Chapter 1: The Eye of Truth
Flocks of white-feathered seagulls soared into the sky as the inky darkness approached, rising and falling with the waves.
Below, a massive semi-mechanical steam-powered ship broke through the turbulent waves, entering a deep, dark sea.
Inrushing seawater, accompanied by the crushed flesh and blood of some sea beasts, spread out.
More sea beasts swarmed in to devour the crimson expanse.
A Black Feather Crow, flapping its wings, landed at a round window on the ship.
A pair of hands took it inside.
The cabin window was closed, and the crow was placed on a clothes rack nearby.
The wooden walls were adorned with decorative colored paintings.
“Next time you’re late, I’ll confine you for three days.”
The black-haired, black-eyed youth had delicate and refined features, with raised eyebrows.
The crow was more than twice the size of its common counterparts; if its feathers were a different color, it might even be mistaken for a special raptor—an eagle or a falcon.
Its strong, powerful claws were retracted, gripping the clothes rack; with a little more force, it could slice it in two.
Wang Ya looked at the crow’s extremely human-like upward-gazing eyes and decided to endure it for now, treating it well with good food and drink.
This was the experimental material for his first Wizardry, consuming most of his energy during these past days.
When the Wizardry was complete, this little fellow would have to pay its due price.
Wang Ya secretly gritted his teeth, fed it some fresh sea beast meat caught from the sea, and a pleasant emotion came from the other end of his mental connection.
Only then did he wash his hands in the room’s accompanying lavatory.
The bookshelf was neatly filled with books; their covers were thick, and each page was made of special parchment.
Sitting on a nearby chair, on the desk in front of him, was a half-opened brown book, with many notes scribbled on the draft paper.
These were not Chinese characters from his previous life.
Fourteen years after transmigrating to this Wizard World, he had completely become one of the indigenous people.
His past memories were buried deep in his mind, becoming a distant recollection.
His current identity was a Wizard Newcomer on this Wizard Ship.
He was not conspicuous among the eighty Newcomers.
Wizard aptitudes were divided into high and low, and he did not approve of flocking to those with top aptitudes to seek assistance on the Wizard path.
His chosen Newcomer Wizardry was Iron Claw Steel Skin, a small branch of the extraordinary cultivation system.
Among the choices of element energy system Newcomers, he was like a husky mixed into a pack of wolves.
He was among those excluded daily from the Wizardry experience exchange activities held by the Newcomers in the dining hall.
However, the most expensive things for a Wizard were time and knowledge; no one would share knowledge for free.
This was one of the fundamental theories of Wizardry announced by Tuta Wizard, the recruiting Wizard residing at the bow of the Wizard Ship, on the first day of boarding.
Wang Ya did not care about the so-called exchange activities, considering them a waste of time, and instead immersed himself in the complex Wizardry knowledge.
He had thoroughly understood the Iron Claw Steel Skin cultivation Wizardry he chose during the 7 days and nights of the sea voyage.
After three months of cultivation, with just a little more persistence, the Black Feather Crow named ‘Harak’ would have claws that could tear steel and feathers that could defend against sharp arrows.
The Iron Claw Steel Skin cultivation Wizardry would then be complete.
The destination of this journey was the Wizard faction—the Dark Land.
For the Newcomers on the ship to truly join and become Wizard students of the Dark Wizard Academy, mastering a Wizardry was a prerequisite.
Tuta Wizard once said, ‘Wizard Newcomers have six months to stay at the Academy. If they cannot even master the minimum standard of one Wizardry, they will be expelled to nearby wild Wizard camps.’
This meant being abandoned.
Wild Wizards had no knowledge inheritance, no resource supply, and their Wizard path was extremely bleak.
Most ended up dying of old age or modifying themselves to prolong their lives.
A faint blue light flickered in the depths of Wang Ya’s black pupils.
Target: Black Feather Crow
Extraordinary Cultivation Progress: 82%
Ability: Steel Claw
Cultivation Requirements: 5kg high-protein supplements (daily), one particle energy nurturing (daily).
“The Eye of Truth” possesses the ability to detect, collect, store information, and then analyze the results.
It was the only gift Wang Ya brought to this world, a passive skill under the Wizard profession from a certain bizarre and curious game.
From a professional standpoint, it complemented him perfectly.
Relying on these special eyes, the Wizardry knowledge that stumped all Newcomers was no longer obscure and difficult for him.
The basic meditation method given to each Newcomer, sketching Wizard Runes in the spiritual sea… In terms of progress, he was the first Wizard Newcomer to successfully sketch and generate internal particle energy.
Unfortunately, his innate spiritual power of 6.1, which was below average, prevented him from maintaining this advantage indefinitely.
The late-blooming Newcomers with top aptitudes, relying on their powerful innate spiritual power, could influence reality and absorb more natural particle energy.
And by subtly radiating particle energy to influence the body, one could enhance physical strength and accommodate more particle energy into the body.
Wang Ya had an advantage in this regard; the subtle radiation under the Eye of Truth could be precise to the extreme.
Other Wizard Newcomers inevitably suffered damage from excessive radiation, thus proceeding cautiously and slowly.
Wang Ya also currently had the highest progress in mastering Newcomer Wizardry.
Most Newcomers had just generated particle energy and were still in the process of understanding the Newcomer Wizardry, not yet having started practicing it.
There was still plenty of time, wasn't there? Six months.
How could tedious and dull knowledge compare to the clinking of glasses and the exchange activities of handsome men and beautiful women in the dining hall?
The scent of mating hormones would wildly proliferate under the warm lights.
However, for Newcomers who did not understand the Wizard World, could they truly learn Wizard Runes and master that Wizardry in six months?
The element energy series required spiritual power to be up to standard and internal particle energy to be up to standard before it could be released.
Wang Ya thought it was very, very difficult, unless one was a true genius with abundant resources.
Everyone's choices were different.
Wang Ya, like an outsider, quietly watched the Newcomers transform their dining into a different kind of candlelit evening party.
In the shadows of a corner, he chewed on bread smeared with sauce, still frowning at the slightly sweet taste he hadn't grown accustomed to.
The Newcomers clustered around those in the center, their words mostly serving to flatter.
With brilliant golden hair and a tall physique that exuded pressure, Arthur, with sparkling eyes, spontaneously led the atmosphere, “Friends, today I will share my experience with elemental particle energy radiation.”
Only those with innate spiritual power reaching 7 were qualified to enter his circle.
Including him, there were only four people, and their gaze mostly fell on the only female. Under the warm light, her red long hair seemed to ignite his heart, and her crimson eyes met his with a hint of coldness.
It didn’t matter; even the proudest swan would lower her fair neck. Aptitude represented future value, and his spiritual power was 7.5.
His chances of advancing to Formal Wizard were the highest.
Sooner or later, she would understand that clinging to a stronger individual was the only way to walk a broader Wizard path.
“How enviable, Arthur, Anna, Luo Weina, Ossen. If only I had their aptitude.”
The speaker’s tone carried a smile. The person sat down opposite Wang Ya and, without an invitation, picked up a piece of sea beast meat and began to eat.
Newcomer, new book, please take care of me!
‘Algorithm Chip,’ ‘Extraordinary Gene Programming,’ ‘Cosmic Radiation Energy,’ ‘Quantum Consciousness Condensation’—Wang Ya transmigrated to the Star Sea Wizard World, carrying the ‘Truth Alchemy Ritual.’ By fulfilling the ritual conditions, he could directly alchemize the result.