Linglong became furious and even started to mock them, but neither of them paid any attention to her.

Within the secret realm, after a period of silence, all the participating teams began to move. However, this did not include the Blue and Green team.

"What are your thoughts?" Lu Tianxue asked, looking at everyone.

Shi Jia looked at everyone and spoke first, "Let's analyze the question first. First, there is no doubt that the small secret realm is about to collapse. Second, what is the purpose of setting this question? Is it really to widen the gap?"
There are two answers here. Yes! It's precisely to create a gap, which means that the contestants' level is sufficient to complete this test question, at least the top group of people can complete it!
The second answer is no! If it's not about creating a gap in skill, why reveal this information to the contestants? Aren't you worried about causing panic among them?

"Or, could the competition organizers not repair the Greater Rift in advance? There are two answers: yes, but if they don't repair it, then the Greater Rift collapse problem is not serious, it is easy to repair, and it will not cause danger. So we come back to the second conjecture."

"However, I'm more inclined to believe that it can't be fixed! From this, we can draw a third conclusion: the organizers are trying anything as a last resort, meaning the problem is already extremely serious!"

Shi Jia's mouth chattered like a machine gun, leaving everyone speechless, but he wasn't finished yet. He continued, "Considering that the Small Secret Realm was separated from the Black Zone, don't forget that the Small Secret Realm and the Black Zone are actually connected. It's just that there's an array blocking our way, preventing us from crossing the Small Secret Realm to reach the Black Zone." "Everyone still remembers the anomaly in the Black Zone, right?" Shi Jia asked solemnly.

Everyone nodded.

“Yes, that’s good. If I’m not mistaken, the collapse of the secret realm is related to the anomaly in the Black Zone. As everyone knows, I work under Madam Lan Xin. Before the start of the semester, I was in contact with the content of Auspicious Light almost every day.” Shi Jia said solemnly, “The consequences of the anomaly in the Black Zone are beyond our imagination.”

"Huh? What are the consequences?" everyone asked instinctively.

"Erosion." Shi Jia only said two words, took a deep breath, and said, "Let's get back to the topic. Based on my analysis above, let's make a decision. My suggestion is to focus on hunting down the turbid beasts. If we are lucky enough to find a place where the small secret realm has collapsed, we can try to design a plan."

"I guess if the plan is reasonable, it should be able to get some points."

The others exchanged glances and nodded. Finally, Lu Tianxue made the final decision, "Okay, we'll do as Shi Jia says. Also, did you notice the hint below the question? It says that we can attack each other during the last five days of the competition."

"Hehe, that will be the key moment for us to score!" Huang Qi laughed in a way that was sure to provoke a beating.

After making their decision, the Blue and Green Team began to take action.

Lan Chen, who witnessed this scene through the monitor, nodded. "This is the little guy you sponsored, right? Not bad."

Mrs. Lanxin nodded. "He is a thoughtful child."

Zi Linglong rolled her eyes, quietly opened her phone and sent a message: "Hmph, let me see just how good you are at thinking!"

"you--"

"Your Excellency Linglong, I'm entrusting the rest of the competition to your care. My friend Lanxin and I are going to check on the situation in the Black Zone Center," Lan Chen suddenly turned to Zi Linglong and said.

"What? You're going to the center of the Black Zone!" Zi Linglong looked at the two of them in surprise. If she remembered correctly, Lan Xin had ventured into the center of the Black Zone alone a while ago and almost became corrupted.
How dare these two do that?

“Yes, the changes in the Black Zone are inevitable, but we still need to find a way to prolong the time.” Lan Chen’s expression was solemn. “The safety of the little ones is in your hands. I believe that with your strength, you can definitely ensure their safety.”

Zi Linglong swallowed hard. After instructing the other proctors to look after the contestants, the two hurriedly left, leaving Zi Linglong bewildered in the wind.

"Tell me about what we found last time." Lan Chen and Madam Lan Xin flew low directly above the Black Zone, but the restless beasts below dared not approach them.

"The vortex in the center of the Black Zone increased in size. When I tried to go in to investigate, a black dragon shot out from the center and knocked me away. After that, I didn't dare to linger and activated the teleportation array to leave." Madam Lan Xin spoke calmly, but the violent beating of her heart could not be hidden from others.

Lan Chen nodded, then immediately took out a boat, tossed it into the air, and the boat expanded in the wind, instantly becoming a ten-meter-long and five-meter-wide vessel. This was his materialized form.

Lan Chen is a spirit painter specializing in artifacts. His most prized material is the dark alley of the Red Zone.

"Let's get on board! This ship has stealth capabilities!" (End of Chapter)