Chapter 49. Settlement
Welinte picked up the two pieces of Green Jade and tossed one to Fulan.
After catching the jade, Fulan felt the book she carried tremble slightly.
“Well then… goodbye…”
Welinte said.
“Goodbye.”
Fulan replied.
Only then did Welinte finally relax. To be honest, she had been a little worried that Fulan might suddenly change her mind and snatch the jade from her hand to combine them into one. She knew she could not defeat Fulan in a fight.
She quickly recited the incantation. Five seconds later, her body gradually turned transparent and disappeared.
Only then did Fulan begin to check what had happened to her book.
When she opened it, a line of text appeared on the inside of the cover.
[You have collected three jade stones. Recite the incantation to exit the trial.]
Fulan did not hurry to leave. Instead, she first examined the small pouch she had taken from the man who ambushed her earlier.
When she opened it, she found only a handful of colorful crystals.
“What is this?”
Fulan was puzzled. She possessed Extraordinary-level Pharmacology, yet she could not identify these objects at all, which meant they were not medicinal materials.
She also had Proficient-level Runology, but even that provided no clues. That suggested they were not particularly related to enchantment materials either.
“Forget it. I will check the ‘Spirit Realm Atlas’ after I return. Maybe it is recorded there. I just wonder whether this thing can even be brought back.”
Two items had dropped from the man she killed. Based on her previous experience with this book, such items normally could not be brought back to the Material Realm.
However, Fulan had a strange feeling that these could indeed be taken back.
After checking everything again and confirming there were no issues, she recited the incantation.
Her consciousness began to sink, but it felt as if it only descended halfway.
When she regained awareness, she found herself in a space with a pitch-black background.
Several lines of text appeared in the air. Although she did not recognize the script, she could somehow understand it.
[Trial Settlement
Red Jade: Obtained.
Blue Jade: Obtained.
Green Jade: Two-person challenge, obtained half.]
Fulan glanced through it and noticed the explanation for the Green Jade.
So a two-person challenge only grants half. If I had challenged it alone, would I have received more?
That feels like a loss. With the vine giant’s level, she felt she could have defeated it herself with perhaps one extra minute. If she had known this earlier, she would not have cooperated with anyone.
She stared at the text for a moment but saw no further changes. She stepped forward and tapped the floating words.
The text dissolved and reassembled.
So there is interaction?
Soon, new white text slowly appeared in the air.
[Reward: Trial Key, one random spell.]
A key-shaped object then appeared before Fulan, floating in the air. The emptiness around it contrasted sharply with the dark background.
At the same time, a green orb of light appeared, glowing warmly as it hovered there, waiting for Fulan to touch it.
Fulan had not expected to obtain a trial key so quickly.
It seemed that once she returned, she could begin preparing for advancement through a trial.
However, Fulan had no intention of doing that yet. From Yiqi’s description alone, she already understood that becoming a Spirit Realm Mage was not something one could casually pursue.
This time, she had been lucky enough to find a trial key directly.
But what about next time?
If she ended up like Yiqi and could not find a trial key for the rest of her life, it would be disastrous.
Fulan stepped forward and touched the key. A line of text appeared in her mind.
[This trial location is the Radiant Dreamscape. Opening countdown: 184:13:46:30. Participants must enter the trial one hour in advance. Entry will close five minutes before the trial begins. All spells and combat techniques are permitted.]
At the same time, the final number in the countdown continued to decrease.
The time units used in this world were the same as those on Earth.
According to Fulan’s understanding, the numbers were arranged as days: hours: minutes: seconds.
When the final number reached zero, the preceding number decreased by one, and the last number reset to sixty before continuing to count down.
In other words, the trial would not begin for another six months.
She grabbed the key and put it into her pocket.
No need to rush. She had not even decided whether she would participate yet. Keeping the key for now would not hurt.
Then she turned to the floating green orb of light. She hoped it would grant a good spell.
As far as obtaining a trial key was concerned, Fulan felt it was only natural. Her strength far exceeded that of ordinary Spirit Realm explorers.
Logically speaking, someone at her level should have advanced to the official rank long ago.
If the Spirit Realm had any awareness at all, it should give her a key so she would stop bullying weaker participants.
Therefore, in Fulan’s eyes, the spell inside the orb was the true reward. If the reward was poor, then this entire trial would have been a waste.
She also remembered what Yiqi had said. For Spirit Realm explorers, once they advanced to the official rank, it became nearly impossible to learn techniques from the Material Realm.
This was the price they paid.
However, the Spirit Realm also provided compensation.
As long as someone continued exploring the Spirit Realm, they would inevitably obtain strange spells, combat techniques, and items.
These were directly implanted into the mind. According to the calculations of Fulan’s panel, such skills usually started at the Mastery level.
It was the least aristocratic system imaginable. If you were a Spirit Realm explorer and happened to be lucky, a combination of good techniques could allow you to easily defeat members of an entire magic school.
There were no connections to rely on. The so-called “second-generation Spirit Realm explorers” merely possessed better equipment or a Guide of the Spirit Realm.
They could not inherit even a single spell. If they were unlucky, they might remain at the apprentice rank for their entire lives.
However, Spirit Realm techniques also had a disadvantage.
Once you obtained them, their level could almost never improve. The skill would remain exactly the same from the moment you acquired it until the day you died.
But it seemed that Fulan’s panel might not be limited by this restriction.
During the trial, she had obtained a Light Prayer from the book. In theory, it was also granted by the Spirit Realm. Yet when she cast it, it still gained proficiency.
Fulan gently touched the orb.
The orb emitted a brilliant flash of light before disappearing, as if it had never existed.
Fulan felt new knowledge appear in her mind.
[Hard Scale Rock (Mastery) (Proficiency: 143/1000): After activation, a layer of hard scale-like rock will cover your body. Movement speed decreases slightly, but you gain powerful defensive capability.]
A defensive skill.
Fulan did not feel particularly excited, but she found it acceptable. She did indeed need a defensive ability.
Other apprentices avoided learning such skills because they lacked the time and energy. With her panel, however, she could easily train auxiliary abilities.
Recently, she had simply been too busy—brewing potions, engraving runes, and occasionally practicing swordsmanship.
She had even planned to buy a Mage Shield from Elan the next time she delivered her potion order.
Seeing that there was nothing else to do, she recited the incantation again.
Her consciousness sank downward and returned to the Material Realm.
When she regained awareness, she instinctively checked her body.
In her possession were a key, a short sword, and the small pouch.
The only thing missing was the tattered book.