Light Shadow

A year and a half later, Saine finally began to slow his work.

The Eye of the Devil Mask before him had already approached perfection.

At the very least, Saine had pushed every material at hand to its absolute limit.

Just like Green and the departed Gold Robe Magician Belode, there was little point in continuing the experiments. At Saine's current level, it was difficult for him to strengthen the Demon Mask any further.

Unlike more than a decade ago, the Eye of the Devil Mask had now become far more bewitching and mysterious.

Strange red patterns spread across the surface of the Eye of the Devil Mask. A single glance at it could easily plunge one into illusions and confusion—and that was merely its natural state without activation.

A breathtaking pale-pink crystal diamond was embedded in the very center of the Eye of the Devil Mask's forehead.

Around that crystal diamond lay an octagonal matrix pattern, along with countless lines of special magic arrays.

The pink crystal diamond was naturally the Goddess of Music's divinity.

It differed from the initial divinity Saine had first acquired because he had deeply modified it.

Since it had been infused with the Succubus Queen's blood essence, the original Sound Wave System laws had been blended with Bewitchment System divine power, multiplying its overall might geometrically.

Although the Eye of the Devil Mask used only one divinity, Saine had to admit that the quality of this mask and the level of alchemy it contained surpassed even the Magic Staff in his possession, which held two divinities.

Magicians were always advancing. The Eye of the Devil Mask before him was not the limit of Saine's abilities; he believed that he would be able to create even higher-grade Magic Conductors in the future.

Taking a deep breath, Saine put the mask on the Laboratory Table back onto his face.

What appeared before Saine was now a scarlet world utterly unlike the ordinary.

Saine felt that he had become far more sensitive to the minute Element Power and energy fluctuations in his surroundings. This novel experience made him briefly overlook the changes taking place ahead.

It possessed divine abilities of the light, fire, Sound Wave System, and Bewitchment System laws. In particular, the mask's true selling point should have been its outstanding Sound Wave System laws, an Elemental Power Saine was not inherently skilled in.

With this mask, the Magic Staff in his hand, and the Magic Robe on his body, Saine even believed that he now possessed the ability to fight a Level-4 lifeform.

The Level-4 lifeforms he referred to were not the "castrated Level-4 lifeforms" like the Weak Divine Power gods of the Faelun Continent, but true Level-4 lifeforms—the Low Divine Power gods of the Faelun Continent.

Magicians had always been a rational group and would never make vain or exaggerated claims.

Since Saine believed that he possessed the ability to fight a Level-4 lifeform, he truly had the capability to contend head-on with one for a short period of time.

Before this, Saine had seen traces of this level of power in Tourmaline.

Of course, it was only through the enhancement of numerous divine artifacts, coupled with the mysteries of Flames of Ash and the body-refining profundities possessed by his true body, that Saine truly gained the ability to fight above his level. This also showed just how strictly divided the power levels of the Star Realm were.

Sometimes, the difference of a single level was the difference between heaven and earth.

There were absolutely not many in the entire Wizard World who could achieve Saine's current level.

If every Demigod-level Creature were as monstrous as Tourmaline had been back then, the Star Realm's laws of balance would have been shattered.

And in the ninth stage of this trial secret realm, the greatest concept Saine had gained was "balance."

"Power that breaks balance?" Saine let out a long breath, then looked ahead.

An oval gate of light appeared before Saine once more.

This gate of light was clearly different from every gate of light Saine had encountered before, yet he could not quite say how it differed.

The Demon Wings behind him spread open, and Saine flew toward the gate of light.

After entering the gate of light, what appeared before Saine was no longer any trial secret realm, but an endless expanse of white.

Within this white space, Saine saw a Light Person.

It was a phantom condensed entirely from Light Element. Merely appearing before it allowed Saine to feel its immense power.

Saine indeed possessed a certain ability to challenge opponents above his level, but the opponents he could handle definitely did not include the Light Shadow before him.

Like Saine, the Light Shadow before him wore a mask.

However, unlike Saine's bewitching and eerie Eye of the Devil Mask, the other's mask was a smooth, pure white.

It was a Formless Mask.

"You have finally arrived, my inheritor."

"By relying on your own abilities, you passed the trial I set." The Light Shadow said.

This Light Shadow was not a physical entity, but an illusory vessel condensed from pure Light Element.

After an unknown number of years, this Light Shadow still possessed such surging and formidable Element Power. One could imagine just how powerful its owner had been in those days.

At the same time, it was an elemental program that had been set countless tens of thousands of years ago.

In other words, what Saine faced was not a real person, but a record left behind by the creator of this secret realm many years ago.

Judging from all the signs, the other party had most likely passed away long ago.

For in Wizard World tradition, only aged magicians nearing the end of their lives would leave behind their prized Inheritance Secret Realm in the moment before they returned to dust, hoping that someone of later generations would inherit their mantle and their path of Truth.

It was an inexhaustible spirit of knowledge's continuation and Truth Exploration.

Saine had yet to take on any disciples. If he reached that point in the future, perhaps he too would leave behind his own Inheritance Secret Realm somewhere in the Wizard World, or here on the Knight Continent.

In fact, the vast majority of Inheritance Secret Realms on the Knight Continent had come about this way.

Saine watched the Light Person before him with a respectful gaze, mulling over the phrase "relying on your own abilities" that the Light Person had just mentioned.

In truth, Gold Robe Magician Belode had been right. Saine was also very curious why the evaluation mechanism of this Inheritance Secret Realm considered it reasonable for him to possess so many divinities and divine-artifact-grade materials beyond what his own abilities should have earned.

Could it be because he had risked his life in other worlds, with his head hanging by a thread, to obtain those divinities and divine artifacts?

That method of acquiring divine artifacts was, of course, entirely different from receiving them as gifts without lifting a finger!

Of course, it was also possible that this secret realm's evaluation mechanism was imperfect.

After all, it was a fixed program laid down countless tens of thousands of years ago. Being able to reach this extent was already no easy feat.

Moreover, judging by Belode's words, since this Inheritance Secret Realm had stood here until now, he had never heard of anyone besides Saine obtaining rewards through cheating.

Therefore, Saine was not cheating. He had relied on his own capabilities to obtain the secret realm's ultimate inheritance.