Wang Hui opens his eyes, and the aura of a peak Wizard Apprentice flows out from his body.
Three years have passed since the battle with the Magic Boar.
Within his spirit space, the Blood Nourishing Formation has expanded significantly, now composed of around five hundred runes, yet he remains two hundred runes short of completion.
He sits in silence, his body naturally absorbing magic energy from the surroundings and nourishing his blood without conscious effort.
The process has become instinctive.
Continuous.
His physical body has also reached the peak of the Wizard Apprentice stage.
There is only one barrier left.
A First Tier spell.
Without it, he cannot step into the First Stage Wizard realm and become an Official Wizard.
He exhales slowly.
"Sitting here will not do," he murmurs to himself.
"If I want revenge after leaving this place, I need to at least become an Official Wizard."
He rises to his feet.
Without hesitation, he begins walking toward the centre of the island.
Each step is steady.
Measured.
As he moves forward, his thoughts return to the Blood Nourishing Formation.
The formation has evolved far beyond its original purpose.
What once only nourished blood and refined mana has now developed multiple functions.
It can liberate the shackles of his body.
It can conceal his aura completely.
It can harden his skin to withstand attacks.
Five functions in total.
Each one is constructed from more than fifty runes, each refined through time and repeated adjustment.
Among them, the two core functions remain the Blood Nourishing function and the Mana Refining function.
Each of these consists of around eighty zero-tier runes.
They are close.
Very close.
Only a single step away from transforming into First Tier runes.
Yet that final step eludes him.
No matter how he arranges them, no rune he knows can merge with these eighty runes to trigger the transformation.
The path forward remains blocked.
He stops thinking about it.
For now, forcing the issue will lead nowhere.
Instead, his thoughts shift toward another direction.
If he cannot upgrade the formation directly, then perhaps he can create a First Tier spell independently.
But even this proves difficult.
His understanding feels insufficient.
The foundation is there, yet something is missing.
He walks on.
Then suddenly, he stops.
His nose wrinkles slightly.
A sound reaches him.
Soft.
Faint.
Someone is singing.
The voice drifts through the air, carried by the wind.
Wang Hui's eyes sharpen.
"Is there someone else trapped on this island?"
His body tenses instinctively.
Caution rises within him.
He lowers his presence and begins to move carefully toward the source of the sound.
Each step becomes lighter.
Quieter.
The forest around him grows still as he approaches.
The voice becomes clearer.
Closer.
Wang Hui narrows his eyes and continues forward, prepared for anything.
As he moves closer to the source of the sound, a voice reaches him clearly.
"There is no one with shinier feathers than me."
Shiny feathers.
Wang Hui's steps are slow.
A magic beast?
Only Stage One magic beasts can speak.
He hesitates, considering whether to approach or turn away.
Then the voice continues.
"My claws tear through Magic Iron like butter."
Wang Hui's gaze sharpens.
A flying magic beast.
He continues listening.
"There is no crow in the world more handsome than me."
Now he is certain.
It is a crow.
Relief passes through him.
He remembers what he has read.
Crows are favoured by the Wizard Ancestor.
If a wizard is ever in danger and a crow is nearby, they can ask for help.
The voice lowers to a whisper.
"Except the Lord… except the Lord, I am the most handsome crow in the world."
Wang Hui parts a bush and steps forward.
A small pool comes into view.
A crow is bathing in it, splashing water over its feathers.
Wang Hui speaks instinctively.
"Hello!"
The crow jolts in shock and leaps out of the pool.
"Pervert! Pervert! Turn around!"
Wang Hui freezes, then quickly turns his back, both shocked and embarrassed.
"I am sorry," he says without looking back.
The crow's voice rises in anger.
"Do you have no shame? Peeking while someone is bathing!"
Wang Hui opens his mouth but finds no words.
A crow is always naked.
What difference does it make if he sees it bathing?
The thought slips out before he can stop himself.
"You are a crow, what does it matter?"
The crow shouts immediately.
"Do you not know that according to the Wizard Federation, crows are considered intelligent life, like humans and have the same rights?"
Wang Hui blinks in surprise.
He risks a glance.
The crow is now wearing a pair of brown pants.
Wang Hui recognises the law.
The Wizard Federation granted rights to crows.
But he had always believed it was simply because the Wizard Ancestor favoured them, and never once questioned the deeper reason behind such a law or its true implications.
Now, as he looks carefully and extends his perception toward the crow, his senses sharpen and capture something unmistakable—the clear, steady aura of a Wizard Apprentice emanating from the crow's body.
His expression freezes, his mouth slowly opening in shock as disbelief fills his mind, and a single question echoes within him.
How?
According to everything he has learned, Magic Beasts can only become wizards after advancing to Stage Three, when their intelligence and spirituality reach the required threshold.
But this crow… it is not even a Stage One magic beast.
Wang Hui frowns deeply, unable to reconcile what he is seeing with what he knows, as confusion and curiosity rise together.
He hesitates for a brief moment, then asks cautiously, "Are you a wizard who transformed into a crow and cannot change back, or a wizard who took over a crow's body?"
The crow instantly reacts, jumping up and down in agitation as if its pride has been deeply insulted.
"I am a crow… I am a crow!" it shouts loudly, its voice filled with anger and indignation.
Before Wang Hui can respond, the crow flaps its wings and darts forward, pecking repeatedly at his head with rapid, sharp strikes.
Wang Hui raises his arms in panic, trying to shield himself from the relentless attack as he stumbles back slightly.
"Sorry… sorry!" he says quickly, his voice hurried and defensive as he endures the crow's fury.
The assault continues for a while before gradually slowing, and after venting its frustration, the crow finally calms down.
It flaps its wings once more and flies up, landing on a nearby tree branch where it steadies itself and regains composure.
From above, it looks down at Wang Hui, its sharp eyes observing him carefully.
"Human, who are you?" the crow asks, its tone now controlled but still carrying a hint of irritation.
Wang Hui lowers his arms and straightens himself, still slightly embarrassed from the earlier encounter.
"I am Wang Hui," he replies, "a student from the First Wizard Academy."
The crow tilts its head slightly forward, showing a trace of interest at the mention of the academy.
"The First Wizard Academy…" it repeats slowly, as if recalling something distant.
"My grandfather used to live there."
Wang Hui's brows knit together in confusion, clearly not expecting such a response.
"Your grandfather?" he asks, unable to hide his surprise.
The crow nods slightly and continues, its tone now carrying a hint of pride and memory.
"Before the Lord left the world, the crows who carried the Lord's blood used to live in the First Wizard Academy."
Wang Hui listens carefully, realising that he is hearing something beyond ordinary knowledge, something rooted in the deeper history of the wizard world.
He nods slowly, absorbing the information, then asks, "Where do they live now?"
The crow answers without hesitation.
"Now they live in the Shadow Feather Wizard Academy, or the Steel Wing Wizard Academy, or the Dark Heart Wizard Academy."
Wang Hui's eyes flicker slightly as he recognises the names.
He knows these three academies well.
They are considered allies of the First Wizard Academy, powerful and influential in their own right.
He has also heard another detail about them.
The founders of these three wizard academies are all magic beasts, a fact that has always sounded extraordinary yet distant to Wang Hui until this moment.
He looks at the crow and asks, "So, they are also crows?"
The crow nods without hesitation, its feathers ruffling slightly as it answers with a hint of pride.
"Yes, except for the Dark Heart Wizard Academy—the founder transformed himself into a crow."
Wang Hui hears this and does not find it particularly strange because in the wizard world, the limitations of the human body are well understood.
A human lifespan is short, and even as cultivation increases, a human wizard's longevity still cannot compare to that of a magic beast.
Because of this, many wizards incorporate the bloodline of magic beasts into themselves to extend their lifespan and strengthen their bodies.
However, completely abandoning the human form and turning fully into a magic beast is rare, something only a few have ever dared or succeeded in doing.
Wang Hui absorbs this calmly, then shifts the topic as a more immediate concern surfaces in his mind.
"Then do you know how to leave this place?" he asks, his tone becoming more serious.
The crow shakes its head, appearing unconcerned as it replies casually, "Two years later, when the formation opens."
Wang Hui notices the crow's demeanour immediately.
There is no frustration.
No anxiety.
It does not seem like someone is trapped.
Instead, it appears almost relaxed, as if being here is of no consequence.
Wang Hui's eyes narrow slightly.
"You are not trapped here, are you?" he asks, his voice probing.
The crow tilts its head and replies, "Why would I be trapped here?"
Wang Hui frowns, confusion deepening as the situation becomes more unusual.
"So, you willingly stayed behind… but why?" he asks, watching the crow closely.
The crow opens its beak, hesitating for a brief moment before answering.
"But of course, for… to get away from my family."
The pause is subtle, but Wang Hui catches it immediately.
His eyes narrow further.
The answer feels forced.
The crow suddenly looks flustered, as if realising it has revealed too much or failed to hide something properly.
"I am leaving," it says quickly, its tone shifting.
Without waiting for a response, it flaps its wings and takes off, rising into the air and disappearing into the sky within moments.
Wang Hui remains standing where he is, his gaze fixed on the direction the crow vanished.
His expression grows thoughtful.
"There must be something on this island that made the crow stay," he murmurs inwardly, the suspicion settling firmly in his mind.
After a moment, he turns around.
Without hesitation, he begins walking again, his steps steady as new thoughts begin to form.