That Person Is a God

Behind the Ernst Institute, the continuous heavy snowfall had draped the entire mountain in a coat of silver, with scattered boulders nestled amidst the dense forest.

Looking from afar, it resembled a painting of a winter landscape.

In a clearing, Linley stood with his eyes closed, standing quietly before a massive boulder.

Beibei was in the snow not far away, silently guarding Linley.

Even George and Reynolds, watching Linley's state, did not know what to do.

On the contrary, Doehring Cowart, floating to the side, was secretly startled, Linley seems to have entered a new realm.

This state, similar to an "epiphany," was extremely rare.

Not far from the group, Fang Yun stood atop a boulder. Upon discovering Linley's current state, he had come over immediately, wanting to witness Linley's transformation with his own eyes. After all, this could be considered the beginning of Linley's rise.

Soon, Linley moved, and stone chips flew everywhere.

In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.

When Linley finally put away his blade, the stone sculpture "Dream Awakening" was born.

It was as if this heavy snow had fallen just for Linley; now that the sculpture "Dream Awakening" was complete, the snow also ceased.

The world was a sheet of white, and the entire mountain was covered in thick snow, deep enough to reach one's knees. As the snow stopped, the temperature plummeted.

In this environment, Yale and the other two had pitched a tent nearby, keeping watch over Linley the entire time, even having their food delivered to them.

At this moment, all three were marveling at the stone sculpture.

"Boss Yale, Second Brother, Fourth Brother."

Linley, having finished communicating with Doehring Cowart, walked over with a smile.

The three of them were jolted out of their awe of the sculpture.

"You finally spoke!"

Reynolds said excitedly, "It's been eleven days! You haven't eaten or drunk for eleven days!"

These past few days, they had been extremely worried about Linley.

"Eleven days."

Linley realized this as well and smiled, "I am indeed a bit hungry."

"This sculpture has the touch of a master."

Suddenly, a voice rang out from not far away.

Everyone felt a jolt in their hearts. Someone else was here?

They hadn't seen anyone else around at all. Even Doehring Cowart's soul trembled, and he instantly scanned his surroundings.

Although he was only in a soul state, he was, after all, the soul of a Saint-level expert; it was impossible for him not to know if someone was nearby.

In other words, the newcomer was at least at the Saint level.

"Alright, no need to hide."

Fang Yun's voice appeared directly within Doehring Cowart's soul, causing Doehring Cowart, who had been about to retreat into the Coiling Dragon Ring, to stop, a look of shock appearing on his face.

From this alone, he knew the other party's strength far exceeded his own.

To be able to transmit sound directly into his soul without him sensing anything at all.

Then...

A terrifying thought flashed through Doehring Cowart's mind: the newcomer... was likely a God.

Thinking of this possibility, Doehring Cowart dared not speak further. Facing a God-level expert, the secret transmissions between him and Linley seemed laughable.

But who could it be?

Could this person be the War God?

Linley did not notice Doehring Cowart's state; he was also staring in shock at Fang Yun, who had suddenly appeared before the sculpture "Dream Awakening."

He couldn't help but feel stunned. Although he hadn't accumulated much magical power, his spiritual energy had already reached the seventh rank. If someone had approached, how could he not have known?

The only possibility was that the other party was an incredibly powerful expert. A ninth-rank expert, or perhaps even a Saint.

However, Grandpa Doehring hadn't retreated into the Coiling Dragon Ring, so he assumed the man wasn't a Saint-level expert.

But even a ninth-rank expert was not someone he could handle right now.

Yet, this suddenly appearing expert didn't seem to have any ill intent.

"Boss, this guy appeared so suddenly."

Beibei sent a soul transmission, "I've been guarding here the whole time, and I didn't even notice how he appeared."

"It's fine. He shouldn't have any ill intent."

Linley replied.

After all, this was the back mountain of the Ernst Institute; even a ninth-rank expert wouldn't dare cause trouble here.

"Alright, don't be nervous."

Fang Yun noticed the wariness of Linley and his three companions. He smiled casually, circled the sculpture "Dream Awakening" twice, and finally nodded. "A very fine piece."

Fang Yun did not know exactly what the sculpture "Dream Awakening" looked like in the original story, but looking at this piece, he could actually discern a hint of "wind" within it. It shared a subtle connection with his own sculptures; it was truly fate.

After becoming a god, he had let the Doham brothers cultivate in the valley to reach the Saint-level as soon as possible. As for himself, he had come to the Ernst Institute to witness Linley's transformation.

Therefore, he did not know that Linley had visited the Stone Sculpture Valley, and naturally, he was unaware that Linley's sculpting technique had actually been influenced by him.

Thus, seeing this suddenly, he couldn't help but marvel at Linley's talent.

He had always thought his own sculptures were unique.

"Thank you for the compliment, sir."

Linley spoke earnestly.

Fang Yun smiled, waved his hand, and asked directly, "Is this piece for sale?"

In the original story, "Dream Awakening" eventually ended up in the hands of Delia. It was likely kept in Delia's family, and there were no further records of it in the original text.

However, it was speculated that after the gods descended upon the Yulan Continent, the likelihood of this sculpture being damaged was actually quite high.

It would be a pity for Linley's first master-level sculpture to be destroyed like that. It would be better off in his possession, where it could be considered a highly valuable collectible.

For sale?

Linley was stunned; he hadn't expected Fang Yun to ask this suddenly. But thinking about it, it was normal; perhaps this was also someone who loved sculpting.

After a moment, Linley spoke up, "I apologize, sir. I have no intention of selling this sculpture for the time being."

Linley was not particularly short on money at the moment. During his previous training in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, he had obtained nearly one hundred thousand gold coins worth of magical beast cores, which was enough to cover not only his own expenses but also his younger brother Wharton's tuition.

Under these circumstances, he had no need to sell "Dream Awakening."

"That is truly a pity."

Fang Yun's tone did not change much; after all, he knew that Linley was not currently lacking money. Whether it was Linley's previous sculptures or the magical beast cores, both were sources of wealth.

Moreover, this was Linley's first master-level sculpture, and in the original story, Linley had no intention of selling it at first either.

In the original story, the reason he sold this sculpture was because he needed several hundred thousand gold coins to purchase the war blade "Slaughter" from the Lucas Clan, leaving him no choice but to sell "Dream Awakening."

Now that the war blade "Slaughter" was in his hands, he could easily use it to trade for the sculpture when the time came. He believed Linley would not refuse then.

"Very well, since that is the case, I won't disturb your brotherly gathering any further."

Fang Yun looked at Linley and his three companions, then glanced at Beibei and Doehring Cowart, before flying away directly.

He had only come to witness Linley's transformation, after all.

Flew away?!

Seeing this, Linley's gaze instantly sharpened. Even Yale and the others had their eyes widened in shock.

A Saint-level expert!

"Is... is that a Saint-level expert?!"

Yale couldn't help but exclaim. Even his family's Dawson Chamber of Commerce did not possess a Saint-level expert.

Every Saint-level expert was a legend. They could easily cause a family to rise to power.

"A Saint-level expert actually came to the Ernst Institute!"

Reynolds couldn't help but be shocked as well. This was a Saint-level expert, a presence that even the four great empires had to treat with caution.

George calmed down a bit faster, but his tone was still excited. "Even a Saint-level expert values Linley's sculpture. This..."

"Grandpa Doehring, this..."

Linley suddenly noticed that Doehring Cowart's soul was still outside and couldn't help but ask.

He knew that when facing a Saint-level expert, Grandpa Doehring could sense them, and usually, he wouldn't reveal himself in front of other Saint-level experts. After all, other Saint-level experts could also sense Doehring Cowart's existence.

Only after seeing that Fang Yun had disappeared did Doehring Cowart calm down slightly, but his tone still carried an unconcealable tremor. "Linley, that person just now... that person is a god!"

"A god?!"

Linley's eyes widened instantly.

For a moment, he felt like Grandpa Doehring was joking with him.

A god...? How could that be possible!

"Linley, actually, the moment that person appeared, he sent me a voice transmission."

Doehring Cowart knew Linley was shocked, so he briefly explained the situation and his guess. "Therefore, I can be certain that this person is definitely at the god-level. It is very likely the War God of the O'Brien Empire."

Doehring Cowart knew that during his era, the god-level experts of the Yulan Continent were the High Priest of the Yulan Empire and the one in the Dark Forest.

The person who arrived could not possibly be either of them, so that left only the War God, who was also the closest to this location.

Although he didn't know why the War God would come here, he still deduced that this person was the god-level War God from five thousand years ago.

"The War God."

Linley could hear his own heartbeat at this moment.

The most powerful existence on the Yulan Continent.

He did not doubt Doehring Cowart; on the contrary, after hearing what Doehring Cowart said, he became even more convinced of the other party's identity. He had just refused a request from a god-level expert?

Although it was merely a question, it was, after all, the request of a god.

If he had known the other party was a god, he would never have refused.

A god-level powerhouse!

The most powerful existence on the Yulan Continent. No matter how hard Linley worked, he had never imagined that he could reach such a level.

Therefore, facing a god-level expert, Linley's heart was filled with awe.

Unable to help himself, he looked toward the spot where Fang Yun had just disappeared, and Linley's mood surged inexplicably.

Linley did not tell Yale and the others that Fang Yun might be the War God, as this matter was simply too inconceivable.

Even a Saint-level expert would be enough to shock them. A god? It was unimaginable.

The status of a god-level expert on the Yulan Continent was simply incomparable to that of a Saint-level.

The group ate casually around the tent, and during this time, Linley remained absent-minded.

Anyone who knew they had just faced a god-level powerhouse would likely not be calm. Linley's performance was already quite restrained.

"Linley, are you still thinking about that Saint-level expert?"

Yale looked at Linley's expression and couldn't help but ask.

George and Reynolds also looked at Linley.

It wasn't just Linley; deep down, they were also unable to calm themselves.

After all, the power of a Saint-level expert was well known to everyone.

Saint-level?

Linley smiled bitterly in his heart. If it were truly just a Saint-level expert, he wouldn't be in this state. After all, he had seen Saint-level experts when he was a child, and two of them at that.

However, Linley did not offer much explanation. He forcibly suppressed the emotional fluctuations in his heart and directly changed the subject, "Boss Yale, please keep this stone sculpture for me for now."

Afterward, Linley stood up and looked around at the vast, snow-covered landscape, "I went to the Magical Beast Mountain Range for training when I was fifteen. By logic, I should have gone for training in July or August when I turned sixteen, but because of Alice, I didn't go at that time. Now, I have decided to go to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to train properly for a period of time."

His spiritual energy had now reached the seventh rank, and this training would be enough for him to accumulate sufficient magic power to become a true seventh-rank mage.

"You're going to the Magical Beast Mountain Range?!"

Yale and the other two were stunned. They stopped focusing on the Saint-level expert and began to worry about Linley.

They did not know Linley's current strength, but they knew he had just emerged from a heartbreak. They feared that going to the Magical Beast Mountain Range in such a state would be dangerous.

"Don't worry."

Linley saw their concern and felt happy from the bottom of his heart, "I am very rational. If I hadn't moved on, 'Dream Awakening' would have been destroyed by me. Now, it is just a memory. Everything is in the past."

As he spoke, Linley smiled, "Do you not have confidence in me?"

Seeing Linley like this, the three of them stopped trying to persuade him and could only urge him to be careful.

Soon, Linley set foot on the road to the Magical Beast Mountain Range once again.

Beyond the training and the goal of becoming a true seventh-rank mage as quickly as possible.

The rest of his plan was to head to Stone Sculpture Valley to visit the Doham brothers, as well as Mr. Fang Yun, whom he had never met before—especially the stone sculptures of Mr. Fang Yun, which remained carved into his heart.

His ability to sculpt "Dream Awakening" had some connection to his experiences in Stone Sculpture Valley.

The final task was to go to Mist Valley. This was a valley he had discovered during his last visit, but at the time, he only had the strength of a sixth-rank mage and was not capable of entering the valley.

Now, once he became a seventh-rank mage and learned the Flight Technique, he would be able to explore Mist Valley.

Managed to write a chapter during a break between classes. Continuing classes in the afternoon, let's see how the time goes.