Academy Life

Life at Ernst Institute was fulfilling and peaceful.

Lin Yun's life was carved into precise fragments—meditating to refine magic power in the early morning, shuttling between various elemental classes during the day, learning Earth Element magic from Delin in the evening, exchanging insights on Wind Element magic with Linley at night, and using Spiritual Force to simulate what he had learned in the Swallowed Star World late at night. Every day was packed to the brim, without a single moment wasted.

Under such a rhythm, an ordinary person would have collapsed long ago, but Lin Yun persisted, and he even enjoyed it.

Less than half a year after enrollment, his efforts bore fruit.

It was an ordinary morning. Lin Yun was meditating in the back mountain as usual, and the seven-element magic elements surged into his body like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, being refined into pure magic power under the guidance of his Spiritual Energy. Suddenly, he felt a qualitative leap in the magic power within him, as if an invisible bottleneck had been broken, and both the total volume and purity of his magic power reached a new level.

Level 5.

From the time he started practicing magic until now, it had been little more than two years, yet he had grown from a child who knew nothing about magic into a Level 5 Mage. Such speed was shocking throughout the entire history of the Yulan Continent.

Delin drifted out from the Coiling Dragon Ring, sensing the magic fluctuations on Lin Yun, and remained silent for a long time.

"Level 5," his voice was somewhat hoarse, "and a seven-element Level 5 at that."

Linley also felt the fluctuation and withdrew from his meditation, his face full of pleasant surprise: "Lin Yun, you broke through?"

Lin Yun opened his eyes, a seven-colored light flashing through them before vanishing, and he nodded.

"That's great!" Linley excitedly patted his shoulder, "You're only nine and a half, and you're already a Level 5 Mage! There has never been anyone this fast in the entire history of Ernst Institute!"

Lin Yun smiled without saying much. He knew that Level 5 was just the beginning. The road ahead was still very long—Level 6, Level 7, Level 8, Level 9, and then the Saint Realm... Every step required even more effort.

"Lin Yun, the growth of your Spiritual Energy has started to slow down." One evening, Delin said through Linley, "It is not that your talent is insufficient, but that your cultivation method has hit a bottleneck. Relying solely on meditation for accumulation has an upper limit for the growth of Spiritual Energy; you need a new method to temper your spirit."

"What method?" Lin Yun asked.

"Stone carving," Delin said, "To be precise, Flat Blade Style stone carving."

"Stone carving?" Linley was stunned, "Can carving stone increase Spiritual Energy?"

"Not ordinary stone carving," Delin's voice became serious, "It is a unique secret technique I created—Flat Blade Style stone carving. This skill is not just about carving; it is a method for tempering Spiritual Energy. In the process of carving, you must be fully focused, integrating your Spiritual Energy into every rise and fall of the blade. Over time, your Spiritual Energy will become more condensed and purer."

He paused and continued: "When I was in the Pu'ang Empire, I once relied on this skill 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 course."

Linley and Lin Yun looked at each other, both seeing interest in the other's eyes.

"Where do we learn it?" Linley asked.

"I will teach you," Delin said, "However, you need to prepare the carving tools and stone materials yourselves. There happen to be many stones here in the back mountain; go find some stones with a uniform texture."

"The core of the Flat Blade Style lies in the word 'flat'," Delin's voice came through Linley, "The blade must remain level with the stone surface, the force must be uniform, and your breathing must be synchronized with your movements. One stroke down, no more, no less, just right. Start with the simplest geometric shapes—cubes, spheres, cylinders. When you can carve a perfect cube, then you can learn the next step."

Linley picked up the carving knife and began to try on a stone.

Puff— With one stroke, a crooked scratch appeared on the stone, deep in one place and shallow in another, looking terrible.

"No, the force is not uniform," Delin criticized without hesitation, "Try again."

Linley gritted his teeth and continued to practice.

Lin Yun did not rush to start. He first picked up the carving knife, felt the texture and weight of the handle, then closed his eyes and simulated the entire carving process in his mind. Although he hadn't learned stone carving in his previous life, his understanding of mechanics and geometry far exceeded that of ordinary people. Every face, every edge, and every corner of a cube was a precise mathematical model in his mind.

Then, he opened his eyes and began to cut.

One stroke.

Stone chips flew, and a straight groove appeared on the stone surface, uniform in depth, completed in one go.

Two strokes.

Three strokes.

Four strokes.

In less than half an hour, a cube with distinct edges and a flat surface appeared in his hands. Every face was a standard square, every edge was a straight line, and every corner was a precise ninety degrees.

Delin was silent for a long time.

"You... have you really never learned stone carving before?" His voice was full of disbelief.

"No," Lin Yun shook his head, "I just saw it clearly."

Delin was speechless.

Seeing it clearly was enough to carve a perfect cube? What kind of monster was this?

He didn't know that Lin Yun used his Spiritual Force to manipulate objects every day in the Swallowed Star World, and his precision in controlling power had long reached the Micro-Level. Coupled with his understanding of geometry from his previous life, carving a perfect cube was not a difficult task for him.

"Keep practicing," Delin suppressed the shock in his heart, "The cube is just the beginning. Next are spheres, cylinders, polyhedrons... When you can carve all basic shapes to perfection, then you can learn the next step."

Lin Yun nodded and continued to practice.

In the days that followed, stone carving became a daily required lesson for the brothers.

Although Linley's progress was not as exaggerated as Lin Yun's, it could still be considered lightning fast. He had good comprehension, and with Delin's careful guidance, he quickly mastered the basic techniques of the Flat Blade Style. A month later, he could carve decent cubes and spheres; three months later, he was already able to carve some simple animal and plant shapes.

As for Lin Yun's progress, it made Delin feel shocked time and time again.

His control over power was too precise; every stroke was just right, never wasting a single bit of energy. His understanding of form was too profound; no matter how complex the shape, he could construct it precisely in his mind. His Spiritual Energy was constantly tempered during the carving process, becoming more condensed and purer, and its integration with his magic power became even tighter.

More importantly, the growth of Spiritual Energy brought about by stone carving, superimposed with the resonance effect of dual-world cultivation, produced astonishing results.

After mastering stone carving, Lin Yun's cultivation speed rose to another level.

Every day, his spiritual energy grew at a speed visible to the naked eye; with every carving, his magic power became more solid; and in every class, his understanding of the elements grew more profound.

At the age of eleven, he broke through to become a Level 6 Mage.

But Lin Yun was not satisfied.

He knew that a Level 6 Mage was nothing in this world. Above Level 9 Mages were the Saint Realm, and above the Saint Realm were the God Realm. The enemies he had to face were the Radiant Church and those powerhouses standing at the pinnacle of the world; Level 6 was far from enough.

By the time he was twelve and a half, he had finally reached the peak of a Level 6 Mage, only one step away from Level 7.

"You only lack an opportunity," Delin said. "Perhaps it will be a battle, or perhaps a moment of sudden enlightenment. It cannot be rushed."

Lin Yun nodded, feeling no impatience. He knew that some things required the passage of time to settle.

In terms of his path as a warrior, his progress was equally astonishing.

He never once neglected the Qi Cultivation Style, practicing it without fail every morning. His Basic Blade Technique had reached a state of perfection; he could perform the twelve forms Hillman had taught him with his eyes closed, without a single error. Coupled with the nourishment magic provided to his body—especially the long-term reinforcement from the Earth Element spell "Saint Armor of Earth Protection" and the Wind Element spell "Wind Walk"—his physical fitness far exceeded that of warriors at his level.

By the age of twelve, his strength as a warrior had already reached Level 4.

This achievement would have qualified him as a small squad leader in the army. But Lin Yun knew this was still far from enough. In the Swallowed Star World, the level of a Level 4 warrior was roughly equivalent to an Apprentice Level 4 (Junior War General), which was only just the beginning.

Under the shadow of his younger brother, Linley never stopped his pursuit.

Lin Yun's speed of progress was so astonishing that it left everyone in the dust. But Linley did not lose heart; instead, he turned it into motivation to move forward.

Before dawn every day, he would get up to practice magic, training until late at night. He would repeatedly ponder everything Delin taught him until he had completely mastered it. He would carefully record the insights Lin Yun shared, constantly verifying and improving them through practice.

At the age of nine and a half, he broke through to become a Level 2 Mage.

At the age of ten and a half, he broke through to become a Level 3 Mage.

At the age of twelve, he officially stepped into the ranks of Level 4 Mages.

This speed was a year ahead of the original timeline.

When evaluating his progress, Delin's eyes were full of gratification: "Linley, your talent was already outstanding. Your speed of progress over these two years has exceeded my expectations. It seems having a formidable younger brother is not a bad thing."

Linley smiled sheepishly.

He knew that his rapid progress was largely due to Lin Yun. His brother's existence was like a mirror, constantly reminding him that someone was working harder than him and someone was stronger than him. He could not stop, and he dared not stop.

"Linley, your Earth Element magic is already very solid," Delin said. "Next, I will teach you more advanced Earth Element magic. Furthermore, your Wind Element must not be neglected; the coordination of these two elements will be your greatest advantage in the future."

"Yes," Linley nodded earnestly.

Over the past three years, the life of Lin Yun and Linley at the Ernst Institute had been peaceful and fulfilling.

Every morning, the brothers would practice the Qi Cultivation Style and Basic Blade Technique together on the back mountain. Bebe would squat on a nearby rock, tilting his head to watch them train, occasionally chirping "ji-ji" as if cheering them on.

The morning was dedicated to magic courses for various elements. Linley would attend Earth and Wind Element classes, while Lin Yun would shuttle between the classrooms for the Thunder, Light, Fire, and Water Elements. His figure was always in a rush, hurrying from one classroom to another, almost never taking a moment to rest.

At noon, they would eat together in the academy cafeteria. Yale, Reynolds, and George would also join them. The five of them would sit together, chatting while they ate, discussing the day's lessons, gossip from the academy, or joking with one another.

After the afternoon classes ended, Lin Yun would find a secluded corner to learn Earth Element magic from Delin. Although Delin could not communicate with him directly, Linley would faithfully relay every word. Earth Crack, Saint Armor of Earth Protection, Gravity Spell... one by one, the Earth Element spells were mastered through Lin Yun's diligent practice.

In the evening, he would practice Wind Element magic with Linley. The brothers would spar and correct each other, both making rapid progress.

Deep into the night, the Ernst Institute was immersed in the tranquil moonlight.

Lin Yun lay on his bed, eyes closed, his consciousness drifting gently between the two worlds.

In the Swallowed Star World, his other body was sitting cross-legged in meditation within the low-rent housing in Yangzhou City. Over these years, his Spiritual Force had grown to the peak of a High-Level War General, only one step away from a Primary War God. His strength as a warrior had also reached the level of a Junior War General. And under his influence and urging, Luo Feng's progress was equally astonishing, far exceeding that of his peers.

Before long, they would join the Limit Dojo and begin to officially enter the world of warriors.

Meanwhile, in the Coiling Dragon World, he and Linley were growing step by step at the Ernst Institute. Twelve years old, peak Level 6; twelve years old, Level 4 Mage—such achievements were considered top-tier across the entire Yulan Continent.

Three years had passed, and everything was proceeding according to plan.

He opened his eyes, looking at the moonlight outside the window, the corners of his mouth curling upward slightly.

Twelve years old, dual worlds in parallel, peak Level 6.

The days at the Ernst Institute continued, but the true challenges still lay ahead.