Breaking the Record

"Congratulations, Lin Feng. You have successfully broken the Yulan record. Reaching the seventh-rank Grand Magus realm at thirteen is truly monstrous." Doehring Cowart flew out from the Coiling Dragon Ring, his moon-white robes fluttering in the breeze as his sleeves danced in the air.

"Hoo."

Lin Feng let out a long breath. With Doehring Cowart's confirmation, he finally verified that he had reached the seventh-rank Magus realm.

"Four years. It took nearly four years to break through from the peak of the sixth-rank to the seventh-rank, and that was even with the assistance of Flat Blade carving. The gap between the sixth and seventh ranks is truly massive."

"No wonder there are so many mages or warriors at the sixth rank or below in Yulan, yet true high-level mages or warriors are so rare."

When he read Coiling Dragon in the past, Lin Feng hadn't felt much about the book's claim that the gap between the sixth and seventh ranks was a watershed for mages and warriors. But after experiencing it himself, he finally discovered that this hurdle was indeed no small matter.

"It took me just over a year to go from knowing nothing about magic to the peak of the sixth-rank, yet it took nearly four years to go from that peak to the seventh-rank. This comparison in time is just... truly..."

"In the original book, if Lin Feng hadn't suffered the emotional betrayal from Alice and spent ten days and nights carving 'Dream Awakening' to achieve enlightenment, he probably wouldn't have broken through to the seventh-rank so quickly."

"I must have broken through just now because I poured out the worries I had been suppressing in my heart, allowing my soul to be released and my spiritual power to surge."

Lin Feng hadn't expected that he would plant flowers with intent but they wouldn't bloom, yet he would accidentally plant a willow that grew into shade. He had broken through by sheer coincidence; it was just as Grandpa Doehring said: to break through, one needs an opportunity.

"If Dilia hadn't been jealous of Lin Ruo, I probably would have needed at least another half a month or even a month to break through. I owe this to Dilia."

Thinking of this, a grateful Lin Feng pulled Dilia's small head toward him and kissed her tempting red lips deeply.

"Wow, I'm dying, I'm dying! Boss, aren't you teaching a minor magical beast bad habits!" Beibei yelled in Lin Feng's mind.

"Ahem." Doehring Cowart was also made somewhat awkward by Lin Feng's sudden move. "Lin Feng, although I am an old man, don't act as if I don't exist!"

After being reminded by Beibei and Doehring Cowart, Lin Feng realized he had lost his composure. Although his skin was quite thick, he couldn't withstand the strange looks from both Beibei and Doehring Cowart.

To cover his embarrassment, Lin Feng had to change the subject, turning to Dilia: "Dilia, you are about to break through too, right?"

At this moment, Dilia's face was flushed. Her skin wasn't as thick as Lin Feng's, and although he had kissed her forcefully before, she was always shy. Fortunately, she didn't know about Doehring Cowart's existence and hadn't heard the soul transmissions between Beibei and Lin Feng, otherwise, it wouldn't just be a simple blush.

"Mm, it should be soon. I have this feeling; it should be within a month." Dilia answered obediently.

Sure enough, half a month later, after Dilia and Beibei worked together to slaughter a fifth-rank Bloodthirsty War Boar, Dilia successfully advanced to a fifth-rank Magus as she had hoped.

If Dilia had continued to cultivate at the Ernst Institute, it would have taken her at least ten years or even longer to reach the fifth-rank. But in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, fighting every day, she had reached the fifth-rank in just over three years. This undoubtedly proved the correctness of Lin Feng bringing her to the Magical Beast Mountain Range for training. At the same time, it gave Lin Feng more confidence that Dilia could independently cultivate to the Saint realm, or perhaps even comprehend a profound mystery and become a god on her own.

Actually, Dilia's talent was not weak to begin with. She was a genius with super-grade wind element affinity and high-grade spiritual power; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to enter the Ernst Institute. Looking at talent alone, Dilia was no weaker than the Lin Feng in the original book. Moreover, because she only cultivated one element and didn't need to divide her focus, it would be even easier for her to break through to the Saint realm or even become a god than it was for the original Lin Feng.

The reason the Dilia in the original book couldn't cultivate to the Saint realm on her own was due to a lack of effort and training. If she had followed Lin Feng when he went to the Magical Beast Mountain Range for training, she wouldn't have needed to refine a godhead to become a god later on.

"Haha, Boss, Big Sister-in-law has also reached the fifth rank! We should head deeper into the Magical Beast Mountain Range now. I, Beibei, can't wait any longer. The magical beasts here are too weak. Hehe, I really want to challenge a Velociraptor."

Seeing Dilia level up, the most excited one wasn't Lin Feng or Dilia herself, but the God-Eater Rat, Beibei. Watching him dance around and squeak, it was clear he had long wanted to challenge stronger magical beasts.

After nearly four years of tempering and growth, Beibei's current combat power was no weaker than a sixth-rank magical beast. If one added his speed—equivalent to a peak eighth-rank or even ninth-rank magical beast—and his monstrous defense, he could even put up a fight against a seventh-rank magical beast.

Of course, compared to a top-tier seventh-rank magical beast like a Velociraptor, there was still a gap in Beibei's overall strength.

"Alright, Dilia has reached the fifth rank and has some ability to protect herself. It's time to head toward the gathering grounds of fifth and sixth-rank magical beasts."

"We've been on the road for a day; let's rest here tonight. We should be able to reach the gathering grounds of the fifth and sixth-rank magical beasts by tomorrow."

Looking through the gaps in the giant canopy at the sun, which had already slanted to the west, Lin Feng decided to camp here for the night. Traveling in the Magical Beast Mountain Range at night was very dangerous. Many magical beasts liked to come out to forage at night, and those that had lived in the dim Magical Beast Mountain Range for a long time had combat power at night that was no different from during the day. In this regard, humans could not compare to magical beasts.

Sitting on the ground, a tranquil Lin Feng slowly closed his eyes. At the same time, he began to sense the flow of earth elements in the ground and the flow of wind elements around him. The feeling was as if he had returned to his parents' embrace.

With super-grade affinity for both earth and wind elements, Lin Feng's senses were quite clear.

"The pulse of the earth, the rhythm of the wind." A serene smile appeared on Lin Feng's face, and he began to enter a state of sleep. In this state, Lin Feng was very confident; if there were any vibrations on the ground nearby, or if anything approached at extreme speed causing the wind to stir, he would be alerted and wake up.

This was the skill of an earth and wind-style Magus.

The night grew deeper. Dilia, held in Lin Feng's arms, slept quietly, her slightly pouting lips radiating an invincible cuteness. The small Shadow Mouse, Beibei, curled up beside Lin Feng, also emitted a very faint snoring sound. The night wind turned chilly; the nights in the Magical Beast Mountain Range in late autumn were quite cold. Fortunately, neither Lin Feng nor Dilia were ordinary people, so this bit of cold couldn't harm them. As for Beibei, its shiny black fur was not just tough; it possessed the most basic function of keeping warm.

Late at night, it was pitch black.

"Swish, swish~" A faint sound of limbs rubbing against weeds rang out.

Two strong Wind Wolves with shiny cyan fur were walking quietly through the mountain forest, one behind the other. Their green eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly, while their strong, powerful limbs moved silently along the path.

Their pale, sharp fangs faintly reflected a cold light in the dark night.