BOOM!

An explosion erupted in the nearby woods, sending a plume of thick smoke into the sky.

Li Wei looked up, curious about what was happening.

After a moment’s hesitation, he headed in that direction.

The Shadow Attendant led the way, with an invisible Li Wei following close behind.

Before long, he reached the source of the billowing smoke.

He saw a Mage battling a Magic Beast.

The Mage was unlucky. He’d run into a Magic Beast right after arriving, and a fight had immediately broken out.

Li Wei peered out from behind a large tree.

He recognized the man as the Fire Element Mage who had summoned a Fire Elemental Elf the day before.

His opponent was a Big Steel-Teethed Wild Boar.

"Fire Elemental Elf, heed my call! Appear!"

The Fire Element Mage summoned the Fire Elemental Elf.

The Fire Elemental Elf engaged the Big Steel-Teethed Wild Boar. Outmatched, the boar turned to flee.

"Blazing Flame Shock!"

A surge of flame rushed forward, engulfing the Big Steel-Teethed Wild Boar.

The Big Steel-Teethed Wild Boar shrieked in agony, its body engulfed in flames. It staggered a dozen meters before collapsing.

The Big Steel-Teethed Wild Boar was grievously wounded, lying on the ground, barely alive. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The Fire Element Mage approached and finished off the Big Steel-Teethed Wild Boar with a fireball.

Just as he was about to leave,

A Magic Card materialized above the Big Steel-Teethed Wild Boar’s corpse.

The Fire Element Mage picked up the Magic Card, a look of surprise on his face.

’My first Magic Card.’

Li Wei’s expression flickered as he watched from his hiding spot.

’So the Magic Cards are hidden on the Magic Beasts?’

The Fire Element Mage glanced at the burning trees around him but ignored them and left.

Li Wei frowned. ’Isn’t he afraid of burning down the forest?’

Since the one responsible wasn’t concerned, Li Wei certainly wasn’t going to get involved.

He turned and left.

A moment later, a rain cloud appeared over the burning area, and a light drizzle fell, extinguishing the flames.

Surprisingly, the cloud was small, covering only the burning area.

’Hm? Are these wild pears?’

Li Wei had found some fruit.

He tried one and found it edible, so he picked a few and stored them in the pocket of his Invisibility Cloak.

With this fruit, he wouldn’t have to worry about food or water for a while.

Reassured, Li Wei started looking for a place to set up camp.

It was still early, so Li Wei wasn’t in a hurry to collect Magic Cards.

’In a few days, I can just snatch the Magic Cards from a couple of people. That should be enough to get into the top ten.’

’For now, I’ll find a hidden spot to focus on my Cultivation.’

Li Wei glanced at the sky, feeling as if he were being watched.

He lowered his head. ’I’d better find a cave,’ he thought.

He had no desire to be watched while he was in the middle of his Cultivation.

With the goal of finding a cave, Li Wei began heading up the mountain.

ROAR!

A Cyan Wolf Magic Beast spotted Li Wei and attacked.

A black shadow shot forward.

"Shadow Claw!"

SLASH!

The Cyan Wolf fell to the ground, its abdomen torn open, its entrails spilling onto the ground.

The Tier One Cyan Wolf Magic Beast was no match for the Shadow Attendant.

The Shadow Attendant killed it in a single blow.

Li Wei glanced at the Cyan Wolf. Seeing no Magic Card, he felt a flicker of disappointment.

’Looks like not all Magic Beasts have Magic Cards.’

He couldn’t use his Spatial Ring to store the fresh meat, and the smell of blood would attract other Magic Beasts.

Li Wei took the Demon Core and left the corpse where it lay.

Not long after he left, a few Magic Beasts, drawn by the smell of blood, arrived and fought over the corpse of the dead Cyan Wolf.

Li Wei found a cave halfway up the mountain.

The Shadow Attendant went ahead to scout.

ROAR!

An earth-shattering roar came from within the cave.

The Shadow Attendant darted out, a massive creature right behind it.

THUMP THUMP THUMP!

A Black Bear Demon Beast.

The cave was the Black Bear Demon Beast’s lair.

Spotting Li Wei, the black bear charged wildly toward him.

The Shadow Attendant landed, shielding Li Wei.

CRASH!

The terrifying impact sent the Shadow Attendant flying instantly.

Li Wei dodged aside as the Shadow Attendant was sent flying more than ten meters.

"Shadow Tentacles!"

Several Shadow Tentacles shot out silently, ensnaring the Black Bear Demon Beast as it paused after its charge.

The Black Bear Demon Beast struggled violently, and the Shadow Tentacles began to fade visibly.

’A Tier Two Magical Beast. Perfect.’

Li Wei smiled.

He raised his hand and a Charged Fireball shot towards the black bear.

The bear swung its paw, trying to swat the Fireball out of the air.

WHOOSH!

Its paw passed right through the Fireball, leaving it completely unscathed.

It was just an illusion.

BOOM!

The real Fireball exploded beneath the unprepared Black Bear Demon Beast.

KABOOM!

The Black Bear Demon Beast was blown over, blood streaming from its abdomen.

"Shadow Attendant!"

At Li Wei’s shout, the Shadow Attendant pounced on the injured Black Bear Demon Beast.

He glanced up at the sky.

He raised a hand, slamming a Fireball into the ground. A huge cloud of dust and smoke instantly enveloped the battlefield.

Guided by his Object Control Skill, the dust cloud lingered, refusing to dissipate.

By the time the dust and smoke cleared, Li Wei and the black bear had both disappeared.

Li Wei didn’t know if anyone was watching his fight.

He’d taken the precaution anyway.

The secret of the Shadow Attendant’s ability to possess bodies had to be protected.

Gu Ze saw the dust settle, the battle already over.

He remarked with awe, "That Armored Man is incredibly strong!"

Rota nodded. "True. His attendant isn’t weak either. It actually withstood an attack from a Tier Two Magical Beast."

"The Armored Man must be a Tier Two Mage. Otherwise, he couldn’t have grievously wounded a Tier Two Magical Beast with a single fireball."

Gu Ze glanced at the Li Wei beside him. Seeing him completely engrossed in watching the competition, he didn’t disturb him.

Inside the cave, Li Wei heard Gu Ze and Rota’s comments through his Illusory Body.

He raised an eyebrow.

’Good thing I was careful. Otherwise, I would’ve been exposed.’

From that distance, Gu Ze hadn’t recognized the Shadow Attendant.

Plenty of Mages had brought attendants with them. Besides, ’Li Wei’ was sitting right there, watching the show.

So naturally, Gu Ze would never make the connection to him.

Li Wei looked up. The black bear lay before him.

The Shadow Attendant was already in control of the Black Bear Demon Beast.

Li Wei walked deeper into the cave and made an unexpected discovery.

’There’s a Magic Card here?’

Li Wei picked up the Magic Card floating above a rock.

He glanced at the Black Bear Demon Beast behind him and began to understand the Magic Association’s logic for placing the Magic Cards.

The Magic Association placed the cards in locations that could only be reached after overcoming a challenge.

Clearly, the Cyan Wolf Li Wei had encountered didn’t count as a real challenge in the Magic Association’s eyes.

"Shadow Attendant, tidy up the den. Get all these bones out, and bring me some fresh shrubs."

The black bear’s lair reeked.

The Shadow Attendant cleared out the bear’s leftover scraps.

Li Wei used a burst of fire to scorch the lair clean.

A moment later, the Shadow Attendant returned with a pile of fresh shrubs.

Li Wei spread the shrubs on the floor, creating a makeshift bed.

The fresh scent of the foliage helped improve the cave’s stale air.

Li Wei clapped his hands. ’Alright, all set. Time to begin my Cultivation.’

’I have to be in the Island Secret Realm for seven days. It would be a waste not to use the time for Cultivation.’

「Three days of the second round passed in the blink of an eye.」

Occasionally, other Mages would discover the cave and try to claim it, but the black bear drove them all away.

With the Shadow Attendant controlling its body, the black bear fought with even greater power.

The average Mage was no match for it.

So, Li Wei remained undisturbed.

That is, until a group of Mages arrived outside the cave.

"That Magic Beast refuses to leave the cave no matter how it’s harassed. There must be treasure inside!"