Afterglow Secret Realm, Open!

Luo Lin first used the contribution points from the selection rewards and his years of savings to make a major purchase at the internal alchemy and enchanting workshops.

He replenished a large supply of highly effective mana recovery potions and stamina stimulants to handle prolonged, high-intensity combat.

Considering the possible energy pollution and mental corrosion within the secret realm, Luo Lin specifically ordered several expensive bottles of [Mind Barrier] potion and [Pure Water]. The former could greatly increase mental resistance for a short time, while the latter could cleanse most common energy toxins.

As for scrolls, Luo Lin spent heavily on two lifesaving trump cards.

One was a [Short-Range Directional Teleportation Scroll], which could instantly teleport him to a preset safe point within a hundred meters in a crisis.

The other was an [Advanced Elemental Shield Scroll], capable of generating an all-directional shield with extremely strong defenses for a short duration.

These two scrolls had nearly drained more than half of his contribution point reserves, but he considered them well worth the cost.

As for equipment, Luo Lin had the alchemists at the workshop further reinforce and enchant his leather armor, improving its defense against energy impacts and physical tearing.

That enchanted bone dagger was also serviced again and sharpened.

Beyond these routine preparations, Luo Lin made some unique arrangements as well.

Based on ancient scrolls' knowledge of energy structures and runes, combined with his own understanding of corrosive energy, he began attempting to create a special [Corrosive Rune Bomb].

It was not a standard alchemical product. He sealed highly concentrated acidic energy within a rune casing of his own making, then detonated it with mental power to create a wide-ranging burst of intensely corrosive energy.

The process was extremely dangerous, and the success rate was low, but if it succeeded, it would become a powerful area-effect trump card.

After several failed attempts and the loss of numerous materials, he finally managed to produce three unstable but formidable finished products.

Baha's preparations were equally important.

Luo Lin specially made a more comfortable shoulder pad for it, one with a certain degree of protection.

Considering the extreme environments that might exist in the secret realm, he also prepared special bird feed that could quickly replenish vitality and mental power, along with a small bottle of mild potion to stimulate potential in emergencies.

Adjusting his own condition was even more crucial.

Every day, Luo Lin spent a great deal of time circulating the Perfect Meditation Method, striving to bring his mental power and mana to their fullest, most harmonious, and most responsive peak state.

He repeatedly practiced the transitions and combinations between his spells, especially his coordinated tactics with Baha, seeking to maintain one hundred percent of his strength even under high-pressure conditions.

Luo Lin also paid special visits to Wizard Eric and Wizard Stone.

The two wizards congratulated him on being successfully selected and gave him more specific guidance.

Wizard Eric reminded him, "The rules of the Afterglow Secret Realm are incomplete. Pay particular attention to weak points in space, and do not casually use large-scale spatial disturbance spells. Otherwise, you may trigger unpredictable consequences."

"Most ancient constructs rely on core energy sources for power. Finding and destroying their cores is the key."

In contrast, Wizard Stone was more concerned with energy-related warnings. "The energy in the core regions of the secret realm will inevitably be extremely active, perhaps even chaotic."

"Your Particle Manipulation may come in handy. Try to sense and adapt to the energy rhythms there, perhaps even guide them for your own use. But remember, do not be greedy. Stability comes first."

Luo Lin firmly committed these teachings to memory.

He also subtly asked the two wizards for clues regarding materials used to construct innate spells, but both said those materials were too rare. Even they could not obtain them easily, and they advised him to focus first on acquiring Elemental Essence and meditation methods.

During his preparations, Luo Lin also kept an eye on the movements of the other selected candidates.

Kyle and the others were clearly making preparations of their own as well. When they occasionally encountered one another in the workshops or archives, their gazes met with scrutiny and undisguised competitiveness.

Everyone understood that the competition within the secret realm would be more direct and more brutal than the selection.

Three days before departure, Luo Lin underwent a thorough rest.

He no longer engaged in any high-intensity training, only using meditation and relaxing activities to bring his body and mind into their optimal state.

Luo Lin checked and sorted all the supplies he had prepared once more, ensuring that he could access them immediately within the secret realm.

He stroked the Mind-Calming Crystal tucked close to his body, feeling the cold touch of its lead case.

This crystal was already the most crucial item. Nothing could go wrong with it.

Standing by the window and gazing at the vast sky beyond Shadow Crow Holy Tower Arcane Academy, Luo Lin felt unusually calm.

All preparations were complete. All efforts had been made.

At that moment, he was a fully drawn bow, waiting only for the secret realm to open so he could unleash the power he had accumulated for so long.

Baha on his shoulder seemed to sense that solemn anticipation as well. It quietly preened its feathers, its dark gold eyes looking into the distance.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. The atmosphere at the central plaza of Shadow Crow Holy Tower Arcane Academy was solemn and grave.

The hundred apprentices who had earned qualifications gathered there, surrounded by mentors and lower-ranked apprentices who had come to see them off or observe the event.

A massive and complex teleportation array had been inscribed in the center of the plaza. Runes flowed across it, radiating intense spatial fluctuations.

The ceremony was presided over by an Official Wizard whose aura was as deep and unfathomable as the sea.

He said little, merely restating the rules of the secret realm expedition.

The time limit was thirty days. Once the time was up, all survivors would automatically be expelled by the power of the secret realm.

What they gained depended on their own abilities. Life and death were their own responsibility.

As the wizard activated the array, blinding light shot into the sky and swallowed the figures of all one hundred apprentices.

Luo Lin only felt a powerful pulling force seize his entire body. The surrounding scenery instantly blurred and twisted, as though he had been thrown into a rapidly spinning kaleidoscope.

He did not know how long it lasted. Perhaps only an instant, or perhaps an eternity. Then the pulling force abruptly vanished.

His feet touched solid ground again, and a mixed stench of burning, ozone, and something strange flooded his nostrils.

Luo Lin quickly steadied himself. His mental power spread outward like a tide, while [Weak Force-Field Armor] instantly covered his entire body.

Baha also took flight from his shoulder, and their three pairs of eyes vigilantly swept across the unfamiliar surroundings.

Before them lay a desolate and bizarre landscape.

The sky was eternally dark red, with no sun, moon, or stars. Only clouds like congealed clots of blood hung low overhead.

The earth was cracked and covered in charred craters and twisted metal wreckage that looked as if it had been snapped apart by some invisible colossal force.

In the distance, scattered clusters of strangely shaped crystals glimmered with faint energy.

Chaotic energy particles filled the air, at times violent and domineering, at times deathly still, making the surroundings deeply uncomfortable.

This was the Afterglow Secret Realm.

From his initial assessment alone, Luo Lin could determine that the environment here was several times harsher than the Shadowwood Realm, and its spatial structure felt extremely fragile as well.

He immediately checked both himself and Baha, confirming that neither had suffered any problems during teleportation.

Then, following the initial plan he had formulated before entering, he chose a direction where the energy fluctuations were relatively less chaotic and began moving cautiously.

The charred ground beneath his feet was unusually hard, making faint clicking sounds as he stepped on it.

Luo Lin did not dare move quickly. Every step was careful, his mental power extending like invisible feelers to probe for possible traps or spatial rifts ahead.

Baha flew low through the air, acting as a scouting sentinel.

Its Obsidian Eye continuously scanned the abnormal energy flows across the ground and in the air, while its Dark Silver Eye remained alert for possible visual disguises.

The Dark Gold Eye had not yet issued a strong warning, indicating that there was no immediate lethal threat nearby for the moment.

After traveling about a li, Luo Lin discovered something worth noting.

It was a hemispherical structure made of some silvery-white metal, half-buried underground. Its surface was covered with corrosion marks, but it remained mostly intact, seeming to be the remains of an ancient building.

Luo Lin signaled for Baha to keep watch around the area while he slowly approached.

His mental power carefully scanned the metal hemisphere, but he found no obvious energy traps or signs of life.

He tried lightly tapping it with his dagger, producing a dull echo.

After circling the hemisphere once, he found an entrance partially buried beneath broken stones.

The metal door at the entrance had long since vanished, revealing the pitch-black space within.