This black-and-white fragment was utterly inconspicuous against the cosmic river of stars.
It looked like nothing more than a shard of a meteorite, a mere speck of cosmic dust.
Yet this unremarkable object gave Li Ban a strange sensation.
It was alive.
'Wizard Embryo Fragment!'
Recalling the black-and-white pearl from the Supreme Leader's Brain Domain Platform, the name flashed into his mind.
If the Leader's pearl had been violently cleaved in half, it would probably look exactly like the fragment before him.
Except Li Ban only possessed half of this pearl-like fragment; the other half was nowhere to be seen.
Did the other half simply not exist, or was it somewhere else?
Suddenly, his vision began to plummet out of control.
It felt as if he would crash into the fragment in the very next second.
Thump!
He plunged into darkness.
"Beep—beep—beep—"
A rhythmic electronic sound rang out.
The sound felt incredibly familiar to Li Ban, as if he had heard it somewhere before.
"Beep—beep—beep—"
"Swish!"
Li Ban snapped his eyes open. A dim yellow haze greeted his vision.
He tried to move.
His body was stiff.
His fingertips brushed against soft cotton.
He struggled for a long while, but only his eyes, fingers, and toes would obey him.
The rest of his body felt as sluggish as rusted iron.
Putting all his strength into turning his eyes, he surveyed his surroundings.
This place... it was actually another Experimental Capsule!
However, compared to the Experimental Capsules in Ring World, this one looked far more technologically primitive.
And it was incredibly old.
The interior walls were covered in rust, the paint peeling away in chunks.
Spiderweb cracks fractured several small electronic screens, most of which were glitching with erratic, colorful patterns.
Only a single screen appeared to be functioning normally.
And the continuous beeping in Li Ban's ears was coming from it.
It was a biometric monitor!
And the beeps represented Li Ban's own heartbeat.
After staring at it out of the corner of his eye for a while, Li Ban felt a strain in his vision.
Uncomfortably, he blinked and shifted his gaze forward.
Directly above him was that dim yellow hue. It wasn't the color of rust, however, but a gloomy, overcast sky visible through the Experimental Capsule's grimy glass canopy.
'Could this be Ring World after its collapse?'
Li Ban wanted to sit up and check, but his body stubbornly refused to move. This was clearly not a normal Experimental Capsule logout sequence.
Besides, he was supposed to be packing his bags in the servants' quarters of the Death Prison's main courtyard. If he had suddenly returned to Ring World and Du An found out, things would end badly.
Li Ban closed his eyes.
This wasn't the Laboratory; there was no Director here to send him back to the Wizard World.
He had to rely on himself.
Recalling the exact process that had unexpectedly brought him here, Li Ban attempted to absorb spiritual rhinoceros.
But there was no spiritual rhinoceros in this world!
Li Ban's expression soured. 'Is this really Ring World? But the Experimental Capsule's specs and technology are entirely different.'
'Or is this simply another world devoid of spiritual rhinoceros?'
If he couldn't cultivate, was there any other way to view his Wizard Embryo Fragment?
'System, are you there?'
Unable to speak, Li Ban could only call out to the system over and over in his mind.
'Are you the Wizard Embryo Fragment? Where have you taken me?'
Unfortunately, the Wizard Embryo Fragment wasn't a true artificial intelligence, or perhaps because it was merely a fragment, it couldn't answer his questions.
Receiving no response, Li Ban could only close his eyes again.
Since he couldn't absorb spiritual rhinoceros, he tried to circulate the spiritual rhinoceros already within his body.
Fortunately, even though he had switched to a new body, he could still feel the existence of the Flute Sound.
Normally, Li Ban only circulated the spiritual rhinoceros within his elements to use his abilities.
Today, he suppressed the urge to activate an ability, instead trying to make the spiritual rhinoceros flow entirely within the element.
Right as he made the attempt, a sudden noise interrupted him.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Li Ban opened his eyes to the shocking sight of a massive face pressed against the grimy glass canopy. The person's nose was squished like a pig's snout as they rapped a fist against the glass.
Seeing Li Ban open his eyes, the person jumped in fright, quickly turning their head to shout at someone behind them, spouting gibberish that Li Ban couldn't understand.
'Great. My consciousness finally transmigrated to a place where I don't speak the language.'
Seeing the stranger trying to pry open the Experimental Capsule, Li Ban hurriedly shut his eyes and continued circulating his spiritual rhinoceros.
This body couldn't move or speak, placing him at an absolute disadvantage. He couldn't stay in this world.
Who knew if dying here meant true death? Or if it would impact his real body back in the Wizard World?
Soon enough, Li Ban successfully mobilized the spiritual rhinoceros inside the Flute Sound.
As the spiritual rhinoceros began to flow, a faint starlight shimmered within his eyes.
And in that starlight, Li Ban immediately spotted his own hemispherical fragment.
'I want to return to the Wizard World!' he thought urgently.
The sensation of falling struck him again.
His vision went black.
When he peeled his eyelids open once more, the familiar wooden canopy of his bed had returned overhead.
'I'm back!'
Overjoyed, Li Ban hastily sat up in bed.
His body was still his own, all seven elements were intact, and the spiritual rhinoceros in the air was intoxicating.
Li Ban let out a long breath.
A wave of inexplicable excitement belatedly washed over him.
'I actually possess a Wizard Embryo Fragment, too. And it seems it's been in my consciousness ever since I crossed over to Ring World.'
'Could my Wizard Embryo Fragment be the one that died in Ring World?'
Li Ban remembered seeing the Leader's Wizard Embryo Fragment collapse; the black-and-white pearl had seemed hollow inside.
Li Ban's Wizard Embryo Fragment looked alive, whereas the Leader's had been completely dead and silent.
'It seems only an empty shell of the Leader's Wizard Embryo Fragment remains. Regardless of whether the two are connected, Ring World has already collapsed, and this half-pearl is now my Wizard Embryo Fragment!'
Li Ban felt nothing but thrill and joy.
With a Wizard Embryo Fragment in his possession, did that make him a Wizard?
Had Cat Girl actually bet on the right horse?
But even Li Ban himself wasn't sure.
As the excitement slowly faded, Li Ban began to consider a new problem.
'A Wizard is a 10th Tier existence and the master of the Wizard World; they definitely aren't as weak as I am. So, even with the Wizard Embryo Fragment, I must still be lacking some crucial power.'
Li Ban really wanted to ask Du An about it.
But last time, Du An had intentionally kept information regarding Wizards and Priests vague. If Li Ban abruptly asked about Wizards again, it might trigger his suspicions.
Du An hadn't made a move against him and had even paved a path for his future promotion, most likely because he believed they were the only two survivors from Ring World.
It was basically a simple courtesy between fellow countrymen.
But if Du An discovered that Li Ban possessed a Wizard Embryo Fragment... Li Ban could guarantee that the first person to try and steal it would be Du An himself!
Li Ban suppressed his urge to investigate further.
Now that he was no longer burdened by the Laboratory's missions, he didn't need to rush things.
Acting hastily would only expose his secrets.
Setting aside the question of how to become a true Wizard, Li Ban turned his thoughts back to the world he had just visited.
'My Wizard Embryo Fragment can send me to another world. So, every time I loaded into the Wizard World back in the Laboratory, it was actually because of it?'
And after the Laboratory was destroyed, it had found him a completely new world?
However, his body in that new world seemed to have its own problems.
But one thing was certain: the Experimental Capsule over there was broken, retaining only basic heartbeat monitoring.
He didn't have to worry about someone forcibly pulling his consciousness over.
Without that threat of compulsion, Li Ban's curiosity left him eager to give it another try.
If he could freely travel between the two worlds, he really wanted to explore the other side.
If it truly was Ring World, he was curious to see what became of a world after its collapse. Were there other survivors? Was Chen Dong still alive?
Even if it wasn't Ring World, another world wouldn't be without value to explore.
A new world might very well hold resources he could use.
He figured the Wizard Embryo Fragment wouldn't send him to a completely meaningless place.
If it wasn't too dangerous, and he could pull out and return to the Wizard World at any time, he could absolutely go and explore a bit.
Perhaps he could reap some unexpected rewards.
'The newly discovered world is completely covered in dark clouds, and the sky is invisible. I'll temporarily name it the Shadow World.'
Early the next morning, Li Ban grabbed his packed, oblong luggage and went to the training grounds to wait for Du An.
Seeing Du An again, Li Ban felt a bit guilty, but he worked hard not to let his emotions show on his face.
Would Du An discover the fragment on him?
Although he knew it was impossible—otherwise, Du An wouldn't have let him return to the lab carrying a Virus.
Still, having suddenly obtained such a supreme treasure, Li Ban couldn't help but feel nervous.
After all, this was the very Wizard Embryo Fragment that Ring World had poured all its resources into obtaining. It was the treasure Du An had betrayed the world and fractured his own consciousness to secure.
Fortunately, Du An merely took Li Ban's nerves for the disorientation of having just escaped the lab, paying it no mind.
He tossed Li Ban a thread-bound book. "This is the Records of the Nine Provinces. Since you're leaving Yu Province, you should have some understanding of the world out there."
There would be no more lab-assigned missions in the future. The world was vast, and Li Ban would have to figure out for himself where he wanted to go.
"Your destination is Yanzhou in the far north. After heading north and leaving Capital City, follow the River of Helplessness until its end, which is the Unreturning Place. The ten thousand pits there are quite conspicuous. Once you arrive, you'll be able to see the Myriad Ancient Pagoda."
"Many thanks, My Lord." Li Ban accepted the gazetteer and carefully tucked it away.
With this, he could finally grasp the basic geography and culture of the Wizard World.
"The prisoner is in Jingyan Hall. You can take him away directly." Du An led Li Ban into the hall.
In the main room of Jingyan Hall, a young White Robe with disheveled hair was curiously staring at the calligraphy and paintings on the walls.
He stared inquisitively at each piece, seeming to study their brushwork and style.
If his hands hadn't been bound by hemp rope, his casual demeanor would have made it hard to imagine he was a prisoner.
Shi Ming.
Seeing him again, Li Ban still couldn't detect any traces of cultivation on him.
Li Ban had felt this guy was rather odd back then. He had tossed him into the mix hoping to draw everyone else's attention, only for the man to monopolize all of his own focus instead.
Later, to avoid delaying the mission, Li Ban hadn't approached him again.
And eventually, he had almost forgotten the man even existed.
If the Lu Family hadn't come looking for trouble, Li Ban figured he would never have run into him again.
Li Ban carefully inspected Shi Ming once more.
The man didn't even have the muscle definition of a martial artist.
His steps were weak and unsteady, and there were dark bags under his eyes. He looked exactly like a frail scholar.
So, just what kind of power caused everyone who tried to assassinate him to die in an accident?
Was the Grim Reaper at work?