The Trial Begins
In a small, beautifully decorated palace, something like this is happening inside a tiny room.
"Your Highness, are you going to the Spirit Realm? But there are still many things that require your decision, especially the matter of the Blood Wolf Knights."
The response came from an impatient male voice.
"No matter how urgent this matter is, it's not as important as what I'm dealing with right now. I must go to the Spirit Realm."
After the outburst subsided, a brief silence fell over the room.
The man in the room, Darian, then regained his senses.
"The Blood Wolf Knights aren't urgent. Although they obtained their place in the order from our country, the Blood Wolf Knights did disappear in the Antir Region after all."
"That mage from the Alliance should know this. His current tough stance towards us is simply because he thinks we're weaker and not third-tier Profession like them."
"Just maintain a respectful attitude. Let them come and investigate, as long as you don't mention that I'm here."
"They won't get angry easily, nor will they harbor any ill intentions towards our country, because to their mages, this place is just a wasteland..."
Darian emphasized the last word slightly.
Although he didn't want to admit it, it was the truth: even though Lorinvik, where Darian was located, was the most powerful country around the Alliance, it was nothing more than a piece of rotten flesh in front of the Alliance.
When the Alliance wanted to deal with Lorinvik, they had no power to resist.
Just like how Connor tricked Lorinvik out of a Knights Order Decree, they now have no way to deal with the other party's Third Order Mage father.
Even though the Third Order Mage didn't come here in person, but only sent a Golem with a letter, the entire country was filled with fear and unease.
But he also knew that it was pointless; as long as they maintained a respectful attitude, the other party would soon lose interest in them.
"Yes, Your Highness."
After hearing Darian's instructions, the voice outside the door fell silent, followed by the sound of footsteps gradually fading away.
Darian listened to the footsteps fade away without reacting. He stared at the black dagger and cloak patterns etched on his arm, his eyes never leaving them.
This is what he truly needs to focus on: a pattern... or rather, power, bestowed upon him by a Deity in the Spirit Realm.
Darian is the prince of the Kingdom of Lorinvik, and he can now be considered Lorinvik's heir, no, the next king of Lorinvik.
All of this is thanks to the pattern on his hand.
Darian did not follow the Profession advancement path within the kingdom, but instead chose to become Profession through the Spirit Realm.
Behind this lies the reason why he was not valued by the king, as well as the reason why his brothers and sisters ostracized him.
But it was precisely because of this that he encountered a Deity during an exploration of the Spirit Realm — the God of Shadows.
Darian helped the other party occupy a small territory in the Spirit Realm, and the God of Shadows therefore chose Darian as his Proxy.
With Divine Power help of the God of Shadows, Darian had only initially developed a Sect within the kingdom, yet his own strength had already reached a level comparable to that of Second Order Profession User.
This was thanks to the Proxy status bestowed upon him by the God of Shadows, which made him far stronger than his brothers and sisters at the First Order, giving him the initiative and advantage in the struggle.
That is why he has almost become the next king of Lorinvik, simply because his brothers and sisters have already been left behind.
He had no choice but to go on this Trial in the Spirit Realm because his status was not equal to that of the God of Shadows, Deity had a strong desire for control.
The reason he was able to become the other party's Proxy was because he signed an extremely harsh contract, and the requirement for Darian to obey unconditionally was just one of the ordinary clauses.
Therefore, Darian had no choice but to participate in this Trial. Unlike the other Proxy, his Deity only gave him one day to prepare, which led to the scene just now.
If he had had enough time, he would have arranged this matter long ago instead of letting that servant come and bother him.
Just then, the black pattern on Darian's hand became slightly warm, a reminder from the Lord of Shadows that he was about to go to the Spirit Realm.
"So fast? My protective barrier isn't ready yet."
Darian looked at the protective barrier he had only half-finished drawing in his hand and sighed softly. There was no other way; at this point, he could only go to the Spirit Realm.
He could not disobey the Lord of Shadows ' orders, and now he could only hope for the protection he would receive from the Spirit Realm Spirit Realm after his promotion to Formal Rank.
He knew that if he went up there like this, and his brothers and sisters had any bad intentions, he would be badly injured even if he didn't die, but he had no choice.
Darian took a deep breath, hoping he would make it back in time.
He chanted the incantation, his consciousness rising upwards, and almost the instant his consciousness left, a faint footstep sounded outside the door.
Darian's consciousness ascended into the Spirit Realm, and then, through a special path provided by the God of Shadows, he arrived directly in the Sun Domain. The moment he entered, the Trial of the Sun began.
He opened his eyes and saw that he was standing on a reddish-brown ground, the soil as hard as steel plates, and it was very uncomfortable for him to step on.
He looked around but saw no one.
He took a deep breath. Now, his only option was to complete the God of Shadows's task as soon as possible so that he could return to the Material Realm.
He didn't investigate the methods of the other Spirit Realm Trial participants, so when he chose a direction to search for those Spirit Realm Trial participants...
He heard a faint sound, so faint that he would never have noticed it had he not been the Proxy of the God of Shadows, whose perception had been greatly enhanced.
Darian acted decisively, immediately casting the divine spell ' Shadow Cloak '.
In an instant, Darian's figure was shrouded in a phantom dark curtain, which would protect him from any attack if he were attacked now.
While this isn't a divine spell that can block all damage, it does reduce damage and magnify the enemy's appearance in the opponent's eyes, potentially causing the enemy's first attack to miss.
Almost instantly after he used the ' Shadow Cloak ', he felt a blast of air, like a heavy hammer, surge up his back, making his hair stand on end.
He had no way to dodge the attack because it came too suddenly and too fast.
He could only lean forward slightly, trying to lessen the damage, but it was all in vain.
Almost the instant Darian was attacked, he was unable to make any further moves.
His originally straight back was bent by the blow, his body contracted towards the concave area of his back, and with a muffled 'bang', the powerful force lifted him off the ground.
As he flew forward, his feet touched the ground, causing his body to involuntarily begin to spin until an impact force hit his back, bringing him back to the ground.
He spun 360 degrees in the air before returning to the ground. He endured the pain and struggled desperately to get up from the ground.
If he were an apprentice-level Profession, such severe injuries would definitely have resulted in him being expelled from the Spirit Realm and returned to the Material Realm immediately.
However, since he is now Formal Rank, the Spirit Realm can tolerate him suffering more severe injuries Spirit Realm without immediately expelling him from the Spirit Realm.
After suppressing his physical discomfort and the metallic taste in his throat, he immediately used another divine spell [Shadow Infiltration].
His figure immediately turned black, and every part of his body was covered in black.
This is the strongest power bestowed upon him by the God of Shadows, allowing him to burrow into the Shadow Infiltration. Although his body turns black, it seems to make him even more conspicuous.
His blackness was only apparent to himself; to others, he seemed to have completely vanished, without a sound or a goal.
Even if the enemy launches a large-scale attack, as long as it doesn't hit his chest, the attacks will pass through his shadow-covered body.
With this ability alone, Darian could deal with second-tier Profession.
He rolled to the side on the ground, away from his original position, and was about to struggle to get up to see who had attacked him. He was determined to get revenge.
Before he could even see the figure clearly, a beam of light suddenly illuminated his vision, stinging his eyes.
He had never experienced sudden blindness before, and before he could figure out what was happening, he felt all his strength drain away.
When he came to his senses, he found that it felt as if there was a wooden stick standing upright on his chest, and that the stick was lifting him into the air before swinging him to the side.
"Now I'm really back in the Material Realm." Darian's vision was still completely obscured by a white light; he hadn't regained his sight and could only feel his consciousness sinking deeper into the void.
The perspective returns to the room where Darian enters the Spirit Realm.
"Haha, Darian didn't even set up a barrier. Looks like he really wants to die."
A black sleeve opened the door, and upon seeing Darian's slightly ethereal body, the tall figure in black robes almost burst out laughing.
If Darian were to open his eyes at this moment, he would realize that the man in black robes was a member of the Sect he founded.
Before the man in black could do anything, he saw Darian's figure solidify instantly. The man in black immediately retreated, trying to escape while the other was in the Spirit Realm.
However, Darian did not exit the Spirit Realm normally; he died directly from the Spirit Realm.
His chest bulged forward, accompanied by the sound of bones cracking, and a dark red stain appeared on his robes.
Blood tears streamed from his eyes, and blood seeped from his nostrils and mouth. When he opened his eyes, the man in the black robe saw a flash of white light.
Although Darian has not yet regained his sight, he can tell the other person's identity from their breathing and hurried footsteps.
"That's good... at least I've found a traitor." Darian's words seemed to be suppressing something, as if he was about to explode at any moment.