Cultivating Magic

"Father, I wanted to ask—was it possible for descendants of the Dragonblood Warrior Clan to become magi?" Lin Feng's hands clenched the bedsheets of their own accord, and he stared fixedly at his father. Though Lin Feng knew the answer was yes, he had to consider the question and his reaction from the perspective of Lin Feng Baruch.

Hogg gave Lin Feng a "blow" of disappointment, then said, "Lin Feng, every year during the recruiting season, in late autumn, they held tests in the royal capital, Fenlai City, to recruit students of magic. If you really want to go, you can try this autumn."

After saying that, Hogg walked out. A magus? The requirements for talent were far too strict. Sigh!

Hogg left with a sigh, but Lin Feng was excited. He knew that his path to becoming a strong warrior was about to begin, and that countless challenges awaited him.

After dinner, Lin Feng hurried back to his room. He wanted to make the Coiling Dragon Ring recognize him as its master with a drop of blood, then have his Grandpa Doehring teach him how to cultivate magic. Although he knew that in the original story, Lin Feng had accidentally made the Coiling Dragon Ring recognize him as its master the next day, during the fight between Dillon and Rudy, he couldn't take that risk. If a large rock smashed his head open tomorrow, there'd be no use crying over it.

He took the Coiling Dragon Ring from his chest, carefully bit his finger, and let a drop of blood fall onto the ring's pitch-black surface.

The blood touched the Coiling Dragon Ring and was immediately absorbed by its dark material. As it drank in the blood, the ring gradually began to emit a hazy glow.

Lin Feng stared intently at the Coiling Dragon Ring, anticipating what would happen next.

Suddenly, the Coiling Dragon Ring slipped from Lin Feng's hand and floated into the air, its glow growing brighter and brighter.

Whoosh! The ring's glow abruptly contracted, then transformed into a hazy streak of light. It flew out of the Coiling Dragon Ring and descended beside the bed, where it turned into a person.

He was an amiable old man dressed in a moon-white robe, with white hair and beard.

Seeing the hazy figure, Lin Feng knew he was the soul of Doehring Cowart, the Saint-level Magus of the Earth Element who had been dwelling in the Coiling Dragon Ring.

Although he knew the man's identity, Lin Feng had to act surprised. "Y-you are... who are you?"

"Hello, young man. My name is Doehring Cowart, and I'm a Saint-level Magus of the Puang Empire!" the kindly old man said with a smile.

Doehring Cowart's opening was exactly the same as in the original story. Lin Feng had no time to dwell on it. Instead, he widened his eyes and asked, "Y-you're a Saint-level Magus?"

Doehring Cowart nodded confidently.

Lin Feng's performance was pretty good. Although he knew all about Doehring Cowart, he kept up the innocent act, as if he knew nothing. And it was precisely that "innocence" that won him Doehring Cowart's favor. At Lin Feng's insistence, Doehring Cowart also agreed to call the Ring of Earth the Coiling Dragon Ring.

With his silver tongue, Lin Feng naturally began calling Doehring Cowart "Grandpa Doehring." Doehring Cowart also told Lin Feng some of Yulan's history and how he had once sent his soul into the Coiling Dragon Ring.

From then on, the relationship between Lin Feng and his Grandpa Doehring took a major step forward.

Doehring Cowart's kindness and warmth had also moved Lin Feng. If Lin Feng had only felt pity for Doehring Cowart before, now he truly regarded him as his own grandfather. As their conversation deepened, Grandpa Doehring's figure gradually merged with the image of Lin Feng's grandfather on Earth, who had passed away. Both were so kind and warm, both were...

"Grandpa Doehring, you said you're a Saint-level Magus. Can you teach me magic?" Lin Feng's heart pounded. Although he knew Grandpa Doehring would surely teach him, he was still a little nervous. After all, he wasn't the original Lin Feng. Though he still had Lin Feng Baruch's body, he couldn't be sure that his talent for magic hadn't vanished when he crossed over. If it had, Lin Feng would have no choice but to cultivate as a warrior and remain cut off from magic.

Doehring Cowart's white beard lifted, and his eyes lit up. "Of course! Your Grandpa Doehring is the greatest Saint-level Magus of the Earth Element, and among all the branches of magic, the Earth Element is the strongest!" As soon as Old Doehring started talking about magic, his whole spirit brightened.

Next, Lin Feng followed Doehring Cowart's instructions and tested his talent for the Earth Element.

"Come. First, I'll test your elemental affinity. Sit cross-legged, close your eyes, and enter a meditative state," Doehring Cowart said gently.

Though Lin Feng had never cultivated before, he had read countless novels and understood the idea of meditation.

Following the instructions, Lin Feng sat cross-legged and began to meditate. But understanding the idea of meditation was one thing; entering the meditative state was another. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't manage it.

Could Lin Feng's talent for magic really have disappeared when I crossed over? Lin Feng looked dejected. If that was true, he would never be able to return to Earth, to his hometown.

"Don't worry. Just focus on what you can feel, then tell me when you sense something." Doehring Cowart smiled encouragingly at Lin Feng. Lin Feng immediately closed his eyes again and tried to calm himself.

With Doehring Cowart's guidance, Lin Feng finally entered the meditative state after about half an hour.

Doehring Cowart looked at Lin Feng, now in a meditative state, and smiled calmly. Then he waved his hand.

In an instant, vast quantities of Earth Element energy gathered around Lin Feng. Normally, the density of Earth Element energy was about the same throughout any given area. But now, Doehring Cowart used his powerful spiritual force to make the Earth Element energy around Lin Feng nearly a hundred times denser.

If he still can't sense the Earth Element under these conditions, there's no hope at all, Doehring Cowart thought.

At a hundred times its normal density, even an ordinary person could sense it.

Fully immersed in the meditative state, Lin Feng felt joyful and excited. It seemed his talent for magic hadn't disappeared. Haha, I might even become a Controller! But then Lin Feng grew confused. In the original story, it had mentioned that when Lin Feng first meditated, the only light around him besides the earthy-yellow Earth Element motes had been a few faint, pale-green motes of Wind Element energy. But now, there were motes of every color around him: fiery red, pitch-black, blazing white, water blue, deep purple, pale green—and, of course, most of all, the earthy-yellow motes of Earth Element energy.

Watching the countless motes of every color dance happily around him, Lin Feng grew more and more puzzled.

Could I have an even greater gift than Lin Feng—a superlative affinity for every element?

At the thought, Lin Feng grew even more excited.