C23 Wallfacer Liu Chuang

Liu Feng's awakening eased Liu Chuang's worries, and he resolved to take action.

He trusted that Liu Feng would care well for their parents, though he couldn't help feeling a twinge of guilt towards Shao Dan.

Navigating through multiple checkpoints, Liu Chuang reached the underground bunker of Jixledo, confronted by a sealed steel door.

Engraved across it were the words:

"To set one's heart upon the heavens and the earth, to dedicate one's life to the people, to carry on the wisdom of the ancients, and to forge everlasting peace for all generations."

These were the words of the legendary first Wallfacer, the great arcanist Zhang Zai.

As a deep rumble echoed, the thick steel door, over a meter in thickness, gradually slid open. Guided by the top-level Mage, Han Xing, Liu Chuang entered the most vital area of Jixledo — the Guard Center.

He was greeted by an expansive void, a semicircular hall roughly the size of two basketball courts. A curved screen faced him. The ceiling and walls were a pristine white, giving the illusion of an endless expanse of white.

The floor was semi-transparent, resembling ice, with runes etched upon it. These runes formed concentric circles that interwove, emitting a soft glow as if they were part of an arcane circle, radiating strands of pure, subtle magical energy.

At the heart of the arcane circle sat an old man in a black Zhongshan suit, his long hair and beard unkempt, suggesting they hadn't been tended to in some time.

The old man's attention was fixed on the screen, his back to Liu Chuang and Han Xing, seemingly oblivious to their presence.

For the old man, time appeared to hold no significance. His posture was rigid, mountain-like, impervious to the passage of time.

The screen displayed only a map of Jixledo. The old man's gaze was locked on it, aware that demons could strike at any moment. His eyes, deep and purple-black, seemed to contain entire universes, skies, cities, and individuals.

His look bore the chill of the underworld and the weight of boulders. He stood sentinel here, instilling dread in the demons beyond, deterring any malice they might harbor.

Han Xing offered a deep bow to the elder.

The elder rose slowly from the ground, turning his gaze to Liu Chuang. For a brief moment, the gazes of the elder Wallfacer and his successor intertwined.

In that instant, Liu Chuang felt utterly transparent, as if the elder's piercing stare were a sword that cut straight through his flesh to probe the depths of his soul.

Liu Chuang realized he had no secrets before the elder. He couldn't fathom what the elder had endured or discovered over the past thirty years. If a decade was indeed enough to break through the wall, then this elder had shattered it three times over!

Liu Feng was struck by the elder's immeasurable cultivation, giving Liu Chuang the impression it was a height he could never aspire to reach in his lifetime. The elder's thoughts had settled into an abyssal depth over these thirty years, revealing nothing but an unfathomable profundity and an unstoppable gravitational pull.

Each city establishes a large arcane circle upon its dragon vein to aid sorcerers. The third-tier intermediate arcane—Divine Sense—can preemptively detect a beast invasion. When a sorcerer presides over the central arcane circle, this power can encompass the entire city.

The ranking of arcane circles is based on their complexity, yet sometimes an intermediate arcane can prove more effective than a top-level one!

The early warning time provided by an arcane circle varies from a few minutes to several days, depending on the sorcerer's power and the size of the city it covers.

Whenever a sorcerer emerges, they may choose to become a Wallfacer, as a new sorcerer appears in a city only about once every decade. Each city has a guardian center with a Wallfacer who constantly monitors the demons beyond the Verge of Serenity, thus earning the title of city guardian.

With Liu Feng's current level of cultivation and Jixledo's grand formation, he can provide a ten-minute warning before the beast tide strikes. Although brief, these ten minutes are invaluable to the city, allowing time to evacuate residents, deploy the arcane military, coordinate civilian arcanists, and fully activate the city's barrier, significantly reducing casualties.

The city's barrier required a significant amount of Magic Stones and energy to function. It was typically kept in a low-consumption mode to minimize energy use, which meant that occasionally, a few weak sprites might slip through. Fully activating the barrier, however, took time. During this interim, the Wallfacers provided protection.

It was the presence of the Wallfacers that allowed countless cities to withstand demon invasions and survive.

The elder nodded slightly to the two individuals before turning and walking towards the gate with a firm stride.

The seasoned Wallfacer remained silent throughout. It's possible that after thirty years of vigilance, he had lost the ability to speak.

Liu Chuang, too, had not uttered a word from start to finish, yet his gaze shifted from confusion to hesitation, eventually solidifying into resolve.

The venerable man had fulfilled his lengthy duty, and now, as the responsibility was passed to Liu Chuang, he felt the weight of it. This burden was not just for one person or many, but for the destiny of an entire city's populace.

The arcane circle began to rotate slowly, purifying the magic power converging from all directions into an extremely pure and subtle magical essence. Seated above it, Liu Chuang felt not the ground's chill nor the coveted environment for cultivation, but the gravity of his duty. The entire city's fate rested on his shoulders, and he was accountable for every citizen within.

Liu Chuang's mind was awash with thoughts of his brother, his wife, his elderly parents. With determination, he placed his hand on the focal point of the arcane circle.

"Are you certain of your decision? Once you employ sorcery, there's no turning back. You'll only be able to return home on New Year's Eve, once a year.

On New Year's Eve, arcanist forces will attend to the barrier's maintenance and enhancements. With the continuous advancements in modern human arcane technology, the barrier is perpetually evolving.

On that day, the city's entire arcane barrier will be fully operational, eliminating the need for Wallfacers and providing them with their sole annual respite.

Liu Chuang remained silent, his consciousness enveloped by the spiritual world. Within it, a nebula took shape, its irregular form and dark purple starlight shimmering like a blossoming flower. Swirling vortexes danced around it, seemingly ready to draw one into their depths.

"AI at your service. Identity confirmed: Liu Chuang, intermediate sorcerer."

"Engage the Jixledo arcane circle," Liu Chuang commanded in a deep, quivering voice.

With those words, he accepted his fate as a Wallfacer. His life from now on would be spent here.

"Understood, the circle has been activated for you."

A beam of light enveloped Liu Chuang, and above his head, a universe materialized, resembling an entirely different world—this was the physical manifestation of his spiritual world!

Only a powerful mage could bring their spiritual world into existence like this, casting its projection into the sky while unleashing arcane spells!

A dark purple nebula slowly revolved, emitting and absorbing wisps of purple mist. Then, Liu Chuang's senses began to expand outward at an unfathomable speed. He saw many familiar faces, and the places he had known for the past 27 years came into sharp focus before his eyes.

Liu Chuang's senses continued to extend from the underground shelter to Jixledo's bustling streets, to the Liu family's quaint courtyard, and eventually, they encompassed the entire city.