Meanwhile.

Gu Ming witnessed the end of the great battle and the closing of the Space-Time Passage. At the same time, the system finally confirmed a plot update:

"You have led your companions and Pet Beasts back to the real world through the Space-Time Passage."

"Upon investigation, the hijacking was determined to be a covert invasion by otherworldly Demon Fiends."

"You relayed the information to the Thousand-eyed Wind Bird at the examination site, and the exam was terminated as a result."

"Your team received an additional reward for bringing back critical intelligence, directly taking the top spot on the midterm exam leaderboard."

Gu Ming stared, dumbfounded, at this sudden plot resolution.

The system’s direction was completely unexpected. The real-life exam, however, was clearly still ongoing.

He paced in a circle, seeing no further plot updates.

He had no choice but to lead his companions deeper into the field, continuing to survey the area and feel the lingering might of the battle.

He wasn’t wandering aimlessly. The lingering aura of a Daoist Skill was indeed present, allowing all four of his Pet Beasts to experience it and gain some combat experience from the sensation.

He secretly mulled over the future timeline the system had simulated. ’The otherworldly Demon Fiends are growing more rampant. If even a Demon Fiend hijacking a Space-Time Passage is enough to halt the midterm exam, then the situation is more serious than I imagined.’

’It seems this Demon Fiend invasion is hiding a far more complex incident than I thought.’

Gu Ming considered the possibilities of the system’s simulation:

’If I continue to act according to how things are unfolding in reality, I could probably finish the exam normally.’

’But the system’s "report the hijacking" option was like an itch, piquing his curiosity.’

He had already reported the Demon Fiend invasion before.

’But if I emphasize the anomaly again, will it trigger the "exam suspended" plotline foretold by the system?’

Deciding to take a gamble, Gu Ming went back to Teacher Ruan, who was standing guard at the scene, and said:

"Teacher, the otherworldly Demon Fiend invasion isn’t over. I just used my Divine Sense to feel a malicious presence. I think it’s coming from the Space-Time Passage that just closed."

"The passage didn’t close completely. I recommend re-examining the Space-Time Passage on-site."

Gu Ming knew in his heart that it would be difficult to convince the proctor with just his own abilities and the strength of his Divine Sense.

But he also knew the system’s words were not baseless; there had to be some truth to them.

Unexpectedly,

Teacher Ruan, who was standing guard, was someone Gu Ming had only met in passing; in fact, they hadn’t even been properly introduced. Yet, he chose to believe Gu Ming’s judgment instantly.

"I believe you," he said.

After speaking, Teacher Ruan summoned his Pet Beast—a Flood Dragon Pet with twenty percent True Dragon Bloodline concentration, a Space Attribute Pet Beast.

It extended its Purple Crystal Split Claw toward the spot where the Chaos Demon Scorpion had been, plunged it into the void, and tore it open with a sharp pull.

The Split Claw Flood Dragon then dove into the rift to conduct a deep probe.

"I sent it to investigate earlier and found no other Demon Fiends. This might just be an isolated incident," Teacher Ruan said, chatting with Gu Ming at the scene.

The nearby Thousand-eyed Wind Bird also landed, listening in on behalf of the proctors back at the main examination site.

"But this whole affair is indeed strange. The examination site we’re using is the Golden-Eyed Dragon Gate. The world fragment behind the gate is in a stable phase, and its spatial barriers are very strong. For an ordinary Space Beast to invade, it would need to be at the Seven-star Realm at least."

"A Pet Beast at the Seven-star Realm isn’t something you can just run into anywhere in the world."

"The one that broke in just now was a Four-star Chaos Demon Scorpion. This type of scorpion is naturally inclined to travel through the void as if burrowing through the earth. They always move in swarms and never appear alone."

"I’m standing guard here just in case."

Hearing this, Gu Ming understood what Teacher Ruan meant.

The teachers were already suspicious, but because this world fragment was so powerful, they felt it was likely just an accident.

Teacher Ruan was willing to believe him mainly because he needed an excuse to continue the investigation.

Gu Ming had just handed him that very excuse.

Although the excuse was flimsy, it gave Teacher Ruan a reason to tear open the rift and investigate more deeply.

The search took a while. After half an hour, there were still no clues, and they couldn’t contact the outside world.

Cold sweat slowly beaded on Teacher Ruan’s forehead.

He called his Split Claw Flood Dragon back.

The Thousand-eyed Wind Bird spoke, asking, "Did you find the location of the scorpion swarm?"

"No, I didn’t find the Chaos Demon Scorpions, but... I can’t contact the outside world," Ruan Zhishen said, shaking his head.

Everyone had just breathed a sigh of relief, only to break out in a cold sweat again. ’Can’t contact the outside world?’

This meant the connection between the examination world and the real world had been silently severed!

In the rear area.

Minister Feng Gu of the Ministry of Education, who was overseeing the exam, had already begun an emergency summons for the Dragon Gate, trying to make it open.

"Suppress the Void, Ignite the Stars, Dragon Gate Open the Heavens!"

As the opening Spell concluded, Minister Feng Gu’s True Dragon Pet Beast, its horns prominent and scales glittering, unleashed a Dragon Talisman Spell.

But the Dragon Gate showed no reaction. The great doors remained tightly shut, and the dragon-eye pattern on them was still, as if slumbering.

This made the teacher from the Ministry of Education fall silent, his forehead breaking out in sweat.

Back with Gu Ming.

Teacher Ruan heard the latest news relayed by the Thousand-eyed Wind Bird. He pressed a hand to his forehead and shook his head slightly.

No one had expected things to escalate to losing contact with the Main World.

Nothing like this had ever happened in previous midterm exams.

Gu Ming watched Teacher Ruan, who had deliberately stepped away to hear the news, and knew from the look on his face that there was trouble.

"Something bad hasn’t really happened, has it?" Wang Teng asked, scratching his head.

Lu You, hugging her Sunflower Seed-eating Hamster, didn’t sense any danger. She was just curious how Gu Ming had noticed.

’Is the gap between my perception and his Sword of Spiritual Sense really that big?’

’I want to condense my own Divine Sense, too. I don’t want to be blind to these things.’

"The Space-Time Passage has probably been hijacked," Gu Ming said.

The speaker was casual, but the listener paid close attention.

Teacher Ruan, standing some distance away, heard him and immediately looked over at Gu Ming.

"Split Claw Dragon, re-enter the void and probe the situation," he commanded.

Losing contact was baffling, and any number of things could have caused it.

But if it was a hijacking, that was a different matter entirely.

If a person or a Demon Fiend had hijacked the Space-Time Passage, they would have certainly left traces. And where there are traces, the source can be tracked.

If they found the source and could resolve it, then everything would be fine. If not, they would just have to find another way.

A moment later, a flicker of expression crossed Teacher Ruan Zhishen’s face, and he called the Split Claw Flood Dragon back.

He had detected some clues. In the void outside the Dragon Gate Realm, the "wind" wasn’t right. Something was definitely hiding out there.

Although he hadn’t found the source, he could confirm that it was indeed a hijacking.

Gu Ming’s flash of inspiration made Teacher Ruan give him a deep look.

That single moment of genius insight had saved him a great deal of effort.

This contribution was worthy of a significant point bonus.

He reported this to the rear area, and it quickly caught the attention of the grading teachers.

A meeting was quickly convened. Ruan Zhishen was summoned back for it, and another teacher was dispatched to take his place on guard duty.

As for Gu Ming, an hour later, he received a sudden point bonus.

"Gu Ming’s squad, for meritorious service in reporting information, you are awarded an additional five hundred points, to be divided equally among the team. You are now in first place among the squads at the examination site."

His two teammates were stunned.

They had thought they were just following Gu Ming back to the scene to perceive the battle fluctuations. They never imagined he would actually use his Divine Sense to detect a hidden danger on a spatial level—and even get points for it.