The genius who counterattacked the mainland

Everyone gathered around the light curtain, intensely studying the runes. Each rune was like a small world, containing endless mysteries. Xu Tiancai reached out, attempting to touch the light curtain, sensing the rune's power fluctuations. As soon as his fingertips made contact, a powerful force surged through him, sending him back several steps.

"This rune has the power of self-defense. It seems we can't act rashly." Xu Tiancai said as he rubbed his arm that was numb from the shock.

Lin closed her eyes and tried to detect the runes with her mental power. Beads of sweat gradually formed on her forehead, and her mental power entwined itself around the runes like a thread. "I sense a connection between these runes, like an ancient formation, but with a touch of chaos and destruction." Lin slowly opened her eyes, her eyes filled with fatigue.

The mysterious figure formed hand seals, and a fusion of dark and light forces surged from his palms, forming a small energy vortex before the light curtain. The vortex slowly approached the rune, attempting to disrupt its power and find a way to break it. However, the rune flickered only a few times before swallowing the energy vortex and returning to normal.

Agang frowned, a wave of annoyance rising in his heart as he watched the pulsating black sphere within the light curtain. "We can't waste any more time like this. Let's just use our strength to blast it open!" He raised his battle axe, his body ablaze with flames, and rushed towards the light curtain.

"No!" The Ice Princess hurriedly cast her ice magic, condensing chains of ice in front of Agang, trapping him. "Not only will you fail to break through the light barrier, but you might also allow the destructive force to break through the seal prematurely. We will all die, and the world will cease to exist."

The rhythm of the man in white's flute became more rapid, and the flute sound transformed into a group of nimble elves, dancing around the light curtain. These elves tried to decipher the mystery of the runes, shuttling between the runes and passing the information they saw to the man in white.

Just as everyone was in dire straits, the runes on the light curtain suddenly flashed with intense light, revealing a series of images. The images depicted an ancient battlefield, where countless powerful warriors clashed with chaotic creatures. Their power was immense, and every strike ripped through space. One warrior, clad in golden armor, stood out. He wielded a spear radiating a rainbow of light, and wherever he struck, chaotic creatures fell.

"Is this... a memory from the past? Or some kind of hint?" Xu Tiancai muttered to himself as he looked at the screen.

As the scene shifted, the golden-armored warrior arrived before a barrier resembling the light curtain before him. He paused, wielding his spear, and drawing intricate patterns in the air, patterns that vaguely resembled the runes on the light curtain. The warrior plunged his spear into the ground, muttering something, and rays of light shot out from the spear, echoing with the runes on the barrier.

"He's deciphering the runes! Let's take a closer look," said the mysterious figure.

Everyone stared intently at the screen, trying to memorize the warrior's every move. However, the image suddenly grew blurry, as if disturbed by some kind of interference. The runes on the light curtain glowed brightly, and a powerful suction force emanated from it. Without a chance to resist, everyone was sucked into the light curtain.

When they regained consciousness, they found themselves in a strange space, surrounded by gray mist, in which vague objects of various shapes were moving.

"What is this place? Aren't we outside the light curtain?" A Gang waved his battle axe and looked around vigilantly.

Xu Tiancai gripped the Heart of Light Crystal tightly, sensing the energy fluctuations around him. "This should be a trial space within the light curtain. It seems we need to pass through here to find a way to break the seal."

Suddenly, a sinister laugh echoed from the mist. It reverberated through the air, sending chills down one's spine. Ghostly creatures emerged from the mist, their bodies transparent, their eyes gleaming with a faint light.

"Soul creatures! Everyone be careful, they can attack our souls." Lin cast wind element magic, forming a wind shield around everyone, trying to prevent the ghost creatures from approaching.

Ghostly creatures, claws and fangs bared, pounced upon the crowd, piercing through the wind shield and charging directly at their souls. The mysterious figure formed hand seals, and the forces of darkness and light formed a protective barrier around the souls. But the ghostly creatures were too numerous, and the barrier flickered constantly, as if it would shatter at any moment.

The Ice Princess waved her wand and chanted an ice spell. Icy arrows shot out from her wand, piercing the ghostly creatures, temporarily freezing them. But they quickly broke free of the ice and continued their attack.

The man in white played his flute even faster, and the sound transformed into birds of light, circling around the crowd. The birds of light pecked at the ghostly creatures with their beaks, dispelling some. But more ghosts poured in from all directions, seemingly endless.

Xu Tiancai raised his sword, infusing it with the power of the Heart of Light Crystal. The blade radiated a dazzling light, and he swung a stream of sword energy at the swarm of ghostly creatures. Wherever the sword energy struck, the ghostly creatures were burned by the power of light, letting out shrill screams. But the ghostly creatures didn't retreat; they continued to charge at the crowd.

During the fierce battle, Xu Tiancai discovered that these ghostly creatures seemed to be absorbing their soul power, and everyone's spirit began to become exhausted. He realized that if this continued, their soul power would be exhausted sooner or later.

"We can't just passively take the beating. We have to find the source of these ghostly creatures and eliminate them to get out of this predicament." Xu Tiancai shouted.

Everyone began searching the fog for the source of the ghostly creatures. A-Gang wielded his battle axe, clearing a path through the mist. Lin cast wind magic, dispersing the surrounding fog for a better view. The mysterious figure, the Ice Princess, and the man in white each used their powers to fend off the ghostly creatures' attacks, all the while following Xu Tiancai forward.

Deep within the fog, they discovered a massive black vortex. A powerful suction force emanated from the vortex, and the surrounding ghostly creatures were all born from it.

"That's it! Let's attack together." Xu Tiancai said.

Everyone attacked the black vortex. Agang increased the flame power on his battle axe to its maximum and chopped towards the vortex. The battle axe hit the edge of the vortex, splashing a black spark. Lin cast wind magic, summoning a powerful tornado, sweeping towards the vortex. The tornado and the vortex collided with each other, making a violent roar. The mysterious figure formed seals with his hands, and the power of darkness and light intertwined into a huge energy ball, throwing it towards the vortex. The energy ball exploded in the vortex, causing it to shake. The Ice Princess waved her wand, condensing huge icicles and stabbing them towards the vortex. The man in white played the flute, and the flute sound turned into huge birds of light and elemental elves, attacking the vortex.

With everyone's concerted efforts, cracks began to appear in the black vortex. However, a powerful recoil force emanated from the vortex, sending everyone flying backwards.

"We can't give up, keep attacking!" Xu Tiancai stabilized his body and rushed towards the whirlpool again.

Everyone regained their spirits and continued to attack the black vortex. Repeated attacks made the cracks in the black vortex bigger and bigger, and the suction force in the vortex gradually weakened.

Finally, under the continuous attacks of the crowd, the black vortex shattered. As the vortex shattered, the surrounding ghostly creatures seemed to lose their support and dissipated into the air.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but they knew this was just the beginning. There were definitely more challenges waiting for them in this trial space.

At this moment, the surrounding fog gradually dissipated, and an ancient castle appeared before them. The castle walls were covered with vines, exuding an ancient and mysterious atmosphere. The castle gate was closed, and some strange symbols were engraved on the door. These symbols were somewhat similar to the runes on the light curtain.

"Looks like we need to enter the castle, which may hold clues to breaking the seal," said the mysterious figure.

The group walked towards the castle. When they reached the castle gate, the symbol on the gate suddenly flashed with light. Within the light appeared some words, which read: "Only pure souls can enter this gate. Accept the test of your soul."

"Pure soul? What does that mean?" Agang asked in confusion.

Xu Tiancai looked at the words on the door and after a moment's contemplation, he said, "Perhaps it requires us to pass some kind of test to prove that our souls have not been corrupted by darkness and chaos."

Just as everyone was thinking, rays of light shot out from the door, enveloping them. Everyone felt as if their souls were being pulled by a force, entering an illusory space.

In this space, they saw the fears and desires deep within their hearts. Xu Tiancai saw himself as a child, bullied for being weak. The taunts, beatings, and scolding echoed in his ears. Anger welled up in his heart, but he knew this was a test, and if he let his anger control him, he might not pass.

Seeing his comrades lost on the battlefield, Agang was filled with grief and self-blame. He wanted to rush over to save his comrades, but he found himself unable to move. The feeling of powerlessness almost overwhelmed him.

Lin saw her own desire for power. She had almost gone astray in pursuit of greater magical power. Those tempting voices rang in her ears, causing her soul to tremble slightly.

The mysterious figure saw his past struggling between darkness and light, with a fear of the dark forces and a yearning for the light forces in his heart. The two forces pulled at his soul, causing him great pain.

The Ice Princess saw the destruction of her kingdom, her parents and people died in the flames of war. Her heart was filled with hatred, but she knew that hatred would corrupt her soul.

The man in white saw the time when he was confused because of loneliness. He played the flute alone in the dark, and the loneliness almost swallowed him up.

Everyone struggles with their own soul trials. They must overcome their inner fears and desires in order to keep their souls pure.

Xu Tiancai took a deep breath and turned the anger in his heart into motivation to move forward. He told himself that he was no longer that weak child and that he would use his own strength to protect the world. His soul gradually calmed down, and the surrounding scenes began to fade away.

A Gang found strength in grief and self-blame, knowing that his comrades' sacrifices were for a greater goal. He wanted to continue fighting with his comrades' wishes, and his soul was freed from the shackles of powerlessness.

Lin resisted the temptation of power, she understood that true power is used to protect, not to satisfy one's own selfish desires. Her soul became more resolute.

The mysterious figure found a balance between darkness and light, accepting his past, both dark and light, as a part of him. His soul no longer struggled, but was filled with peace.

The Ice Princess let go of the hatred in her heart, knowing that hatred would only bring more destruction. She wanted to rebuild her kingdom with love and tolerance, and her soul glowed with a warm light.

The man in white walked out of the shadow of loneliness and found that his teammates were his family. He was no longer confused, and his soul was filled with hope.

After everyone passed the soul test, they returned to the castle gate. The symbol on the door flickered again, and the gate slowly opened. An ancient and mysterious aura filled the air. Inside was a long passage, lined with torches burning with blue flames, illuminating the path ahead.

"Let's go. I hope we can find a way to break the seal this time." Xu Tiancai took the lead and walked into the castle.

The group walked along a passageway whose walls were covered in murals. These depicted the origin of the world and the struggle between the forces of Chaos and Light. In these murals, they witnessed the creation of the Crystal of Creation and how it was used to seal the forces of Chaos.