"Grandpa Doehring."
Linley looked at Doehring beside him and said, "I need to break through. You and Bebe keep watch for me."
Linley's words made Doehring freeze for a moment.
He remembered how, five months ago, when they had first entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Linley's terrifying speed of advancement had left him stunned.
Did that mean it was happening all over again?
Could gods just do whatever they wanted?
Over the past five months, Doehring had also been comprehending the Earth Element Profound Mystery.
But no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't understand why Linley's elders could help him break through just like that.
It made no magical sense.
But no one else heard Doehring's inner grumbling.
By now, Linley had already sat cross-legged on the ground.
"Big Brother Lin Ke." Linley contacted Lin Ke in the System Space. "Exchange all thirteen thousand portions of Purple Light Dew."
"No problem."
In the System Space, Lin Ke put away all the items he had been researching and snapped his fingers.
The next moment, a steady stream of Purple Light Dew poured into Linley's mouth.
Beside him, Doehring stared at Linley's speed of advancement, completely dumbfounded.
Fast!
Too fast!
Even faster than his breakthrough five months ago.
Most importantly—
It seemed to have no end.
Peak Rank 5 Warrior, early Rank 6 Warrior, mid Rank 6 Warrior...
It wasn't only his warrior strength that was advancing. Linley's strength as a mage was breaking through as well.
What was more, Doehring was a Saint-level mage, so his perception of spiritual power was especially precise.
Peak Level Four, early Level Five, mid Level Five...
This time, Linley's breakthrough took more than ten minutes.
By now, Doehring was utterly stunned.
Thirteen thousand bottles of Purple Light Dew.
They had increased his physical strength by a total of ninety-one million and his spiritual power by thirty-nine million.
"Level Seven, a Level Seven Mage—an eight-year-old Level Seven Mage! This is madness. The world really has gone mad."
Doehring's worldview had just been reshaped all over again.
A Level Four Mage had broken through to become a Level Seven Mage in just over ten minutes.
Most importantly, this mage was only an eight-year-old child.
Doehring couldn't shake the feeling that—
Ever since Linley had bonded with the Coiling Dragon Ring and released him, he had been dreaming the whole time.
There was no Linley. He was merely a fantasy conjured up before Doehring's soul dissipated.
How could anyone possibly advance from a Level Four Mage to a Level Seven Mage in just over ten minutes?
And an eight-year-old child, no less.
Was this reasonable?
Was this magic?
Linley, of course, had no idea that Doehring had started to question whether the world was real.
"Big Brother Lin Ke, open my Attribute Panel!"
As soon as he opened his eyes, Linley immediately checked his attributes.
Name: Linley Baruch Age: 8 Energy Points: 0 green, 17 white Physical Strength: 91.07 million (4.9 billion) Spiritual Power: 39.03 million Battle Qi: 10,000 Mana: 30,000 Elemental Affinity: Earth Element (superior), Wind Element (superior), Destruction (high), Fire Element (medium), Water Element (superior, hidden) Law Comprehension: Wind Element (slow, 0.001%) Battle Qi Manual: Dragonblood Secret Manual Meditation Method: Pu'ang Royal Meditation Method
"In human form, I'm a Rank 8 Warrior. After Dragon Transformation, I'm at the peak of Rank 9—and I'm a Level Seven Mage, too."
Looking at his attributes, a smile gradually appeared on Linley's face.
"Grandpa Doehring." Linley looked up at Doehring beside him. "I broke through. After Dragon Transformation, I have the strength of a Rank 9 Warrior."
"Crackle!"
Before Linley had even finished speaking, his entire body had already transformed into a dragon.
After transforming, Linley stood over two meters tall, his golden scales giving him a fearsome appearance.
Golden Dragonblood Battle Qi coursed through his body, and a pair of wings spread from his back.
"Whoosh!"
The next moment, all that remained was a golden afterimage. Linley vanished from where he stood.
"Crack, crack, crack!"
Hundreds of meters away, Linley reappeared.
The trees along the way had all been sliced down as if by a blade.
That was only the damage caused by his wings as he flew past just now.
"Linley." Doehring looked at him with a rueful expression. "With your strength now, it wouldn't surprise me if some Saint-level warriors couldn't defeat you."
Doehring's words made Linley pause.
"Grandpa Doehring, surely it can't be that bad?" Linley scratched his head. "They are Saint-level, after all. Still, I'm confident that no Rank 9 Warrior could defeat me."
"No, Linley." Doehring shook his head. "You're overlooking one thing. Your physical body has reached Rank 8. Do you know what that means?"
Doehring's expression was rueful, and Linley stood there, stunned as well.
That was right!
It wasn't his Battle Qi that had reached Rank 8. His physical body had.
That meant something entirely different.
Uncle Hillman had said that the strongest human bodies could only reach Rank 7.
His grandfather was at that level, too.
That was already thanks to the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline, which gave his grandfather a greater physical talent.
But Linley had the System and Big Brother Lin Ke, so his physical body had broken through directly to Rank 8.
That was practically unheard of.
Forget Rank 8—even some Saint Warriors might not have physical bodies that reached Rank 6.
After all, a warrior's talent didn't necessarily include physical talent.
It could simply mean they cultivated Battle Qi quickly or comprehended the laws of nature faster.
As far as Linley knew, he had never heard of a Rank 8 Warrior whose strength came purely from his physical body.
"And it's not only your physical body." Doehring studied Linley with a probing look. "You've also comprehended the Wind Element Laws. Even if it's only a tiny bit, it's enough. At the very least, the two Saint-level warriors who fought in the skies above Wushan Town couldn't defeat you."
Even Doehring found those words hard to believe.
An eight-year-old child, capable of matching a Saint-level warrior.
Surely he was still trapped in a hallucination?
"Roar!"
Just as Doehring finished speaking, a thunderous roar came from the distance.
"That's the roar of a bear-type Magical Beast." Doehring identified it at once. "Bear-type Magical Beasts are at least Rank 7. Most are Rank 8, and there are even some Rank 9 and Saint-level Magical Beasts. Linley, do you want to go take a look?"
Doehring's words made Linley's eyes light up.
"Let's go take a look." As he spoke, Linley transformed into a dragon again and turned to Bebe, who was lazily sunning himself nearby. "Bebe, come on. We're going over there."
"Coming, Boss!"
As he spoke, Bebe became a blur and landed on Linley's shoulder.
Bebe had been born only about half a year ago.
Although Linley taught him, his intelligence still wasn't very high—at most, about the same as Wharton's.
Fortunately, when it came to fighting, Bebe could still understand Linley's orders.
"This Shadow Mouse is no ordinary fellow, either!"
Doehring returned to the Coiling Dragon Ring, filled with amazement.
A young Shadow Mouse could move faster than a Rank 7 Magical Beast and was no weaker than an average Rank 8 Magical Beast.
Its attack and defense were only at the level of a Rank 6 Magical Beast, but even so, it was astonishing.
A certain invincible figure on the Yulan Continent came to Doehring's mind.
"Could this little Shadow Mouse be connected to that one?"
Before you continue