Seven Years

Liewen left the Andrew Family estate and returned to Welin Warrior Academy.

After simply packing a few changes of clothes, bringing his longsword, and taking some dried rations and water, he set off for the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Fifth-rank and sixth-rank warrior students from the academy often went to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to train, but they always traveled in teams and invited familiar magi along.

Liewen had no intention of traveling with anyone. As a seventh-rank warrior, as long as he remained cautious and did not venture too deeply into the Magical Beast Mountain Range, he had no trouble protecting himself.

Liewen set out alone on his training journey. In the blink of an eye, seven years passed.

In the central region of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, a human man was battling an eighth-rank magical beast, an Iron-Armored Dragon.

Iron-Armored Dragons belonged to the Earth Dragon clan. Though they could not fly, their iron-like armor possessed astonishing defense, and their strength was immense. Even among eighth-rank magical beasts, they stood at the peak.

Yet now, the Iron-Armored Dragon was being completely suppressed by the human man.

The man held a longsword, his body covered in surging Light Element battle qi. He easily pierced through the Iron-Armored Dragon's defenses.

The man was Liewen.

Liewen thrust out one final sword strike. The Iron-Armored Dragon tried to flee, but the space around its body seemed to press down on it, leaving it unable to move. Liewen killed it with a single strike.

"After seven years of cultivation, I've finally reached the level of Draw Heaven and Earth."

Liewen flicked his longsword, shaking the blood from its blade.

Seven years earlier, after entering the Magical Beast Mountain Range to train, Liewen had deliberately focused on improving his realm.

Having read the original work, Liewen was very familiar with the cultivation realms of the Coiling Dragon World, so he would basically never take detours.

In the Coiling Dragon World, battle qi and magical power were merely foundational forms of strength. Beyond that, one had to comprehend realms.

Liewen spent two years comprehending "Light as Heavy," then another five years mastering "Draw Heaven and Earth."

Draw Heaven and Earth was the realm of Saint Realm experts. Many ninth-rank experts failed to break through precisely because their realm had not reached this level.

Light as Heavy remained at the level of strength, allowing a light longsword to unleash power no weaker than that of a heavy weapon.

Draw Heaven and Earth, however, involved beginning to communicate with the space of heaven and earth, drawing upon the surrounding space to suppress one's enemies.

Beyond that, one would need to comprehend the profound mysteries of laws and rules.

Liewen possessed an affinity for the Light Element, making the Laws of Light the most suitable path for him. However, he currently had no idea where to begin.

"My current potential only reaches the Lowgod level. Comprehending profound mysteries probably won't be easy."

Liewen had already prepared himself mentally for the difficulties of comprehending profound mysteries.

The Laws of Light contained six profound mysteries. Comprehending one of them would allow one to become a Lowgod; comprehending two would make one a Midgod; comprehending them all would make one a Highgod.

With his Lowgod-level potential, he would likely need several thousand, perhaps even tens of thousands of years before he could comprehend a single profound mystery of light.

However, Liewen was in no hurry. His potential could still improve, and as it did, his cultivation speed would also increase.

In Higher Planes such as Hell, there were geniuses who became Lowgods in ten years, Midgods in a hundred years, and Highgods in a thousand years.

The reason these geniuses cultivated so quickly was because their potential was high.

Liewen placed the Iron-Armored Dragon's Magical Crystal Core into his pack and prepared to leave the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Over these seven years, he had not stayed in the Magical Beast Mountain Range the entire time. Every few months, he returned to Fenlai City to relax his body and mind.

Cultivation also required a balance between work and rest, between tension and relaxation.

After mastering "Draw Heaven and Earth," Liewen's training in the Magical Beast Mountain Range had come to an end.

Next, he would cultivate battle qi while attempting to comprehend the Laws of Light.

Seven years had passed, and his strength had reached the peak of the eighth-rank warrior level. As long as his battle qi improved, he could become a ninth-rank warrior or even enter the Saint Realm.

There were two requirements for entering the Saint Realm. One was cultivating battle qi to the peak of the ninth rank, while the other was mastering "Draw Heaven and Earth."

Liewen had already mastered "Draw Heaven and Earth." There was no longer any bottleneck on his path to the Saint Realm. Once his battle qi cultivation was sufficient, breaking through would happen naturally.

Liewen headed toward the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

With his current strength, eighth-rank magical beasts no longer posed a threat, and he could even contend against ninth-rank magical beasts.

Normally, magical beasts were somewhat stronger than warriors of the same rank. However, Liewen's realm had already reached the Saint Realm level, allowing him to fight above his rank.

The Magical Beast Mountain Range stretched endlessly. Ancient trees that had grown for hundreds or thousands of years stood everywhere, their lush branches and leaves blotting out the sky.

Thorns grew thickly all around, weeds carpeted the ground, and the fallen leaves beneath his feet had accumulated in unknown layers, soft and damp.

In such a primitive environment, danger could lurk anywhere.

Though Liewen was confident in his strength, he still did not dare let down his guard.

Moreover, the dangers of the Magical Beast Mountain Range did not come only from magical beasts, but also from humans.

In pursuit of more Magical Crystal Cores, many people chose to attack other humans.

After all, one successful ambush could seize Magical Crystal Cores that others had spent months obtaining through hard work. It was far more efficient than hunting magical beasts themselves.

Over the past few years, Liewen had encountered many ambushes, but he had killed every attacker in return.

Time passed, and Liewen finally left the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

"Brother Linley, you're incredible..."

The conversation not far ahead caught Liewen's attention.

The speaker was a golden-haired girl, and beside her stood a brown-haired boy.

The boy was Linley. Seven years had passed, and Linley was now fifteen years old. He was currently a fifth-rank magus and a fourth-rank warrior, while his magical beast Bebe could even fight and kill seventh-rank magical beasts.

This was Linley's first time entering the Magical Beast Mountain Range to train. On his way out, he had saved Alice.

The golden-haired girl was Alice. She had come to the Magical Beast Mountain Range with her friends, but encountered danger shortly after entering. If Linley had not intervened, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Liewen, watching the scene from afar, smiled faintly.

This year was Yulan Calendar 9997. Linley and Alice had met, and on November 29 of this year, they would officially become lovers.

A year later, they would break up.

Devastated by the failure of his first love, Linley would enter a state of self-forgetfulness and carve the stone sculpture "Dream Awakening."

"Just over a year until the next event I'll witness." Liewen was looking forward to it.

Liewen avoided Linley and the others before returning to his estate in Fenlai City.

Ever since entering the Magical Beast Mountain Range to train, Liewen's financial circumstances had improved considerably.

Magical Crystal Cores were very valuable. A sixth-rank magical beast's core was worth a thousand gold coins, while a seventh-rank magical beast's core was worth tens of thousands. After several years, he had nearly a million gold coins on hand.

Liewen spent two hundred thousand gold coins to purchase a small estate on the outskirts of Fenlai City. He hired several servants and moved out of Welin Warrior Academy to live alone.

By the time Liewen returned to the estate, it was already evening. While the servants prepared bathwater and dinner, Liewen rested alone in the estate's main hall.

"Hmm?"

Liewen, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly detected a faint unusual sound and abruptly opened his eyes.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Several explosions rang out in quick succession within the hall, and pink smoke instantly filled the entire room.

Within the smoke, three figures wielding daggers charged at Liewen from three directions.