Life at Ernst Academy was fulfilling and peaceful.
Lin Yun's life was divided into precise segments: meditating and refining his magic power at dawn, hurrying between classes for the various elements during the day, learning Earth Element magic from Doehring in the evening, discussing Wind Element insights with Linley at night, and using Spiritual Force to review the day's lessons in the Swallowed Star World deep into the night. Every day was packed full, with not a moment wasted.
An ordinary person would have crumbled under such a routine, but Lin Yun persevered—and even enjoyed it.
He had been at the academy for less than half a year when his hard work began to pay off.
On an ordinary morning, Lin Yun was meditating in the back hills as usual. The seven elements of magic surged into his body like rivers flowing into the sea, where his Spiritual Energy guided them into refined magic power. Suddenly, he felt a qualitative leap in the magic power within him, as though an invisible bottleneck had broken. Both its quantity and purity rose to a new level.
Level 5.
It had taken him just over two years of magic training to go from a child who knew nothing about magic to a Level 5 Mage. That kind of progress was astonishing even by the standards of Yulan Continent's entire history.
Doehring drifted out of the Coiling Dragon Ring. He sensed the fluctuations of magic around Lin Yun and fell silent for a long time.
"You've reached Level 5." His voice was a little hoarse. "And you've reached Level 5 in all seven elements."
Linley had felt the fluctuations too. He emerged from meditation, his face alight with delight. "Lin Yun, you broke through?"
Lin Yun opened his eyes. A flash of seven-colored light passed through them, and he nodded.
"That's amazing!" Linley exclaimed, clapping him on the shoulder. "You're only nine and a half, and you're already a Level 5 Mage! No one in Ernst Academy's entire history has advanced this quickly!"
Lin Yun smiled without saying much. He knew Level 5 was only the beginning. There was still a long road ahead: Level 6, Level 7, Level 8, Level 9, and then the Saint Realm... Each step would take even greater effort.
"Lin Yun, your Spiritual Energy growth is starting to slow down," Doehring said one evening, speaking through Linley. "It's not that you lack talent. Your cultivation method has simply hit a bottleneck. Meditation alone can only increase your Spiritual Energy so much. You need a new way to temper it."
"What method?" Lin Yun asked.
"Stone carving," Doehring said. "More precisely, the Flat Blade Style of stone carving."
"Stone carving?" Linley was taken aback. "Can carving stone increase Spiritual Energy?"
"Not ordinary stone carving." Doehring's voice turned serious. "It's a secret art I created myself: the Flat Blade Style. This technique is more than just carving; it's also a method of cultivating Spiritual Energy. As you carve, you must concentrate completely, infusing your Spiritual Energy into every stroke of the blade. Over time, your Spiritual Energy will grow denser and purer."
He paused, then continued, "Back in the Pu'ang Empire, I used this technique to raise my Spiritual Energy to the peak of the Saint Realm. If you want to go further on the path of magic, stone carving is a required lesson."
Linley and Lin Yun exchanged glances, both intrigued.
"Where can we learn it?" Linley asked.
"I'll teach you," Doehring said. "But you'll need to prepare your own carving tools and stone. There are plenty of rocks in the back hills. Go find some with an even texture."
"The core of the Flat Blade Style is the word 'flat,'" Doehring explained through Linley. "Keep the blade level with the stone's surface. Use even pressure, and synchronize your breathing with your movements. Each stroke must be neither too much nor too little, but just right. Start with the simplest geometric shapes: cubes, spheres, and cylinders. You can move on to the next step once you can carve a perfect cube."
Linley picked up a carving knife and began working on a stone.
"Pfft—" One stroke left a crooked mark on the stone, unevenly deep and ugly to look at.
"Not good. Your pressure is uneven," Doehring criticized bluntly. "Again."
Linley gritted his teeth and kept practicing.
Lin Yun didn't rush to begin. He picked up a carving knife and first felt the texture and weight of its handle. Then he closed his eyes and mentally rehearsed the entire carving process. He had never studied stone carving in his previous life, but his understanding of mechanics and geometry far surpassed that of ordinary people. Every face, edge, and corner of a cube was a precise mathematical model in his mind.
Then he opened his eyes and made his first cut.
One stroke.
Stone chips flew, and a straight groove appeared across the surface, even in depth and carved in one smooth motion.
Two strokes.
Three strokes.
Four strokes.
In less than half an hour, a sharply edged cube with smooth faces sat in his hand. Every face was a perfect square, every edge a straight line, and every corner an exact ninety degrees.
Doehring remained silent for a long time.
"You... really never studied stone carving before?" His voice was full of disbelief.
"No," Lin Yun said, shaking his head. "I just saw it clearly."
Doehring was speechless.
He could carve a perfect cube just because he saw it clearly? What kind of monster was this?
He had no idea that Lin Yun used Spiritual Force to manipulate objects every day in the Swallowed Star World. His control over force had long since reached the Micro-Level. Combined with his understanding of geometry from his previous life, carving a perfect cube was no great challenge for him.
"Keep practicing," Doehring said, suppressing his shock. "The cube is just the beginning. Next come spheres, cylinders, polyhedrons... Move on only when you can carve every basic shape perfectly."
Lin Yun nodded and continued practicing.
In the days that followed, stone carving became a compulsory daily lesson for the brothers.
Linley's progress wasn't as astonishing as Lin Yun's, but it was still remarkably fast. He was perceptive, and with Doehring's careful guidance, he soon mastered the basic techniques of the Flat Blade Style. After a month, he could carve decent-looking cubes and spheres; after three months, he was able to sculpt simple plants and animals.
Lin Yun's progress, however, continued to astonish Doehring again and again.
His control over force was incredibly precise. Every stroke was just right, and he never wasted the slightest effort. He also had a profound understanding of shapes, able to construct even the most complicated forms precisely in his mind. As he carved, his Spiritual Energy was constantly tempered, growing denser and purer, and blending more closely with his magic power.
More importantly, the increase in Spiritual Energy from stone carving combined with the resonance effect of cultivating in two worlds, producing astonishing results.
After learning stone carving, Lin Yun's cultivation speed rose another level.
Every day, his Spiritual Energy grew at a visible pace; with each carving, his magic power grew denser; and with every class, his understanding of the elements deepened.
At the age of eleven, he broke through to Level 6 Mage.
But Lin Yun wasn't satisfied.
He knew a Level 6 Mage was nothing remarkable in this world. Above Level 9 Mages was the Saint Realm, and above that was the God Realm. The enemies he would face were the Radiant Church and the powerhouses who stood at the peak of the world. Level 6 was nowhere near enough.
By the time he was twelve and a half, he had finally reached the peak of Level 6 Mage, just one step away from Level 7.
"All you need is an opportunity," Doehring said. "It could be a battle, or a moment of sudden insight. You can't rush it."
Lin Yun nodded and didn't grow impatient. He knew some things needed time to settle.
His progress as a warrior was just as astonishing.
He had never neglected the Qi Cultivation Style, practicing it without fail every morning. He had also mastered the Basic Blade Technique, practicing the twelve moves Hillman had taught him until he could execute them flawlessly with his eyes closed. On top of that, magic had strengthened his body—especially the long-term effects of the Earth Element spell Saint Armor of Earth Protection and the Wind Element spell Wind Walk. His physical abilities far surpassed those of warriors at the same level.
At the age of twelve, his warrior strength had reached Level 4.
That would have made him the equivalent of a squad leader in the military. But Lin Yun knew it still wasn't enough. In the Swallowed Star World, a Level 4 warrior was roughly equivalent to an Apprentice Level 4 Warrior, or a Junior War General. It was only the very beginning.
Even in his younger brother's shadow, Linley never stopped striving to catch up.
Lin Yun's progress was so astonishing that no one could hope to match him. But Linley didn't lose heart. Instead, he turned it into motivation.
Every day, he got up before dawn to practice magic, training until late at night. He repeatedly studied everything Doehring taught him until he had fully mastered it. He carefully noted down the insights Lin Yun shared and constantly tested and refined them in practice.
At nine and a half, he broke through to Level 2 Mage.
At ten and a half, he broke through to Level 3 Mage.
At twelve, he officially became a Level 4 Mage.
He had reached that level a year earlier than he had in the original story.
When Doehring assessed his progress, his eyes were full of approval. "Linley, you were always exceptionally talented. Your progress over these past two years has exceeded my expectations. It seems having a formidable younger brother isn't such a bad thing."
Linley smiled sheepishly.
He knew that much of his rapid progress was thanks to Lin Yun. His younger brother was like a mirror, constantly reminding him that someone was working harder than him, someone was stronger than him. He couldn't stop, and he didn't dare to.
"Linley, your Earth Element magic is already very solid," Doehring said. "Next, I'll teach you more advanced Earth Element spells. You can't neglect your Wind Element magic, either. The combination of those two elements will be your greatest advantage in the future."
"Yes." Linley nodded earnestly.
Over the course of three years, Lin Yun and Linley led peaceful, fulfilling lives at Ernst Academy.
Every morning, the brothers practiced the Qi Cultivation Style and Basic Blade Technique together in the back hills. Bebe would perch on a nearby rock, tilting his head as he watched them train and occasionally chirping as if to cheer them on.
In the morning, they attended magic classes for their respective elements. Linley went to his Earth Element and Wind Element classes, while Lin Yun hurried between classrooms for Thunder Element, Light Element, Fire Element, and Water Element magic. He was always rushing from one classroom to another, barely stopping for a moment.
At noon, they ate together in the academy dining hall. Yale, Reynolds, and George would join them too. The five of them sat around a table, eating and chatting about the day's classes, gossip from the academy, or simply joking with one another.
After the afternoon classes, Lin Yun would find a quiet corner and study Earth Element magic with Doehring. Though Doehring couldn't speak to him directly, Linley faithfully passed along every word. Lin Yun mastered one Earth Element spell after another through diligent practice: Earth Crack, Saint Armor of Earth Protection, Gravity Spell...
In the evening, he practiced Wind Element magic with Linley. The brothers sparred and corrected each other, and both made rapid progress.
Late at night, Ernst Academy lay quiet beneath the moonlight.
Lin Yun lay in bed with his eyes closed, his consciousness drifting gently between two worlds.
In the Swallowed Star World, his other body was meditating cross-legged in a low-rent apartment in Yangzhou City. Over the years, his Spiritual Force had grown to the peak of a High-Level War General, just one step away from Primary War God. His strength as a warrior had also reached the Junior War General level. Luo Feng, spurred on and encouraged by him, had made astonishing progress too, far surpassing his peers.
Before long, they would join the Limit Dojo and begin their formal introduction to the world of warriors.
In the Coiling Dragon World, he and Linley were growing step by step at Ernst Academy. Twelve years old and at the peak of Level 6; twelve years old and a Level 4 Mage—their achievements were among the best on the entire Yulan Continent.
Three years had passed, and everything was progressing according to plan.
He opened his eyes and looked at the moonlight outside the window, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Twelve years old, cultivating in two worlds, at the peak of Level 6.
Life at Ernst Academy went on, while the real challenges still lay ahead.
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