The Fork in the Road

Descending through the dark and narrow tree hollow, the scenery suddenly opened up before them.

The surroundings remained enclosed by passageways, yet they were unusually wide—almost the size of a football field. The long, winding corridor twisted and turned, its end nowhere in sight.

Despite being underground with no apparent light source, the space wasn’t dim. On the contrary, everything was bathed in a white haze, blurring the lines between walls and floor. To someone with poor eyesight, it might seem as if they were standing on a vast, featureless plain.

Xia Lun slowly crouched down. The ground beneath his feet was softer than usual, as if drained of moisture, resembling dried-out ashes.

This was likely the origin of the name "Ashen Corridor."

Since they had just entered, no immediate dangers lurked nearby—this area was still safe.

Not far ahead, the path split into two diverging routes.

"In the Ashen Corridor, whenever you encounter a fork, taking the left path will lead you to stronger monsters," Kalinda explained. "But if you keep choosing the right, you’ll eventually return to the starting point. The corridor’s spatial structure constantly shifts, so backtracking won’t work—it’ll only drag you deeper into the maze."

Every labyrinth had its own rules, and these rules were often bizarre, requiring adventurers to uncover them step by step.

Inside the maze, the world was different—almost like a separate, miniature realm.

No one knew where these labyrinths came from, but the most widespread theory was that they were formed from the residual power of fallen, immensely powerful beings.

While no one was paying attention, Aina released a blood bat—one that had been altered to appear albino-white. Changing its color was child’s play for her; the usual dark crimson would have been too conspicuous here.

The bat would guide them to the right place.

Up ahead, the students had already encountered their first monster.

In the Ashen Corridor, all creatures were covered in smooth, white hides. Regardless of form, they were collectively called Ashen Beasts.

The deeper one ventured, the larger and stronger these beasts became.

Blocking their path now was a hound-like Ashen Beast—tailless, with a single eye centered on its head, and roughly the size of a large dog.

"Ice Spike."

Goth, one of the twins, was the first to strike. A sharp ice spike shot forth, piercing straight through the beast’s body.

Blood splattered as the creature let out a pained howl before collapsing lifelessly.

This early in the maze, the monsters weren’t much of a threat.

The group approached. Upon death, the Ashen Beast rapidly disintegrated into a pile of ash mixed with flesh and bone fragments, gradually merging back into the corridor.

Goth picked out a fingernail-sized crystal from the remains and pocketed it.

Kalinda summoned a ledger, jotting something down with a quill.

This expedition was the students’ intermediate-to-advanced rank promotion test.

"Aren’t they already advanced-rank?" Xia Lun found it odd. He could tell that Goth and the others had mana levels equivalent to high-tier mages.

"While their personal ranks are advanced, it’s not officially recognized," Liyana explained to Xia Lun. "Strictly speaking, only those who pass the promotion test are considered true high-tier mages. Mana levels alone don’t mean much—this is a new rule set by the Arcane Truth Institute."

Aina chimed in, "High-tier mages recognized by the Institute gain privileges and carry more authority than ordinary mages."

"Aina’s also a member of the Arcane Truth Institute," Liyana teased. "Aina, what’s your current standing there?"

"No comment."

If Liyana knew Aina’s current status, she’d undoubtedly pester her for favors.

"Ugh, so stingy."

With others around, Xia Lun and the two girls communicated via telepathy, which earned a puzzled glance from Kalinda, who wondered why they were so unusually quiet.

The students led the way, with Delyan seemingly eager to impress someone, her spells precise and her demeanor full of vigor.

But as they ventured deeper into the Ashen Corridor, the pressure steadily grew.

"ROAR—"

A seven-meter-tall humanoid Ashen Beast charged at them with a thunderous roar.

Goth and Gauss swiftly conjured a sturdy ice wall to block its path. The beast pounded the barrier with its fists, sending shards flying as cracks spiderwebbed across the surface.

"Delyan!" Gauss called.

"Ready, no need to rush!"

A surge of flames erupted before Delyan, coalescing into a five-meter-tall fiery lion.

Just as the Ashen Beast shattered the ice wall—

"Go!" Delyan pointed her staff, and the flaming lion roared, lunging at the beast, clamping its jaws around its throat and pinning it to the ground.

After casting the spell, Delyan swayed slightly. Liyana appeared beside her in an instant, offering support.

Liss’s staff glowed green, replenishing Delyan’s energy.

Back in the fray, the Ashen Beast, now charred black by the flames, stood no chance of rising again.

Goth and Gauss remained on guard, ensuring it couldn’t escape.

Finally, the beast let out one last roar before falling still, lifeless.

The twins searched the remains and retrieved a fist-sized crystal, handing it to Delyan, who accepted it without hesitation.

"Should we leave now? Going deeper might be too much, and our results should be enough for promotion," Goth suggested.

"Right. At the next fork, we’ll take the right path," Delyan agreed.

Leaving already?

Xia Lun felt a twinge of regret. They were only here as observers, with little chance to act.

Kalinda kept close watch, making it hard for him to slip away unnoticed.

After watching the whole time, he was itching for action.

Aina’s lips curled faintly.

Soon, they reached another fork. The students immediately chose the right path.

"Huh?" Kalinda paused. "Strange. Last time I was here, this intersection had three paths… Did I misremember?"

"Professor Kalinda, what’s wrong? Hurry, or we’ll lose the others," Aina urged softly.

"Ah—right. It’s nothing. Let’s go." Seeing Delyan and the others pulling ahead, Kalinda quickly followed.