Entering the Ruins

"Pfft!"

An arrow grazed the Wind Element mage's cheek, sending a spray of blood beads flying. Though it was only a minor wound, the force behind the arrow made him stop in his tracks, his heart pounding wildly.

"Now!" Jialan gritted his teeth. He knew this was his last chance. He condensed his mental power to its limit and murmured a few words. Water elements in the air gathered frantically, forming a dense ice mist. This was no ordinary Ice Mist Technique, but an advanced version refined through mental power.

The ice mist rapidly spread, not only obscuring vision but also carrying a biting chill. The pursuers were caught off guard and fell into disarray. Even that high-ranking Wind Element mage could not disperse this unusual ice mist anytime soon.

"Move!" Jialan felt a wave of dizziness. This spell had consumed more than half his mental power. But he knew this was no time to rest, so he forced himself to keep running.

Through the dense fog, Jialan and the others stumbled into a mountain valley. The pursuers behind them were temporarily blocked by the ice mist, but everyone knew the delay would not last long.

"This..." Jialan suddenly stopped, his pupils shrinking slightly. The outline of the valley looked remarkably familiar—the scattered arrangement of the rocks, the faint rune marks that appeared and disappeared...

"This is the entrance to that Ancient Elf ruin!" His voice trembled with excitement. He had spent the past while studying that scroll and had become thoroughly familiar with the terrain around the entrance. He had never expected to stumble upon it by accident at such a life-or-death moment.

Before the others could react, Jialan had already hurried over to a massive boulder covered in runes. His fingers lightly traced the ancient patterns as he swiftly recalled the results of his research from the past several days.

"What are you doing?" Katerina watched the surroundings warily.

"Give me a minute!" Jialan cut her off, his eyes fixed on the runes, his mental power intensely focused.

The Wind Element mage's furious roar came from the distance. The ice mist was being scattered by the violent wind. There was little time left.

Jialan rapidly formed hand seals and recited a string of obscure incantations. This was the opening spell he had spent more than ten days deciphering, yet he had never tested it before. As the incantation continued, the runes on the boulder began to emit a faint glow.

"Get over here!" Jialan shouted. Though the others did not understand what was happening, they quickly gathered beside him.

As the final syllable fell, the boulder suddenly erupted with dazzling light. A spatial rift appeared before them, and within it, ancient stone steps and mottled murals could faintly be seen.

"Go in!" Jialan was the first to step through the rift. The others followed close behind. Just as the last person entered, a Wind Blade flew past the edge of the rift.

The spatial rift quickly closed, sealing the pursuers' furious roars outside.

The interior of the ruins was strangely quiet, with only their breathing echoing through the air. Jialan raised his staff and murmured a few words. A glow appeared from the gem at the top of the staff, illuminating the surrounding area.

"This is..." Kaisalin drew in a sharp breath.

They stood in a massive circular hall, its surrounding walls covered in exquisite relief carvings. Elven script flowed across the walls, radiating a faint magical glow. The air was filled with an ancient, mysterious aura.

Excitement gleamed in Shadow's eyes. "These words... they seem to record Ancient Elf knowledge!" He was a Half-elf. Though he had grown up in human society, he was no stranger to Elven script. He hurried to the wall and lightly touched the glowing words with his fingers.

"Wait..." Jialan hurriedly tried to stop him, but it was already too late.

Suddenly, the entire hall shook. The runes on the walls began to flow rapidly, forming a complex magic array. Amid Qiuqiu's warning cry, a dazzling flash of light erupted, and everyone felt the world spin. When their vision cleared, they discovered that they had been scattered throughout different parts of the ruins.

Jialan walked alone through a dark corridor. The Elven script on the walls emitted a faint blue glow, lighting the path ahead. His mental power was highly focused, ready to deal with any danger that might appear.

Nothing happened until he reached a massive stone door.

"Answer the question below, and wisdom shall guide you forward." He softly read the Elven words carved on the door.

Below was a star chart, accompanied by instructions to determine the correct season based on the positions of the stars. Jialan's gaze was drawn to the flickering chart on the wall. Countless points of light drifted through the air, outlining a vast starry sky.

"The positions of the stars..." Jialan murmured. His fingers tapped lightly through the air as he tried to discern the pattern within. Gradually, the star chart began to spin rapidly, the stars constantly shifting positions. Jialan felt his mental power being drawn into a wondrous realm, as though he stood amidst the boundless cosmos.

"This is... the Elves' stargazing art!" He suddenly understood. During his past research, he had encountered records concerning Elven astronomical knowledge. The Elves believed that the positions of the stars were closely tied to the changing seasons.

Jialan closed his eyes and recalled the records in the ancient texts. His fingers traced paths through the air, his mental power resonating with the star chart. Gradually, the stars slowed their movement until they finally stopped at a particular position.

"Midsummer," Jialan opened his eyes. "When the Silver Moon intersects with the Red Star." He lightly tapped the star representing midsummer. The chart emitted a dazzling glow before slowly fading away, and the massive doors rumbled open to either side...

Jialan steadied himself, then shifted his gaze to the stone wall behind the doors, which was covered in magical formulas. Complex symbols and variables intertwined like an incomprehensible heavenly script.

Jialan carefully examined the structure of the formulas, thinking, This looks like more than just a math problem...

He took out the notebook he carried with him from his Spatial Bag and began calculating rapidly.

Second by second, time passed. Fine beads of sweat formed on Jialan's forehead. The complexity of these formulas far exceeded his expectations. Every variable could affect the final result.

Suddenly, his pen stopped. "Wait, why is this variable's frequency so close to the fluctuation frequency of Wood Element..."

Inspiration struck him like lightning. Jialan quickly wrote down the final result of his calculations, then pressed his palm against the stone wall. Elemental power flowed from his fingertips into the formulas, and the entire wall began to glow.

"Correct!" Jialan watched joyfully as the stone wall slowly opened, revealing a passage beyond it.

The third trial appeared at the end of the passage: an Elven poem carved upon a stone stele. Its beautiful words shimmered brilliantly, yet they contained profound metaphors.