The Road to Legend

The night grew deeper.

Soren sat on the cold rock, quill in hand. Before him was a stone table cleaved in two by Scimitar, and an Spell Scroll lay spread out. For Adventurer like him, adaptability was undoubtedly strong; whether in a quiet, comfortable inn or a deserted cave, he could concentrate on what he needed to do. Beside him sat Princess Anna, her head tilted to the side, her chubby cheeks accentuated by her hand supporting her chin, making her look quite pretty and adorable.

The princess certainly wouldn't be thin.

Soren had been analyzing the Spell Formula for an unknown amount of time. When he finally looked up, Princess Anna was already a little sleepy, but she still forced herself to sit beside him, making no attempt to disturb him. Soren put down his quill, placed the Spell Scroll aside, and turned to say, "Go to sleep if you're tired. I have a tent and blankets here; you can spread them out and sleep."

Soren carried three low-level Bag of Holding, which contained quite a few items.

Without enough wealth to purchase larger storage items, one can only rely on quantity to win. There was a popular joke back then, the details of which I won't go into, but it gave rise to the mockery of the Beggar Sect Clan disciples. For example, Soren now would be considered a "Three-Bag Disciple" of the Beggar Sect. That's still relatively mild; some people who carried too many items but lacked sufficient funds were directly mocked as "Nine-Bag Elder" of the Beggar Sect. Soren even saw an "Eleven-Bag Supreme Elder" of the Beggar Sect —that was the truly formidable figure, his body covered in various low-level Bag of Holding.

You can't carry too many of these; they severely hinder your combat ability. After all, Bag of Holding still have weight, even though the weight has been reduced by more than 90%. Fighting with so many bags on your back is definitely frustrating. Those who were jokingly called "Beggar Sect' disciples" back then had all trained their skills to avoid having so many bags on their bodies affecting their combat. In Soren's memory, the Beggar Sect' disciples were numerous and powerful, and for a long time, you could see ordinary disciples with two or three bags everywhere.

As for the Nine-Bag Elder and the Eleven-Bag Supreme Elder, they were, after all, just a few special cases.

Princess Anna seemed much more alert upon hearing his voice. She stood up and shook her head, saying, "No need. You're memorizing the Spell, which requires complete concentration. I can keep watch for you at night, and wake you if there's any noise outside."

A very well-behaved princess.

Soren hadn't expected such a well-behaved princess, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face. He subconsciously reached out to pat her little head, but then remembered that she wasn't Vivian, so he simply smiled and nodded, saying, "Alright then. Go to sleep if you feel sleepy. There are traps I've set outside."

Princess Anna nodded gently, her face slightly flushed, seemingly in a good mood.

Soren continued to analyze the construction of the Spell Formula.

As he learned more and more Spell, he became more adept at understanding Spell Formula. Many seemingly difficult Spell could be solved through simple steps. That was to first learn their prerequisite Spell. For example, Soren was currently analyzing Feather Fall. This was a fairly simple levitation Spell, with far fewer Spell Circuit and Spell compared to Fly. Then there was the advanced version of Feather Fall, Levitate, which was a more complex version of Feather Fall. Many of its Spell Formula Spell were the same; the Spell Formula of Feather Fall was a part of Levitate.

Therefore, if Soren first learned the Feather Fall, then the Levitate, and then immediately studied the Fly...

The time required will be greatly reduced because the Spell Formula from the earlier spells are already included in the later higher-level Spell. Learning Feather Fall is equivalent to learning one-third of Levitate, and learning Levitate is equivalent to learning one-fifth of Fly. The subtle details of the Spell Formula construction will help Soren master higher-level Spell. He has now found a path, and in the future, he can rely on the preceding lower-level Spell to increase the speed and success rate of learning higher-level Spell.

The night passed quickly.

When Soren put away his quill, Princess Anna was already looking drowsy. She really hadn't slept all night, just sitting beside him, staring blankly as he studied the Spell Formula. Occasionally, she would listen intently to the sounds outside. Because she hadn't slept all night, her beautiful eyes had slight dark circles. Her Highness must not have stayed up all night before; someone of her status even had maids attending to her until dawn while she slept.

"Take a nap."

Soren stood up, reached out and touched her forehead, then took out a blanket and spread it on the rock, saying softly, "Close your eyes and sleep for a while. I'll wake you up for something to eat later."

"Um... no... no need!..."

Princess Anna, clearly exhausted, seemed to want to stay awake a little longer, and whispered, "You haven't slept all night either, why don't you take a nap first, and then I'll go to sleep when you wake up."

Soren smiled, subconsciously ruffling her hair, and said slowly, "This is nothing to me. It's normal to go ten days or half a month without sleep during an adventure. On the contrary, you probably haven't experienced anything like this before. You should rest and recover your energy. We'll probably be staying here for another two days."

Princess Anna did not insist any further; she curled up on the blanket, her petite body slumped, and soon fell asleep.

She had her eyes closed, breathing evenly, and was sleeping soundly.

Soren glanced at the sleeping girl. She looked incredibly cute and charming, making him want to lean down and kiss her. But he simply reached out and brushed the dust off her hair, then stretched and walked out of the cave.

The path to Legendary is arduous.

If he couldn't even resist the slightest temptation, Soren wouldn't be the Soren he is today, and he wouldn't be qualified to become Legendary being who could fight against the Deity.

One must be able to endure loneliness and resist temptation.

A third or fourth-tier professional, if they give up honing their strength and will, can easily become a city's management, or the head of a gang, where power, money, and women are readily available. They could control a part of the underworld, or become a well-dressed official or nobleman, marrying a wealthy noblewoman. Hiring or buying three or five pretty maids, or, if their tastes are more extreme, purchasing beautiful Slave through various channels, living a life of extravagance, debauchery, and excess would not be difficult.

But the result of doing so was complete corruption, and the will to make progress was lost forever.

Many professionals have survived the clutches of ferocious monsters and the harsh living conditions; they have withstood the test of death and faced countless dangers, yet in the end, they are easily corrupted by the pleasures of life.

That's what makes Legendary Legendary.

That's because Legendary are so extraordinary!

Why are Legendary Wizard so powerful? Because they have spent countless days and nights in the tedious study of Spell! They ponder deeply in towers, they gaze at the starry sky in the dead of night, they pursue the most fundamental laws of this world! They are the wealthiest professionals, with richer fortunes than royalty and nobility! They can enjoy the most luxurious life if they so desire!

Throughout history, how many intelligent beings possess remarkable talents? Yet, how many individuals have truly achieved Legendary across thousands of years?

Strength is not just strength.

It also represents immortality, a long Hit Points. Would you rather stand on high and look down upon the vicissitudes of life, or be content to become a handful of dust a hundred years from now?

The idea of reincarnation in the River Styx is nothing more than a consolation.

After the soul is reshaped, it is completely erased, and a new soul is reconstructed using the power from the 'source'.

There is no such thing as 'Tao' in this world. Perhaps many professionals cannot even fully understand what 'Tao' means, but they have their own beliefs in their hearts, and these beliefs are the 'Tao' they seek. For example, the ascetic Grand Master of Fist. For example, the Swordmaster that Soren met in the small village. Their power could easily bring them power, wealth, and beauty, but they still strictly demand of themselves and pursue the path of Legendary!

If there are 'immortals' in this world, then 'immortals' are above Legendary!

Only Legendary can stand against the Deity.

If you want to stand at the pinnacle of humanity and look down upon the world, tempering your will is the ladder to your ascent.

Outside the cave.

Soren stood halfway up the mountain, gazing into the distance at the vast, white expanse of land, still surrounded by mountains in the distance, many sights obscured by the wind and snow. Even though he was only halfway up the mountain, standing there overlooking the landscape, he felt a sense of openness and expansiveness in his heart. He silently observed for a while, then began to practice his Spell, attempting to master the [Spell Control] Feat.

He had neither Godsbane blood nor extraordinary talent.

To reach Legendary, one still needs to climb step by step. He will have to fight many enemies, and in the future, he may have to face Deity who have looked down on this world for millions of years.

Vivian is still waiting for his return. The Fear God Child continue to Slaughter each other.

The shadow of the Deity has fallen upon the world!

He hasn't reached the point where he can stop and rest to enjoy himself, not because he has no desires, but simply because he cares so much about certain things.

No one wants to endure hardship in freezing weather, and no one wants to constantly face life-or-death battles.

Pain on the body is pain, and scars on the skin are scars. Fighting for your life on the edge of a knife is never a pleasure. The approach of death is terrifying for any living being. Soren rarely showed anything, but that doesn't mean he didn't feel pain when he was wounded or suffer when he bled. Pain is always pain; it will never turn into pleasure or enjoyment. It appears in your body, is etched in your heart, and is branded on your soul.

Make it even more powerful!

His name is Soren, and he has embarked on the path to becoming Legendary. Injuries are commonplace for him, and he has bled countless times.

But he did not fall; his will remained as firm as steel!

(P. S.: This chapter was originally going to be split into volumes, since it's exactly 150 chapters. But I haven't had time to write a summary lately, so I'll leave it for when I split it into volumes later. I'll also write the summary of the first volume while I'm at it.) (To be continued~^~)