"Kill beasts?" Linley looked at the new quest that had appeared before him. "Big Brother Lin Ke, can I really kill beasts now?"
Linley felt a little eager, but also a little nervous.
But he wasn't afraid.
The bloody scene he'd witnessed during the day kept replaying in his mind.
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Combat, blood!
Though Linley was not yet nine, he still yearned for it.
"Don't worry." Lin Ke's lips curled slightly. "With your current strength, it'll be easy to use traps to kill beasts. And you can exchange your rewards for more strength. It's like a snowball rolling downhill—you'll improve quickly."
Lin Ke's words made Linley nod. He made up his mind. "Big Brother Lin Ke, I've decided. I'll exchange for Purple Light Dew."
"No problem." Inside System Space, Lin Ke snapped his fingers, and a drop of purple liquid floated before him. "Open your mouth."
At Lin Ke's words, Linley opened his mouth. The next moment, a cool drop of liquid appeared inside it.
It was slightly sweet, with a faint sour taste, but the flavor was mild.
Before Linley could even figure out what it tasted like, it had already vanished.
"Big Brother Lin Ke, that's it?" Linley smacked his lips, still wanting more. "It tastes pretty good—much better than Zhuling Juice."
Zhuling Juice was a sweet-and-sour drink that Linley liked very much.
"Don't even think about it." Lin Ke smiled broadly as he looked at his Energy Point balance, which had increased by nine. "One drop of Purple Light Dew costs ten Energy Points. I didn't earn a single point—I even lost some. What a terrible deal."
Hearing the excitement in Lin Ke's voice inside his mind, Linley found it hard to believe that Lin Ke had really lost out.
"By the way, Big Brother Lin Ke." Linley didn't dwell on the subject. "What rank of Energy Points comes after White Energy Points?"
"You don't need to know that yet." Lin Ke's tone turned serious. "White Energy Points will be enough for you until you reach the Saint-level. Knowing too much will only make you overreach."
In truth, Lin Ke was just making excuses.
The system didn't have different ranks of Energy Points.
Lin Ke had made that up himself.
His goal, of course, was to motivate Linley.
And it also made it easier for Lin Ke to profit.
After all, Linley was still a child.
He had witnessed an intense battle during the day, then studied meditation with Doehring.
Even Purple Light Dew had a mild sedative effect.
So Linley soon fell asleep.
Early the next morning, Linley reached the training ground just one second before training began.
Hillman glanced at Linley as he came running over but said nothing.
Linley's performance the day before had impressed Hillman.
He truly was from the Dragonblood Warrior Clan; his bloodthirsty nature had already begun to show.
It was just a pity that Linley's bloodline didn't meet the requirements, meaning he would never be able to practice the Dragonblood Secret Manual.
That meant Linley's physical training would take him only as far as Rank 7 Warrior at most.
But once the morning training began, Hillman was even more surprised.
"How is this possible?" Hillman looked at Linley, who was still holding on, and a flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes. "Yesterday, Linley couldn't hold on for this long. Why does he still look like he has strength to spare today?"
Linley's head and feet rested on separate flat stones, with his body supported only by his waist.
His body trembled slightly, but he kept holding on.
Hillman went over and checked Linley, confirming that he wasn't cheating.
"Good boy!" Hillman watched Linley persevere, delight flashing in his eyes. "Linley's physical strength is probably not far from Rank 1 Warrior now."
Hillman was excited.
With Linley's current talent, perhaps one day he really could reach Rank 7 Warrior through physical training alone.
Of course, for a nation, a Rank 7 Warrior was far less valuable than a Level Seven Mage.
But if Linley joined the army, even as a Rank 7 Warrior, he could easily become a mid-level officer or higher.
At the very least, he could protect the Baruch Clan's noble title.
It was just a pity that, back then...
At the thought, Hillman's expression darkened.
Hogg still hadn't managed to move on from what had happened back then.
After the other children on the training ground had all dropped down, Linley held on for nearly ten more minutes before finally slipping off the stones.
"Well done, Linley." Hillman didn't hold back his praise. "At most, you'll become a Rank 1 Warrior in six months."
Hillman's words astonished the children training nearby.
After all, Linley wasn't even one of the oldest among them.
"Linley, you're so strong!" Hadley, a blond boy, came over to him. "After training, want to explore the woods outside town? We might even catch a Magical Beast."
"No, Hadley." Linley shook his head. "I still have to study. Besides, there definitely aren't any Magical Beasts in the woods outside town. Uncle Hillman and the others clear them out every year."
Linley's answer disappointed Hadley.
They had grown up together.
But the gap between them had kept growing.
And it wasn't just their status.
More importantly, it was their talent.
After training, Linley returned home and washed up before beginning his studies under Hogg's supervision.
Though the Baruch Clan had fallen into decline, it was still a noble family.
Linley had to train as a warrior, but he also had to study politics, religion, etiquette, military strategy, geography, art, and many other subjects every day.
Fortunately, Linley now had two cheats.
"Big Brother Lin Ke, what does Father mean by this question?"
"Grandpa Doehring, is the history from back then really different from what Father says?"
"..."
When the lessons were over, Hogg looked at Linley with satisfaction.
Linley hadn't made a single mistake in class that day.
But when Hogg remembered how Linley had behaved in the battle the day before, he felt a little regretful.
His bloodline could make him, but it could also break him!
Linley had no idea what his father was thinking.
He left the ancestral home and headed toward Wushan, beside Wushan Town.
"Grandpa Doehring." Linley looked at him expectantly. "I've already learned meditation. Can you teach me magic now?"
"Of course." Doering Cowart appeared in a moon-white robe. "But before you learn magic incantations, you must first understand the essence of magic."
Compared with the dull politics lesson he'd just finished, Linley was clearly much more interested in magic.
Meanwhile, inside System Space, Lin Ke was constantly trying to create something that could awaken Linley's Dragonblood Warrior bloodline.
After all, at the beginning, transforming into a Dragonblood Warrior was by far the best way to fight enemies above one's level.
"No, no. The cost is too high. Linley can't afford it yet."
"This won't work either. The cost is low, but the drawbacks are too great."
"This one won't work either..."
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