Wang Hui kicks the door of the pod open and steps out immediately, his body lowering instinctively as his eyes sweep across the surroundings, confirming that he has landed in a dense forest filled with towering ancient trees and thick undergrowth.
He does not hesitate.
The moment his feet touch the ground, he moves.
He quickly distances himself from the pod, knowing that the competition has already begun the instant the pods landed across the island, each carrying a single participant.
There is no preparation phase.
This is survival.
While moving, he takes out the academy badge and deactivates it without pause.
The badge is designed to track participants from the same academy, showing their locations to each other, but that also means their positions can be exposed.
He chooses isolation.
He chooses control.
After creating enough distance, he finds a massive ancient tree, its trunk thick and its canopy wide enough to conceal multiple people.
He climbs swiftly, using both strength and precision, until he reaches deep within the foliage.
There, hidden among the leaves, he settles himself and casts the Hide spell.
His aura dims.
His magical fluctuations weaken.
Not perfectly, he is only proficient in the spell, but enough to reduce his presence significantly.
He closes his eyes.
He begins to meditate.
Within his spirit space, his spirit gathers, condensing into a radiant sun that illuminates the inner world of his consciousness.
From that centre, he reaches outward, attempting to draw in magic energy particles from the environment.
But he fails.
The magic energy on the island is different.
Chaotic.
Violent.
It does not flow gently like in the academy.
It surges.
Collides.
Reacts unpredictably.
For a wizard apprentice, it is nearly impossible to grasp.
Still, Wang Hui does not give up.
He continues trying.
Time passes.
Somewhere across the island, battles erupt.
Life and death clashes between participants from different academies.
But within the canopy, Wang Hui remains still.
Focused.
Learning.
Gradually, he begins to understand.
The fluctuations are not random.
They follow patterns.
Subtle.
Hidden.
But present.
Once he grasps that rhythm, he makes his move.
He draws in the first particle.
The moment it enters his body, pain explodes through him.
The particle burns through his magic veins like fire.
His body trembles slightly.
The energy carries a strange radiation, something foreign, something harmful even to full-fledged wizards.
But Wang Hui does not stop.
He continues.
Again.
And again.
Each particle enters.
Each one burns.
But his body holds.
His foundation is different.
Thanks to the gravity room training arranged by Wizard Zhou Yi, his body has already reached the limit of a mid-level apprentice.
Without that training, this would have destroyed him.
The gravity rooms themselves are remnants of an older path, the body-refining wizards, now mostly forgotten.
Only one still functions in the academy, under the control of a Shining Moon Wizard named Chen Yu.
Without Zhou Yi's help, Wang Hui would never have accessed it.
Now, that preparation pays off.
The damage is real.
But manageable.
He continues absorbing.
He refines the chaotic energy into his own mana.
As time passes, subtle changes begin to appear.
His mana shifts.
It begins to carry the same faint radiation as the surrounding energy.
That radiated mana flows through his body.
Burning.
Altering.
Transforming.
Marks appear on his skin, dark, scorched patterns that form and fade as the process continues.
Outside the island, thirty floating ships hover in the sky, each representing an academy.
Inside one of the main observation rooms, multiple screens display the participants in real time.
On one of them,
Wang Hui.
Tang Jiyang watches and sneers.
"So the rumours were true," he says. "The boy really is a coward."
Most of the wizards remain silent.
Zhou Yi speaks calmly.
"Who is a coward is something everyone can judge for themselves."
Tang Jiyang turns sharply.
"What do you mean, Zhou Yi? Are you calling me a coward?"
Zhou Yi tilts his head slightly, feigning confusion.
"Did I say that?"
Anger flashes across Tang Jiyang's face.
"You!"
Zhou Yi cuts him off with a faint sneer.
"What 'you'?"
Tang Jiyang snorts and turns away, focusing on another screen.
A female official wizard, Li Xiexiu, speaks calmly.
"Zhou Yi, there's no need to argue. Your future disciple is not acting like a coward."
Her gaze rests on Wang Hui's image.
"He's adapting to the chaotic magic energy."
Zhou Yi nods slightly.
"I advised him to do this."
He continues, "His body is already at the peak of mid-level apprentice. The chaotic energy may help him break through to the late-level."
Several wizards glance toward the screen.
Tang Jiyang frowns briefly at those words.
But then his expression relaxes.
It does not matter.
According to his plans, Wang Hui will not leave the island alive.
His attention shifts away.
Toward his own student.
Li Xiexiu adds thoughtfully, "If his body reaches late-level, his chances of survival will increase."
Then she turns her attention to other participants.
Back within the canopy, Wang Hui remains motionless.
Time continues to pass.
The burning intensifies.
Marks appear.
Fade.
Reappear.
His body is changing.
Refining.
Enduring.
And still,
He continues to cultivate.
Days pass without interruption.
A full week has slipped by since he entered the island.
Wang Hui remains within the canopy, enduring the burning pain of chaotic magic energy as it flows through his body, refining, altering, testing his limits again and again.
But his body does not break through.
It remains at the peak of a mid-level Wizard Apprentice.
He clenches his jaw.
He does not stop.
He knows what is at stake.
If his body advances to late-level, he will gain a real chance against late-level Wizard Apprentices.
Because most of them do not refine their bodies.
They focus entirely on mana and spells.
Their bodies remain weak, barely at the entry level of a low-level apprentice.
Only when they reach the limit of the Wizard Apprentice stage do they begin body refinement, to increase their chances of breaking into the official wizard stage.
But Wang Hui walks a different path.
His strength lies in balance.
Body and mana together.
He continues absorbing.
Refining.
Enduring.
Then,
A sound breaks his focus.
The clash of energy.
A distant explosion.
Faint, but clear.
His eyes open.
He listens.
Another sound follows.
Fighting.
His mind stirs.
Curiosity rises.
He hesitates for a moment.
Then stands.
Even with his strong will, he is still young.
Curiosity cannot be suppressed completely.
And beneath that curiosity lies confidence.
If the situation turns dangerous,
He can escape.
He moves silently through the trees, his aura concealed by the Hide spell, careful, precise, closing in on the source of the battle.
Soon, the scene reveals itself.
A Purple Apple Tree stands in a clearing.
Its branches are heavy with glowing fruit.
Spiritual fruit.
Capable of increasing mana.
Below it, two Wizard Apprentices clash.
One wears the robes of the Colour Sun Academy.
The other, the Mithril Scale Academy.
Both are late-level Wizard Apprentices.
Their killing intent is clear.
Neither plans to retreat.
The battle erupts again.
The Colour Sun apprentice raises his hand.
"Red Light Ray."
A concentrated beam of red light shoots forward, cutting through the air.
The Mithril Scale apprentice reacts instantly, raising his shield.
"Shield."
The beam collides against it, sparks flying as energy disperses.
He counters immediately.
"Metal Blade."
His sword swings, releasing a sharp arc of metallic energy that slices toward his opponent.
The Colour Sun apprentice steps back and casts again.
"Fire Wall."
A wall of flames rises before him, absorbing the incoming strike.
Heat spreads across the clearing.
The Mithril apprentice charges through the edge of the flames, his body protected by his tools.
"Metal Fire Sword."
His blade ignites, combining metal and fire energy as he slashes downward.
The Colour Sun apprentice retreats, then thrusts his hand forward.
"Fire Blast."
An explosion erupts between them, forcing distance.
Neither pauses.
Neither hesitates.
The battle intensifies.
The Mithril apprentice presses forward relentlessly, sword and shield working in perfect coordination.
Each strike is sharp.
Precise.
Each defense solid.
Unyielding.
But the Colour Sun apprentice remains composed.
He raises both hands.
"Green Lightbirds."
Small glowing constructs form around him, shimmering birds made of green light.
They dart forward.
Fast.
Unpredictable.
They strike from multiple angles.
The Mithril apprentice blocks with his shield, then releases energy outward.
"Shield Burst."
A shockwave explodes from the shield, dispersing several of the lightbirds.
But not all.
Two slip through.
They strike his side.
He staggers.
Just for a moment.
That moment is enough.
"Red Light Ray."
The beam fires again.
This time, it strikes directly.
The shield is too slow.
The energy pierces through his defence, burning into his body.
He roars, trying to counter, raising his sword for one last attack.
But the Colour Sun apprentice does not give him the chance.
"Fire Blast."
A second explosion engulfs him.
Flames consume his body completely.
His scream is short.
Then gone.
When the fire fades,
Nothing remains but ash.
Silence falls over the clearing.
The victor stands breathing heavily beneath the Purple Apple Tree.
Hidden among the trees, Wang Hui watches.
Observing.
Learning.
Silent.