"Congratulations, Lin Feng. You've successfully broken Yulan's record: reaching the Level Seven Mage realm at thirteen. Truly... monstrous." Doehring Cowart floated out of the Coiling Dragon Ring, his moon-white robes billowing in the wind.
"Hoo..."
Lin Feng let out a long breath. With Doehring Cowart's confirmation, he was finally sure that he had reached the Level Seven Mage realm.
"Four years. It took nearly four years to break through from the peak of Level Six to Level Seven—and that was with the help of carving the Flat Blade. The hurdle between Level Six and Level Seven really is enormous."
"There's a reason there are so many mages and warriors at Level Six or below in Yulan, but so few high-level mages and warriors."
Back when he'd read Coiling Dragon, Lin Feng hadn't really understood why the book called the gap between Level Six and Level Seven a watershed in a mage or warrior's cultivation. But after experiencing it himself, he finally realized just how enormous that hurdle was.
"It took me only a little over a year to go from knowing nothing about magic to reaching the peak of Level Six. But it took me nearly four years to advance from the peak of Level Six to Level Seven. The difference in time is... well, it's..."
"In the original story, if Lin Feng hadn't been betrayed by Alice in love and spent ten days and nights carving Dream Awakening, reaching a sudden realization, he probably wouldn't have broken through to Level Seven so quickly."
"I just let out what had been weighing on my heart. My mind was freed, my spiritual power surged, and that's what let me break through to Level Seven in one go, right?"
Lin Feng hadn't expected that his sincere efforts would come to nothing, while an unintentional act would bring success. By sheer coincidence, he'd broken through. It really was just as Grandpa Doehring had said: a breakthrough depended on fate.
"If Dilia hadn't mistakenly gotten jealous of Lin Ruo, I probably would've needed at least another half a month, maybe even a month, to break through. I have Dilia to thank."
Feeling grateful, Lin Feng cupped Dilia's little head in his hands, pressed his lips to her enticing red ones, and kissed her deeply.
"Whoa, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die! Boss, you're corrupting an underage magical beast!" Beibei wailed in Lin Feng's mind.
"Ahem." Doehring Cowart was also embarrassed by Lin Feng's sudden move. "Lin Feng, I may be a crotchety old man, but you don't have to act as though I'm not here!"
Reminded by Beibei and Doehring Cowart, Lin Feng realized he'd lost control. His skin might have been thick, but even he couldn't withstand the strange looks the two of them gave him.
To hide his embarrassment, Lin Feng had to change the subject. He turned to Dilia and asked, "Dilia, you're close to a breakthrough too, aren't you?"
Dilia's face was flushed as well. She wasn't nearly as thick-skinned as Lin Feng. Although he'd forced a kiss on her before, she blushed every time. Fortunately, she didn't know Doehring Cowart was there, nor had she heard the soul transmission between Beibei and Lin Feng. Otherwise, she'd have been more than just red-faced.
"Mm, I think so. I can feel it. I should break through within a month," Dilia replied obediently.
Just as expected, half a month later, after Dilia and Beibei worked together to kill a Fifth-Level Magical Beast, a Bloodthirsty War Boar, Dilia advanced to become a Level Five Mage.
If Dilia had continued cultivating at the Ernst Institute, it would've taken her at least ten years, perhaps even longer, to become a Level Five Mage. But after fighting every day in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, she'd advanced to Level Five in just over three years. This proved that Lin Feng had made the right choice when he brought Dilia to the mountains to temper herself. It also gave Lin Feng more confidence that Dilia could cultivate to the Saint Realm on her own, or even comprehend a Mystery and become a god without outside help.
Dilia's talent had never been weak. She had superior affinity for wind elements and high spiritual power, making her a prodigy. Otherwise, she wouldn't have met the requirements for the Ernst Institute. In terms of talent alone, Dilia was no weaker than Lin Feng in the original story. And since she cultivated only one element and didn't have to divide her attention, reaching the Saint Realm—or even becoming a god—would be easier for her than it had been for Lin Feng.
The reason Dilia in the original story couldn't cultivate to the Saint Realm on her own was that she hadn't worked hard enough or trained enough. If she'd gone with Lin Feng when he ventured into the Magical Beast Mountain Range, she wouldn't have needed to refine a Divine Spark to become a god later.
"Haha, Boss, Big Sis has reached Level Five too! We should head deeper into the Magical Beast Mountain Range now, right? I can hardly wait! The beasts around here are too weak. Heh heh, I really want to challenge a Velociraptor!"
Of everyone, Beibei was the most excited to see Dilia advance—not Lin Feng, or even Dilia herself. Judging by his bouncing around and excited squeaking, he'd clearly been eager to take on stronger magical beasts for a long time.
After nearly four years of training and growth, Beibei's combat strength was no weaker than that of a Level Six Magical Beast. With his speed—comparable to a peak Level Eight or even Level Nine Magical Beast—and his abnormal defenses, he could even take on a Level Seven Magical Beast.
Of course, Beibei's overall strength still fell short of the strongest Level Seven Magical Beasts, such as the Velociraptor.
"Good. Now that Dilia's reached Level Five, she has some ability to protect herself. We should head for the gathering grounds of Level Five and Level Six Magical Beasts."
"We've been traveling all day. Let's rest here tonight. We should reach the Level Five and Level Six gathering grounds tomorrow."
Looking through the gaps in the enormous canopy at the sun sinking in the west, Lin Feng decided they'd camp there for the night. Traveling through the Magical Beast Mountain Range after dark was dangerous. Many magical beasts came out to hunt at night, and those that had lived for so long in the dim mountains suffered little to no drop in fighting strength after sunset. Humans couldn't compare with them in that regard.
Sitting on the ground, Lin Feng closed his eyes, his heart calm. He began to sense the flow of the earth elements beneath him, as well as the wind elements around him. The sensation was like returning to his parents' embrace.
With superior affinity for both earth and wind elements, Lin Feng could sense them particularly clearly.
"The pulse of the earth, the rhythm of the wind." A peaceful smile touched Lin Feng's face as he drifted off to sleep. In this state, he was confident that he'd sense any tremor in the ground or any wind stirred by something approaching at extreme speed, and wake at once.
That was the strength of an earth and wind mage.
Night deepened. Dilia slept peacefully in Lin Feng's arms, her little, slightly puckered lips radiating an irresistible cuteness. The Shadow Mouse Beibei, curled up beside Lin Feng, was breathing with a barely audible snore. The night wind had turned chilly; autumn nights in the Magical Beast Mountain Range were cold. Fortunately, Lin Feng and Dilia were no ordinary people, so the cold couldn't hurt them. As for Beibei, his glossy black fur did more than just protect him—it kept him warm, too.
Deep in the night, everything was pitch-black.
"Rustle..." A faint sound came from limbs brushing against weeds.
Two powerful Wind Wolves, their fur gleaming blue-green, crept through the forest, one behind the other. Their green eyes warily watched their surroundings as their strong legs carried them silently along the trail.
Their ghastly white fangs glinted faintly in the darkness.
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