Training

After securing his place at the Ernst Institute as he had hoped, Lin Feng and Hillman didn't linger in Fenlai City. Hillman was eager to return and tell his lord, Hogg, the good news, while Lin Feng wanted to get back as soon as possible and make further progress in his cultivation during the six months before school began.

On the way back, Doehring Cowart flew out of the Coiling Dragon Ring and asked Lin Feng, "Lin Feng, why did you suppress your talents in the other schools of magic during the test and show only your talent for earth and wind magic? And when they tested your mental strength, you shouldn't have received merely a superior rating. From what I can sense, your mental strength is more than enough for the highest rating."

Doehring Cowart was puzzled. When most people took a test of their magical talent, they couldn't wait to show off their best. But this oddball, Lin Feng, was content to reveal only the tip of the iceberg. It was completely baffling to Doehring Cowart.

Lin Feng smiled calmly. "Grandpa Doehring, a tree that towers above the forest will be cut down by the wind; a bank that juts out will be battered by the current; a man who rises above others will be criticized by the crowd."

Lin Feng didn't explain further. He trusted that Grandpa Doehring would understand.

Doehring Cowart was taken aback. He'd never heard the saying before, but with his experience, it took only a moment's thought to grasp Lin Feng's meaning. Stroking his beard, he laughed heartily. "You little rascal, now you're lecturing me! Hahaha. You've thought it through. If you showed all your talents, plenty of factions would try to recruit you. And if they failed, they'd certainly find a way to snuff you out before you could grow."

When Lin Feng and Hillman returned to the Baruch Clan estate in Wushan Town and told Hogg that Lin Feng had been accepted into the Ernst Institute, Hogg was delighted, just as expected. Afterward, Lin Feng also got to see the Dragonblood Secret Manual, as promised.

Looking at the Dragonblood Secret Manual, Lin Feng felt conflicted. He didn't know whether he should follow the Lin Feng in the original story and cultivate both magic and martial arts. Of course, he knew that battle qi and magic ultimately led to the same destination. Once someone reached the Saint Realm, there was no longer any distinction between warriors and mages. To reach the Saint Realm, one had to comprehend the Laws of the World and the Mysteries of the elements to grow stronger and, ultimately, become a god. So cultivating battle qi or magic was only a means of reaching the Saint Realm, a prerequisite for comprehending the laws and mysteries.

Lin Feng was confident that if he focused on just one path, he could reach the Saint Realm quickly—much faster than the Lin Feng in the original story. But cultivating both magic and martial arts would surely slow his progress toward the Saint Realm.

After a long period of thought and deliberation, Lin Feng decided to follow the original story after all. After all, martial cultivation had played a major role in Lin Feng's growth in the original story.

With his goal set, Lin Feng threw himself back into endless hard work. He neglected nothing: his academic studies, martial arts, and magic.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, several months had gone by. February arrived, and many of the trees on Wushan Mountain had begun to sprout new leaves. A hint of spring had quietly arrived.

Beneath an old tree.

Lin Feng sat cross-legged, meditating to refine his magical power.

As he entered his meditative state, Lin Feng clearly felt countless specks of light in various colors surrounding him. The seven kinds of light continuously entered his body from every direction, flowed through his limbs and bones, and were purified before gathering at the "middle dantian" in the center of his chest.

The middle dantian was filled with a mist of seven different colors. These mists were the various forms of magical power.

"Phew." Lin Feng slowly exhaled and came out of his meditative state.

Doehring Cowart, dressed in a moon-white robe, sat cross-legged on the ground with a smile, taking in the scenery. Seeing Lin Feng wake, he couldn't help smiling. "Lin Feng, you're leaving for the Ernst Institute tomorrow, and you're still working this hard today?"

Lin Feng grinned. "Grandpa Doehring, I'm at the peak of level four as a mage. I was hoping to reach level five before school starts, but I'm still just a little short."

"Don't be so greedy. To reach level four as a mage at nine years old is already astonishing. You're far ahead of your peers."

"And that's only your achievement in magic. Haven't you also reached the level of a level-three warrior?"

Doehring Cowart stroked his beard with a sigh. Over the past year, he'd witnessed Lin Feng's miracles. If anyone had once told him that a nine-year-old could reach the level of a level-four mage, he would've scoffed. As a Saint-level Magus, he knew all too well how difficult it was to advance in magic. Without immense perseverance and talent, no one could achieve much through magical cultivation.

Lin Feng was proud of his achievements, but he didn't want to discuss them with Grandpa Doehring. Although Grandpa Doehring's words had been full of praise, Lin Feng could sense the loneliness and desolation in them.

His eyes shifted, and Lin Feng decided to give Grandpa Doehring a little guidance.

"Grandpa Doehring, is the Saint Realm the ultimate level of cultivation?" Lin Feng asked Doehring Cowart, who was stroking his beard with a thoughtful expression, pretending to be an inquisitive child.

"The Saint Realm? Heh. Before I reached it, I truly thought it was the ultimate level for a cultivator. But the moment I reached the Saint Realm, I realized I was wrong. There's an even higher level—the realm of the gods."

"But sadly, I have no hope of reaching it."

Doehring Cowart shook his head. As a former Saint-level powerhouse, becoming a god had always been his greatest dream. But after his fall, that dream had seemed utterly out of reach.

"Then how does one become a god?" Lin Feng asked, though he already knew the answer.

Doehring Cowart looked at Lin Feng in surprise before explaining, "Before reaching the Saint Realm, warriors can advance by cultivating battle qi, and mages by cultivating magic. But once they reach the peak of level nine, everything changes."

Lin Feng said nothing, listening attentively.

"To advance from the peak of level nine to the Saint Realm, one must comprehend the Laws of the World. Only by crossing the threshold of the Laws of the World can one reach the Saint Realm."

"Then, Grandpa Doehring, you were a Saint-level Magus. Does that mean you comprehended the Laws of the World?" Lin Feng continued, still pretending to be naive.

"Of course." At that, Doehring Cowart's eyes finally held a trace of pride, and his voice was full of it. But a moment later, his expression grew desolate again. "That's all in the past. Let's not talk about it."

Lin Feng had nearly finished guiding him. There was only one final step, so he said matter-of-factly, "Grandpa Doehring, even though you no longer have a body, your soul is still here. You can't use magical power, but you can still comprehend the Laws of the World. I believe that once you become a god, you'll be able to free yourself from the Coiling Dragon Ring's hold."

This was what Lin Feng had wanted to tell Doehring Cowart all along. His earlier questions, seemingly naive, had all been meant to lead him here. Comprehending the Laws of the World depended entirely on deduction by the soul and had little to do with the body. So Doehring Cowart, as a soul, could still comprehend the Laws of the World. Once he fully comprehended one of the Mysteries of a law, he could become a god. When the Laws of the World descended, even a Sovereign Artifact like the Coiling Dragon Ring certainly wouldn't be able to resist them. So Lin Feng was sure that if Doehring Cowart could comprehend his way to godhood on his own, he would undoubtedly be free of the Coiling Dragon Ring's hold.

Doehring Cowart's eyes suddenly lit up. He laughed loudly. "It seems five thousand years in the Coiling Dragon Ring have made my mind grow dull! Hahaha, Lin Feng, you've truly awakened me with a single sentence. Excellent! Excellent! I'm going back into the Coiling Dragon Ring right now to comprehend and deduce the Laws of the World. If you run into a problem you can't solve, you can summon me through the Coiling Dragon Ring."

Without waiting for Lin Feng to reply, he transformed into a streak of light and flew into the Coiling Dragon Ring.

Watching Doehring Cowart rush off in such a hurry, Lin Feng was speechless. He'd managed to wait five thousand years—why was he in such a hurry now?

Lin Feng understood Doehring Cowart's situation, but he couldn't truly experience what he was feeling. Someone who had already given up hope had suddenly found it again. There were no words to describe such a feeling.