The Yulan River was the largest inland river on the Yulan Continent. It entered from the North Sea, and its main channel ran through the O'Brien Empire, the Yulan Empire, the Luo'ao Empire, and the Rhine Empire. Its many tributaries also extended throughout the various regions of the Four Great Empires.
The Yulan River flowed turbulently. At its widest, it spanned several miles; even at its narrowest, it was hundreds of meters across.
Within the O'Brien Empire, a corpse floated on the Yulan River.
Suddenly, the corpse moved.
It rose straight out of the river and flew through the air.
If anyone had witnessed this, they would surely have cried out, "A Saint Realm expert!"
It was common knowledge throughout the Yulan Continent that only Saint Realm experts could fly through the air.
Saint Realm experts were the top powerhouses on the Yulan Continent. They could melt enormous glaciers, make the endless sea roar, bring towering mountains crashing down, destroy cities of a million people, and send countless meteorites raining from the sky.
Saint Realm experts stood as equals to the emperors of the Four Great Empires and the popes of the two great churches.
"I'm not dead!? I died!" Beneath the moonlight, the man flying through the air was pale as a corpse.
His eyes were filled with shock.
The memories in his mind made him realize that he had arrived in the Coiling Dragon World.
The Yulan Continent, the High Priest, the War God. So many familiar names!
He really was on the Yulan Continent in the Coiling Dragon World.
"I, Kolan, actually came to the Coiling Dragon World!" His eyes were filled with astonishment and disbelief.
He knew Coiling Dragon inside out. It had been the novel that first drew him into the world of web fiction, and he had spent more than a decade exploring it ever since. He considered himself a seasoned reader.
Every year, he reread Coiling Dragon!
He gently closed his eyes and sifted through the memories in his mind.
This body belonged to a Saint Realm expert named "Kelan." He cultivated Life Magic and Death Magic, and was a Saint Magus.
Kelan had encountered a beast tide in the North Sea. Alongside Baruch, he had fought the magical beasts, exhausting both his magic power and spiritual power before taking a heavy blow from a Nine-Dragon Snake Emperor. He had fallen into the Yulan River and been carried downstream.
The current year was 4579 of the Yulan Calendar!
Kelan also had another identity: vice dean of the Yulan Magic Academy in the Yulan Empire.
"I wonder how long I was unconscious. This situation... it should be a Soul Mutation!" Kolan's gaze turned profound. He realized that his soul power had grown tremendously.
With his current soul power, a spiritual attack could probably kill his former self outright.
Soul Mutation could grant a person limitless potential.
When Kolan had once taken a test of his magical talent, he had shown no elemental affinity!
That was right. He had no affinity for any of the seven elements.
Yet he had excellent talent for both Life Magic and Death Magic.
A Ninth-Rank Necromancer had taken an interest in him and accepted him as a disciple. He inherited his master's teachings and cultivated for two hundred years before finally reaching the Saint Realm, becoming a Saint Realm Necromancer.
Saint Realm Necromancers were enough to strike fear into anyone on the Yulan Continent. They could summon vast armies of undead and unleash undead disasters.
After becoming a Saint Realm Necromancer, he once visited Yulan City and encountered Life Magic. Only then did he realize he had a talent for the Life Law. He devoted himself to studying Life Magic and became a Saint Realm Life Mage as well.
By now, he had cultivated for more than three hundred years.
"His former self was such a fool. He knew perfectly well how frail mages were, yet he never cultivated Battle Qi or trained his body." Kolan shook his head.
Of course, a mage's body was frail only in comparison with a warrior of the same rank.
In fact, a mage's body was continually strengthened by magic power, making it far stronger than an ordinary person's.
The body of a Saint Magus was often even stronger than that of a Seventh-Rank Warrior!
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a large ship approaching in the distance.
Kolan flew over to it and landed on deck.
"A Saint Realm expert! It's a Saint Realm expert!" The sailors spotted Kolan, and their faces changed as they grew both excited and awestruck.
A powerhouse like this was the stuff of legends. Most people never saw one in their entire lives.
"What year and day is it in the Yulan Calendar?" Kolan asked coolly.
"Honored Saint Realm expert, today is August 30, 4579 of the Yulan Calendar!" the captain replied reverently.
August 30!?
Kolan quickly calculated. He had been unconscious for a full three months.
He hadn't been eaten by fish and shrimp or become food for a magical beast in the Yulan River. His luck had been incredible.
Kolan took to the air and left the ship.
After thoroughly washing himself in the Yulan River, he took a magic robe from his Space Ring.
"Now let's see whether I really underwent Soul Mutation." Kolan began trying to combine his Death Magic power with his Life Magic power.
If his soul had truly mutated, then the two energies would surely be able to fuse.
Sure enough, before long, the two kinds of magic power merged. The resulting greenish-gray energy was ten times stronger than either Death Magic power or Life Magic power on its own.
"This fused magic power can actually strengthen my body." A flicker of surprise crossed Kolan's eyes, but he felt even more excitement and exhilaration.
Didn't this mean that a mage's weak body—their greatest shortcoming—could finally be made up for?
Kolan then began directing the fused magic power to strengthen his body.
Now that he had reached the Saint Realm, he could go without food or drink for a long time without issue.
The pleasure of feeling his body grow stronger filled Kolan with intoxicating delight.
At last, when the strengthening no longer had any effect, Kolan opened his eyes, his gaze filled with astonishment.
"Incredible, absolutely incredible. My body now must be comparable to that of a Saint Realm magical beast!" Kolan felt the changes in his body.
Even the body of a Saint Warrior was far inferior to that of a Saint Realm magical beast, let alone that of a Saint Realm magical beast with an especially powerful physique.
Yet now, his body felt comparable to that of a Saint Realm magical beast.
He felt so strong that he could smash an entire mountain with a single punch.
He was overwhelmingly powerful!
Kolan was thrilled. From this moment on, he no longer had the weakness of a mage's frail body.
Once he learned a warrior's combat techniques, he would no longer be a mere mage. He would cultivate both magic and martial arts, becoming not only a Saint Magus but also a Saint Warrior.
Besides, the stronger his body, the more magic power and Battle Qi it could hold.
After all, the body was like a vessel; its size determined how much it could contain.
Kolan flipped his hand and took out a Battle Qi Manual from his Space Ring. As a Saint Magus, he had never cultivated Battle Qi, but he had collected a few manuals. Now one would come in handy.
Kolan began practicing the Battle Qi Manual.
With his current level of understanding, his Battle Qi cultivation advanced quickly.
Before long, Kolan had reached the Saint Realm in Battle Qi cultivation and become a Saint Warrior.
If word of this got out, it would cause an absolute sensation.
Kolan's cultivation speed was simply too fast.
Before you continue