Chapter 41. Spirit Realm Analysis
The teacher of Spirit Realm Analysis was an extremely thin old man with white hair. He looked so frail that it seemed as if he had only a few teeth left.
Fulan curiously studied the teacher. In his hand, he was holding a gray sphere.
He placed the sphere on the table and began speaking.
“My name is Yiqi. I am the teacher for this Spirit Realm Analysis class. This course has an assessment.”
Surprisingly, Yiqi’s voice was strong and resonant, completely unlike his aged appearance.
However, it was likely that most people had taken this class for the sake of the Spirit Realm. Fulan glanced at the apprentices beside her and saw that they were all staring at the sphere as well.
“Enough nonsense. Let us begin the class.”
“After I explain the basic knowledge of the Spirit Realm, I will take all of you on a Spirit Realm excursion.”
Yiqi then began his lecture.
“The place where we exist is called the Material Realm. It is where all matter exists and where we can live without requiring excessive survival conditions.”
“The stars we see every night are located in the Astral Realm, a place that is extremely difficult to reach.”
“The Spirit Realm lies between the Material Realm and the Astral Realm. The influence of the Astral Realm is stronger within the Spirit Realm, and locations in the Material Realm also have corresponding places within the Spirit Realm.”
“Although it is possible to physically enter the Spirit Realm, such places are usually remote and very difficult to leave.”
“Normally, the method we use to enter the Spirit Realm is Spirit Realm excursion. This involves raising our consciousness into the Spirit Realm, rather than our souls…”
After explaining some basic concepts, Yiqi wrote a short incantation on the blackboard.
“Everyone memorize this incantation. After you recite it later, your consciousness will ascend into the Spirit Realm.”
“The object in my hand is a Guide of the Spirit Realm. It can open a passage to the Spirit Realm.”
“It is worth noting that each Guide of the Spirit Realm has different functions. Some point toward special locations, while others can grant you unusual powers…”
“The one I am holding can send those who recite the incantation to relatively safe areas in large numbers and pull you back after a certain period of time.”
“You should not have obtained anything from the Spirit Realm yet. Even if the body corresponding to you in the Spirit Realm dies, it will not cause any effect on you.”
“The flow of time in the Spirit Realm may not match that of the Material Realm, but I can guarantee that all of you will return before this class ends.”
“Be careful. Do not casually sign contracts with Spirit Realm creatures, or you may never be able to enter the Spirit Realm again in your life.”
“Also, after entering, you may encounter a trial—perhaps a monster attacking you, or other people performing Spirit Realm excursions.”
“However, I suspect that most of you will only see the Spirit Realm counterpart of the City of Apprentices.”
“That is all I have to say. Now everyone, begin.”
The gray sphere in Yiqi’s hand began to glow.
After reciting the incantation once, Fulan felt as if her entire being was rising upward.
However, the ascent did not complete, and her consciousness seemed to become stuck halfway.
“Anyone whose consciousness has not yet entered the Spirit Realm, recite the incantation a few more times.”
Fulan followed the instruction. Soon afterward, she felt her consciousness fade away.
---
When Fulan regained consciousness, she noticed a notification on her panel.
However, instead of looking at it immediately, she first examined the surrounding environment.
Contrary to her expectations of seeing the Spirit Realm counterpart of the City of Apprentices, what she saw instead was a wasteland.
In the distance, she could vaguely make out a building, and nearby stood several withered yellow trees.
After confirming that the surroundings were safe, she finally looked at the panel notification.
[After detecting that the relevant skills meet the conditions, a new profession can be formed.
Profession: Spirit Realm Mage (One Star)
Description: Draws spellcasting power from the Spirit Realm. Different individuals may obtain unique talents after becoming a Spirit Realm Mage.
Conditions for Achievement:
Learn three spells (Beginner)
Spirit Realm Excursion Technique reaches (Beginner)
Pass the trial granted by the Spirit Realm.]
Fulan scratched her head as she looked at the conditions for obtaining the new profession displayed before her.
Based on the information she had previously gathered, along with the one-star profession rank of Spirit Realm Mage, she guessed that this profession should correspond to the official rank.
However, the requirements for obtaining this profession seemed somewhat strange.
All of them only required beginner-level skills. Was that not far too easy?
Or was it because the final requirement—passing the trial granted by the Spirit Realm—was extremely difficult?
Even the requirements for the half-star Rune Warrior were higher than the skill requirements here.
Could the difficulty of Spirit Realm Mage, which had a higher rank than Rune Warrior, actually be lower?
She believed that the difficulty must lie in completing the Spirit Realm trial. Otherwise, the requirements would be absurdly low.
Still, it was not certain whether passing the trial would truly allow her to reach the official rank through this method. For the time being, she set the matter aside and began to explore.
At this moment, it seemed that the only option was to walk toward that building.
Seeing that there was almost nothing around her, Fulan began walking quickly toward it.
After some time, a dilapidated structure came into view, standing alone in the wasteland.
Beneath its spire hung a clock, though it no longer moved, and its hands were nowhere to be seen.
The entire building showed signs of long neglect. Green vines had climbed over the walls, and numerous cracks covered the surface.
She passed through the crumbling entrance and stepped inside.
The ceiling of the first floor was very high, roughly six or seven meters. After weaving through piles of debris, Fulan finally reached an open area.
“Hmm!”
She now stood in the middle of a corridor. On both sides were rows of chairs that were on the verge of falling apart.
At the end of the corridor stood a statue—or rather, it seemed more like a divine statue.
Only then did Fulan realize that the layout resembled that of a church. Behind the statue was a broken window.
Unlike the outer walls, the walls here inside bore dark red stains.
Fulan began searching around, but she found nothing.
Eventually, she stopped in front of the statue.
The statue depicted an angel with its wings folded. One hand covered its face while the body knelt halfway down.
Suddenly, Fulan noticed a faint flash from the dark red stains on the nearby wall. When she turned to look, however, there was nothing there.
When she turned her head back toward the statue again, she suddenly discovered that a tattered book had appeared on the small table before the statue.
“Was that book there just now?”
Fulan was certain that the book had not been there earlier. It must have appeared the moment she turned her head.
Carefully, she reached out and touched the book. Its surface felt extremely rough, covered with many tiny raised bumps.
She opened the first page.
There was nothing written on it.
But when Fulan glanced at it again, strange characters that she could not understand slowly emerged upon the previously blank page.
Before she could examine them carefully, her consciousness began to sink once more.