The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

There were only fifteen minutes left before the assembly time was over, but not all the freshmen had arrived. In particular, almost none of the direct lineage members from the Wizard Clans were present.

Wang Ya vaguely sensed that something was off. He glanced at the expressionless Gusai Wizard. ’Is this another power struggle between the two factions?’

Two and a half years had given him a clear understanding of the overall situation in the Dark Land, including the rivalry between the School Lineage and the Wizard Family Alliance.

Gusai Wizard was from the Divine Blood Lineage, but the backgrounds of the other Teaching Wizards were unknown.

However, judging by the situation, most of them likely belonged to the School Lineage.

Mas, Gray, and Mona slowly walked over to Wang Ya. The four of them were reunited, and it was clear how much they had all changed and matured.

Gray was still all smiles, though he spoke in a much softer tone. "It’s really been a long, long time. You’ve been so secretive these past two years, who knows what you’ve been up to. If it weren’t for your replies on the Wizard Mark, I would have gone and reported you to Gusai Wizard."

Mas laughed as well. "How could anything happen to Wang Ya? His Power is probably still the strongest among us. This is Ghostman Wang Ya we’re talking about."

Wang Ya was speechless.

Wang Ya was a bit stunned as memories of the past flooded his mind, filling him with emotion. It had been a long, long time since he had heard that nickname.

Mona stood to the side, watching them with a blush on her cheeks, her large eyes curving into crescents.

"I wouldn’t be so sure. Mas, I’ve seen your improvement. You might have already come from behind and surpassed Wang Ya, you know," Gray grunted. "Who can blame us for wondering? This guy Wang Ya is so mysterious. He didn’t even come to the gatherings in our second year. No idea what he was messing with."

Wang Ya gave a faint smile. "It was all in preparation for today. I really couldn’t get away. Studying Witchcraft and Extraordinary Disciplines takes up an incredible amount of time and energy."

"So you’re saying you’re confident you’ll get a good ranking and show off your Power!" Gray pressed on curiously, subconsciously clutching the corner of his clothes with his right hand.

"I can only say I’ll do my best," Wang Ya said, winking at his friends.

These few were among the only friends he had in the Dark Land. When he was with them, he tended to be more relaxed.

"Still holding back at a time like this," Gray said, raising his eyebrows. "A lot of eyes will be on us during this Secret Realm competition, either through the Wizard Marks or the on-site Secret Realm Transmission Witch Array. If we perform well, we might get noticed by some Extraordinary Schools or powerful Wizards."

"If they extend an olive branch to us after the competition, our future Wizard Path will be much smoother."

Hearing this, Mas and Mona couldn’t help but show looks of longing.

Mas was a commoner, so his thoughts were along those lines. Forgetting about joining the core of an Extraordinary School, just becoming an ordinary member would be an incredible stroke of luck.

Mona had a Wizard Clan behind her, but she was only from a branch family. There were plenty of descendants from the main lineage here, so even if there were resources, it would never be her turn to receive them.

She had never even told her close friends about her Wizard Clan background, fearing it would affect their relationship.

A commotion of discussion and noise erupted from the other side. The crowd of Wizard Freshmen stirred, gradually parting to form a path for a group of figures walking through.

Their destination was clearly the high platform in the square. Gusai and the other Wizards watched them with cold eyes, saying nothing.

The newcomers hadn’t violated any of the rules set by the Dark Land.

However, there was a tacit agreement to arrive fifteen minutes early, both for the convenience of the supervising Wizards’ preparations and as a sign of respect for them.

Kaze Antuun stood at the very front, dressed in a Blue Wizard Robe. He possessed a powerful presence that instinctively drew everyone’s gaze.

A group of direct lineage members from the Wizard Clans followed behind him. There were men and women dressed in Wizard Robes of various colors. Some had their arms crossed, others had them behind their backs. Their expressions varied: some wore smiles, others sneered, and some swept arrogant glances over the crowd.

The atmosphere gradually grew oppressive. The sheer aura and presence of these new arrivals bore down on all the other Wizard Freshmen present.

These were the freshmen from the Wizard Clans—the ones belonging to the direct lineages.

Wang Ya’s expression turned grave. The ten or so people at the very front made the strongest impression on him. A faint blue light shimmered in his pupils.

’They’re all powerful opponents, just as I expected. Not a single one can be underestimated.’

Their Spiritual Power was generally above 20, which put them in the domain of Level 2 Wizard Apprentices.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, isn’t this a bit much? With an aura like that, do we even stand a chance?" Gray’s eyes widened as he spoke with a hint of dejection and pessimism.

"The aura from just ten or so freshmen is enough to overwhelm all the others here. I’m afraid they’re all at the Power of a Level 2 Wizard Apprentice on average."

Mas’s expression was just as grim. In contrast, Mona, who stood beside him, had a complicated look on her face, for she had spotted the genius freshman of the Antuun Clan: Zack Antuun.

This was all part of the Wizard Family Alliance’s preparations for the Secret Realm competition. These chosen few were destined to shine brilliantly, while the rest were merely foils to accentuate their glory.

In the eyes of the Wizard Family Alliance’s upper echelons, this had been their only purpose from the very beginning.