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

That afternoon, Li Wu neither checked the equipment nor made any preparations for the expedition with the other members.

He stayed alone in the secret text laboratory on the top floor of the city lord's mansion.

The grammatical deduction matrix in front of me floated silently, with thirty-six secret symbols arranged in a ring, emitting a soft light.

But Li Wu did not conduct any experiments.

He's thinking about things.

The realm of the gods.

More than 300 top players are trapped.

Logically speaking, this is too abnormal.

Li Wu himself had experienced a similar situation, in the Arcane Wasteland, where he was unable to contact the outside world for six months.

However, it was a trial space of a "transmission" nature, with the purpose of cultivating successors.

What about the realm of the gods?

If it's just a simple high-difficulty dungeon, why would it trap people and prevent them from getting out?

The design logic of Origin Realm has always been clear: even in the most difficult dungeons, if a player fails, they simply die and are resurrected.

There has never been a mechanism to "trapped people in there permanently".

unless……

"The things in there weren't designed for players to fight."

Li Wu muttered to himself.

He recalled the information in the memo regarding the world structure of the Origin Realm.

The existence of this game is extraordinary in itself; it is directly connected to a spatial rift in the real world, allowing awakened individuals to enter and gain power.

This is not an ordinary "game".

It's more like a training ground.

And the realm of the gods...

"Is this the final exam?"

This idea suddenly popped into Li Wu's mind.

If the Realm of Gods is the "ultimate trial" designed by the Realm of Origin, is it possible that those trapped inside are not "unable to get out," but rather "have not yet passed"?

This speculation made him frown.

He turned on his communicator and sent a message to Hua Zitong.

Where is the entrance to the realm of the gods? What conditions must be met to enter?

Hua Zitong replied in less than a minute.

"The entrance is located deep underground in the Eternal Capital. Entry requirements: Max level, completion of the prerequisite quest chain for the Trial of the Gods."

"What does it look like inside? Has anyone filmed it?"

"Yes, a short clip of the live stream recording of the Iron-Blooded Emperor's first entry was leaked," Hua Zitong sent a link. "But it only includes the first three hours; the signal dropped after that."

Li Wu opened the link and pulled up the video.

The scene depicted a dimly lit corridor with walls covered in patterns he couldn't understand.

wrong……

Li Wu suddenly moved closer to the screen.

Those patterns...

He read it twice and confirmed his judgment.

That's a secret text.

It was not one of the thirty-six secret texts he possessed, but rather a more ancient and primitive system of symbols.

They have some similarities to the ciphers he already knows, but their structure is more complex, like some kind of "superordinate language".

"This thing..."

Li Wu's fingers unconsciously touched the arcane bow on his wrist.

The runes engraved on the bow trembled slightly.

resonance?

Was his weapon resonating with the symbols in that video?

Li Wu took a deep breath and turned off the recording.

He took out the mythical item he had been keeping in his backpack, "The Bone of Erlin".

The bone became a memento after he visited the Arcane Wastes.

Erling's will had dissipated, and the power of the bones themselves had been completely absorbed by him.

But now, he holds the bone in his hand, closes his eyes, and tries to "read" it with his cryptic perception.

Thirty seconds later, he opened his eyes.

There was nothing there.

Bones are inanimate objects; there is no longer any information that can be deciphered.

But just a moment ago, when he tried to sense it, he clearly felt an extremely faint pulling force coming from a certain direction.

It's not a spatial direction, but a conceptual one.

That direction pointed to a deeper level that he had not yet reached.

"The Realm of Gods..."

Li Wu carefully put the bones away and paced back and forth in the secret text laboratory.

He is currently at level 102, which is 48 levels away from the entry requirement of level 150 for the God Realm.

At his upgrade speed, it will probably take another month or two to reach that level.

"Take down the Titans first," he decided.

Whatever secrets are hidden in the realm of the gods, that's not something to worry about right now.

A more pressing battle awaited him.

But the seed has already been planted.

He knew what his next target would be after defeating Titan.

The communicator vibrated.

It's Hua Zitong.

"Why are you suddenly asking these questions?"

Li Wu replied with four words: "Just asking."

Hua Zitong replied instantly: "When have you ever asked a question so casually?"

Li Wu looked at the message and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

See you tomorrow, get some rest.

He turned off his communicator and walked to the window.

Night had fallen. The city of the Undying was brightly lit, and many players were still busy on the streets, making final preparations for tomorrow's expedition.

In the distance, the guards on the city wall are changing shifts.

Further away, there were dark fields and a blurred horizon.

On the other side of the horizon, in a place he has yet to reach, more than three hundred of the world's strongest warriors are trapped in a mysterious space.

And he is about to step onto another battlefield.

"The waters of this world... are much deeper than I imagined."

After saying this in a low voice, Li Wu turned and left the laboratory.

The next day at noon, the teleportation plaza of the Undying City was bustling with people.

The Myth Guild's expedition team was neatly arrayed, with 327 members above level 100 fully armed, displaying an astonishing presence.

The metallic sheen of the armor shimmered in the midday sun, and the mages' staffs were wreathed in various elemental energies, giving the entire group an aura of well-trained elite.

At the very front of the group were the core members of the first and second regiments, led by Immovable Mountain and Steel Shield.

In the middle was the logistics convoy under Lin Hai's command, filled with dozens of magical storage boxes containing potions, scrolls, and various war supplies.

At the rear of the group, Chasing Wind, leading a large squad of archers and Night Wind's Shadow Squad, was conducting final checks.

The area around the teleportation plaza was crowded with ordinary guild members who were watching.

They weren't qualified to participate in this expedition, but everyone's face was filled with excitement and pride.

"The president is here!"

Someone shouted, and the noise in the square instantly quieted down.

Li Wu walked slowly from the direction of the city lord's mansion.

He changed into a new set of gear today, although to outsiders his leather armor still looked rather plain and shabby.

But those who know him know that this man never needs to use equipment to assert his presence.

He held the arcane bow in his hand, the runes on the bow shimmering in the sunlight.

Reaching the front of the line, Li Wu stopped and glanced at the more than three hundred people in front of him.

There was no speech.

He only said one sentence.

"Walk."

The teleportation array suddenly lit up, and blue and white light enveloped everyone.

The scenery changed abruptly the next second.

A scorching wind swept over us, the earth beneath our feet was charred black, and in the distance, a smoking volcano could be seen. The air was thick with the smells of sulfur and rust.

Burning Plains.

At the junction of Zones 3 and 4, the landform is dominated by volcanoes and lava.

The area experiences consistently high temperatures, with surface temperatures reaching levels that are unbearable for most people.

However, for players above level 100, this environmental damage is negligible.

"Report!" Zhui Feng's voice came from behind, "Everyone is present, no one is missing!"

"Logistical supplies confirmed!" Lin Hai followed closely behind.

Li Wu nodded.

He looked around and found that the area was already filled with tents.

Different colored flags represent different guilds.

Red, blue, gold, purple... there were at least dozens of flags fluttering in the hot wind.

"Most of the alliance members have arrived." Hua Zitong walked to Li Wu's side, holding a list in her hand. "I'll have someone contact them first and arrange our camp location."

"Has the one to punish us arrived yet?"

"We've arrived. We arrived early this morning." Hua Zitong pointed to the area in the distance where the golden tents were most densely packed. "That's the Heavenly Punishment's stronghold."

Li Wu looked in the direction she pointed.

The Heavenly Punishment Guild's camp was indeed quite large. Their guild emblem was embroidered on a golden banner with a spear encircled by lightning.

The camp was surrounded by fully armored guards who patrolled in an orderly manner.

"Where is the Spear of Eternity?"

"Should we go see him?"

Li Wu thought for a moment.

"No rush." ​​He looked away. "Let's set up camp first. If he wants to see me, he'll come over himself."

Hua Zitong's lips curled up slightly.

Yes, given Li Wu's current status and reputation, he doesn't need to take the initiative to visit anyone.

"Steel Shield!" Hua Zitong raised her voice.

"exist!"

"We led our men to set up camp in that area, according to the level two combat readiness standard."

"receive!"

The team immediately sprang into action.

Two hours later, the Myth Guild's camp was set up.

The dark blue flag fluttered in the wind, embroidered with a phoenix spreading its wings—the new guild emblem designed by Hua Zitong half a year ago.

Li Wu sat down in his tent and opened an intelligence document that Hua Zitong had prepared.

This document records the list of all guilds that have arrived in the Burning Steppes and their core members' information.

He flipped through the pages, memorizing every name he might need to pay attention to.

He stopped when he turned to the third page.

Because a name caught his attention.

It is not the eternal spear.

It was someone else.

"Dragon Soul War God".

From District 5.

District 5... Isn't that the territory of Sword and Rose?

Li Wu looked down. The Dragon Soul War God's guild was called "Dragon Roars to the Nine Heavens," and it was the second-ranked guild in the fifth region.

His level is also maxed out.

Li Wu closed the file, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

The hot wind from the Burning Plains blew in through the gaps in the tents, carrying a faint smell of sulfur.

Forty hours later, the Titans will descend upon this land.

At that time, he will face the most powerful enemy in the game so far.

It is also an excellent opportunity to test the limits of one's abilities.

"Come on," Li Wu said softly.