Passing the Selection, Preparing for the Secret Realm

Luo Lin pondered for a moment and came up with a plan.

He had Baha remain above the clearing, using its vision to pinpoint the Wailing Banshee's approximate location.

He himself slowly approached while fully circulating the Perfect Meditation Method, condensing his mental power to form a dense protective layer against the mental assault.

When the piercing shriek rang out, Luo Lin felt a sharp pain in his head, but his solid mental barrier successfully blocked most of the damage.

Locking onto the direction Baha indicated, he did not use the ineffective acid spell. Instead, he held his hands half-clenched and mobilized his mana and mental power, attempting to replicate a simple rune structure from an ancient scroll that leaned toward purification and dispelling energy.

This was not a complete spell, but more like a temporary energy manipulation technique.

A soft yet resolute milky-white radiance blossomed from his palms like a sharp sword piercing through the gray mist, shining upon the flickering form of the Wailing Banshee.

Hiss!!!

The banshee let out a pained shriek. Its spirit body fluctuated violently beneath the milky-white light, as though ice and snow were melting away, while the surrounding gray mist thinned somewhat as well.

This simulated purifying radiance actually had an obvious effect on the banshee.

Luo Lin was invigorated and continued pouring out mana and mental power to sustain the purifying radiance.

Baha also continuously adjusted its position in the air, providing Luo Lin with the most precise guidance.

After a prolonged stalemate, the Wailing Banshee's spirit body finally could no longer endure. It released an unwilling wail before completely dissipating, leaving behind a small cluster of Pure Resentment Crystal that could be used to refine certain mental protection items.

As time passed, encounters with other top apprentices became nearly unavoidable.

In a swamp filled with twisted Shadow Vines, Luo Lin ran into Lina head-on.

They nearly simultaneously discovered a Shadow Ghostface Mushroom marked as a special collection target.

Lina's figure flickered in and out of the shadows as though she had merged with her surroundings, her presence difficult to detect.

She glanced at Baha on Luo Lin's shoulder, and a trace of wariness flashed through her eyes.

Baha's Dark Silver Eye and Dark Gold Eye posed a considerable counter to both her stealth and her sense of danger.

"Luo Lin?"

Lina's voice came from all directions, carrying a faintly ethereal quality.

"This mushroom is very useful to me."

"What a coincidence. I need it for my mission," Luo Lin replied calmly. [Weak Force-Field Armor] silently covered his entire body, while his mental power remained highly focused.

He knew how terrifying Lina was, especially in an environment suited to her strengths.

After a brief silence, Lina's voice sounded again.

"It seems a contest is unavoidable."

"However, neither of us benefits if we both get hurt."

"By the rules, strength decides. One strike to determine the winner. How about it?"

"The loser withdraws on their own."

This was one of the default ways of resolving disputes during the selection, avoiding unnecessary expenditure.

"Fine."

Luo Lin agreed.

He gestured for Baha to fly up and keep watch.

The next moment, Luo Lin felt the light around him dim. It was as though every shadow had come alive, winding toward him from all directions with bone-chilling cold and binding force.

At the same time, an almost imperceptible phantom of a dark dagger silently stabbed toward the center of Luo Lin's back.

Lina had attacked with a killing move from the start!

The shadow bindings restricted his movement, while the true fatal blow was concealed within them.

However, Luo Lin had long been on guard.

The powerful perception granted by the Perfect Meditation Method allowed him to detect that faint killing intent in advance.

The energy of the improved force-field armor instantly concentrated on his back. At the same time, his body suddenly leaned forward, and his right hand swung backward.

It was neither acid nor purifying radiance, but a small pinch of Flashing Dust he had previously obtained from Mason!

Buzz!

A blinding white flash erupted in the dark swamp, instantly dispersing part of the shadows and causing the phantom dark dagger to pause slightly.

In that fleeting pause, mana surged within Luo Lin. The [Corrosive Orb] he had prepared was not fired. Instead, he forcibly compressed it in his palm, forming a highly unstable dark-green energy sphere that radiated destructive power.

Rather than attacking Lina's true body, which was difficult to lock onto, Luo Lin smashed the energy sphere into the ground beneath his feet, where Shadow Vines covered the area.

Boom!!!

The violent explosion sent mud flying into the sky. Corrosive energy instantly eroded all the Shadow Vines within several meters, while the intense energy shock also interrupted Lina's shadow bindings.

The chaotic energy currents disrupted the shadow energy in the area, greatly weakening Lina's stealth effect. Her figure staggered into view some distance away.

She looked at Luo Lin, then at the crater blasted into the ground and the dissipating shadow power, a trace of astonishment flashing through her eyes.

She had not expected Luo Lin to break her attack in such an almost environment-destroying manner.

"You win."

Lina was decisive. Her figure slowly retreated into deeper shadows as her voice drifted over.

"The mushroom is yours. We will settle the matter inside the secret realm."

Luo Lin relaxed slightly and dispersed the remaining energy in his palm.

That strike had appeared crude, but in truth, it required precise control over both energy and timing.

Without the extraordinary control granted by the Perfect Meditation Method, compressing the [Corrosive Orb] and controlling its blast range would have been extremely likely to cause backlash against himself.

Luo Lin quickly collected the Shadow Ghostface Mushroom and immediately left this troublesome place.

The selection entered its final countdown.

The rankings near the top of the points board kept changing, and the competition had reached a fever pitch.

Thanks to his steady performance, comprehensive abilities, and flawless coordination with Baha, Luo Lin had remained firmly within the top thirty and continued steadily climbing upward.

When the final bell echoed through the Shadowwood Realm, all surviving apprentices were teleported back to the academy square.

The final rankings stood prominently on the enormous light screen.

Luo Lin's gaze swept over them quickly.

Kyle Silverglow stood firmly in third place, while Lina ranked seventh.

As for his own name, Luo Lin was listed in twenty-first place.

It was secure!

He had successfully earned the qualification to enter the Afterglow Secret Realm!

Seeing his name on the light screen and feeling the gazes around him, some envious and some wary, Luo Lin felt a surge of excitement rise within him.

Six years of accumulation and waiting, along with the life-and-death trials in the Black Forest, had finally opened the door to a higher level for him at this moment!

Luo Lin stroked the feathers on Baha's shoulder and shared this joy through their connection.

Baha affectionately rubbed against his cheek, excitement gleaming in its dark-golden eyes as well.

After Luo Lin successfully obtained the qualification to explore the Afterglow Secret Realm, his name swiftly spread through the apprentice circles once again.

No one knew how many times Luo Lin's name had already spread through the apprentice circles. As the person involved, he had no time to care about such empty fame and immediately threw himself into intense preparations for the secret realm.

The secret realm would open in one month, leaving little time.

Luo Lin first needed to gain a deeper understanding of the Afterglow Secret Realm itself.

Using the authority he had earned through the selection, he was able to enter Sacred Tower Academy's higher-level internal archive and consult the limited records related to the secret realm.

The Afterglow Secret Realm was said to be one of the fragments formed after the collapse of the demiplane laboratory of the ancient wizard known as the Afterglow Grand Wizard following his death.

The internal environment was extremely unstable, its spatial structure fragile and its laws distorted. It was filled with bizarre regions formed by experiments or energy leaks.

The records mentioned that the core area of the secret realm had once been the site where the wizard conducted high-energy elemental reactions. There was a considerable chance that pure Elemental Essence had formed there, but it was also the most dangerous area, filled with energy turbulence and ancient construct guards.

Aside from Elemental Essence, the secret realm might contain experimental notes the Afterglow Grand Wizard had not had time to destroy, unusual spell materials, and even some semi-finished enchanted items.

Opportunities and risks coexisted.

Luo Lin carefully recorded every key piece of information.

Known types of dangerous areas, possible resource locations, common weaknesses of ancient constructs, and identifying traits of spatially unstable regions.

He compared this information against his own abilities, tentatively planned several possible exploration routes, and marked the areas that required particular avoidance.

After gathering intelligence came the preparation of supplies.

Luo Lin took stock of his dimensional bag.

The various potions, materials, and scrolls he had accumulated over six years in the Black Forest were still plentiful, but in the face of an unknown secret realm, he needed more targeted replenishments.