Sedimentation

After returning from Fenlai City, Linley and Lin Yun tightened their training schedules more than ever.

The test results had left Hogg so excited that tears streamed down his face. His hands trembling, he stroked the two reports again and again, murmuring things like, "May our ancestors bless us," and "The Baruch Clan has hope again." That night, he spent the entire night in the Ancestral Hall, talking at length to the portraits of the family heads from generations past.

Linley and Lin Yun didn't slack off after seeing their test results. If anything, they trained even harder.

Every day, before dawn, the brothers would be waiting in the small grove behind the mountain. Doehring hovered before them, sternly guiding their magic practice.

"Linley, you're too slow when casting Earth Spike." Doehring's voice held no emotion. "In a real battle, your enemy won't give you time to slowly gather magic. You need to be able to cast it the instant the thought crosses your mind."

Linley gritted his teeth and practiced over and over. Sweat dripped down his cheeks and onto the ground, but he didn't bother wiping it away. Stone spikes as thick as an arm thrust from the earth again and again, growing faster and more powerful with each attempt.

"Not bad. You're improving. Again."

Linley took a deep breath and continued practicing.

On the other side of the grove, Lin Yun's training was a different sight altogether.

He wasn't practicing magic. He had mastered the few Earth Element spells Doehring had taught him long ago. At that moment, he sat cross-legged on a flat stone, eyes closed, immersed in deep meditation.

All around him, the seven colors of magic elements surged into his body like rivers flowing into the sea. Earth, fire, water, wind, thunder, light, and darkness—he refined every element, transforming them into pure magical energy and storing it within himself.

Doehring drifted over. As he watched Lin Yun, a flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes.

That rate of refinement... It was practically inhuman.

A single-element mage trained as if drinking through one straw; a dual-element mage needed two straws working at once. Lin Yun, cultivating all seven elements, was like drinking through seven straws at the same time. By all rights, refining so much magic should have fractured his mind and driven him mad. But Lin Yun's soul was powerful enough to support it all. The seven elements were refined in perfect order within him, each separate and undisturbed by the others.

"What a freak," Doehring murmured to himself.

The days passed.

Linley's progress was plain to see. His Earth Element magic grew more and more polished, and he cut the time it took to cast Earth Spike from three seconds to less than one. The size and power of the stone spikes steadily increased, too. His Spiritual Energy continued to grow, and he had firmly reached the level of a Level 1 Mage, now advancing toward Level 2.

But compared to Lin Yun, his progress seemed almost insignificant.

One morning, three months later, Lin Yun was meditating on the flat stone as usual. Doehring had been guiding Linley's magic practice when his gaze suddenly snapped toward Lin Yun.

A powerful magical fluctuation burst from Lin Yun.

It came from all seven elements resonating at once: the weight of Earth Element, the ferocity of Fire Element, the agility of Wind Element, the gentleness of Water Element, the power of Thunder Element, the warmth of Light Element, and the depth of Dark Element. Seven utterly different auras intertwined in strange harmony.

Doehring's eyes widened.

"He broke through... to Level 4?"

He sensed the changes in Lin Yun's magical energy, his face filled with disbelief. All seven elements had undergone a qualitative leap, crossing from the peak of Level 3 into Level 4.

More importantly, Lin Yun's Spiritual Energy had risen along with the breakthrough, bringing him right to the threshold of a Level 5 Mage.

"Level 4 in all seven elements..." Doehring murmured. "And he's been practicing magic for barely over a year."

Linley felt the fluctuation, too. He stopped practicing and looked toward Lin Yun, a complicated glint in his eyes. But that feeling quickly gave way to pure joy.

"Lin Yun broke through!" he shouted excitedly, happier than if he'd broken through himself.

Lin Yun slowly opened his eyes. A flicker of seven-colored light passed through them and vanished. He looked down at his hands, felt the abundant magical energy within him, and smiled faintly.

Level 4.

By this world's standards, a Level 4 Mage could already cast Intermediate Magic and far surpassed ordinary people in combat. And Lin Yun had reached Level 4 in all seven elements. That meant he could switch to the most suitable magic at any moment, depending on his enemy's weaknesses.

Water magic against a Fire Element magical beast, Earth Element restraints against a Wind Element enemy, Mysteries of Purification against a creature of darkness... The advantages of mastering all seven elements were beginning to show.

"What does Grandpa Doehring say?" Lin Yun asked Linley.

Linley listened for a moment, then relayed, "Grandpa Doehring says your magical energy has firmly reached Level 4, and your Spiritual Energy is close to Level 5. He's never seen anyone improve this quickly."

Lin Yun nodded, his expression barely changing.

He knew where his advantages lay: the powerful Spiritual Energy born from the accumulation of three lifetimes, combined with the Small Cauldron's ability to stack the results of cultivation in two worlds, let him build magical energy far faster than ordinary people. Level 4 was only the beginning. He still had a long way to go.

"But," Doehring said sternly, "Lin Yun, remember that magical energy is only the foundation. True magical combat depends on your understanding of magic. You can't gain that simply by refining magical energy. You need more real combat and more thought."

Linley relayed Doehring's words to Lin Yun.

Lin Yun nodded seriously. He knew Doehring was right. Magical energy was ammunition, while understanding magic was marksmanship. No matter how much ammunition you had, it was useless if you couldn't aim.

Lin Yun hadn't neglected his Warrior training, either.

Every afternoon, he and Linley continued practicing the Qi Cultivation Style and basic combat skills under Hillman's guidance. Doehring had said that with Lin Yun's talent for magic, specializing in it would be enough, but Lin Yun had his own reasons.

First, in the Swallowed Star World, he needed a powerful physique to support his Spiritual Force. Warrior training in the Coiling Dragon World could strengthen that body in turn.

Second, he didn't want to put all his eggs in one basket. Magic was powerful, but against an anti-magic field or an enemy with high magic resistance, his Warrior abilities would be his final safeguard.

"Lin Yun, your Qi Cultivation Style keeps getting better." Hillman walked over and watched him finish a set, approval shining in his eyes.

Lin Yun's breathing was steady and precise, and his muscles worked together in perfect harmony. Each breath had a strange rhythm. After more than two years of training, his physical abilities had undergone a qualitative leap. His strength, speed, and reflexes all far surpassed those of other children his age.

"Try this." Hillman handed him a wooden blade. "The Twelve Basic Blade Techniques. I'll demonstrate them once, then you follow along."

Holding the wooden blade, Hillman stood firm and demonstrated each move of the Basic Blade Technique. Chop, Thrust, Upward Slash, Sweep, Point, Lift, Crash, Intercept, Slash, Raise, Block, Parry—the twelve basic techniques were all clean and crisp, without a single wasted motion.

Lin Yun watched without blinking, his mind racing. He had never trained with a blade in his previous life, but his understanding of mechanics far surpassed that of ordinary people. To him, each move's method of applying force, shift in balance, and angle of attack became quantifiable data.

"Did you get all that?" Hillman asked, lowering the blade.

"I did."

Lin Yun took the wooden blade and closed his eyes, running through all twelve techniques in his mind. Then he opened his eyes and began practicing.

First, Chop—the blade swept diagonally from the upper right to the lower left, its angle precise and its force steady.

Second, Thrust—the blade's tip pointed straight ahead, with his arm, wrist, and blade all aligned, not a fraction off.

Third, Upward Slash—the blade swept up from below in a graceful arc at just the right speed.

Twelfth, Block—the wooden blade held steady across his body, stopping an imagined attack.

He performed all twelve basic blade techniques in one seamless flow.

Hillman stared, his mouth hanging open. For a long moment, he couldn't speak.

He had taught the Basic Blade Technique for many years. Even his most talented students would make a mistake or two the first time they tried it. Yet every one of Lin Yun's moves was as precise as if he'd practiced them thousands of times.

"Have you... trained before?" Hillman finally managed to ask.

"No." Lin Yun shook his head. "I just watched carefully."

Hillman fell silent.

He'd watched carefully, and that was enough to perform every move so flawlessly? What kind of monster was he?

He had no idea that although Lin Yun had never practiced with a blade in the Swallowed Star World, he used his Spiritual Force to manipulate objects every day. His control over force was far more precise than an ordinary person's. Add to that his understanding of physics from his previous life, and copying most of the movements after seeing them once was no difficult feat.

"Keep practicing," Hillman said, suppressing his shock. "Repeat every move until it becomes muscle memory. There are no shortcuts with the Basic Blade Technique. You just have to practice over and over."

"Yes."

From then on, Lin Yun spent an hour every afternoon practicing the Basic Blade Technique. His progress was astonishing. In just one month, he had mastered all twelve techniques. Two months later, he could combine them into fluid sequences of attack and defense. Three months later, Hillman began teaching him more advanced combat skills.

"Your talent really is terrifying. In just three months, you wield your blade like a veteran soldier with ten years in the army," Hillman exclaimed after one sparring session.

Lin Yun wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled. "You're too kind, Uncle Hillman."

Linley's Warrior training was progressing quickly, too.

His improvement wasn't as astonishing as Lin Yun's, but the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline in his body was slowly awakening under the stimulation of the Qi Cultivation Style. He was far stronger than other children his age, especially when it came to strength. At eight years old, he could already lift objects weighing over a hundred pounds with ease.

When the sun set in the Coiling Dragon World, the moon slowly rose in the Swallowed Star World.

Yangzhou City remained quiet and oppressive at night, but Lin Yun felt more fulfilled than ever.

Half a year had passed, and his strength in the Swallowed Star World had steadily improved as well.

Meditation from the Coiling Dragon World had become a daily routine he never missed. Every night, he spent at least an hour in deep meditation, tempering his Spiritual Energy. The fine control over the elements he developed while refining magical energy in the Coiling Dragon World had also transferred perfectly to his use of Spiritual Force.

By now, his Spiritual Force covered a radius of two hundred meters. Within that range, he could sense the slightest movement: his grandfather turning over in the next room, a stray cat padding through the alley outside, soldiers murmuring as they changed shifts on the distant city wall... Nothing escaped him.

He could control more than twenty objects at once, each moving with millimeter-level precision.

By the Swallowed Star World's standards, he estimated that his Spiritual Force had probably reached the Junior War General level.

As for his physical abilities, Warrior training in the Coiling Dragon World had also raised him to the Intermediate Warrior level. His strength, speed, and reflexes far surpassed those of other children his age. In school gym class, he had to deliberately hold back to avoid drawing too much attention.

At school, he continued to keep a low profile. His grades were above average, his performance in gym was "pretty good," and he got along with his classmates without getting too close to them. No one knew that this quiet boy had already gained enough strength to rival a War General Rank Warrior.

Only Luo Feng could sense how much he had changed when they trained together.

But Luo Feng wouldn't say anything. They were brothers, the kind who could trust each other with their backs.

Over the past half year, Lin Yun had also discovered something important: the cultivation results from the two worlds were beginning to "resonate" in some way.

When he broke through to Level 4 Mage in the Coiling Dragon World, his Spiritual Force in the Swallowed Star World surged as well. Conversely, when he put his Spiritual Force through intense training in the Swallowed Star World, his Spiritual Energy in the Coiling Dragon World grew denser.

This resonance wasn't simple addition. It was a strange kind of multiplication.

It was as if his soul were a vessel and the results of cultivation in the two worlds were two liquids poured into it. The liquids didn't repel each other. Instead, they blended into a much more powerful substance.

"Is this the Small Cauldron's power?" Lin Yun murmured.

He was becoming more and more certain that the Small Cauldron was more than a tool for traveling between worlds. It was a bridge connecting the cultivation systems of the two worlds. It allowed the laws of both worlds to create a strange resonance within him, making his cultivation far more efficient than anyone else's.

But he also knew that this resonance came at a cost.

Cultivating in both worlds required a great deal of time and energy. Without proper planning, it would be easy to neglect one for the other. And as his strength grew, cultivation in both worlds would become harder and demand even greater effort.

He needed to find a balance.

But that was a problem for later. For now, he just needed to keep moving forward.

Once again, at dawn, Lin Yun slowly opened his eyes after meditating on the mountain behind Baruch Manor. A flash of seven-colored light passed through them and vanished. Compared to six months ago, he seemed a little more composed.

"Lin Yun, your Spiritual Energy is already on the verge of Level 5," Doehring's voice drifted out of the ring, carrying a hint of complicated emotion. "You're only one opportunity away from officially becoming a Level 5 Mage."

Linley relayed this to Lin Yun.

Lin Yun nodded, his expression barely changing. He knew that opportunity could come at any time—perhaps in a battle, perhaps in a moment of enlightenment, perhaps during an ordinary meditation session.

There was no need to rush.

"Linley, you've made great progress, too," Doehring said, turning to Linley. "You've reached the peak of Level 1 and are close to breaking through to Level 2. At this rate, you should firmly reach the level of a Level 2 Mage in another month."

A smile appeared on Linley's face. Among children his age, that was already an outstanding result.

"We leave tomorrow," Linley said, looking at Lin Yun with anticipation in his eyes. "The Ernst Institute... I've heard it's the best Magic Academy on the Yulan Continent."

"Yeah." Lin Yun nodded.

Tomorrow, Hillman would take them to the Ernst Institute, the legendary academy of magic.

Bebe seemed to sense Linley's excitement. It chirped on his shoulder, its little paws gleefully tugging at his hair.

"Quit it, Bebe." Linley laughed as he lifted it off his head and set it in his palm.

That evening, Hogg called the brothers into his study.

The room was small but tidy. A few rows of yellowed books stood on the shelves, most of them handwritten accounts of the clan's history and Warrior training. An oil lamp on the desk filled the room with a warm, soft glow.

Hogg sat behind the desk and looked at his two sons, his expression full of conflicting emotions.

"You're leaving tomorrow," he said, his voice a little hoarse. "You're going to the Ernst Institute to study magic."

"Father..." Linley started to say.

Hogg raised a hand to stop him. "I know the Baruch Clan has fallen into decline and can't give you much. But remember this—no matter where you go, you're children of the Baruch Clan. Your ancestors were once the most powerful Warriors on the Yulan Continent."

He stood and went to the bookshelf, taking down a dust-covered wooden box from the top shelf. The box was small, but it looked ancient, its varnish chipped and peeling.

"You two, take this back and study it carefully. Make sure you remember it all." Hogg set the box on the desk and gently opened it.

Inside was a book with no writing on its cover. But when they opened it, the first page bore four large characters: Dragonblood Secret Manual.

Linley carefully took the box, as if it were a priceless treasure. He knew it was the secret manual passed down through generations of the Baruch Clan. It recorded the core cultivation methods of the Dragonblood Warriors, along with accounts of some of the clan's ancestors.

"Father..." Linley's voice caught in his throat.

"Go on," Hogg said, waving them away and turning his back so they couldn't see his expression. "Study magic well, and come back when you're done."

"Yes," the brothers replied in unison.

Night fell.

In the Swallowed Star World, Lin Yun's other body slept in their low-rent apartment in Yangzhou City. The next day, his self in the Coiling Dragon World would set out for the Ernst Institute. Meanwhile, his self in the Swallowed Star World would continue quietly building strength at school, waiting for the day he joined the Limit Dojo.

Nine years old, cultivating in two worlds, and beginning the path to a Magic Academy.

Ernst, I'm coming.