Emperor of the Frost Snow Empire

One thought after another surfaced in Locke's mind. After considering their feasibility, he ultimately rejected them all.

Suddenly, an idea emerged from the depths of Locke's heart. It swiftly broke through the soil and grew into a towering tree.

"Now that I've reached the Saint-level, I possess an endless lifespan."

"Since my offensive power is insufficient, I can simply raise my warrior rank!"

Once this thought took root in Locke's heart, it could no longer be erased.

Mages might be cool.

But as a transmigrator from the Zhonghua Family, what mage didn't have the heart of a melee fighter?

"And..."

"Both Magic Power and battle qi are formed by absorbing the elements between heaven and earth and refining them for one's own use."

"When fused with Mental Strength and stored in the sea of the soul, it becomes Magic Power."

"When fused with physical strength and stored in the qi sea of the dantian, it becomes battle qi."

"Magic incantations were created by the Overgods, who broke down the Profound Mysteries of laws to their absolute limit to make them more universally applicable, allowing more people to learn them."

"By the same logic, Battle Qi Manuals should be similar to magic incantations."

"A Battle Qi Manual that allows one to break through to Rank 7 Warrior contains Profound Mysteries of laws comparable to those in Rank 7 Mage spells."

"Now that I am Saint-level, if I create a Battle Qi Manual based on the Profound Mysteries of laws I have comprehended, it will definitely be the most suitable for my own cultivation."

"Moreover, creating a Battle Qi Manual will deepen my understanding of the Profound Mysteries of laws. It will kill several birds with one stone."

"Let's do it!"

With that thought, Locke opened his eyes and entered the state of "Unity of Heaven and Man," immersing himself in the Profound Mystery of laws of "Illusionary Fog" that he had comprehended.

Previously, aside from breaking down and comprehending the mysteries within magic incantations, Locke comprehended Profound Mysteries of laws by using the laws he had already grasped to deduce other Profound Mysteries he had yet to comprehend. He would then comprehend those deduced Profound Mysteries and make them wholly his own.

Now, what Locke needed to do was continue gaining a deeper understanding of the Profound Mysteries he had already comprehended. Then, just as one developed magic incantations, he would begin creating a Battle Qi Manual for the Profound Mystery of laws of "Illusionary Fog."

One day, two days...

One month, two months...

One year, two years...

On this day, a great quantity of water elements around Locke was drawn into his body.

However, these water elements were not fused with Locke's Mental Strength and stored in his sea of the soul. Instead, they circulated through his meridians according to a certain pattern before finally being condensed into blue battle qi, which Locke stored in his dantian.

Half an hour later, Locke finished this cultivation session and opened his eyes.

"Not bad. After three years, I've finally created a Battle Qi Manual based on the Profound Mystery of laws of 'Illusionary Fog.'"

"It is like refining Magic Power, except refining Magic Power consumes Mental Strength, while refining battle qi consumes physical strength."

"Cultivating for too long will leave the body extremely exhausted."

"The stronger the body, the longer one can cultivate battle qi."

"Now that I have reached the Saint-level, my physical constitution has already reached the level of a Rank 7 Warrior after being tempered by Magic Power."

"I imagine it won't be long before my battle qi cultivation reaches Rank 7. Only then will my cultivation speed begin to slow."

Cultivation had never been a single path.

The body and soul were also interconnected.

After a mage reached the Saint-level, the strength of their physical constitution rivaled that of a Rank 7 Warrior.

Likewise, after warriors reached the Saint-level, the strength of their Mental Strength could rival that of a Rank 7 Mage.

However, since it was not their specialty, a Saint-level mage who relied solely on physical strength to fight a Rank 7 Warrior might be beaten badly.

Likewise, a Saint-level warrior using Mental Strength to cast magic against a Rank 7 Mage would be easily defeated by the Rank 7 Mage's spells due to their lack of proficiency.

Once everyone reached the God-level, there would no longer be much distinction between mages and warriors.

That was because what they cultivated would no longer be the lower-level Magic Power and battle qi, but "divine power."

At most, there would only be differences in fighting styles. Those who advanced to the Divine Domain as mages excelled at long-range attacks, while those who advanced to the Divine Domain as warriors excelled at close combat.

After creating the Battle Qi Manual, Locke would also take out his sword to practice during breaks from comprehending Profound Mysteries of laws.

After all, Locke was a Saint-level Expert who had comprehended Profound Mysteries of laws. Thus, what he practiced was not the usual warrior training. Instead, he immersed himself in the state of "Unity of Heaven and Man" and pondered how to imbue his sword attacks with the Profound Mystery of laws of "Illusionary Fog."

During the period Locke devoted himself to cultivation, the Luqi Merchant Guild came to Pu'er Village almost every year. The one leading them was either President Luqi or Locke's younger brother, Cole.

Every time they came, they would visit Locke and sit with him for a while.

Having managed the Luqi Merchant Guild for so many years, Cole understood how great the benefits of having a powerful mage as one's backing could be for a merchant caravan.

It could be said that the Luqi Merchant Guild's development to its current scale was inseparably linked to Locke.

Especially after Locke's younger brother married Luqi's daughter, let alone bandits, even some minor nobles were willing to make things convenient for the Luqi Merchant Guild.

More than a decade ago, Locke had been able to wipe out a thousand-man bandit force in a short time. More than a decade later, no one believed that Sorcerer Locke had remained stagnant.

Few were willing to offend a merchant guild backed by at least a Rank 7 Archmage.

On this day, Locke was practicing swordplay in front of his cottage.

A faint mist lingered around Locke, making him appear both real and illusory within the small courtyard.

Suddenly, a powerful Spiritual Sense spread out from afar, instantly jolting Locke awake from his state of "Unity of Heaven and Man."

"Who is it?"

Just as this doubt arose in Locke's heart, he suddenly heard a deep male voice ring in his ear.

"Oh?"

"I didn't expect such an unexpected delight this time."

"Little fellow, I am Ceres, Emperor of the Frost Snow Empire."

"Are you willing to fight for the Overgod and become a soldier of Overgod Philo?"

Hearing the voice by his ear, Locke was startled.

This was the Spiritual Sense of a God-level Expert?

"Locke greets His Majesty Ceres."

Although it was merely the descent of Spiritual Sense, Locke did not dare show disrespect to a God-level Expert.

He immediately gave a slight bow in the direction of the Imperial Capital.

"Your Majesty Ceres, forgive my boldness, but if I become a soldier of Overgod Philo, what will I gain?"

"And if I refuse to become the Overgod's soldier, what will I lose?"

"Hahahaha, interesting, interesting."

"Little fellow, your name is Locke, correct?"