Chapter 301: There Are Still Heroes in This World?

[Your journey is long and lonely.]

[But you have long since grown accustomed to it.]

[After twenty days of traveling and stopping, you successfully arrive at a small city. It possesses city walls that villages and towns lack, and there are scattered wizards present.]

[Like you, they are merely the weakest Wizard Apprentices, not Formal Wizards.]

[However, in this small city, the status of a Wizard Apprentice is high enough to be sought after and respected by countless ordinary people. After some thought, you decide to stay in this small city for a while.]

[This year, you are 18 years old.]

[The existence of Life and Death Intertwined and Soul Collector causes your Soul to transform rapidly. You focus on your Cultivation, refusing various banquet invitations.]

[Only when a gathering of Wizard Apprentices is held do you emerge from your Cultivation state to exchange and acquire knowledge.]

[You have learned the complete division of Realms.]

[The division of Realms in the Wizard World is based on Rings.]

[Zero-Ring Wizard Apprentices only have stronger Soul Power, superior to ordinary people.]

[Formal Wizards, also known as First-Ring Wizards, already possess distinct extraordinary traits. Their research into the Soul is incredibly deep, and they can engrave spell structures within their own Souls.]

[This stage means that the wizard has already disregarded life and death.]

[The boundary between the living and the dead has been blurred.]

[First-Ring, Second-Ring, Third-Ring, Fourth-Ring… up to Seventh-Ring Wizards are hailed by countless people as the pinnacle of legends. They will step into true eternal immortality, their Souls no longer restricted by the Netherworld.]

[They can even enter the Netherworld and become Immortals who govern a layer of the Soul plane.]

…

[Second year of simulation, you are 19 years old.]

[Your Cultivation speed is rapid. Without others knowing, your Soul successfully reaches the limit of an apprentice.]

[In your heart, you silently thank the contributions of countless skeleton soldiers.]

[You begin to select the Natal Spell to be engraved on your Soul. That is your foundation, the first brick toward reaching higher levels in the future.]

[For this, you thought for a very long time.]

[Third year of simulation, you are 20 years old.]

[Your apprentice Soul reaches its limit. You no longer suppress it, and amidst the surging Soul tides, you engrave your Natal Spell.]

[First-Ring Witchcraft: Life Depletion]

[This is the spell you could find that most aligns with the Life and Death Intertwined trait, encompassing both the Domains of life and death.]

[Breakthrough, promotion, and stabilization; your Realm changes to First-Ring Wizard.]

[You clearly sense that your Soul has become more acute, and you have gained a deeper understanding of the Death Qi enveloping the outside world.]

[That is a brand new perspective that was never present when sharing the Witch's Authority.]

[You remain low-key and do not announce the news of your promotion. Instead, in the dead of night, you leave the small city where you lived for two years alone.]

[You set out on your journey once again.]

[Preparing to head to regions with many undead or true wizard gathering places.]

[The former can strengthen your Soul, and the latter can provide necessary knowledge. To you, both are equally important.]

[Fortunately,]

[Having promoted to a Formal Wizard, you possess more means and witchcraft, which allows you to avoid the awkward situation of traveling on foot.]

…

The simulation went smoothly, yet it was also full of twists and turns.

In the previous simulations.

Xu Xi would stay in the same place for a long time.

But in this necromantic simulation, Xu Xi was almost constantly on the move, simply because the ruined world was too desolate, with many regions being completely deathly silent.

Wraiths, skeletons, and mutated corpses.

These together formed the norm of the world.

Although he had obtained a lot of Soul Fire, greatly reducing his Cultivation time, that cloud-shrouded deathly silence still made Xu Xi somewhat unaccustomed.

"In this simulation, the promotion in terms of strength is optional."

"I only need to reach the minimum threshold and have the ability to study the Soul."

"The me in the real world."

"As long as I have this knowledge to draw parallels from, I can transform into someone stronger. In comparison, whether I can become a high-Realm wizard is just an added bonus."

"Once I find a suitable place to live, I'll build a Wizard Tower and settle down."

Riding on a featherless Bone Bird.

Xu Xi closed his eyes slightly, thinking about his subsequent plans.

Soul.

Death.

This was the theme of the fifth simulation and also Xu Xi's research goal.

Xu Xi believed that with the effect of the Life and Death Intertwined trait, he would eventually research something.

"Recently, Soul Fire has been consumed a bit quickly. I should replenish some more."

Xu Xi's figure paused slightly.

He controlled the Bone Bird to fly downward.

He prepared to find the nearest village or town to replenish supplies while slaying some undead to obtain Soul Fire.

Shiu—

Xu Xi's luck was good, and he soon discovered a target.

A small village currently under attack by the undead.

There weren't many undead, only about twenty. Xu Xi landed in advance, and just as he approached to cast witchcraft.

A hand covered in rusty armor blocked him.

"Stranger, step back."

"Just leave this to the Hero to handle."

Xu Xi: ?

There are still Heroes in this world? For real?

Heavy metal armor was covered in dark brown mud, its surface full of rust and wear marks.

Full coverage, fully worn.

It tightly covered the figure inside.

Only a hollow voice emanated from the armor, making Xu Xi stop his advance.

The unknown Hero stepped forward alone, clad in iron armor and holding a longsword. He quickly charged and attacked, rescuing ordinary people from the undead's assault.

Iron boots stomped, crushing worn and decayed bones.

The longsword slashed swiftly, its heavy blade extinguishing Soul Fire.

"Ah, it's the Hero's Holy Sword!"

Rescued villagers cheered, excitedly pointing at the armored person. Xu Xi also saw the faint Soul light blooming on the blade.

The light shimmered, and the longsword was dazzling.

In a dim world where the sun was obscured, that sword was so eye-catching, like a seed of hope lighting up people's despairing eyes.

"Look! It's the Hero's Holy Light!"

Another villager shouted excitedly.

The armored person took large strides, fists clenched and enveloped in a milky-white hazy halo, smashing a skeleton soldier's head with a single punch.

"Hero!"

"Hero!"

The village's crisis was resolved, and everyone was cheering and jumping for joy. A little girl even ran out from the crowd to present the armored person with a wreath of grass.

This…

Xu Xi watched from the side, his brow furrowed.

Whether it was the Holy Sword or the Holy Light, he felt that the "Hero" before him was not quite right.

"If I'm not mistaken, the previous Holy Light was just an illusory facade."

"Whether it's the sword or the light, their inherent offensiveness is very limited."

"I see…"

"Is it pure brute force?"

Xu Xi's gaze shifted downward, falling on the hand covered in iron armor.

Only—

With this kind of power, one could have saved people openly. Why go through the trouble of forging a "Hero" identity?

It's completely unnecessary, isn't it?