Leian

Qingshi Town was a moderately sized town in the southwestern Byron Empire of the Youquan Continent, Yulan Plane.

The setting sun slowly sank, its orange-red afterglow draping the land like a thin veil. Outside the town, a stream several meters wide wound into the distance, its waters gleaming with patches of golden light beneath the sunset.

The stream was called the Qingshi River. Following its bank upstream led to the town's back mountain. Water plunged down from the mountainside, smashing out a deep pool several meters wide at the foot of the mountain.

At that moment, it was as if some beast lurked at the bottom of the pool. The emerald water alternately boiled and churned, then swirled into a vortex. Just as the disturbance grew greater and greater, suddenly—

Bang!

With a thunderous boom, a figure burst from the water. He flipped in midair and landed steadily on the open ground to the left of the pool.

He was about six feet tall and looked quite young. His sharply defined, handsome face always bore a striking air of resolve.

He wore only a close-fitting pair of shorts. The exposed lines of his body were distinct, and the solid, well-proportioned muscles revealed that terrifying strength must be hidden within.

After landing, the young man did not pause. Instead, he began wielding the longsword in his hand.

It was an intimidatingly huge black greatsword, roughly one and a half meters long, two palm-widths wide, and a finger thick. Judging by its material, it appeared to have been forged entirely from refined iron and surely weighed over a hundred jin.

Yet such an enormous heavy sword whirled through the young man's hands with astonishing speed. His slashes, chops, sweeps, and thrusts flowed like drifting clouds and running water, as light and effortless as if he were wielding a wooden weapon.

After a moment, the young man suddenly tossed the heavy sword aside with one hand. Turning around, he grabbed a black longsword planted at the edge of the clearing and began wielding it again.

Compared with the greatsword from before, this black longsword was far more "slender." Though it was roughly the same length, it was only three fingers wide and, judging by its size, weighed less than a tenth as much as the greatsword.

Yet incredibly, this much lighter sword seemed even heavier in the young man's hands than the greatsword.

Judging solely by his movements, what the young man held did not seem to be a sword, but a mountain. Every motion was slow as a millstone turning.

At last, the young man suddenly stood still. The longsword in his hand slowly descended, chopping toward a half-man-high boulder before him.

The sword moved incredibly slowly, so slowly that it seemed as though he were merely setting the blade gently upon the boulder.

Yet the instant the blade touched the stone, the millstone-sized boulder suddenly shuddered. Amid a tearing sound, spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread across its surface.

Then—

Crash!

The entire boulder shattered into dozens of stones of varying sizes, scattering across the ground.

"Whew—"

The young man let out a long breath, the corners of his mouth curling upward slightly.

"These years of tirelessly practicing swordsmanship at the bottom of the pool haven't been wasted after all. I've finally mastered this so-called 'Heavy as Light'!"

As he sighed with emotion, the young man skillfully erased all traces of his sword practice. Then, after putting on his clothes and strapping the large and small swords to his back, he headed toward town with a smile on his face.

The young man was named Leian, one of the countless souls who had transmigrated. After being reborn into this world, he did not fully recover his memories until he was six years old.

When Leian gradually heard terms such as "warrior," "magus," "Saint Realm," "magical beasts," and "the Seven Elemental Laws and Four Edicts" from those around him, he guessed that he had most likely arrived in the Coiling Dragon World.

The truth was indeed as he had suspected. After making inquiries, he learned from Warren, the town guard captain and a fifth-rank warrior, that the continent beneath his feet was called Youquan, and that four other continents existed beyond it.

They were the Elven Continent, Chiyan Continent, Nansen Continent, and Yulan Continent!

Yulan!

Upon hearing those two words, how could Leian not realize that he had been reborn in the Yulan Plane of the Coiling Dragon World?

After that, combining this with the memories in his mind, he soon realized that he was likely living in the era before the "Apocalyptic War" triggered by Beirut ten thousand years later.

But he had no idea exactly what time period this was, or how long remained until that so-called Apocalyptic War.

For that very reason, Leian had felt ever since as though a Sword of Damocles hung above his head, his heart constantly weighed down by an intense sense of urgency.

After all, that Apocalyptic War had sunk all four continents besides the Yulan Continent!

For the sake of his own life, from the day he came into contact with warrior training, he had not wasted even a moment.

Although he had been born into a commoner family, the lord of Qingshi Town—Baron Laman—was an imperial noble with a warrior inheritance.

Baron Laman controlled seven towns. In order to govern them well, the baron taught his people warrior training methods every year, then selected those with superior aptitude to serve as town guards.

Although Leian did not possess a powerful Dragonblood Warrior bloodline like Linley's, his mature soul gave him a self-discipline that children lacked. Thus, he had always surpassed the other children around him in warrior training.

At the age of twelve, Leian was recruited early by Baron Laman for reaching the upper level of a third-rank warrior in physical strength. In doing so, he obtained a precious battle qi training method—the Black Stone Battle Method.

Though it was not some high-level secret manual, it was better than having nothing.

At the same time, Leian also learned of his own elemental affinity—the Destruction Rule.

The talent test had been quite eventful, so much so that Leian still remembered it vividly even now.

As a noble family with some standing, the Laman Family possessed a crystal ball capable of testing elemental affinities.

Leian clearly remembered placing his palm on the crystal ball for a long time, yet the entire sphere had remained completely unresponsive.

To be honest, at that moment, Leian had been utterly panicked and confused. Before the test, he had known it was unlikely that he would happen to possess affinities for earth, wind, water, and fire, but surely he could not lack any talent for cultivation at all?

Fortunately, Baron Laman reacted quickly and guessed that Leian might possess a Rule affinity.

However, the Four Edicts could not be tested through a crystal ball like the Seven Elemental Laws. To avoid overlooking Leian, a "near-genius," Baron Laman intended to have him try battle qi methods for each of the Four Edicts one by one.

This made Leian marvel at the Laman Family's foundation. They actually possessed battle qi methods for all eleven systems.

Of course, the methods supplied to guards for cultivation were all the most common, mass-market kinds, no different from the methods the imperial military gave ordinary soldiers.

Leian had considered joining the military before this, but after comparing the two options, he had ultimately chosen to become a guard of the Laman Family.

Although the Laman Family imposed heavy taxes on its territory and treated commoners with great arrogance, at least it was much safer than the military when it came to preserving one's life.

Thus, after making that decision, Leian had appropriately displayed some of his "talent."

Returning to the matter at hand, after Baron Laman gave him the first Destruction battle qi method, the Black Stone Battle Method, Leian actually cultivated battle qi on his very first attempt. This delighted both of them.

However, after that success, Baron Laman did not arrange for Leian to continue trying the others, which made Leian unable to stop himself from imagining:

Perhaps I have talent in the other three Edicts as well!

Of course, it was only a passing fantasy. Leian knew perfectly well that his foremost goal was to reach the Saint Realm. Only by becoming one of the continent's strongest could he possibly bring his family through the calamity of the Apocalyptic War.

Because of this goal, Leian had not dared relax for even a moment over the years. After obtaining a battle qi method, he cultivated diligently and trained tirelessly, finally stepping into the threshold of a seventh-rank warrior not long ago.

At the same time, because he was familiar with Linley's cultivation path, he had also undergone targeted training, such as practicing swordsmanship underwater. This had allowed Leian to successfully attain the first two of the three realms before the Saint Realm:

Perfect control over strength and battle qi, and Heavy as Light.

Only the final realm, Worldly Momentum, remained beyond his grasp.

And this year, Leian had just turned twenty-five.

However, as the saying went, the tallest tree catches the wind! In order to develop quietly, the strength he displayed publicly was merely that of a newly advanced sixth-rank warrior.

Within the Laman Family's territory, this level was not much different from the most talented "geniuses" produced by the territory in the past, such as the current guard commander—a seventh-rank warrior, Carl Albert.

Commander Carl had become a sixth-rank warrior at the age of twenty-five.

Because Leian could perfectly control his battle qi, he had concealed himself extremely well. Even Baron Laman, a veteran seventh-rank warrior, had not discovered his true strength.

On Leian's way back to town, the last traces of the sunset quietly faded. The moment he entered Qingshi Town, he was greeted with all sorts of greetings to his face and praise behind his back.

"Greetings, Lord Leian!"

"Lord Leian has returned!"

"Captain Leian is still as hardworking as ever. Aside from missions, I've never seen him rest for three consecutive days all these years."

With Leian's keen hearing, none of those flattering words escaped his ears. Though he knew most of them were merely sucking up to him, he could not help feeling secretly pleased.

Not long after walking on, he turned into an alley. Before long, he stopped in front of a small courtyard.

The courtyard was not large, but its buildings were refined, showing that its owner was well-off.

At that moment, the courtyard gate stood open. A blonde girl in her teens stood at the entrance, looking around as though she had been waiting for quite some time.

"Young Master Leian, you're finally back. Master Barry and Madam are waiting for you to eat!"

The girl pouted, her tone carrying a hint of coquettish reproach.

Her name was Aili, and Leian had hired her to care for his parents. As a Laman Family guard captain, Leian earned sixty gold coins a month, more than enough to employ several servants.

Hearing Aili's words, Leian frowned.

"Didn't I tell you not to let them wait for me..."

At this point, he suddenly slapped his forehead and shook his head instead. "Forget it. It's my fault!"

Although he had tried his best to ensure he returned home on time whenever he went out to train, he would inevitably lose track of time whenever he was in good form. And parents waiting to eat with their child was simply an expression of familial affection. Besides, in Barry and Annie's eyes, their current good life all came from Leian, their eldest son.

After entering the courtyard, Leian first returned to his bedroom. The moment he removed his two weapons, he strode toward the dining room.

Inside, his father Barry was already seated. His mother Annie was serving dishes with an older maid. By the time Leian arrived, the various dishes had just been laid out. After greeting them, he began eating with his parents.

After taking a few bites, Barry gradually slowed down. He frowned and studied Leian for several moments before finally unable to restrain himself any longer.

"Leian, cultivation is important, but marriage is no small matter either. You're already twenty-five. When I was your age, you could already walk. Shouldn't you..."

This was not the first time Barry had brought this up. Leian had gone from impatience at first to being accustomed to it now. Before the other man could finish, he interrupted.

"Father, I'm confident I can become a seventh-rank warrior, perhaps even stronger. Once I break through, I'll have at least two or three hundred years to live. There really is no need to rush into marriage."

"That may be true, but cultivation and marriage don't conflict..."

Barry seemed unwilling to give up, but before he could finish, Leian interrupted him once again.

"I know. I'll keep it in mind. But the two of you—"

As he spoke, Leian raised his head to look at his parents.

"Now that you don't need to work, you should exercise more in your daily lives. The stronger you become, the longer you'll live. Then it wouldn't be impossible for you to give me a younger brother or sister!"

Hearing their son state so bluntly that he wanted younger siblings, Barry and Annie immediately blushed with embarrassment. After exchanging a glance, they finally said nothing more.

In truth, under their son's supervision, the couple had indeed resumed the warrior training they had abandoned years ago. Barry was now a third-rank warrior, while Annie was a first-rank warrior.

After persisting with their training, the two had clearly felt their bodies grow much stronger. Recently, they had indeed been planning to have another child, but they had never told Leian. Now that he had suddenly brought it up, they could not help feeling awkward.

Leian did not care much. After dinner, he returned to his bedroom and began his usual meditation training.

Being deeply familiar with the Panlong Universe, he understood the importance of spiritual force. After obtaining a meditation technique, he had hardly ever interrupted this form of cultivation.

Time quietly passed. In the blink of an eye, the sky had completely darkened, and beneath the night curtain, Qingshi Town gradually fell silent.

At that moment, Leian abruptly opened his eyes. After remaining silent for several breaths, he suddenly rolled out of bed, changed into night clothes, slipped out of his home, and quietly made his way through the darkness toward the Laman Family manor at the center of town.

The reason for this dated back to one of Leian's nighttime patrols a few days earlier.

That night, while patrolling, Leian had unexpectedly seen Commander Carl remain in Baron Laman's study unusually late. Moreover, when she left, her face had been grave. This aroused a trace of curiosity and suspicion in Leian, and he wondered whether the baron might be plotting something.

Afterward, the more Leian thought about it, the more uneasy he became. After all, he was quite satisfied with his current life. If it were disrupted, finding another safe place where he could develop so quietly would be difficult.

After much consideration, his skill giving him courage, he began secretly investigating in the shadows. Tonight was already his third nighttime visit to Laman Manor.

As a guard captain, Leian was extremely familiar with the habits of the patrolling warriors. Avoiding them was as easy as turning his hand. In addition, with the strength of a seventh-rank warrior and the realm of perfect battle qi control, he believed that among those of the same rank, it was nearly impossible for anyone to notice him hiding in the darkness.

And throughout Laman Manor, the strongest person was only Baron Laman, a seventh-rank warrior. Apart from him, there was only the butler Ryan, a sixth-rank warrior, and Laman's son Benson.