Learning Flat Blade Carving

A few days later, Ernst Institute.

In the morning, after Lin Feng finished his breakfast, he set off for the mountain behind the school to practice.

Walking along the paths within the institute, the little Shadow Mouse stood on Lin Feng's shoulder, looking around in every direction. Since many people at Ernst Institute owned magical beasts, no one paid any mind to Lin Feng having a Shadow Mouse. Just then, a crisp voice rang out from not far ahead: "That's Lin Feng, the true number one mage of our first-year class."

Lin Feng couldn't help but look toward the source of the sound, only to see two cute little girls whispering to each other, glancing at him from time to time. When Lin Feng looked over, the two girls covered their mouths and giggled softly.

I've become a celebrity too, Lin Feng thought with a self-deprecating smile.

Over the past few days, whenever he ran into people, he would often hear them discussing him. Having defeated Land, the top student of the grade competition, Lin Feng was already vaguely considered the top expert among the first-years.

"Ah, who is that up ahead?" Lin Feng's gaze suddenly locked onto a small, thin figure in the distance.

With short golden hair and a build as slight as Reynolds', the person walked along the path with a cold, indifferent expression.

"Dixie?" Lin Feng had seen Dixie from afar when he was with Dilia, which was why he recognized him at a glance.

Dixie was also nine years old now; if calculated by the month, he was even a month younger than Lin Feng. Yet, this nine-year-old child was already a third-rank mage. Although it was harder to advance as a mage, being a third-rank mage at nine was still astonishing.

"It's Dixie! I heard that in yesterday's year-end test, Dixie reached the fourth rank," some seventeen or eighteen-year-old girls nearby whispered to each other.

Most third-year students were over sixteen; only Dixie was such a super genius.

"A fourth-rank mage?" Lin Feng was startled upon hearing this, though he was only slightly surprised and not at all shocked. He was already a sixth-rank mage, and seeing Dixie, who was hailed as a peerless genius, only at the fourth rank, Lin Feng felt no shock—instead, he felt a faint sense of smugness.

Lin Feng walked out of the back gate of Ernst Institute and entered the mountain behind it. As he moved quickly through the forest, Doehring Cowart suddenly said, "Lin Feng, find a place against a cliff."

"Against a cliff?" Lin Feng was delighted, thinking that Grandpa Doehring was finally willing to teach him Flat Blade carving.

The back mountain was mostly covered in vegetation and weeds, with various towering trees, but after searching for a while, Lin Feng found a spot that met Doehring Cowart's requirements. There was a protruding mountain peak several hundred meters high, and Lin Feng stood at its base.

"Grandpa Doehring, why did you have me come here?" Although Lin Feng knew the answer, he still had to go through the motions.

A stream flowed with a gurgling sound as Lin Feng sat cross-legged, holding a flat blade and a stone the size of his palm.

"Start from the basics. Use this small stone to practice first."

In the mountain behind Ernst Institute, Lin Feng was alone, beginning his study of carving under Doehring Cowart's guidance. As his understanding of carving itself became clearer, Lin Feng also understood why the "Flat Blade" school could increase one's spiritual energy in its middle and later stages.

Lin Feng did not slack off in the slightest regarding Flat Blade carving. He knew that in the original story, it was precisely because the Lin Feng of that world learned this technique that his spiritual energy skyrocketed like a rocket. He became the youngest person in Yulan history to reach the Saint Realm and become a god, rewriting Yulan's history.

From then on, in addition to his previous magic and warrior training, Lin Feng added a new course: practicing Flat Blade carving.

During the end-of-semester test, Lin Feng showed a bit of his strength and passed the fourth-rank mage examination. Becoming a fourth-rank mage in just one year, his reputation soared throughout the institute the moment his results were announced, vaguely threatening to overshadow the peerless genius Dixie. If Lin Feng had shown his full strength as a sixth-rank mage, the entire school would likely have gone wild.

When the school year ended, Lin Feng returned to Wushan Town.

After the New Year, little Wharton and his brother Lin Feng spent only a few days together before heading to the O'Brien Empire under the care of the butler, Hiri. Lin Feng could only watch with reluctance as little Wharton left; the six-year-old Wharton, who was crying his eyes out, parted ways with the ten-year-old Lin Feng.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed since the start of the new semester.

"Grandpa Doehring, why is it that I've been a sixth-rank mage for so long, yet there's still no sign of a breakthrough?"

Lin Feng had reached the peak of the sixth rank before the end of the previous semester, but several months had passed, and he still felt no signs of a breakthrough. It was no wonder Lin Feng was anxious.

Hearing this, Doehring Cowart flew out of the Coiling Dragon ring, looked at Lin Feng, stroked his beard, and smiled: "Lin Feng, practicing magic isn't that simple. The gap between the sixth and seventh rank is a hurdle in a mage's cultivation. To cross this hurdle, talent and hard work aren't enough; you also need opportunity."

"Opportunity?" Lin Feng was speechless. Opportunity meant luck, the most unpredictable thing of all.

"Since you have reached the sixth rank as a mage and the fifth rank as a warrior, it is time to go to the Magical Beast Mountain Range for training. I believe the possibility of advancing will be much higher during life-and-death battles."

"Go to the Magical Beast Mountain Range for training?" Lin Feng's eyes lit up. He had long wanted to go, but since Grandpa Doehring hadn't mentioned it, he hadn't wanted to bring it up himself. However, Lin Feng immediately felt a bit embarrassed: "Grandpa Doehring."

Seeing the rare look of embarrassment on Lin Feng's face, Doehring Cowart couldn't help but chuckle: "If you have something to say, just say it. Why be so coy with your Grandpa Doehring?"

After gathering his thoughts, Lin Feng said: "Grandpa Doehring, I want to take Dilia with me to the Magical Beast Mountain Range for training. Is that possible?"

Upon hearing this, Doehring Cowart's expression turned strange. He scrutinized Lin Feng for a long time before laughing loudly: "Lin Feng, if you want to take your little girlfriend, then take her. But I must warn you, the Magical Beast Mountain Range is extremely dangerous, and your little girlfriend has barely reached the second rank. Even with your protection, her safety cannot be guaranteed. You must weigh this carefully."

Before Lin Feng could reply, Doehring Cowart continued: "Besides, as far as I know, you and that little girl Dilia haven't even confirmed your relationship yet. Can you be sure she will agree to go to such a dangerous place with you?"

Lin Feng said confidently: "Don't worry, she will definitely go with me."

In truth, the reason Lin Feng wanted to take Dilia to the Magical Beast Mountain Range wasn't because he couldn't bear to be away from her for a moment. On the contrary, he originally didn't want Dilia to go to such a dangerous place. However, he knew from the original story that Dilia's aptitude was limited, and it was nearly impossible for her to become a god independently based on her own talent. He didn't want Dilia, his future wife, to refine a God Divine Spark to become a god. Once she refined a spark, she would have no room for further growth, at most refining a middle or high God Divine Spark to become the lowest of the high gods. This was a situation Lin Feng did not want to see. After all, for them, life would be infinite in the future; if there was no room for them to improve, wouldn't an infinitely long life be boring to death?

That was why Lin Feng decided to take Dilia to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to undergo life-and-death training with him, hoping to help her so she could become a god on her own in the future, or at least reach the Saint Realm. As long as she reached the Saint Realm, her life would be infinite, and with his protection, Dilia would have plenty of time to comprehend the laws of heaven and earth and become a god.

Moreover, Lin Feng believed that with his protection, Dilia would not be in any mortal danger in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.