Instruction

"Big Brother Doham."

Linley was somewhat surprised, knowing that Beibei had reached the level of an eighth-rank magical beast, yet Doham still insisted on sparring with him.

"Haha, Linley, don't worry."

Ever since he had recovered the Tiger-striped Secret Manual and cultivated battle qi, Doham had become increasingly confident.

If it were an ordinary eighth-rank warrior, it would be difficult to defeat a magical beast of the same rank. But Doham was not the least bit worried; even without transforming, he was certain he wouldn't lose to an eighth-rank magical beast. This was the confidence of an Ultimate Warrior.

"Boss, let me have a good spar with him. Don't worry, I'll be careful with my strength."

Beibei sent a mental message directly.

Seeing that both Doham and Beibei held this attitude, Linley could only agree, though he still cautioned Beibei, "Don't hurt Big Brother Doham."

"Don't worry, Boss."

Beibei was also quite confident at this moment.

Facing a seventh-rank warrior, it was still quite easy for it to handle the situation.

"You guys go into the valley first. I'll go clear out a few pests, and then we'll spar when I get back."

Doham smiled, then said, "There have been more and more fellows coming to the Magical Beast Mountain Range lately."

As he spoke, Doham walked directly toward a spot not far away.

Linley noticed at this moment that some of those men in black had actually already snuck over. With Linley's strength, it was impossible for a man in black to follow him without being discovered, but this was Stone Sculpture Valley, where a Saint-level expert resided. Naturally, Linley would not cast the "Wind of Perception" spell within the valley, as that would be disrespectful to the Saint-level expert.

Therefore, Linley had not initially discovered that a man in black had been quietly following them.

High up in a large tree, a man in black held a short black blade, keeping his eyes fixed on the entrance to Stone Sculpture Valley. He had long since discovered Linley and Doham, but he had not acted rashly, waiting for an opportunity.

Their trial had a very simple requirement: obtain a certain number of magical beast cores in the Magical Beast Mountain Range! They could hunt them themselves, but as assassins, they naturally chose to obtain them from others.

However, soon, he noticed one of the burly men walking in the direction of the tree he was in.

Opportunity!

The man in black was like a leopard coiled and ready to spring, staring intently at Doham without making a sound.

To be an assassin, one must possess the ability to lie in wait.

Just as Doham walked under the tree, the man in black dropped rapidly from the branches, the short black blade in his hand slashing directly toward Doham's neck. If it were an ordinary fifth or sixth-rank warrior, being ambushed like this would likely result in death from this single strike.

However, the man in black clearly underestimated Doham's strength. Not to mention that Doham possessed the strength of an eighth-rank warrior even in his human form, he had also discovered the man in black beforehand; naturally, this strike could not possibly yield any results.

"Seeking death."

Doham let out a cold snort, casually shifting his body to the side, and grabbed directly at the man in black's wrist with his right hand.

The moment Doham shifted, the man in black knew his ambush had failed. Without time to think, he prepared to retreat immediately. If an assassin engaged in a head-on fight, they were a fool.

However, facing the eighth-rank Doham, this thought was clearly impossible. Just as he prepared to retreat, his wrist was already seized, feeling as if it were clamped by iron pliers, unable to move in the slightest.

The expression of the man in black changed drastically. From this strength alone, he knew that the burly man before him was far beyond his own capabilities. He feared that even Number 1, who led their team, would be no match for this man!

How could such an expert exist on the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range!

Without time to think, the man in black actually used his other hand to hack at his own trapped arm.

Even Doham had not expected this scene; he had never seen such a fellow, even on the battlefield.

It was in this moment of distraction that the man in black severed his own arm and fled rapidly toward a distant tree. But missing an arm, the man in black not only saw his strength greatly diminished, but his speed also slowed significantly; it was likely that even someone weaker than him could catch up.

"Decisive enough, but it's useless."

Doham snorted, then threw the severed arm in his hand forcefully toward the man in black.

The severed limb acted like a hidden weapon, piercing directly into the man in black's back, the entire arm protruding slightly from his chest.

The man in black let out a muffled groan, looking at his own chest in disbelief, his eyes filled with shock. He tried to open his mouth, only to spit out a spray of blood. Moments later, he fell, completely losing all signs of life.

Doham stepped forward and searched the man in black, finding a small pouch containing quite a few magical beast cores, as well as two unlabeled vials, which were likely some form of poison or something similar. Aside from that, there was only the short black blade the man had been holding.

"Such powerful control over strength."

Seeing Doham kill the man in black by throwing the severed arm, Linley's eyes lit up.

If it were an average expert, even if they could kill the man with the severed limb, they would more likely have used brute force to crush him. Instead, piercing through the body like a spear required more than just raw power; it required precise control over that power.

One had to concentrate all their strength into a single point.

On this point alone, an ordinary seventh-rank warrior would likely be no match for Doham.

"Doham's control over his own body is very strong. I fear that even when facing an eighth-rank warrior, he would have a certain ability to counterattack."

Doehring Cowart suddenly sent a mental message, "Linley, you must know that whether it is a mage or a warrior, the gap in rank is not entirely insurmountable. Just like a simple eighth-rank warrior who only pursues strength, if they encounter a sixth-rank assassin proficient in assassination or poison, they could very well be killed."

"Rank is a part of one's strength, but rank is not all of one's strength. Just like how you have obtained the Violet Blood Soft Sword, it provides a high bonus to your strength; an ordinary seventh-rank mage would be no match for you."

Doehring Cowart taught Linley.

Linley's strength had improved rapidly over the past two years, and he had to find a way to make him understand that even when facing those weaker than himself, he must go all out. On the Yulan Continent, too many experts had been killed by those weaker than them.

"Grandpa Doehring, I understand."

Linley's eyes shone with a glimmer of light, "Just like Beibei; although it is only an eighth-rank magical beast now, its speed and defense are formidable, and it can even face some slower ninth-rank magical beasts."

At this moment, Linley's mind was gradually becoming much clearer; even between two experts of the same rank, their actual strength would inevitably differ due to various reasons.

Rank is not the only standard for judging strength.

Being of a lower rank does not mean one's strength is inferior.

Doehring Cowart replied, "Magical beasts with powerful bloodlines are stronger than ordinary ones. But likewise, although there isn't much difference in the bodies of ordinary humans, that doesn't mean they cannot exert greater strength. Take Doham for example; he has been at the seventh rank for many years, possesses rich combat experience, and has a very strong grasp of his own power. Therefore, even if their raw strength were the same, his attacks would still be more powerful than those of other seventh-rank warriors."

"It is just like two people with the same strength swinging long blades to chop down a tree; if one uses the back of the blade while the other uses the edge, the results will naturally be different. Merely possessing power is not enough; one must also learn to utilize it with maximum efficiency."

"The same principle applies to mages. Just like when you participated in the grade tournament and faced a second-rank mage of the same level—why were you able to win so easily? It was because your control and application of spiritual energy far surpassed your opponent's."

Listening to Doehring Cowart's words, Linley nodded. He now understood that, for instance, if an eighth-rank warrior had eight hundred catties of force, his actual attack might only output six hundred. But if a formidable seventh-rank warrior had seven hundred catties of force and could exert six hundred and fifty, then that seventh-rank warrior could defeat the eighth-rank one.

Linley began to take things seriously in his heart. His current strength might be considered quite good among his peers, but if he were to face veteran experts of the same rank, he would definitely still be at a disadvantage.

The road he had to travel was still very long.