The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

The rules are as follows: The Heaven-Filling Fire Secret Realm and the Erosion Forest Secret Realm each contain ten thousand Dark Badges. They do not have a physical form, but exist as data that can be collected by a Wizard Mark upon contact. The number of Dark Badges one possesses directly influences their ranking in the Secret Realm competition.

Note: When a Wizard chooses to exit the Secret Realm, they are teleported away. The number of Dark Badges they currently hold will be used as the standard for their ranking, and this amount will be permanently removed from the Secret Realm’s total. However, for three minutes after exiting, the Wizard’s Dark Badges will remain at their last location, where other Wizards can collect them.

Sunlight could not pierce the thick canopy. In the dim light, a figure in a black Wizard Robe leaned against a jet-black tree. Similar trees surrounded him, and dark fallen leaves floated on the ground. This was no ordinary wetland swamp.

The putrid smell made Wang Ya’s brow furrow slightly. He looked down at the viscous sewage that rose over the soles of his shoes. He was wearing rain boots crafted from Extraordinary Materials, providing protection from both the water and insect bites.

These were secondary precautions. His Spiritual Power could detect dangers in advance, while a faint layer of Particle Energy formed a protective barrier over his skin.

Venomous insects, harmful microbes, spores, and the like were incinerated by high heat before they could even approach Wang Ya’s airways.

Thanks to Wang Ya’s modifications, the Red Hot Witchcraft could be kept semi-permanently active within his body.

As soon as Wang Ya realized he had entered the Erosion Forest Secret Realm, he immediately activated these countermeasures. The Particle Energy consumption was minimal.

He lifted his right foot and saw its surface was covered with tiny insects. Their heads were clamped onto the boot, their bodies writhing. There were hundreds of them, packed densely together.

The conditions in the Erosion Forest were even harsher than Wang Ya had anticipated. If someone were to step barefoot into this sewage, they would pull back nothing but a bare skeleton moments later. No mortal could possibly survive here.

Harak fluttered its wings and landed on his shoulder. Its jet-black eyes scanned the surroundings in silence.

The surroundings were deathly still, filled only with a complex arrangement of black trees. Their heights were uneven; some towered a hundred meters high, while others were only ten-odd meters tall.

He recalled what he’d read in the Library. ’Could these black trees be the Yin Trees?’ Regardless, the Erosion Forest was definitely not his home field. Most of the ambient Particle Energy here was inert, while his Fire Elemental Particle Energy Witchcraft was active in nature.

If he were in Heaven-Filling Fire, Wang Ya’s Witchcraft and Power might even see a boost.

That didn’t mean he was at a disadvantage, however. The Shadow Slayer Blade materialized in his hand, and he thrust it fiercely into the trunk of the black tree behind him. Influenced by the Particle Energy, a pitch-black snake slowly became visible, writhing in agony as it struggled to break free.

A scattered, blue light glinted in Wang Ya’s pupils.

[Target: Soul-Devouring Snake]

[Details: Feeds on Spiritual Power and Particle Energy. It also desperately craves flesh possessing Extraordinary Properties. It favors the corrosive liquid secreted by Yin Trees, which serves as both protection and a primary food source during its juvenile stage.]

The Shadow Slayer Blade slowly retracted. The Soul-Devouring Snake’s corpse dropped into the muddy sewage. Before its green blood even had a chance to spill, the flesh was devoured, leaving nothing but a stark white skeleton.

The environment of the Erosion Forest was a threat, but the creatures living within it were an even greater one. He had to remain vigilant at all times.

’Since the Soul-Devouring Snakes have appeared, the Yin Souls can’t be far behind.’

Yin Souls were peculiar entities. They were similar to Vengeful Spirits, yet different. When a living being died within the Secret Realm, its soul wouldn’t dissipate. Instead, it would be absorbed by a Yin Tree, giving birth to a Yin Soul.

They also craved the flesh of the living, driven by an obsessive need for warmth to satisfy the cold, empty yearning within them.

Yin Souls even attacked Soul-Devouring Snakes, often killing the juveniles.

Adult Soul-Devouring Snakes, however, no longer feared Yin Souls. They could even use the corrosive liquid from the Yin Trees to injure them.

It was a unique symbiotic relationship with the Yin Tree at its center. The tree’s Absorption of natural particle energy allowed it to secrete the corrosive liquid, which in turn maintained the stability of the ecosystem.

According to the rules, ten thousand Dark Badges were scattered throughout the Erosion Forest Secret Realm. His next step was to acquire as many as he could.

Wang Ya’s brow furrowed as he considered another aspect of the rules.

’If a Wizard collected a significant number of Dark Badges and then ran into another Wizard, they would almost certainly be robbed.’

’That’s because even if you chose to exit the Secret Realm, your collected Dark Badges wouldn’t vanish with you. They’d remain in place for three minutes before disappearing, allowing other Wizards to grab them and add them to their own score.’

’The departing Wizard’s score would be reset to zero.’

’This would put the Wizard Freshmen in the Secret Realm in a dilemma. How many badges was enough?’

’If you found a deserted place to leave, would your badge count be high enough to secure a top spot?’

’But if you didn’t leave and kept searching for more, you could run into another Wizard and get robbed, losing everything.’

Any deaths that occurred as a result of the competition would go unpunished, as they were permitted by the rules.

"Impressive." Wang Ya felt a grudging admiration for the Wizard who had designed the Secret Realm competition. They had considered every angle, achieving a true Balance of fairness, competition, evaluation, and even entertainment value.