Eight: Half a Year of Hard Training

Time flowed by like water, silent and unnoticed.

Half a year had passed in the blink of an eye since Doehring Cowart awakened.

Over the past six months, life at Baruch Manor had changed in subtle ways. On the surface, everything was as usual—the children still practiced the Qi Cultivation Style with Hillman every day, Hogg was still busy handling the territory's trivial affairs, and Wharton still ran around the courtyard, chasing butterflies and dragonflies. But in corners where no one noticed, Linley and Lin Yun's worlds were quietly changing.

Every morning, before dawn, the two brothers would quietly get up and slip away to a small hillside behind the manor. There was a little grove there. The trees weren't particularly dense, but they were enough to block the manor's view. Doehring would drift out of the Coiling Dragon Ring and hover before them, beginning the day's magic lesson.

"Meditation is the foundation of magical cultivation!" Doehring's voice was gentle but serious. "You must remember that magical power doesn't appear out of nowhere. Through meditation, you refine the elements of the world and draw them into your body to store them. The longer and more focused your meditation, the faster your magical power accumulates."

Linley sat cross-legged on the grass with his eyes closed, doing his best to calm his mind. After half a year, he could now reliably enter a meditative state without Doehring's guidance. But compared to his younger brother, his progress was still much slower. Each time he meditated, it took him about ten minutes to fully settle into the state, while Lin Yun...

Linley secretly opened his eyes and glanced at his younger brother.

Lin Yun sat upright with his eyes closed, breathing slowly and evenly. He seemed to have become one with the surrounding natural world. A breeze rustled the leaves, and a few fallen ones landed on his shoulders, but he didn't notice at all.

He's already entered the state again.

Linley sighed inwardly, closed his eyes again, and kept trying.

Half an hour later, Doehring's voice rang out. "All right, that's enough meditation for today."

Linley opened his eyes and rolled his stiff neck. Lin Yun opened his eyes too, a glimmer flashing in them—a sign that his Spiritual Energy was brimming.

"Linley," Doehring floated in front of him, "you've made rapid progress lately. Both the duration and quality of your meditation have improved. In only half a year, you've reached the Level 1 Mage realm."

A smile spread across Linley's face. "Really?"

"Of course." Doehring nodded. "But remember, a mage's level isn't the most important thing. What matters is their understanding of magic. Time can raise your level, but understanding magic requires insight."

Linley nodded earnestly.

Doehring turned to Lin Yun, a complicated look in his eyes.

Lin Yun's progress was even more astonishing than he had expected.

Half a year ago, he had judged Lin Yun's Spiritual Energy to be at the Level 4 Mage standard. Since then, Lin Yun had accumulated magical power far faster than ordinary people. He had successfully refined magical power from all seven elements—earth, fire, water, wind, lightning, light, and darkness. Each had reached the peak of the Level 3 Mage realm, and he was only one step away from truly entering the Level 4 Mage realm.

A Level 3 Mage in all seven elements.

Even Doehring found the conclusion unbelievable.

A mage who cultivated a single element only needed to refine one kind of element and focus on a single path. A genius who cultivated two elements had to spend twice as much time and effort. But Lin Yun was cultivating all seven.

Seven times the refinement, seven times the accumulation of magical power, seven times the time invested.

Yet Lin Yun's progress hadn't slowed at all. His Spiritual Energy and Elemental Affinity were simply too powerful, enough to support all seven elements advancing in step. With every meditation, he could refine all seven elements at once, making him several times more efficient than a single-element mage.

This left Doehring both astonished and perplexed.

"Lin Yun," Doehring's voice drifted out of the ring, "your magical power is already very solid. All seven elements have reached Level 3. This may well be unprecedented in the history of the Yulan Continent."

Linley relayed Doehring's words to Lin Yun.

Lin Yun nodded without much of a reaction. He knew where his advantage lay: the powerful Spiritual Energy accumulated over three lifetimes, combined with the Small Cauldron's ability to stack the results of cultivation in both worlds, made his magical power accumulate far faster than that of ordinary people. But magical power was only the foundation. In a real magical battle, what mattered was magic itself.

"However," Doehring continued, "I have to be honest. I'm proficient in Earth Element magic, but I only have a superficial understanding of the other six elements. Magic must have advanced greatly over the past five thousand years, and the knowledge I have may be out of date."

He paused, his tone turning more solemn. "Especially for the two of you—Linley has a talent for Earth Element and Wind Element, while Lin Yun cultivates all seven. I can't teach you magic in every element on my own. You need more systematic instruction and more comprehensive knowledge of magic."

"So you mean..." Linley looked thoughtful.

"The Magic Academy," Doehring said. "You need to attend one. There, you'll find a complete system of magic, instructors for every element, and plenty of magical books and cultivation resources. Only in that kind of environment can your magical talents be fully realized."

Linley and Lin Yun exchanged a glance.

The Magic Academy—Ernst Magic Academy, the most prestigious magic school on the Yulan Continent. It was the place countless magic apprentices dreamed of attending!

Half a year ago, an accidental magical battle in Wushan Town had inspired Linley to study magic. Hogg had planned to take the two brothers to Fenlai Royal Capital to test their magical talents during the autumn recruitment. But after Doehring Cowart appeared, they hadn't brought it up again, leading Hogg to think Linley's enthusiasm had been nothing more than a passing impulse.

Now that Doehring Cowart had brought it up again, Linley and Lin Yun were all the more determined to attend a Magic Academy!

"Then we'll go test our magical talents in a little while," Linley said with a firm nod.

Lin Yun nodded too, but his thoughts were on something else.

The Magic Academy. Ernst... If he remembered correctly, in the original story, after Linley entered Ernst Academy, he would meet Yale, Reynolds, George, and the others, as well as Delia. In the future, they would all become Linley's most important friends and allies.

And this time, he would be there too.

Over the past six months, Linley and Lin Yun had not only practiced meditation but also learned some basic magic.

Doehring was most skilled in Earth Element magic, so that was the first element he taught them.

"The core of Earth Element magic is 'weight' and 'stability.'" Doehring hovered in the air, gesturing with both hands. "Earth Element magic isn't as light as Wind Element magic or as fierce as Fire Element magic. Its power comes from the earth itself—steadfast, resilient, and immovable."

The first spell he taught Linley was "Earth Spike"—condensing earth elements on the ground to form sharp stone spikes that could attack an enemy.

The spell looked simple, but it required excellent control over magic. Linley spent two whole months before he could just barely get the hang of it. He could form three finger-thick stone spikes in the grass. They were short and thin, but at least he had succeeded.

As for Lin Yun...

Linley still remembered the first time he saw Lin Yun cast Earth Spike.

That afternoon, the brothers had been practicing on the hillside. Linley had struggled with all his might to form three crooked stone spikes in the ground before him. Just as he was about to show off to Lin Yun, he saw his younger brother casually raise a hand—

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

Dozens of arm-thick stone spikes shot out of the ground, neatly arranged in two rows. Each one was sharp and gleamed with an earthy yellow light.

Linley stared in stunned silence.

"This... Is this the power of a Level 3 spell?" he murmured.

Doehring's voice sounded in his mind, carrying a hint of helplessness. "It's not Level 3, it's Level 2. But with his current reserves of magical power, he could cast it ten times in a row without a problem."

Linley fell silent for a long time.

After that, he never showed off in front of Lin Yun again.

"Lin Yun's talent... is terrifying." Doehring had sighed to Linley more than once. "His Spiritual Energy is strong enough to let him control every bit of magical power with precision, and his understanding of the elements far exceeds that of ordinary people. When he casts the same spell, its effect is at least two or three times greater than that of a mage at the same level."

Linley felt a little envious when he heard that, but he was even happier for his younger brother.

"It's all right," he told Doehring. "I'll work even harder."

Doehring looked at the determined boy, his eyes full of approval. Talent was certainly important, but an unyielding determination was even more essential for reaching the summit.

When the sun set over the Coiling Dragon World, the moon was slowly rising over the Swallowed Star World.

Nights in Yangzhou City were always oppressively quiet.

Lin Yun lay on the narrow bed in the low-rent apartment, his eyes closed, but he wasn't asleep. His consciousness had just shifted over from the Coiling Dragon World.

He sat up and quietly walked to the window.

Outside was the same old sight of Yangzhou City's residential district: low houses, narrow alleys, and the faint outline of the enormous city wall in the distance. Moonlight fell over the shabby rooftops, casting a cool silver sheen over this post-apocalyptic world.

Lin Yun took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to try something.

During this time, he had been learning meditation from Doehring in the Coiling Dragon World, and his methods for cultivating Spiritual Energy had become systematic and standardized. In the Swallowed Star World, he had always had an idea: to apply the meditation method from the Coiling Dragon World to his Spiritual Force cultivation here.

The two worlds had different energy systems, but the essence of Spiritual Energy was the same.

In the Coiling Dragon World, Spiritual Energy was used to sense and refine magical elements. In the Swallowed Star World, it manifested as Spiritual Force—a formless power that could act directly on the material world.

If the meditation method from the Coiling Dragon World could strengthen his Spiritual Force in the Swallowed Star World, his strength here would make a tremendous leap.

Lin Yun regulated his breathing and slowly entered a meditative state according to Doehring's instructions.

At first, nothing happened.

He couldn't sense the colorful magical elements of the Coiling Dragon World. This world had no such things. The air was filled with a completely different kind of energy—violent, chaotic, and destructive. It was Gene Energy, the foundation of a Warrior's cultivation.

But Spiritual Energy worked the same way.

Lin Yun cleared his mind and focused all his attention deep within his consciousness. He felt his Spiritual Energy like a deep, still lake. He tried to extend it outward, just as he had tried to sense magical elements in the Coiling Dragon World—

Then he "saw."

Not with his eyes, but with his Spiritual Energy.

He "saw" his grandfather breathing steadily in the next room, "saw" a stray cat quietly slip through the alley outside, and "saw" soldiers patrolling the distant city wall. None of it was visible to his eyes. He sensed it directly with his Spiritual Energy.

He could feel the dust floating in the room and the wooden box hidden under the bed. Inside were a few changes of clothes and several coins his grandfather had saved. He could even sense the violent Gene Energy in the air. He couldn't refine it the way he refined magical elements, but he could definitely sense its presence.

This was Spiritual Force.

Lin Yun opened his eyes, a glint flashing in them.

He tried gathering his Spiritual Energy and reaching out to touch a cup on the table.

The cup trembled slightly, then... slowly floated into the air.

Success!

Lin Yun's heart pounded, but he forced himself to calm down and kept focusing. The cup hovered in the air for about ten seconds, then settled back onto the table without making a sound.

His Spiritual Force could move objects now.

Although his Spiritual Energy in the Coiling Dragon World was already powerful enough for him to cast Level 3 spells with ease, turning Spiritual Energy into Spiritual Force in the Swallowed Star World was an entirely different matter. It was like a person with great strength learning to use that strength to embroider. It required skill and precise control.

And now, he had taken the first step.

In the days that followed, Lin Yun set aside time every night to practice using his Spiritual Force.

He discovered that the meditation method from the Coiling Dragon World really did help him cultivate in this world. After every meditation session, his Spiritual Force became more condensed and easier to control. His precise control over the elements, developed while cultivating magic in the Coiling Dragon World, also transferred perfectly to his use of Spiritual Force.

A month later, he could control three small objects at once with his Spiritual Force, making them perform all kinds of complicated movements in the air.

Two months later, his Spiritual Force had expanded to a radius of a hundred meters. Within that range, not even the slightest movement escaped his senses.

Three months later, he tried something even bolder—using his Spiritual Force to strengthen his body.

In the Swallowed Star World, Spiritual Masters and Warriors followed two different paths. Warriors strengthened their bodies with Genetic Origin Energy, gaining tremendous strength and speed. Spiritual Masters focused on cultivating Spiritual Energy and used Spiritual Force to attack their enemies. But truly powerful Spiritual Masters could also use Spiritual Force to strengthen themselves. Although it couldn't match the enhancement of the body by Genetic Origin Energy, it was still not to be underestimated.

Lin Yun covered his limbs and torso with his Spiritual Force. He could feel a tingling pain throughout his body, along with his strength slowly increasing!

However, he also discovered something disappointing.

He couldn't use magic in the Swallowed Star World.

He had tried using Spiritual Force to imitate magic—for instance, casting Earth Spike, which required only a thought in the Coiling Dragon World. But he couldn't do it here. It wasn't that his Spiritual Energy was insufficient; the laws of this world simply wouldn't allow it. There were no magical elements in the air here, only violent Gene Energy. Without magical elements, there could be no magic.

This discovery disappointed Lin Yun, but he soon accepted it.

Every world had its own rules. There was no forcing the matter. Magic from the Coiling Dragon World didn't work here, but Spiritual Force itself was the "magic" of this world—and its power was no less than that of magic.

In the original story, Luo Feng relied on Spiritual Force in the early stages, advancing step by step toward the peak.

And he had a stronger foundation in Spiritual Energy than Luo Feng, as well as the advantage of cultivating in two worlds. His Spiritual Force had limitless potential.

After half a year, Lin Yun's strength in the Swallowed Star World had made a qualitative leap.

His Spiritual Force could cover an area with a radius of a hundred meters. Within that range, he could control more than ten objects at once, each moving along a path precise to the millimeter. He could also use his Spiritual Force to strengthen his body.

At school, however, he continued to keep a low profile.

His grades were above average, neither outstanding nor poor. He got along well with his classmates but never went out of his way to make friends. His performance in physical education was merely "pretty good." No one knew that this quiet boy already had the strength of a Warrior.

As for Luo Feng, when he was eight, something happened that left him in unbearable pain. His younger brother, Luo Hua, had his legs crushed by a car. Overwhelmed with grief, Luo Feng fainted, and when he woke up, his physical fitness had somehow become much stronger!

Lin Yun knew that this was because the Spiritual Force in Luo Feng's mind had awakened. As for Luo Hua, Lin Yun felt a little guilty. He knew this would happen, but he had no way to warn Luo Feng and his family in advance.

In the original story, Luo Feng entered the martial arts school at sixteen and immediately met the Advanced Trainee standard. At seventeen, he reached the Advanced Trainee level. Now, with Lin Yun sharing his cultivation experience and keeping him motivated, Luo Feng would only grow stronger even faster!

Night fell.

Lin Yun lay in bed, his consciousness swaying gently between the two worlds.

In the Coiling Dragon World, he and Linley were moving along the path of magic one step at a time under Doehring's guidance. Their magical power in all seven elements had reached the peak of Level 3, and Lin Yun had mastered several Earth Element spells. In a month, he would go to Fenlai City to test his magical talent and join a Magic Academy!

In the Swallowed Star World, his Spiritual Force had taken shape, and his strength was comparable to that of an Advanced Warrior. He was only eight years old—at that age, he would be among the very best prodigies in all of Jiangnan Base. But he wouldn't show off. He would quietly build up his strength, waiting for the day he truly needed to act.