Insight

After cursing Fulin bloody in his heart once more, President Luqi still had no choice but to shamelessly continue currying favor with Locke.

President Luqi regarded Locke as the pillar supporting the merchant guild's future growth. How could he possibly send someone of unknown background to serve as Locke's coachman?

Fulin's family had driven carriages for the Luqi Merchant Guild for three generations and had earned President Luqi's deep trust. That was why he had entrusted Fulin with the arduous task of driving for Locke.

In President Luqi's mind, as long as Fulin remained by Locke's side, he would have a channel through which he could maintain some connection with Sorcerer Locke in the future.

Unfortunately, Fulin's performance over the past two months had failed to earn Sorcerer Locke's approval, forcing President Luqi to alter his original plans and give up greater profits to come to the village where Locke lived.

"Lord Locke, it's like this..."

"I noticed that this village where you live grows medicinal herbs that are greatly beneficial to warriors' cultivation. So, I would like to ask Lord Locke to put in a word for me. Would it be possible to sell me some of the village's herbs?"

"Of course, please rest assured regarding the price, Lord Locke. I definitely won't disappoint the villagers."

His attempt to take the route of using a servant had failed, so Luqi had no choice but to abandon other, more profitable goods and detour to Pu'er Village, replacing the merchandise he had intended to resell with Pu'er, a medicinal herb with low profits.

No, it was not merely low profit. President Luqi even had to pay out of his own pocket to purchase Pu'er from the villagers of Pu'er Village at high prices.

Locke gave Luqi a surprised look.

This guy had some skills.

His parents in this life were both people at the bottom rung of this fantasy world. What occupied their minds most was how to give their family a better life.

Over the past few days, Locke had subtly sounded out his parents. They were very satisfied with their current lives.

Although he had the ability to take his parents to a better city and let them live better lives, Mr. and Mrs. Manla had rejected all of Locke's suggestions.

Their family had lived here for generations. They did not want to leave either.

In the past, they had worried that Locke, who had gone to the battlefield, might encounter danger. But now that Locke had returned, their greatest wish was to see the two Locke brothers marry and have children.

As for immortality and such, it was more like a dream to them.

Therefore, Locke now only wanted to accompany his parents properly throughout this complete lifetime while continuing his cultivation. After that, so be it.

President Luqi's offer to purchase Pu'er at a higher price would indeed greatly increase everyone's income in the village.

This act truly earned Locke's approval.

"Fine. Cole, since President Luqi wants to purchase Pu'er from the villages outside, take President Luqi to see the village chief."

"Okay, Big Brother."

Cole nodded and led President Luqi toward the village chief's home.

Upon hearing how Cole addressed Locke, President Luqi's eyes lit up, as though he had formed some plan.

In the end, President Luqi finally got what he wanted.

Twenty was precisely the age when a young man was filled with curiosity about the outside world.

After hearing President Luqi describe the things he had encountered while traveling as a merchant, Cole ultimately agreed to join the Luqi Merchant Guild and become a member of its guard squad.

Naturally, the promises President Luqi made in recruiting Cole were far from insignificant.

President Luqi promised Cole that, as long as Cole was willing to join the Luqi Merchant Guild, he would find him a Battle Qi Manual before Cole became a peak Rank 6 Warrior.

A Battle Qi Manual was a battle qi cultivation method that could allow a warrior to break through the chasm of Rank 6.

Just look at Captain Carlet, Pu'er Village's most talented warrior. He had reached Rank 6 Warrior in his twenties.

Yet because he lacked a Battle Qi Manual, even after all these years, Captain Carlet was still a Rank 6 Warrior.

Faced with such temptation, Cole did not deliberate at all and immediately accepted President Luqi's invitation.

Locke offered no comment on Cole's choice.

After all, Locke knew well that no matter how close the relationship, when it came to choices that determined someone's future fate, one could not make decisions for another person.

After seeing the Luqi merchant caravan off with his parents, Locke returned home. After speaking with them for a while, he went back to his room and began cultivating.

Comprehending Profound Mysteries, meditating to restore Mental Strength, absorbing the water elements between heaven and earth and refining them into Magic Power...

Whenever he grew tired from cultivation, Locke would also take a stroll through the surrounding mountains, find a few magical beasts, and test the new techniques he had developed.

Although comprehending Profound Mysteries and using the state of Unity of Heaven and Man to draw upon them to form the Momentum of Heaven and Earth could enhance a spell's offensive power,

to better unleash the might of Profound Mysteries, he had to create techniques compatible with the Profound Mysteries he had comprehended.

To Locke, Profound Mysteries were like the numbers zero through nine in Arabic numerals. Comprehending Profound Mysteries was like learning those numbers.

Techniques were like magical incantations. They could apply Profound Mysteries to those numbers through addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, achieving the effects of attack and defense.

Addition and multiplication were methods for allowing Profound Mysteries to unleash stronger attacks.

Subtraction and division were methods for using Profound Mysteries to weaken the enemy's attacks based on Profound Mysteries and strengthen one's own defense.

Naturally, beyond that were even more profound applications, such as exponents.

The same numbers could produce vastly different results in the hands of an elementary school student and in the hands of a mathematician.

Likewise, the same Profound Mysteries could unleash vastly different levels of power in the hands of different people.

Locke was still at the stage of learning the basic numbers from zero through nine.

But that did not prevent Locke from practicing more advanced applications of Profound Mysteries while comprehending them.

Compared to others, Locke also possessed his own advantage.

That was, based on the Profound Mysteries he had comprehended, Locke had many directions for development in mind. He only needed to follow those directions and study how to make the Profound Mysteries produce stronger effects.

Many gods in the Coiling Dragon Universe, meanwhile, created their techniques while comprehending Profound Mysteries. Most of them came about by accident.

For most gods, deliberately developing techniques for attack or defense was an extremely difficult matter.

After analyzing Water Mist and comprehending a trace of the Profound Mystery of "Illusionary Fog," Locke had also made some plans for his future.

This period was undoubtedly the most chaotic and dangerous era in the Coiling Dragon Universe.

Even among the lofty Seventy-Seven Sovereigns, nearly thirty had fallen.

Even more than a thousand eras later, the fallen Sovereigns had still not been completely replaced.