Leian

Qingshi Town is a medium-sized town in the Byron Empire, located in the southwest of the Youquan Continent within the Yulan Plane.

The setting sun gradually dipped below the horizon, its orange-red afterglow draping over the land like a thin veil. Outside the town, a stream several meters wide meandered into the distance, the water shimmering with golden, scale-like reflections under the fading light.

The stream was called the Qingshi River, and following its banks upstream led to the mountain behind the town. The water cascaded down from the mountainside, crashing into a deep pool several meters in diameter at the foot of the mountain.

At this moment, the bottom of the pool seemed to hide some kind of monster; the emerald water boiled and churned, at times swirling into a vortex. Just as the commotion grew more intense, suddenly—

Boom!

With a thunderous roar, a figure burst out from the water, performed a flip in mid-air, and landed steadily on the flat ground to the left of the pool.

The man was 1.8 meters tall and appeared very young, his chiseled, handsome face perpetually carrying a distinct expression of determination.

He wore nothing but a pair of tight-fitting shorts, and his exposed physique was clearly defined. One could tell from those solid, well-proportioned muscles that they surely concealed terrifying power.

After landing, the young man did not pause; instead, he began to dance with the longsword in his hand.

It was a black greatsword so massive it was intimidating. The blade was about 1.5 meters long, two palms wide, and a finger thick. Judging by the material, it was likely cast entirely from refined iron, and its weight certainly exceeded a hundred jin.

Yet, this massive heavy sword flipped like a bird in the young man's hands, its slashes, chops, and thrusts flowing as smoothly as moving clouds and flowing water, as light as if it were a wooden toy.

A moment later, the young man suddenly tossed the greatsword aside with one hand, turned, and grabbed a black longsword stuck in the ground nearby, beginning to dance once more.

Compared to the greatsword, this black longsword appeared much "slimmer." Although the length was similar, the width was only three fingers, and in terms of volume, it likely weighed less than a tenth of the greatsword.

However, what was mind-boggling was that this much lighter sword seemed even heavier than the greatsword in the young man's hands.

Watching his movements, it was as if he were not holding a sword, but a mountain; every motion was as slow as turning a millstone.

Finally, the young man suddenly stood still, his longsword slowly descending as he slashed toward a waist-high boulder in front of him.

This strike was incredibly slow, so slow that it seemed as if he were merely placing the blade gently onto the boulder.

Yet, the moment the edge touched the rock, the millstone-sized boulder suddenly shuddered. With a tearing sound, spiderweb-like cracks instantly covered the entire stone.

Immediately after—

Bang!

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

"Hoo—"

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

"These years of persistent training at the bottom of the pool were not in vain after all; I have finally successfully mastered this so-called 'Heavy as Light'!"

While reflecting, the young man skillfully erased the traces of his training, put on his clothes, and with the large and small swords strapped to his back, he walked toward the town with a smile on his face.

The young man's name was Leian, and he was one of the many transmigrators. After being reborn into this world, he did not fully recover his memories until he was six years old.

When Leian heard terms like "warrior," "mage," "Saint Realm," "magical beast," and "seven elemental laws, four supreme rules" from the people around him, he guessed that he had likely arrived in the Coiling Dragon World.

The facts were exactly as he had thought. After specifically inquiring later, he learned from the town's guard captain, a level-five warrior named Warren, that the continent beneath his feet was called "Youquan," and beyond it, there were four other continents.

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

Yulan!

Upon hearing these two words, how could Leian not know that he had been reborn into the Yulan Plane of the Coiling Dragon World?

Afterward, combining this with the memories in his mind, he quickly realized that he should be in the era before the "Apocalyptic War" triggered by Beirut ten thousand years ago.

But as for the specific time, or how long remained until the so-called "Apocalyptic War," he had no idea.

Because of this, from that point on, Leian felt as if a Sword of Damocles were hanging over his head, and his heart was constantly pressed by a strong sense of urgency.

One had to know that this Apocalyptic War had sunk all four continents other than the Yulan Continent!

For the sake of his own life, from the day he began warrior training, he never wasted a single second.

Although born into a commoner family, the lord of Qingshi Town—Baron Laman—was an imperial noble who possessed a warrior heritage.

Baron Laman had seven towns under his command. To manage them well, the Baron taught the warrior cultivation methods to his subjects every year and selected those with high aptitude to serve as town guards.

Although Leian did not possess the powerful "Dragonblood Warrior" bloodline like Linley, his mature soul provided a level of self-discipline that children lacked, allowing him to consistently lead his peers in warrior cultivation.

At the age of 12, Leian was recruited early by Baron Laman for his superior level-three warrior physique, thereby obtaining a precious battle qi cultivation method—the Black Stone Battle Method.

Although it was not a high-level secret manual, it was better than nothing.

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

The story of that talent test was quite full of twists and turns, so much so that Leian still remembered it clearly to this day.

As a noble with a bit of background, the Laman Family possessed a crystal ball for testing elemental affinity.

Leian clearly remembered that at the time, he had placed his palm on the crystal ball for a long time, but the entire sphere remained completely unresponsive.

To be honest, at that moment, Leian was incredibly panicked and lost. Although he knew before the test that it was unlikely he would happen to possess the four major attributes of earth, wind, water, or fire, he didn't think he would lack cultivation talent entirely!

Fortunately, Baron Laman reacted quickly, guessing that Leian might possess a rule-based talent.

However, the four supreme rules could not be tested with a crystal ball like the seven elemental laws. To avoid missing out on Leian, a "quasi-genius," Baron Laman decided to arrange for Leian to test the battle qi manuals of the four supreme rules one by one.

This move made Leian have to admire the foundation of the Laman Family; they actually possessed battle qi manuals for all eleven categories.

Of course, these manuals provided for the guards to practice were the most common, generic ones, no different from those provided to soldiers by the imperial military.

Before this, Leian had considered whether to join the army, but after weighing the two options, he ultimately chose to become a guard for the Laman Family.

Although the Laman Family imposed heavy taxes on their territory and were quite arrogant toward commoners, at least in terms of personal safety, they were far better than the army.

Therefore, after making this decision, Leian appropriately revealed a bit of his "talent."

As it happened, just after Baron Laman provided the first Destruction Battle Qi cultivation method, the Black Stone Battle Method, Leian managed to manifest battle qi on his very first attempt, which delighted them both.

However, after this success, Baron Laman did not arrange for Leian to continue testing, which made Leian involuntarily fantasize:

Perhaps he still possessed talent in the other three major laws!

Of course, this was just a fleeting thought. Leian knew very well that his primary goal was to reach the Saint Realm; only by becoming one of the top-tier existences on the continent would it be possible to lead his family through the catastrophe of the Apocalyptic War.

Because of this goal, Leian had not dared to relax for a single moment over the years. After obtaining the battle qi cultivation method, he practiced diligently and finally crossed the threshold into a seventh-rank warrior not long ago.

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

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

Only the final "Worldly Momentum" remained to be mastered.

And this year, Leian was exactly 25 years old.

However, as the saying goes, the tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind! To develop in a low-profile manner, the strength he displayed to the outside world was that of an early-stage sixth-rank warrior.

In the Laman Family's territory, this level was not much different from the most talented "geniuses" who had emerged from the territory in the past, such as the current captain of the guards—the seventh-rank warrior Carl Albert.

Captain Carl had become a sixth-rank warrior at the age of 25.

Because Leian could perfectly control his own battle qi, he had hidden it very well; even the veteran seventh-rank warrior Baron Laman had not discovered his true strength.

On the way back to the small town, the last rays of the setting sun quietly faded away. As soon as he stepped into the town, Leian was greeted by various face-to-face salutations and praises behind his back.

"Greetings, Captain Leian!"

"Captain Leian is back!"

"Captain Leian is still so hardworking. Aside from his missions, I haven't seen him take three consecutive days off in all these years."

With Leian's keen hearing, these words of praise naturally reached his ears without missing a syllable. Although he knew most were just flattery, he couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.

After walking for a short while, he turned into an alley and soon stopped in front of a small courtyard.

The courtyard was not large, but the house was exquisite, showing the wealth of its owner.

At this moment, the courtyard gate was already open, and a blonde girl in her teens was standing at the entrance looking out, appearing to have been waiting for a long time.

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

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

Her name was Aili, and she was hired by Leian to take care of his parents. As the captain of the Laman Family guards, Leian had a monthly salary of 60 gold coins, which was more than enough to hire a few servants.

Hearing Aili's words, Leian frowned and said:

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

As he said this, he suddenly patted his forehead and shook his head, saying, "Forget it, it's my fault!"

Although he had tried his best to ensure he could return home on time every time he went out to train, sometimes when he was in a good state, it was inevitable that he would miss the time. Parents waiting for their children to eat together was a matter of familial affection; furthermore, in the eyes of the Barry couple, their current good life all came from their eldest son, Leian.

After entering the courtyard, Leian first returned to his bedroom. Once he unbuckled his two weapons, he strode toward the dining room.

Inside the dining room, his father Barry was already seated, and his mother Annie was serving dishes with an older maid. When Leian arrived, the various dishes had just been set out. He exchanged greetings and began to eat with his parents.

Barry ate a few bites, his movements gradually slowing down. After frowning and scrutinizing Leian for a few moments, he finally couldn't help but say:

"Leian, although cultivation is important, marriage is no small matter. You are already twenty-five. When I was your age, you were already walking. Shouldn't you..."

This was not the first time Barry had said such things. Leian had gone from initial impatience to being accustomed to it. Before the other could finish, he interrupted:

"Father, I have the confidence to become a seventh-rank warrior, or even higher. Once I break through, I will at least have a lifespan of two or three hundred years. There is really no need to rush into marriage."

"That may be so, but cultivation and marriage are not contradictory..."

Barry didn't seem to give up, but before he could finish, he was interrupted by Leian again.

"I know, I will keep it in mind. Instead, you two—"

As he spoke, Leian looked up at his parents, "You don't have to work now, so you can exercise more often. For every bit of strength you gain, you gain a bit more lifespan. It wouldn't be impossible for you to give me a younger brother or sister by then!"

Hearing their son so bluntly mention wanting a younger brother or sister, Barry and Annie's old faces immediately turned red. After the two exchanged a glance, they finally stopped talking.

In fact, under their son's supervision, the couple had indeed picked up their old warrior training in recent years. Nowadays, Barry was a third-rank warrior, and Annie was a first-rank warrior.

After persisting in their training, they clearly felt their bodies had become much stronger. Recently, they had indeed planned to have another child, but they had never mentioned it to Leian. Now that it was suddenly brought up by Leian, it was inevitably a bit awkward.

Leian didn't mind. After dinner, he returned to his bedroom and began his usual meditative practice.

Being very familiar with the Panlong Universe, he knew the importance of spiritual energy. After obtaining the meditation method, he had almost never interrupted this practice.

Time slipped away quietly, and in the blink of an eye, the sky had turned completely dark. Under the veil of night, Qingshi Town gradually fell silent.

Just then, Leian snapped his eyes open. After a few moments of silence, he suddenly rolled out of bed, changed into a set of night-traveling clothes, slipped out of his house, and crept through the darkness toward the center of town, heading for the Laman Manor.

The reason for this went back to a night patrol Leian had conducted a few days ago.

That night, while on patrol, Leian had unexpectedly seen the guard commander Cal staying in the study of Baron Laman unusually late. Moreover, when she left, she wore a grave expression, which sparked a hint of curiosity and suspicion in Leian, making him wonder if the Baron was plotting something.

Ever since then, the more Leian thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He had to keep in mind that he was very satisfied with his current life; if it were to be disrupted, finding another safe place to develop his strength so low-key would be very difficult.

After much deliberation, being bold due to his high level of skill, he began to investigate in secret, and tonight was already his third time sneaking into Laman Manor.

As a guard captain, Leian was very familiar with the habits of the patrolling soldiers, so avoiding them was a piece of cake. Coupled with his strength as a level 7 warrior and his mastery over his battle aura, he was confident that it was nearly impossible for anyone of the same level to detect him while he was hidden in the shadows.

Within the entire Laman Manor, the strongest person, Baron Laman, was only a level 7 warrior. Aside from him, there was only the steward Ryan, a level 6 warrior, and Laman's son, Benson.