"Pfft—"
The distance between them was still too short. Even though Xiao Yan had experienced a moment of enlightenment, he only had time to dodge the blade away from his head at the last moment. The dagger still pierced through his shoulder.
"BANG!"
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As blood sprayed through the air, a severed arm fell to the ground.
"Argh—" The intense pain contorted Xiao Yan's face. He stared at the ambusher before him, his expression filled with boundless murderous intent.
"Die!" In his fury, Xiao Yan's figure flickered like a ghost, appearing behind the ambusher in an instant.
Fiery-red Dou Qi gathered in his palm, and he struck the ambusher on the head.
Their skill levels were worlds apart. Having lost the advantage of surprise, the ambusher couldn't react before the enraged Xiao Yan slapped him to death.
"BANG!"
The fight was over. Dragging his battered body, Xiao Yan quickly left.
Night fell. Inside a dim mountain cave,
Xiao Yan, with Yang Guo's standard build, leaned against the wall and bandaged his shoulder wound by the faint moonlight.
Having lost an arm and not yet adjusted to the loss, Xiao Yan was greatly weakened. This was when he was at his most vulnerable. He didn't even dare light a fire, afraid of attracting the attention of powerful magical beasts.
In the dim cave, Xiao Yan finished bandaging the wound and ran his fingers over it, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
The dagger that had nearly pierced his eye that day kept replaying in his mind.
That single strike had taught him not to grow arrogant or complacent.
It had completely cut away the thread of pride that Lin Lei, as a transmigrator, had always kept hidden in the depths of his heart.
This was a real world. Everyone could die: ordinary people, gods, even Ao Fu, who had gathered all three Supreme Artifacts. Even Lin Lei's path to transcendence had not been smooth; he, too, had often faced danger.
Though more than half a day had passed, Xiao Yan still felt shaken. He had come so close... If he hadn't comprehended the power of the world at the last moment and shifted his body slightly to the left, he would have lost far more than just his right arm.
"I was still too careless." Xiao Yan touched his wound and sighed. "I should have known that the bandits inside the Sunset Forest were completely different from those outside it."
The bandits outside the Sunset Forest mostly traveled in groups, often numbering twenty or thirty. Most were third- or fourth-level warriors, while fifth- and sixth-level experts were rare. Their targets were usually young, inexperienced adventurers, commonly known as greenhorns.
These greenhorns were often talented academy students or noble scions out for training. They were worth a lot, each one like a walking Magic Core.
The middle-aged man who had killed Caesar's group outside the Sunset Forest was one such bandit.
The bandits who roamed inside the Sunset Forest faced a complex environment and countless magical beasts. Those able to operate within the forest were at least fifth-level warriors, while the strongest could reach the seventh or eighth level. Every one of them had rich combat experience and was extremely difficult to deal with.
Treating these two kinds of bandits as the same was bound to end badly.
Recalling the details of the day's fight, Xiao Yan examined his shortcomings and put aside his contempt.
"First, I'll find a safe place to rest and recover. Once I'm used to fighting with one hand, I'll leave the Sunset Forest." Xiao Yan made up his mind, not overly troubled by his lost arm.
After all, although Xiao Yan had lost an arm, he had also gained something from the misfortune: he had comprehended the power of the world.
From here, he only needed to accumulate Dou Qi steadily. Before long, he would break through to the Saint Domain and complete his evolution to a higher level of life.
By then, he would not only gain more clones, but his own white talent would also refresh into a higher-level one.
As for the arm he had lost, although it temporarily affected his strength, he only needed to find a high-level light or life mage after leaving the forest to grow it back.
Time passed. On Xiao Yan's thirty-third day in the Sunset Forest, he tended to his wounds beside a water source. Seven or eight corpses dressed in black lay beside him.
"That's the seventh group. There really are a lot of bandits in the Sunset Forest."
Xiao Yan calmly tended to the old wound on his shoulder, left by a seventh-level warrior. It had damaged the bone, and even after a month, his current recovery rate hadn't been enough to heal it completely. He still had to be careful.
As for the corpses around him, they had all been fifth- or sixth-level warriors in life. They posed no threat to Xiao Yan.
After losing his arm, Xiao Yan had immediately left the central region of the Sunset Forest and chosen to recuperate in the outskirts. Most of the bandits he encountered there were fifth- or sixth-level warriors, posing no threat to him.
"I've mostly regained control of my body, and the pain from my shoulder bone has eased. I should be fully recovered in a week or two at most. It's about time." Xiao Yan began thinking about leaving the Sunset Forest.
Xiao Yan had no intention of returning directly to Starfire City.
A month had passed since he left the Dragon Knight Warrior Academy. That also meant Xiao Yan had been gone for a month, and the Church of Light would have to be foolish not to realize he was away.
There could be Church of Light spies everywhere outside Starfire City, waiting for Xiao Yan to return so they could kill him in the open.
"Once I leave the Sunset Forest, I'll find a safe place and focus on accumulating Dou Qi. At my cultivation speed, I'll definitely break through to the Saint Domain within five years!"
And so, the Sunset Forest lost a trainee named Xiao Yan, while Panshi Town gained a boy named Yang Guo.
Spring turned to autumn, and more than half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
In the meditation room of Dormitory 9527 at the Imperial Capital Magic Academy of the Roland Empire, Lin Lei opened his eyes after cultivating, unable to hide his delight.
"After comprehending the power of the world, I started training my spiritual power. I never expected it to improve so quickly. In just half a year, my spiritual power has reached the level of a third-level mage, and my magic power has accumulated to the third level as well!"
"Most importantly, ever since my clone comprehended the power of the world, the quality of my soul seems to have improved. I can now control two clones at once. I no longer have to give up one whenever I make the other cultivate."
"And..." Lin Lei lightly tapped his foot and turned into a ghostly blur, flickering around the meditation room. "With the insights into the power of the world shared between us, even though my main body started cultivating Dou Qi from scratch, I've already reached the third level. I might even reach the Saint Domain before my mage cultivation!"
The thought of the immortal Saint Domain filled Lin Lei with excitement.
"Still, because of the cultivation technique I practice, it's best not to reveal my warrior cultivation. When I'm out, I should only display my strength as a mage." Lin Lei suppressed his excitement and gradually calmed down.
"Snap—"
Just then, the door to the meditation room opened.
"Third Brother, Senior Xili's having a party tonight. Want to come?" Leiluo asked casually.
Lin Lei shook his head and declined the invitation. "I'll pass. I'm going to keep cultivating."
"Alright, then I'll go with Gates." Seeing Lin Lei refuse, Leiluo didn't insist. He turned and went to find Gates, the second brother.
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