Life at Ernst Academy had become peaceful and fulfilling once again.
But after returning from the Magic Beast Mountain Range, Lin Yun hardly ever attended class.
It wasn't because he had grown slack. His Level Seven Mage abilities had already far exceeded the scope of the academy's curriculum. Although Ernst Academy was the continent's foremost institution of magic, its courses were primarily aimed at Level One to Level Six Mages. For magic above Level Seven, the academy merely gave a select few outstanding students access to its advanced magic library; it didn't provide dedicated instructors.
What was more, Lin Yun studied all seven elements. There wasn't a single instructor at the academy who could teach him.
So he made a decision: he would stop attending class and focus on his own cultivation. As long as he passed the year-end assessment, the academy wouldn't interfere with his freedom. Besides, he had already reached the level of a Level 6 Mage and could apply to graduate at any time. So even if he stopped going to class, no one would give him trouble!
Lin Yun's schedule became even more packed than before.
Every morning, he practiced the Qi Cultivation Style and Basic Blade Technique in the hills behind the academy, keeping up with his warrior training. In the mornings and afternoons, he studied the magic books he had found in Morton's Space Ring: Level Seven spells of the Light Element, Wind Element, and Thunder Element; Dark Element spells from Level Six to Level Nine; and a wealth of theoretical works on Necromancy.
Evenings were set aside for stone carving. It not only honed his Spiritual Energy but also gave his mind a chance to relax. As his carving knife passed over the stone and chips flew, he didn't need to think about anything. He only had to focus on the piece in his hands.
Bebe stayed by his side every day. Sometimes he dozed on a tree branch, sometimes he caught bugs in the grass, and sometimes he brought back a wild rabbit and dropped it in front of Lin Yun, chirping proudly. Lin Yun would pause, build a fire, and roast the rabbit. The two of them would share it.
The days passed like that, one after another.
Three months later, Lin Yun had mastered the Level Seven Light Element spell Holy Light Illumination, the Level Seven Wind Element spell Wings of Wind, and the Level Seven Thunder Element spell Fury of Thunder. Holy Light Illumination had an enormous range and was a powerful area spell against undead creatures. Wings of Wind condensed a pair of wind-element wings behind him, allowing him to fly for a short time. Fury of Thunder was the most powerful single-target attack among Level Seven Thunder Element spells!
He didn't yet have any Level Seven spells for the Water or Fire Elements, so he could only keep using Level Six magic. But with his magical reserves across all seven elements at Level Seven, even his Level Six spells could unleash power far beyond the norm.
He didn't rush to study the Dark Element spells. Dark Element magic couldn't be used openly at the academy, and he didn't yet understand it deeply enough. He needed more time to absorb what he had learned.
The most demanding subject was Necromancy.
Doehring knew only a little about Necromancy and couldn't give him any substantial guidance. Lin Yun had to rely on himself, studying the books on Necromancy over and over, trying to grasp the mysteries of the Law of Death between the lines.
"The core of Necromancy is the soul," Lin Yun wrote in his notes. "Cultivating the seven elemental magics means cultivating Spiritual Energy and using it to control the elements of the world. Necromancy, on the other hand, cultivates the power of the soul and acts directly upon the soul itself."
He continued writing: "Necromancy has three main branches. The first is Undead Summoning—summoning undead creatures from the Undead Realm to fight for oneself. The second is Undead Enslavement—forcefully binding the souls of the dead to their corpses to create Corpse Demons, Zombies, and other undead. The third is Soul Attack—attacking an enemy's soul directly."
Each of these three branches required an extremely deep reserve of soul power to support it. Compared to other laws, the Law of Death delved deepest into the study of the soul, so its demands on the soul were exceptionally high.
For practitioners of Necromancy, soul power could grow in only three ways: through the soul's natural growth, through the tempering of the soul, and by absorbing the souls of others.
Absorbing the souls of others was the most brutal method used by Necromancers, and the main reason the Radiant Church considered them heretics. Powerful Necromancers could use secret arts to refine the souls of the dead and absorb their soul power, rapidly strengthening their own souls. But this method carried enormous risks. The absorber's soul would be eroded by the dead person's resentment, driving them insane until they became a deranged murderer.
Lin Yun had no intention of taking that path for now.
He chose the first and second methods: natural growth of the soul and the tempering of the soul.
Stone carving was a way to temper the soul indirectly. And when he had suffered that Soul Attack in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, the Small Cauldron had blocked it, but his soul had still undergone a passive tempering. It had made him more sensitive to the power of the soul.
"What exactly is the Law of Death?" Lin Yun often wondered late at night, when all was quiet.
He had searched through every book on Necromancy, but the answers were all abstract. The Law of Death wasn't something one could sense directly, like an elemental law. It was something more fundamental: all things lived and died; death was the end of life, but also the beginning of another form of existence.
Necromancy used the power of the Law of Death to build a bridge between life and death.
"I may need a more direct way to sense the Law of Death," Lin Yun wrote in his notes.
His gaze fell on the Black Stone Stele in his Space Ring.
The Necromancy Inheritance Stele.
Doehring had said that the stele held the core inheritance of Necromancy, including insights into the Law of Death, the methods of Undead Summoning, and the techniques of Soul Attack. All he had to do was probe the stele with his Spiritual Energy, and he could begin receiving the inheritance.
But the process couldn't be controlled. The necromantic power within the stele would surge into his soul on its own, and during the process, he would experience the baptism of the Law of Death. It was an extremely painful ordeal, and the power of death might erode his soul.
What was more, the process would release a powerful necromantic aura, which Light Element Mages could easily sense.
"I can't receive the inheritance at the academy," Lin Yun reasoned.
Although Ernst Academy was an independent institution of magic, it had been built with funding from the Radiant Church. Most of the academy's Light Element instructors had close ties to the church. If the necromantic aura leaked out, the consequences would be unthinkable.
He needed a place that was remote and well hidden.
The Magic Beast Mountain Range.
It was sparsely populated and far from any towns, and he was familiar with the terrain. If he could find a secluded enough cave and receive the inheritance there, he shouldn't be discovered.
"It's settled." Lin Yun closed his notebook and stood up.
Bebe jumped down from the nearby branch and perched on his shoulder, chirping twice.
"Bebe, we're going to the Magic Beast Mountain Range again," Lin Yun said.
"Chirp!" Bebe patted his cheek with a tiny paw, as if to say, "No problem."
That evening, Lin Yun told Linley about his plan.
"You're going to the Magic Beast Mountain Range to receive the Necromancy inheritance?" Linley's expression turned grave. "Isn't that too dangerous?"
"Receiving it at the academy would be even more dangerous," Lin Yun said. "If anyone senses the necromantic aura, I'm finished."
Linley fell silent for a while, then nodded. "All right. I'll keep an eye on things here at the academy. If anyone asks, I'll say you're cultivating in seclusion in the hills behind the academy."
"All right," Lin Yun said.
Doehring floated out of the Coiling Dragon Ring and hovered in front of them.
"I can't help you with the Necromancy inheritance," Doehring said helplessly. "I know even less about the Law of Death than what you've read in those books. Be careful."
"I know," Lin Yun said.
"There's one more thing." Doehring's gaze fell on the Small Bronze Tripod at Lin Yun's chest. "When you were hit by that Soul Attack last time, this little tripod saved you. If you encounter danger during the inheritance, it may act again. But don't rely on it. It isn't a power you can control."
Lin Yun nodded.
He touched the Small Bronze Tripod at his chest, feeling its cool surface.
He still had no idea what the little tripod was. But it had already saved him twice—once during the plane crash, and once from Morton's Soul Attack.
Perhaps it would save him a third time.
Early the next morning, before dawn, Lin Yun quietly left the academy.
He didn't use the main gate. Instead, he climbed over the wall behind the academy and followed a secluded path toward the Magic Beast Mountain Range. Bebe perched on his shoulder, turning his little head this way and that as he warily watched their surroundings.
Morning mist filled the forest, and the distant mountains appeared and disappeared in the haze.
Lin Yun took a deep breath and quickened his pace.
Ahead lay the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
Ahead lay the Necromancy inheritance.
Ahead lay an unknown path.
He didn't know what would happen during the inheritance, whether his soul could withstand the baptism of the Law of Death, or whether the necromantic aura would erode him.
But there was no turning back.
If he wanted to grow stronger, he had to take risks.
Lin Yun touched the Small Bronze Tripod at his chest, and an inexplicable sense of calm welled up inside him.
"Let's go, Bebe."
"Chirp!"
The human and the mouse disappeared into the misty forest.
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