The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth
Chapter 25: Ancient Forest Mountain, The Only Rule, Wizard Yi Si

Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Ancient Forest Mountain, The Only Rule, Wizard Yi Si

In his Sea of Spirit, four Wizard Runes hovered, glowing and resonating with one another, all born from the same source... Of course, this wasn’t all Wang Ya had gained during his two months on the Wizard Ship.

His consciousness returned to reality. The room’s layout was spartan.

A bed, a bookshelf piled high with books, a desk by the window, and a feather pen resting in a pen holder.

It wasn’t much different from his room on the Wizard Ship.

Of course, this one was a bit more spacious.

The sea breeze blowing in from the ocean was blocked by rows of ancient trees. It rustled through their leaves, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow that streamed through the window and fell upon a black robe.

Pushing the door open, he saw a large cluster of similar houses. They weren’t densely packed, but rather interspersed among the ancient trees and foliage, all connected by cobblestone paths.

The growth of the trees was astonishing; trees so thick it would take ten people to encircle them were common. Flecks of blue light glittered in Wang Ya’s pupils. A dense natural particle energy lingered among these ancient trees, and the cobblestone paths bore the clear traces of Witch Array refining.

’As for their purpose?’

The ancient forest he could see was just the tip of the iceberg. In the more distant regions, the tree growth was even more exaggerated, with some reaching heights of several hundred meters.

’It must be related to the concentration of natural particle energy.’

This area where the Wizard Freshmen lived was called Ancient Forest Mountain. Wang Ya had been here for two days and had gotten a general sense of the situation.

It wasn’t just them; freshmen from other Wizard Ships were also here to undergo a six-month assessment.

The Dark Wizard Academy was located deeper within the ancient forest. Only after meeting the assessment requirements could the freshmen truly enter, become a member of the Dark Land, and receive the Dark Wizard Mark.

Ancient Forest Mountain, along with the port and a vast stretch of the sea, all fell under the domain of the Dark Land.

Aside from Ancient Forest Mountain, which was a restricted area, other places were open to outside Wizards.

Below the mountain lay the Ancient Forest Wizard City. Failed Wizard Freshmen, unwilling to leave, had settled there. Over generations, they had formed Wizard Clans.

The Wizard City was quite prosperous. Wild Wizards would go to sea to obtain Extraordinary Resources, then trade them within the city for what they needed.

Within the Wizard City, mortals still made up the largest portion of the population.

Even among the Wizard Clans, those with Wizard Qualification were rare. These clans often hoped to send their qualified members to Ancient Forest Mountain to pass the assessment and become a part of the Dark Land.

[Target: Wang Ya]

[Spiritual Power: 7.2]

[Physique: 6]

[Particle Energy: 3.2 Units]

[Mastered Witchcraft: ’Fear-Burning Fire’, ’Fire Elemental Particle Energy Shield’, ’Crimson Heat’]

Wang Ya had mastered all the basic Witchcraft Knowledge from the Inheritance Witch Book and could cast every spell with great fluency.

Of course, the Particle Energy Units in his body could barely support casting two spells.

Wang Ya had not tried to learn the Advanced Witchcraft Knowledge.

His Extraordinary Foundation was too weak; the disadvantages would outweigh the benefits.

He had already met the requirements to enter the Wizard Academy. The most important thing now was to compensate for this weakness.

A huge, curved building stood before him, constructed entirely of wood. Its surface seemed to be coated with some substance that made it look like metal, absorbing light and taking on a dark, somber hue.

Many Wizard Freshmen were arriving one after another, entering the building known as the ’Ancient Forest Pavilion’.

There were many unfamiliar faces, far more than a hundred people, and Wang Ya did not stand out among them.

After escorting the Wizard Freshmen to Ancient Forest Mountain, Tuta Wizard had not been seen again.

The one responsible for all freshman affairs was another Wizard named ’Yi Si’.

He entered a space resembling a large conference hall, with a lectern at its center.

Each Wizard Freshman had their own assigned number, and Wang Ya’s seat was in a corner of the third row.

The seats were almost all filled with Wizard Freshmen. Everyone kept their voices down, making the vast space seem exceptionally quiet.

At some point, a figure had appeared on the lectern. He wore a brown Wizard Robe, had purple hair, looked to be around forty years old, and wore an utterly indifferent expression.

A Wizard’s true age cannot be determined by their appearance; there are too many ways to alter it.

Wang Ya’s expression turned serious. This was Wizard Yi Si. During the handover with Tuta Wizard, he had observed him from afar with his Eye of Truth.

The Particle Energy within his body was terrifying, like an abyss, and not much weaker than Tuta Wizard’s.

He also lacked the twilight aura that clung to Tuta Wizard; instead, he radiated power as brazenly as the morning sun.

’He’s a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice, at the very least.’

Wizard Yi Si’s lips moved. His voice wasn’t loud, yet every Wizard Freshman heard him with perfect clarity.

"You have six months. Master one Witchcraft spell and demonstrate it perfectly before me, and you can take this ticket to the Dark Wizard Academy."

A hand extended from beneath the brown Wizard Robe, holding a floating, cube-shaped device that pulsed with astonishing Particle Energy. It resembled a Rubik’s Cube from Wang Ya’s past life memories, but the fine arcs of electricity crackling across its surface sent a tremor of fear through every Wizard.

Its aura was terrifying, far exceeding the fluctuations of Particle Energy at their current level.

Wizard Yi Si’s words were brief but his meaning was precise. "Ancient Forest Mountain has all the facilities you need for your daily lives. There is only one rule: no deaths are permitted on Ancient Forest Mountain. No matter what methods are used, I will find out. Anyone involved will die, regardless of who was right or wrong."

Wizard Yi Si paused. His eyes narrowed, and a stiff smile stretched across his face. "If you have the ability to commit murder and hide it from me, then by all means, go ahead. I would be very much looking forward to it."

The expressions on the faces of the Wizard Freshmen varied, but they all remained quiet, listening as Wizard Yi Si shared more information about Ancient Forest Mountain.

Ancient Forest Mountain did not restrict the freshmen’s freedom; they could come and go as they pleased, but they would lose the protection of the rules if they left.

However, this did not dampen the curiosity some Wizard Freshmen had about the world outside Ancient Forest Mountain—what was it like in the Ancient Forest Wizard City below, what were the Wild Wizards and Wizard-related industries really like?

Most of them were new recruits, discovered on the various island continents of the Endless Sea by recruiting Wizards from the Dark Land.

Some came from noble backgrounds—a nation’s prince or princess, or the children of nobility. The next tier included descendants of Knights or sons of wealthy merchants. Commoners were rare, but they existed.

They had all stepped out of the Mortal World, drawn to the novelties and unknowns of the Wizard World.

’Master Wizard Yi Si is exaggerating. How could it be that serious? He’s even talking about murder. We’re all classmates, why would we kill each other?’

’He’s just acting like a strict, inarticulate teacher, trying to manage us by reminding us to work hard and master our Witchcraft.’

’Six months to master a single spell? What’s so difficult about that?’

Most of the freshmen with slightly better Wizard Qualification thought this way.

A pensive look flashed in Wang Ya’s eyes.

The freshman meeting was gradually coming to an end. Just as Wizard Yi Si was about to leave, he suddenly added, "I forgot to tell you. The number of tickets is fixed."

Wang Ya’s expression shifted; he instantly understood the true meaning of the one rule.