Sparring and Disappearance Incidents

Doham walked over carrying the black-clad man's parcel, his expression unchanged as he chuckled, "Let's go, into the valley. I need to have a proper spar with Beibei."

"Squeak~"

Beibei jumped straight off Linley's shoulder and followed Doham inside, turning back to chirp at Linley twice.

Linley could only smile helplessly before following after them.

He had been worried that Beibei might bully Doham, but after seeing Doham's display just now, he felt slightly more at ease. Even if Doham wasn't a match for Beibei, it would still be difficult for Beibei to defeat him easily.

They walked into the valley.

The valley hadn't changed much from two years ago, save for three new stone houses on the open ground in the distance. Beyond that, there were many new stone sculptures lining both sides.

These new sculptures looked even more "ethereal."

Yes, Linley could sense an ethereal quality from these sculptures, and his face was filled with shock. "Grandpa Doehring, Mr. Fang Yun's sculptures are truly unique."

When Linley had seen these sculptures before, they only possessed a special feeling of wind. But now, that sense of wind seemed to have completely merged into the sculptures themselves.

It was an indescribable sensation; it was too unique.

Stone sculptures could express various human expressions or even the aura of different animals—things that were generally perceptible. But to express the wind of heaven and earth in such a way was something Linley found hard to comprehend.

It was as if...

It was as if these sculptures had integrated the wind elements of heaven and earth into themselves. Magical and beautiful.

Doehring Cowart was also moved. "Fang Yun's attainments in stone carving are likely no longer inferior to Proulx's."

He considered his own carving skills to be quite good, but compared to Proulx, who he considered half a disciple, he was still lacking. If Fang Yun's sculptures were not inferior to Proulx's, it meant he had surpassed him.

Seeing Linley observing the sculptures, Doham, though not deeply versed in the art, could still tell quality when he saw it. His tone was full of admiration. "These are all new sculptures carved by the master."

"Mr. Fang Yun's attainments in stone carving are likely unmatched across the entire Yulan Continent."

Linley sighed with emotion.

Even though Linley had now carved "Dream Awakening," he still felt a massive gap between himself and Fang Yun.

Doham smiled and didn't dwell on the sculptures anymore. "Let's go, let's head to the open ground ahead."

The open ground ahead was where the two Doham brothers usually practiced and sparred with each other. Even Prequet's sleeping spot was on the mountain peak next to the clearing. However, Prequet was not there at the moment; Fang Yun did not restrict Prequet's movements, so he often wandered around the Stone Sculpture Valley.

"Big brother."

Dohar stopped his training and walked over, a smile on his face. "Linley, Beibei."

"Second brother, tidy up. Today, I'm going to spar with Beibei."

Doham laughed heartily.

"You're going to bully Beibei again?"

Dohar couldn't help but laugh. He knew that his older brother had reached the peak of the eighth rank, and after transforming, he was second only to Saint-level powerhouses.

"Squeak~"

Beibei chirped from the side.

"Haha, don't underestimate Beibei. This little guy is at the eighth rank now," Doham said directly.

"Eighth rank?"

Hearing this, Dohar couldn't help but look at Beibei in surprise. "An eighth-rank magical beast?"

"Squeak~"

Beibei looked quite proud.

Linley smiled helplessly. "Beibei is indeed at the eighth rank."

Thinking of Beibei's strength when it was at the fifth or sixth rank, Dohar understood. At this point, even an average ninth-rank magical beast might not be a match for Beibei. "If that's the case, then this might actually be a real fight."

"Come on then. I haven't had a satisfying fight in a long time."

Doham looked at Beibei.

At this moment, Doham's expression changed as he entered combat mode. His muscles bulged, and his eyes were locked onto Beibei. He knew that Beibei's speed was incredibly fast. If he didn't take it seriously, there was a high chance he would be defeated by Beibei.

"Squeak~"

Beibei chirped twice, then dashed rapidly toward Doham.

In Beibei's view, its current speed was more than enough to easily crush Doham.

"Such speed!"

Dohar, who was watching the fight, had guessed that Beibei was fast, but seeing the sudden burst of speed, he still found it hard to believe.

"Good!"

Doham let out a loud laugh, then immediately circulated the battle qi of the Tiger-striped Secret Manual, moving rapidly to find an opening. In terms of pure physical strength, he was no match for Beibei.

"Battle qi!"

Linley couldn't help but exclaim.

It was no secret that the Four Ultimate Warriors could only cultivate their corresponding battle qi manuals.

Now that Doham possessed battle qi, it meant...

"Haha, Linley, Lord Fang Yun has already helped us find the Tiger-striped Secret Manual. My brother and I have both broken through to the eighth rank and become true Tiger-striped Warriors."

Seeing Linley's surprise, Dohar also laughed, the joy in his tone impossible to hide.

Recovering the Tiger-striped Secret Manual and becoming a Tiger-striped Warrior was an immense favor from Fang Yun.

Their Bolei Clan was on the verge of rising.

"Tiger-striped Warrior..."

Linley stared intently at Doham, who was sparring, his eyes brightening.

The Four Ultimate Warriors were all the most powerful existences in the Saint Domain, but aside from his own transformation, he had only heard rumors about the other three and knew nothing of their specific appearance or strength.

However, this Mr. Fang Yun was truly remarkable. He had heard Doham say that the Tiger-striped Secret Manual had been lost for thousands of years. To think that even this could be found by Mr. Fang Yun.

Knowing that Doham was an eighth-rank Tiger-striped Warrior, Linley sent a telepathic message to Beibei, "Beibei, be careful. Brother Doham has reached the eighth rank and has become a Tiger-striped Warrior."

"Bang!"

With a collision, Beibei and Doham separated.

Hearing Linley's message, Beibei replied, "No wonder this guy's strength has improved so much."

Doham's speed and attacks just now had surprised it. After all, when it was at the fifth or sixth rank, although it couldn't beat Doham, it wouldn't have been completely helpless. Now that it had reached the eighth rank, logically, it should have been able to easily crush Doham, but it realized it had miscalculated the moment they clashed.

Doham's speed was actually on par with its own. Furthermore, his attack power was intense; if not for its own strong defenses, it wouldn't have been able to block him.

"Haha, truly strong."

Doham also laughed, looking at Beibei with admiration, "An ordinary eighth-rank magical beast would have already been defeated by me."

He had always possessed excellent control over his own strength, and combined with his extremely rich combat experience, he was not at a disadvantage even when facing powerful eighth-rank magical beasts without transforming.

However, in his exchange with Beibei, he had been in a suppressed state.

"But, you need to be careful now. With your current strength, I have to go all out."

Doham looked at Beibei, his eyes gleaming.

He could sense that Beibei's strength was the most suitable for him to go all out.

"Squeak, squeak~"

Beibei chirped at Doham twice.

"Haha, let me show you the bloodline of our Bolei Clan!"

Doham laughed, and then his body grew two heads taller. He had already been about 2.2 meters tall, but now he was nearly three meters.

The muscles all over his body became even more pronounced, filled with explosive power.

At the same time, thick white fur sprouted all over his body, and tiger-paw-like armor appeared on the backs of his hands. His head transformed almost entirely into a massive white tiger head with long fangs. A white tiger tail, as thick as an arm, appeared at his tailbone, filled with power as it lashed about.

At a glance, Doham now looked like a tiger-man. The pressure he exerted was immense.

"Squeak!"

Beibei was clearly much more vigilant now; its body also grew twice as large, looking as if it were ready to go all out as well.

It had never seen a Tiger-striped Warrior before, but it had already seen Linley's Dragonblood Warrior transformation, which jumped from the strength of a sixth-rank warrior to the early eighth rank—a very exaggerated leap in power.

Doham's Tiger-striped Warrior transformation likely wouldn't be much weaker than its boss's. It was very possible that Doham was now at the peak of the ninth rank.

"Be careful."

Doham's voice had become somewhat muffled as he stared at Beibei with dark golden eyes.

However, he did not let his guard down; when they sparred two years ago, Beibei hadn't changed its size like this.

"Whoosh~"

Doham moved, creating a gust of wind. His speed was nearly twice as fast as before! The ground beneath his feet cracked from the force of his legs pushing off.

Beibei also seemed to turn into a black shadow.

A white blur and a black blur became entangled once again.

"Such fast speed!"

Linley watched the scene in the arena with glowing eyes.

He had eighth-rank strength after transforming and had a grasp of his own capabilities. If his Dragonblood Warrior transformation was at the ninth rank, his speed could never be this fast. Unless he supplemented it with wind-style magic, it would be impossible to reach this speed.

Among the Four Ultimate Warriors, the Tiger-striped Warrior's speed and attack power were truly number one.

However, he was confident that once he reached the ninth rank, he would be able to defeat Doham. After all, the Dragonblood Warrior Clan possessed the greatest overall strength.

"What kind of monster is Beibei, anyway?"

Dohar, who was watching the battle, was also astonished.

As a fellow Tiger-striped Warrior, he knew Doham's strength very well, especially after his transformation. Not to mention eighth-rank magical beasts, even ninth-rank magical beasts would be no match for him.

Yet this Beibei was actually performing on par with Doham. It was only slightly at a disadvantage; if this were a real battle, Beibei could easily escape.

Soon, Doham and Beibei separated once again.

"You really are a freak."

Doham returned to his human form, his tone somewhat frustrated. It was truly the first time he had been rendered this speechless by a mouse.

He had activated his bloodline, reaching the eighth rank in his human form, and he had assumed that even if Beibei reached the eighth rank, the gap between them would not shrink. But who would have thought that he would actually be unable to do anything to Beibei?

It wasn't that Beibei had strength comparable to his, but rather that Beibei's speed and defense were too strong, preventing him from landing an effective attack. In other words, whether he transformed or not didn't make much of a difference in his fight against Beibei.

Of course, Beibei's attacks weren't strong enough to pose a threat to him either, but even so, the two could be considered evenly matched.

"Squeak!"

Beibei was actually somewhat dissatisfied. In its view, it was just taking a beating, and its own attacks on Doham were painless and ineffective; it felt like it was losing out.

"What a powerful ability."

Inside the Coiling Dragon Ring, Doehring Cowart was also somewhat amazed after watching this sparring match.

He had already felt it was incredible after witnessing Linley's Dragonblood Warrior transformation. Now, seeing Doham's transformation, he found it even more miraculous.

If the Dragonblood Warriors and Tiger-striped Warriors gained such a massive boost after transforming, then the other two Ultimate Warriors were likely no less impressive.

When he was alive, there had been no news of the Four Ultimate Warriors on the Yulan Continent. But not long after his death, the Four Ultimate Warriors had inexplicably appeared all at once; it was truly strange.

It seemed that not long after his death, quite a lot had happened on the Yulan Continent.

After the sparring, Linley lived in the Stone Sculpture Valley for two days and sparred with the two Doham brothers several times.

Upon learning that Linley's own Dragonblood Warrior bloodline had been activated, the two brothers were even more astonished.

"If we could find the Violetfire Warrior and the Undying Warrior, we could recreate the glory of the Four Ultimate Warriors from five thousand years ago."

Doham was somewhat excited.

The Dragonblood Warrior Clan bloodline and being a Dragonblood Warrior were two completely different concepts. Although Linley's transformation was currently only at the eighth-rank level, they still treated him as one of their own.

Two days later, Fang Yun had not returned, and Linley had no choice but to leave with regret.

Rhine Empire, Wester Academy.

Dean's office.

"Edita, is there still no news about the Ring of Feilan?"

Potter looked at Edita and spoke.

Edita sighed and shook her head. She had even visited some powerful experts from the Radiant Church, but there was still no news. The Holy Union didn't have a single ninth-rank expert who possessed a Blood-Veined Great Ape magical beast.

She was now starting to wonder if that guy was already dead.

Not dwelling on this matter, Edita looked at Potter and asked, "Dean Potter, you were in such a hurry to have me return—did something happen?"

She had previously planned to search for another five years, which would also serve as five years of bitter cultivation to reach the Saint-level as much as possible.

During this time, she had kept in contact with Wester Academy. But just a while ago, she had suddenly received an urgent letter from Dean Potter and had rushed back.

Potter's expression became more formal, and he then said, "Something has happened in the Rhine Empire."

"Hmm?"

Edita frowned slightly.

"For some time now, citizens in the Rhine Empire have been disappearing for no apparent reason."

Potter said, "Normally, people go missing every year for various reasons, so it isn't a major issue. But a while ago, the Third Prince of the Imperial family went missing."

"Later, during the investigation, it was discovered that starting a few years ago, the number of missing persons recorded by the Empire began to increase significantly. Especially in the last six months, it has reached over ten thousand. And among these, half of the people were from Dolan Prefecture City and the surrounding cities. The Third Prince also went missing in Muhuamu Prefecture City, which is next to Dolan Prefecture City."

"His Majesty the Emperor takes this matter very seriously and has ordered an investigation."

"Finally, some clues were found: behind these missing persons, there is a deeply hidden organization that is secretly capturing all sorts of people."

Hearing Potter's words, Edita frowned as well. "An organization?"

There were many different kinds of organizations on the Yulan Continent, but most of them were very restrained. Few dared to cause trouble in the Four Great Empires, as all four empires possessed Saint-level experts.

Let alone capturing members of the Imperial family.

"Yes, it is certain that there is a secret organization."

Potter's expression was grave. "And the most terrifying part is that we have only uncovered the tip of the iceberg, but it is enough to deduce that the other side has at least four ninth-rank experts!"

"Ninth-rank experts!"

Edita was truly shocked.

A secret underground organization like this actually has a Ninth-Rank powerhouse?

You have to understand, on the Yulan Continent, Saint-level powerhouses are the absolute peak, serving as the pillars of every nation. Even when it isn't a war of national extinction, Saint-level powerhouses rarely show themselves.

Therefore, a Ninth-Rank powerhouse is already considered the strongest existence. Any Ninth-Rank powerhouse could easily serve as the king of a kingdom.

Potter nodded, "His Majesty the Emperor is furious and wants to completely destroy this organization. He is preparing to organize several Ninth-Rank powerhouses to step in, and I have recommended you to His Majesty."

"Me?"

Edita frowned slightly, "Does the Empire know about my strength?"

Potter nodded and said formally, "I know you are looking for the Ring of Feilan to investigate the disappearance of Dean Cherifet, but that is not something that can be cleared up in a short time."

As he spoke, Potter looked at Edita and said, "That is why I did not hide this matter. You are currently the greatest genius on the Yulan Continent. Even for someone like Dixie, it would be very difficult to reach your level of strength at this age. You are the glory of the Empire. His Majesty was very happy to hear that you have reached the realm of a Ninth-Rank Grand Magus. He intends to confer the title of Duke upon you after this matter is concluded and plans to announce it to the entire Empire. This will be a great help to Wester Academy. Do you understand?"

Hearing this, Edita swallowed the words she had originally intended to say and simply nodded, "I understand."

Dolan Prefecture City.

Kawent Institute.

After arriving here, Fang Yun looked at the entire structure of the institute and slowly began to perceive the reason for the increase in World Power from before.

This Kawent founded Kawent Institute to teach adults magic, which has a significant potential impact on Blue Star; one could say it was born precisely for the current situation of Blue Star.

Therefore, it was precisely because of the establishment of this Kawent Institute that the World Power began to increase steadily.

"It seems this Kawent is truly a lucky star."

Fang Yun was also somewhat surprised.

He had guessed that the increase in Blue Star's strength might be the way to increase World Power, but he had never been able to confirm it.

Kawent's actions could be considered confirmation of this point.

It seems that if he wants to continue steadily increasing World Power, he can start with this Kawent Institute. When Kawent Institute is established across Blue Star, the impact might be even greater.

If that is truly the case, then Kawent Institute must not be allowed to fail.

Fang Yun began to ponder.

In the original story, after Linley emerged from the Necropolis of the Gods, the War God and the High Priest discussed re-dividing the territory of the Yulan Continent with Linley. Subsequently, the landscape of the Yulan Continent completely transformed into a three-legged standoff. Both the Rhine Empire and the Luo'ao Empire were destroyed at that time.

That simply won't do.

Fang Yun narrowed his eyes as he looked at Kawent Institute. It looks like your dream of a three-legged standoff in the future will have to be shattered.