I am the Arcane Archer, and all my skills are self-created.

Li Wu stood at the entrance of the Ten Thousand Dragon Tomb, looking at the number on the experience bar that was about to overflow.

Level 99, 98% experience points.

He has been in this area for three whole days.

It took him less than a week to go from level 95 to level 99.

This speed would be incredible for anyone, but for Li Wu, it was just normal performance.

"The final wave."

Li Wu drew his arcane bow and aimed it at a group of level 98 elite monsters, "Dragon Soul Fragments," that were wandering in the distance.

A dark red energy singularity condensed on the bowstring, and during the twelve-second charging time, his breathing remained steady and normal.

Let go.

The Burning Star Return to Ruins Arrow flew out silently, spreading its domain among the monster horde, and collapsing after three seconds.

The seventeen elite monsters vanished into nothingness.

A system notification sounded.

[Congratulations to player "Seeing Through the Fog" for reaching level 100!]

[You are the first player in Area 21 to reach level 100!]

[Server-wide announcement: Player "Seeing Flowers Through the Mist" has become the first player to break through the level 100 mark, becoming the first level 100 Awakened player in Server 21 of Origin Realm!]

Li Wu ignored the announcement, opened his attribute panel, and glanced at his data.

Level: LV100.

Intelligence: 27891.

Luck: 26340.

Magic attack power: 35672.

These numbers are far beyond the comprehension of normal players, but that's not what Li Wu is concerned about.

He took out the bone that emitted a pale golden light from his backpack—the Bone of Erlin.

The bone vibrated violently in his hand, the runes on its surface lit up, and a system notification appeared before his eyes.

[You have reached LV100, meeting the requirements to enter "Arcane Wasteland".]

The Bones of Erling are resonating with your talents...

[Should we proceed to Arcane Wasteland immediately?]

Li Wu did not hesitate and directly chose "Yes".

But before the teleportation started, he opened his communicator and sent a message to Hua Zitong.

"I've reached level 100, time to head into the Arcane Wasteland."

Hua Zitong's reply was almost instantaneous: "Congratulations. The situation inside is unknown. Please be careful."

"Hmm." Li Wu thought for a moment, then typed a few more words, "We might not be able to contact them. You handle all the guild matters; don't wait for me."

"Understood," Hua Zitong replied. "I'll keep an eye on the city-building tokens. The guild is still a little short of level five; it's expected to be completed within two weeks."

"OK."

Li Wu turned off the communicator.

He looked around at the scene of the Ten Thousand Dragon Tomb: the huge dragon bones, the scattered altars, and the sleeping skeleton of the Dragon King in the distance.

This area contains all his memories from level 81 to level 100.

"I'm gone."

Enveloped in white light, Li Wu's figure disappeared from the Tomb of Ten Thousand Dragons.

The next second, he opened his eyes.

Beneath my feet lay an endless wasteland.

The ground was covered with glowing runes, densely packed, stretching from the ground to the horizon.

There was no sun or moon in the sky, only thirty-six different colors of light intertwined, forming an indescribable and inexplicable illumination.

Countless translucent rune fragments floated in the air, slowly rotating and occasionally colliding with each other, making a crisp sound.

In the distance, thirty-six towers stand in various parts of the wasteland, each radiating a different color of light.

Li Wu took a deep breath.

The air here is different.

With each breath, I could feel the power of the secret text permeating my body.

In his mind's eye, the engraved secret symbols began to vibrate slightly, as if responding to the call of this land.

"Arcane Wasteland..."

He glanced down at the Bone of Erling in his hand.

The light on the bones shone even brighter, pointing towards the tallest tower directly in front of them.

Li Wu took a step and walked in that direction.

After walking for about ten minutes, he tried to turn on his communicator.

The screen displays only one line of gray text: [Unable to establish an external communication connection in the current area.]

really.

Li Wu put away the communicator. From this moment on, he was completely cut off from the outside world.

But it's okay.

Hua Zitong can handle everything.

He continued walking forward.

After walking for another half hour, Li Wu arrived at the tallest tower.

The tower is made entirely of a semi-transparent material, with golden light flowing inside. The tower door is open, and a line of text is engraved on the door frame.

Li Wu recognized the characters; they were cryptic.

"My legacy, my remains, my successors."

He raised the bone of Erling in his hand.

The light on the bones resonated with the inscriptions on the tower gate, and golden light surged from within the gate, enveloping him.

A voice echoed in his mind.

Aged, weary, yet possessing an indescribable gentleness.

"You've arrived."

Li Wu paused for a moment.

"Mentor Erlin?"

"It is my remaining will," the voice said. "The real me has long since vanished. But I have left enough information in this bone, waiting for a worthy successor."

"What information?"

"The truth about the ciphers," the voice said, "the complete system of the thirty-six ciphers, the ultimate form of archery, and... why you became an arcane archer."

Li Wu remained silent for two seconds.

"explain."

"No rush." ​​The voice chuckled. "You have plenty of time. Time flows differently here than outside. One day outside is equivalent to three days here."

Li Wu frowned.

"So, I'm here for a month, but only ten days have passed outside?"

"right."

"What if I stay for six months?"

"About two months have passed outside."

Li Wu nodded; the timing was better than he had expected.

"Alright, let's begin."

"Aren't you going to ask how long the course will take?"

"It's not important," Li Wu said. "We'll continue until we finish learning."

The voice paused for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.

"Just like when I was young. Okay, let's begin."

The golden light completely engulfed Li Wu.

His consciousness was pulled into a completely new space, a world made of pure cipher.

Thirty-six cryptic symbols floated around him, each radiating a unique light and containing a deeper meaning he had yet to grasp.

Erling's voice rang out again:

"Lesson One. You think you understand the ciphers, but you only understand the surface. Blaze is not just fire, condensation is not just compression, and domain is not just a range. Each cipher is a law, a description of the essence of the world. When you truly understand them, what you create is no longer skill, but..."

"The rules," Li Wu replied.

"...You really are different." The voice paused for a moment, "Alright, now that you've grasped this, let's skip the basics and go straight to the core."

Li Wu's lips twitched slightly.

He had been waiting for this day for a long time.