The game starts with escaping from the famine and flipping the table

The witch pattern on Gui Jiangye's fingertips was still condensed with the morning dew of the second level "Vine Forest Hunting Ground". When his eyes fell on the stone gate inlaid with obsidian in front of him, his pupils shrank slightly.

The four ancient characters "Earth Vein Witch Altar" engraved on the top of the stone gate were emitting a faint golden glow as the earth veins pulsated, exactly the same as the characteristics of the witch tribe's trial field recorded in the tribe elders' books in his memory.

"It seems my previous guess was correct." Gui Jiangye raised his hand and pressed against the stone door. The cool touch from his palm was wrapped in the rich fluctuations of witch power. "Each level here corresponds to a realm breakthrough for the children of the witch clan. As long as we calm down and break through, it will be more effective than three years of hard training outside."

He turned around to look at the dozen or so tribesmen who were still following him, and paused for a moment as his gaze swept over Gui Jingyun, Lin Huixuan, and Grizzly Bear II - these three were all at the peak of Heavenly Grade War Wizards, and were only one step away from becoming a Junior Great Wizard. The Earth Vein Wizard Altar was their best whetstone.

"Jingyun, Huixuan, and Grizzly Bear Two, the three of you stay behind to fight the third level." Gui Jiangye spoke in a steady voice, his fingertips tracing the grooves beside the stone door, activating the trial teleportation array. "The Earth Vein Witch Altar requires the use of witch fire to refine the soul and resist foul air to shape the body. Avoid impatience. We will explore the way ahead first, and after you break through, we will reunite at the fourth level."

Gui Jingyun and the other two responded in unison, and watched the rest of the tribesmen follow Gui Jiangye into the fast-track passage before turning around and pushing open the stone door.

Behind the door was not the spacious space imagined, but a stone staircase corridor that was only wide enough for one person to pass through. The rock walls on both sides of the stone steps were embedded with phosphorus stones that glowed with a faint green color, illuminating the vague outline of the witch altar in front.

The further down they went, the thicker the turbid air from the earth veins became. The smell of rust and rotten soil penetrated into their nostrils, making the three of them frown.

"Be careful, the turbid air will erode the witch power. You have to be more careful when you ignite the witch fire later." Gui Jingyun took out a bronze witch pendant and tied it around his waist. The "soul-calming pattern" engraved on the witch pendant glowed faintly, slightly resisting the invasion of the turbid air.

Lin Huixuan took out three "Soul-Condensing Grasses" from his bosom and gave them to the two of them: "Chew them up and hold them under your tongue. They can stabilize your spirit and prevent you from losing your mind while refining your soul."

Grizz Bear Two took the Soul-Condensing Grass and responded in a muffled voice, his rough palm already pressing on the stone axe handle at his waist - he always relied on brute force to get through the levels, and now he was also very focused.

After walking for about an incense stick of time, the corridor suddenly opened up, and a circular witch altar with a diameter of ten feet appeared in front of the three people.

The witch altar was built of dark blue basalt. In the depression at the center of the altar sat a pool of orange-red liquid, which was the source of the witch fire that needed to be stirred.

The walls of the altar were engraved with dense witchcraft patterns, and each pattern was wriggling like a living thing, slowly drawing the turbid air from deep within the earth's veins to the center of the altar, forming a gray-black air vortex visible to the naked eye.

"According to the historical records, one must use one's own witch power as a guide to ignite the source of witch fire, and then let the witch fire envelop the witch soul." Gui Jingyun was the first to step onto the witch altar. As his feet touched the altar, he felt a scorching heat surge up through his feet. At the same time, the witch patterns on the altar wall suddenly lit up, and gray-black turbid air surged towards him like a tide. "Quick! Set up the 'Three Talents Witch Formation' first, and look after each other!"

Lin Huixuan and Grizzly Bear Two immediately stood on either side of the witch altar. The witchcraft power of the three of them surged out at the same time, interweaving into a triangular light golden shield on the altar.

As soon as the light shield was formed, it collided with the turbid air, making a "sizzling" sound, and the surface of the light shield was instantly covered with fine cracks.

"Hold on!" Grizzly Two roared, the magic power in his body circulated wildly, the muscles on his arms swelled, and the originally light golden light shield instantly turned a layer of khaki - he majored in "earth magic power" and was best at defense.

Lin Huixuan closed her eyes and quickly formed a witch seal with her fingertips. A light green witch power flew out from her fingertips, moving along the cracks in the light shield and slowly repairing them. Her major "wood-based witch power" was best at nourishing and repairing.

Gui Jingyun took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the source of witchfire at the center of the altar. He slowly raised his right hand, palm aimed at the source, and the heavenly witch power within him surged out like a surging river, transforming into a golden beam of light that shot towards the orange-red liquid.

"boom!"

As soon as the beam of light touched the source of the witchfire, a ball of flames erupted into the sky. The flames were not a normal red, but rather a strange, dark blue. As soon as the flames ignited, they carried an all-consuming force, flowing upstream along Gui Jingyun's witchfire beam, instantly enveloping his head.

"Ah!" Gui Jingyun screamed in pain, and his forehead was instantly covered with cold sweat.

The moment the witch fire wrapped around his head, Gui Jingyun felt as if his witch soul was thrown into a red-hot iron pot. Every inch of his soul was being burned. The impurities hidden deep in the witch soul - the resentment left over from past battles and the mixed auras acquired during cultivation, all made crackling sounds under the burning of the witch fire and turned into wisps of black smoke and dissipated.

But this is not the most uncomfortable thing.

Just as the witch fire was burning the witch soul, the turbid air on the wall of the altar suddenly became violent. The gray-black airflow passed through the light shield of the "Three Talents Witch Formation" like a poisonous snake, and drilled into Gui Jingyun's body along his seven orifices, trying to pollute his witch soul.

"Guard the spirit altar tightly! Don't let foul air get in!" Lin Huixuan's voice trembled slightly. She could clearly feel that Gui Jingyun's witch soul was fluctuating violently and could collapse at any time.

She immediately adjusted her magic power, and a light green magic power thread drilled through the gap in the light shield to Gui Jingyun, wrapped around his wrist, and passed her "soul-condensing power" to him continuously.

Grizz Bear Two also sensed the danger. He stomped forward toward the altar, unleashing the full force of his earthly magic. The basalt atop the altar suddenly cracked, and countless ochre-colored stone spikes rose from the ground, temporarily blocking the foul air rushing toward Gui Jingyun. "Jingyun! Hold on! We can still hold on!"

Gui Jingyun clenched his teeth, tasting blood on his tongue. He could feel his wizard soul becoming purer and purer as it burned, but the erosion of foul energy also grew more intense. His consciousness began to blur, and he even began to hallucinate. He saw his own people being slaughtered by the enemy, saw himself becoming possessed during his cultivation, and saw himself forever stuck at the level of a Heavenly War Wizard, unable to break through.

"No! I can't give up!" Gui Jingyun suddenly opened his eyes, a fierce look flashing in his eyes. He remembered the elders' instructions, his oath to protect his people, and Gui Jiangye's expectations before he left.

He forced himself to concentrate, integrating the soul-condensing power passed on by Lin Huixuan into the witch soul. At the same time, he practiced the witch clan's secret method "Soul Burning Technique", actively burning part of his own witch soul in exchange for more powerful power to resist the erosion of turbid air.

"boom!"

The moment the witch soul burned, the witch fire around Gui Jingyun suddenly surged, and the dark blue flame instantly turned into dazzling gold.

Wherever the golden flame passed, the gray-black turbid air melted quickly like snow encountering the scorching sun, and his witch soul became more and more condensed and powerful under the tempering of the flame.

"Success!" A hint of joy flashed in Lin Huixuan's eyes. She could clearly feel that Gui Jingyun's witch soul fluctuations were rapidly increasing, and had already faintly exceeded the scope of a heavenly-level war witch.

Grizz Bear Two also breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt that the fluctuations of his witch power had become unstable. It turned out that after Gui Jingyun ignited the witch fire, the witch patterns on the wall of the altar divided the witch fire into three streams. The other two streams were slowly flowing towards him and Lin Huixuan along the connection point of the "Three Talents Witch Formation".

"Hui Xuan, let's start too!" Grizzly Two took a deep breath and took the initiative to loosen his defense, allowing the dark blue witch fire to wrap around his head.

In an instant, the same severe pain spread throughout his body. He clenched his teeth tightly to prevent himself from crying out in pain, and at the same time, he activated the earth's magic power to keep the foul air out of his body.

Lin Huixuan also closed her eyes, letting the witch fire envelop her head. Her witch soul was inherently more delicate than Gui Jingyun's and Grizzly Bear Two's, and the pain from the witch fire was even more intense. Yet, she didn't flinch. Instead, she actively channeled the witch fire, burning away all the cowardice and hesitation hidden within her witch soul.

Time passed slowly in the painful torment.

On the first day, the three of them could still look after each other and share the pressure with the help of the "Three Talents Witch Formation";

On the second day, Grizzlie Two's magical power was more than half depleted, and his arms began to tremble uncontrollably. Lin Huixuan could only increase the output of his soul-condensing power to help him stabilize his magical soul.

On the third day, Gui Jingyun's witch fire had turned from gold back to light blue. The tempering of his witch soul was nearing its end, but the erosion of turbid air had also reached its peak. His lips had been bitten, and blood was dripping down his chin, falling on the altar, and was instantly evaporated by the witch fire.

On the morning of the fourth day, as the first rays of morning light shone through the cracks in the tunnel onto the altar, Gui Jingyun suddenly opened his eyes, a brilliant light erupting from them. The sorcerer's power within him surged like boiling water, and the shackles that had bound him to his Heavenly War Wizard status shattered like glass. An even more powerful aura erupted from him—a junior Great Wizard!

"It's done!" Gui Jingyun let out a long roar, and swung his right hand violently. A golden magical power shot out, instantly shattering the vortex of turbid air on the wall of the altar.

He looked down at his palm and saw a light blue witch pattern emerging on his palm. It was the "Soul Summoning Pattern" unique to the junior great witch, which meant that he had unlocked the basic "Soul Summoning" witchcraft.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Huixuan also let out a light shout, and the witch fire around her suddenly turned into countless green light spots and merged into her body.

Her aura also surged, breaking through to the primary great wizard, and the "Spirit Summoning Pattern" also appeared on her palm; she opened her eyes, with a hint of fatigue in them, but more of the joy after the breakthrough.

The last to break through was Grizzly Two. His breakthrough was not as calm as Gui Jingyun and Lin Huixuan's, but rather erupted with a violent aura, and the earth magic power in his body erupted like a volcano, shaking the entire witch altar slightly.

When his breath stabilized, he punched the wall of the altar fiercely, and a deep pit was instantly smashed into the hard basalt - the power of the primary great wizard was more than twice that of the heavenly war wizard!

The three of them smiled at each other, their eyes filled with relief at surviving the disaster and joy at a breakthrough.

When they walked out of the witch altar, they heard the shouts of the tribesmen outside the corridor - Gui Jiangye and the others had already passed the fourth level, and only Feng Jingyu, Bai Yuxiu and Mu Mianmian were trying to pass the fourth level - Wanlingyuan.

Wanlingyuan is the key level for a junior wizard to break through to the intermediate wizard.

"Let's take a breather and get back to our best condition before continuing!" Gui Jingyun and the other two said almost in unison, then smiled at each other, their eyes also flashing with desire.

Wanlingyuan is different from the Dimai Witch Altar. It seals the witch spirits who died in ancient battles. Some of the witch spirits are gentle and can be communicated with to obtain their residual souls; some of the witch spirits are violent and need to be defeated forcibly to obtain their residual souls.

They were full of fighting spirit at the moment, and as soon as they calmed down, they immediately started to break through.

Not long after they left, Gui Jingyun, Lin Huixuan and Grizzlies 2 and 3 actually chased Feng Jingyu, Bai Yuxiu and Mu Mianmian.

Bai Yuxiu and the other two have already reached the peak of the junior great wizard level. They had originally planned to break through in Wanlingyuan, so they naturally could not miss such a good opportunity for training and breakthrough.

Therefore, Bai Yuxiu and the other two decided to adjust their aura to the best state, and then explore step by step, so as not to miss the opportunity of breakthrough, which would be a regret. After all, it is well known that the further you go in your cultivation, the more difficult it is to break through, so every opportunity should not be missed.

Unexpectedly, by some strange coincidence, two or three grizzly bears showed up, making it a perfect group of six.

Wanyuan is located underground at the core of the island, and can only be reached through a "spiritual bone tunnel" that is hundreds of miles long.

The rock walls on both sides of the tunnel were embedded with the skeletons of ancient witches, and each skeleton emitted a faint fluctuation of spiritual power. Those fluctuations intertwined together to form a powerful "spiritual pressure". As soon as they stepped into the tunnel, the six people felt that their witch power was suppressed by 30%.

"This spiritual pressure... is even stronger than what is recorded in the classics." Feng Jingyu frowned. She majored in "wind-type magic power" and was best at speed. Spiritual pressure had the greatest impact on her. The "Wind-Charging Technique" that she could easily perform before could only increase her speed by 30%.

Bai Yuxiu appeared remarkably calm. In his hand, he held a longsword forged from witch bones, its blade gleaming with a faint silver hue. His primary training was in "golden witch power," excelling at attack. While the spiritual pressure suppressed his witch power output, it had little effect on his swordsmanship. "Everyone, be careful! The spirit bone tunnel may harbor the remnant of a violent witch spirit."

Kapok nodded gently, holding a pale pink "spiritual plant flower" in her palm. It was her natal spiritual plant that she cultivated with wood-type witch power. It could sense the spiritual fluctuations around it. "Fifty feet ahead, there's a faint witch spiritual fluctuation. It looks very gentle. We can start with it."

The six of them slowed down and walked cautiously in the direction that Kapok pointed.

After walking about fifty feet, the tunnel in front suddenly became wider. A translucent light blue witch spirit was floating in the air. The witch spirit looked like a witch wizard holding a staff, and soft spiritual power fluctuations emanated from its body.

"It's a 'Spiritual Plant Witch Spirit'!" A hint of joy flashed in Mu Mianmian's eyes. "This type of witch spirit primarily cultivated wood-type witch power during their lifetime. They are best at cultivating spiritual plants and have a gentle personality. If you can communicate with it, there's a high probability that you can obtain the witch spirit's residual soul."

She walked forward slowly and handed the spiritual flower in her palm to Wu Ling, while activating the wood-type magic power to make the spiritual flower emit a faint fragrance.

When the pale blue witch spirit saw the spiritual plant flower, a trace of nostalgia flashed in its eyes. It slowly floated in front of Kapok Mian and said in an ethereal voice:

"It's been a long time... since I saw a living spiritual plant..."