Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 334 Attempting to Level 3
Although the phone screen returned to normal, everyone was heavy-hearted.

No one dared to take a warning from an annihilation layer evil spirit lightly.

Among those present, even Li Shang had only just advanced to the LV4 Blood Venerable level of a sorcerer two months ago. At this level, he could barely contend with the evil spirits of the Annihilation Layer.

The deathly silence lasted for several minutes. Suddenly, Jiang Jin took a deep breath, turned to Yu Tianlun, and said with a resolute tone, "Commander, I need to try to break through to LV3."

Yu Tianlun's pupils contracted slightly: "Now? Here?"

“Right now, right here.” Jiang Jin’s gaze swept across the dark, rainy night outside the window. “The rule corruption of this terrifying instance is no small matter, but crisis is also opportunity. My hunter class is already exceptionally difficult to advance in, and its core lies in gradually adapting to, understanding, and ultimately mastering the rule corruption. The strongest in history, such as Zhuge Yu and Long Mingzhang, were all hunters.”

Li Shang nodded in agreement: "That's right. The ones who can truly master the corruption of rules are the hunters. But this path is very difficult, just like a monkey having to try to learn how to operate a computer on its own."

Jiang Jin nodded and continued, "This villa, because of that videotape and 'her' activities, has become a heavily polluted area of ​​rules, blurring the line between the material layer and the polluted layer. I want to use this environment, along with the Crimson Jade, to try to forcefully break through the barrier of a LV3 Forbidden Zone Hunter. If I succeed, I will be able to initially construct the prototype of a Hunter's domain."

Yu Tianlun looked intently at Jiang Jin, his eyes flashing with shock and worry, but ultimately turning into a resolute expression: "Hunter LV3... If you can really achieve this in such a short time, once the news gets out, it won't just shake the imperial court; the United Nations, the Cross Council, and even the Duncan Club in the United States will take notice of your name. At that point, Zhou Chen won't even be considered a genius in your eyes."

Li Shangze emphasized in a heavy tone: "Vice Commander Jiang, listen to this. LV3 is the real watershed for Reincarnators, representing the backbone of the force, enough to apply for independent guild formation. After all, LV4 and LV5 are extremely rare. The number of LV3 Reincarnators a country has is a hard indicator of its overall Reincarnator strength. Are you really confident? Attempting to advance in the terrifying dungeon is no child's play."

Jiang Jin met Yu Tianlun and Li Shang's gazes without flinching: "I know the risks. But sitting idly by and waiting for death might lead to an even worse outcome. I want to give it a try."

"Alright!" Yu Tianlun patted Jiang Jin's shoulder heavily. "I'll protect you! What do you need me to do?"

Li Shang was stunned: "You...you guys are serious?"

"I'll find a relatively quiet room first and set up an isolation and protection array for you."

"Yes, I need to delve into the Lost Layer and confront the corruption of the rules here."

"No, this, isn't this too..." Lian Xuan was also dumbfounded. In his memory, it hadn't been long since Jiang Jin advanced to LV2, had it? Now he's trying to reach LV3? Do you think this is a game where you can pay to cheat?

Ignoring the strange looks from those around them, Yu Tianlun and Jiang Jin acted quickly and chose an empty Japanese-style room on the first floor of the villa.

Yu Tianlun took out various recently purchased magical artifacts and talismans, and drew intricate and ancient runes on the floor, walls, and ceiling, setting up a composite array that integrates shielding, calming the mind, and protection.

Jiang Jin then set up several bloodstain traps around himself. These traps could not harm the evil spirits of the Annihilation Layer, but they could serve as a warning.

With everything ready, Jiang Jin sat cross-legged in the center of the formation and gave Yu Tianlun his final instructions: "Captain, if the formation issues a warning, or if you notice any signs that I'm losing control, immediately remind me, and I'll return to the Mysterious Layer right away."

"Don't worry, leave it to me." Yu Tianlun stood solemnly at the edge of the formation.

Jiang Jin closed his eyes and activated and enhanced his Ghostly Vision. His SAN value began to drop rapidly as he ventured deeper into the Lost Layer.

Outside the room, the others in the living room began to discuss the matter.

Li Shang looked at Xu Yinqiu: "Miss Xu, if I remember correctly, you told me that he became a reincarnator in less than half a year at most?"

“Yes,” Xu Yinqiu nodded, “You’re not mistaken.”

Li Shang expressed his incomprehension: "From LV1 to LV2, Vice Commander Jiang's advancement speed was indeed astonishing, but it could be explained by the legendary Crimson Jade accessory. But from LV2 to LV3... this is not just about accumulating resentment ashes, but also about building a 'domain prototype,' which is a qualitative change! No matter how strong the Crimson Jade is, it cannot directly grant this kind of understanding and construction ability of rule pollution."

Xu Yinqiu also felt it was inappropriate, but she trusted the two of them and said, "Let them try, perhaps... a miracle will happen?"

But when it came to the word "miracle," she herself felt unsure and her voice automatically lowered.

Li Shang crossed his arms, his brow furrowed. "Miss Xu, you know this is practically a miracle! Sigh, Deputy Commander Jiang really rushed things. How easy is it to establish a rudimentary domain? It requires countless life-or-death battles, long-term observation, understanding, and even confrontation with the pollution of rules to gradually find a path. How long has it been? He's aiming too high, forcing growth! If he really has this kind of advancement speed, he's almost caught up with Zhuge Yu, who was once recognized as the world's number one reincarnator! Commander Zhuge is a legend that even the United Nations and the Cross Council have to acknowledge!"

Back when the Duncan Club hadn't yet risen to prominence, the Cross Council was the most prestigious reincarnation team internationally. Even the Cross Council's chairman, Mark Gray, publicly admitted that he was slightly inferior to Zhuge Yu. "Near-LV3 and true LV3, though only one word apart, are worlds apart. The former merely touches the threshold, while the latter has truly entered that realm, mastering a portion of the power of the rules. They are completely incomparable. I'm not optimistic."

Lian Xuan sighed, his tone understanding: "Vice Commander Jiang is under too much pressure. He feels that he has dragged the team down, forcing everyone to face such a bizarre and dangerous dungeon. He wants to improve his strength as soon as possible to protect everyone, so his impatience is understandable. Let him give it a try. With Commander Yu protecting him, he should be able to control the risks."

Although Lian De still had talismans on his body and was listless, he couldn't help but speak up: "The vice-captain has a strong sense of responsibility and commendable spirit, but... to advance to LV3 in less than half a year, especially in the notoriously difficult hunter profession... that sounds too outrageous."

Li Shang said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "If he can really do it, to put it bluntly, Commander Yu should just give up his position as commander. Anyway, if it were me, I would absolutely not have the face to let such a peerless prodigy who has risen from a rookie to LV3 in half a year be relegated to the position of deputy commander. At that time, the imperial court will probably send people down to give him special attention and cultivation, and Minister Long will use it as a political achievement to promote it desperately."

The crowd's discussions included both amazement at Jiang Jin's potential and deep concern about his hasty attempt to advance to a higher level. This almost contradicted their understanding of the advancement rules for reincarnators.

Inside the Lost Layer.

Jiang Jin's mental perception seemed to have fallen into a viscous, distorted chaos.

The villa's physical structure becomes blurred here, replaced by countless flowing streams of information, exuding malice and chaos.

This is the direct manifestation of Sadako Yamamura's rule pollution here, ten or even a hundred times stronger than what was felt inside the Mysterious Layer!
The vermilion jade worn on Jiang Jin's chest emitted a warm yet firm red light, forming a protective shield that isolated and purified the pollution of the rules.

Jiang Jin began to absorb the resentment crystals. Each dark red crystal emitted resentment ash that surged into his body, impacting the incredibly sturdy LV3 barrier.

The crimson jade shone brighter and brighter, and soon a blurry phantom appeared behind him, the prototype of his envisioned "forbidden hunting domain".

However, the barrier to LV3 is far stronger than imagined. It is not just a test of strength, but also the ultimate test of understanding the rules.

He needs to forcibly incorporate the pervasive rules and pollution belonging to Sadako into his own system, "domesticate" and "analyze" them, and use this as the core to construct a "prototype of a domain" that belongs only to him and can distort, resist, and even formulate rules within a certain range.

Once, twice, three times...

The torrent of resentful ashes crashed against the invisible barrier time and again, yet like waves crashing against rocks, the barrier remained unmoved.

The blurry phantom of the domain could not be solidified. Instead, due to the forced induction of rule pollution, it became somewhat unstable, and signs of distortion and collapse began to appear at the edges.

"No...it still doesn't work..." Jiang Jin felt waves of mental weakness and stinging pain.

He had enhanced the Crimson Jade to the maximum extent, but he could never overcome the most crucial step: accommodating and transforming the pollution of the rules.

He realized the root of the problem.

The time I spent as a reincarnator was too short!

His understanding and perception of the corruption of rules are far from sufficient. Such insights cannot be made up for simply by piling up resentment ashes or by using treasures; they require time, experience, and repeated battles with various rule-related evil spirits on the edge of life and death to gradually cultivate "intuition" and "control".

Is this how we're going to fail?

He was unwilling to accept it!

A strong conviction continued to sustain him.

So……

Can the abilities of a logical sophist help them?
Using this ability to modify... the rules themselves?
Once the idea took hold, it could not be contained.

This is undoubtedly like playing with fire, extremely dangerous!
But at this moment, Jiang Jin had no way out.

A resolute glint flashed in his eyes. The cooldown time was four hours; he could wait!
He is about to embark on an unprecedented adventure—using the power of the Deceptive Lawyer to construct the prototype of his domain by incorporating the pollution of rules, and achieving this through the logical modification of the rules!
(End of this chapter)