Level 5

Winter passed and spring arrived. At Ernst Institute, the students were making final preparations for the year-end exams, and a hint of tension hung in the air.

Lin Qin's routine remained unchanged, but anyone observant could sense his aura shifting. His Level 4 Warrior Battle Qi had long since reached a full, stable state, and it was constantly pressing against that threshold, settling and building. His Heaven Rewards Diligence talent ensured this accumulation was terrifyingly steady, without the slightest hint of instability.

In the Warrior Division, Barker could no longer gain much of an advantage in sparring with Lin Qin. Lin Qin's strength, speed, reflexes, and control of Battle Qi had all reached the peak of Level 4 Warrior, and in some respects, even surpassed it. His basic swordsmanship was pared down to its essentials. Every parry and counterattack seemed calculated through countless trials, precise and efficient.

"I'm done, I'm done!" After one sparring match, Barker was the first to toss aside his wooden sword. Panting hard, he waved a hand. "You're a monster, you know that? If I keep fighting you, you'll crush all my confidence." He looked at Lin Qin, his expression complicated. "You... you're about to break through, aren't you?"

Lin Qin lowered his sword and stood at ease. Battle Qi surged within him; the barrier leading to Level 5 was already as thin as a cicada's wing. He nodded. "I think so."

Barker sighed, then grinned. "That's fine by me. Once you break through to Level 5, I'll have even more reason to come to you for advice!"

His progress in magic, meanwhile, showed in his increasingly subtle control and growing grasp of magic's essence.

In a clearing behind the mountain, three targets stood before Lin Qin. He didn't chant; he only stirred his mental power.

"Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!"

Five Earth Spike Spears shot out in sequence rather than all at once, surging toward the targets like waves and sealing off every avenue of escape. This wasn't advanced magic. Instead, he had compressed the casting intervals of five first-level Earth Spike Spears to their limit and used precise control of his mental power to determine when each one fired. It consumed a considerable amount of mana, but its tactical value was entirely different.

Even more astonishingly, the Earth Spike Spears didn't immediately dissipate after striking. The Earth element swirling around their shafts was unusually dense, and they lasted far longer than ordinary Earth Spike Spears. Through countless hours of practice, he had accidentally touched upon a sliver of the mysteries of the Earth element, learning a little about "stability" and "condensation." He was nowhere near mastering them, but even that small glimpse had transformed this basic spell.

He let the magic fade, then began practicing the Earth Wall Technique. This time, the wall he formed wasn't smooth. Its surface was covered in fine, dragon-scale-like ripples. When one of his own Earth Spike Spears struck it, the ripples effectively dispersed the force, making the wall much harder to break through. He had drawn inspiration from studying building structures and natural rock formations, then made the idea a reality through an immense amount of practice.

These improvements had already gone beyond the scope of an ordinary low-level mage, bringing him to the threshold of "technique approaching the Dao." If his magic instructor, Matt, saw them, he would surely be astonished.

The moment of breakthrough arrived as expected on a quiet night.

Lin Qin had just finished a round of extreme sword swings. His Battle Qi was badly depleted, and his body was exhausted. He sat cross-legged, preparing to recover through meditation as usual.

As his mind sank inward and he guided his nearly depleted Battle Qi through its slow circulation, a sudden change took place!

The Battle Qi that usually needed careful guidance to recover slowly now seemed to be drawn by some powerful force, surging from deep within him at a speed he had never experienced before! It wasn't merely recovering—it was rushing, roaring! A more turbulent current of earthy-yellow energy filled and expanded his meridians. His bones and muscles hummed faintly as they underwent a deeper tempering.

The barrier that had held him back for months crumbled beneath this irresistible force, melting away like snow in the sun!

Level 5 Warrior!

A surging sense of power filled his body, far more pronounced than when he had advanced to Level 4. He felt that his strength, defense, speed, and even his five senses had all improved by a whole level. The Battle Qi coursing through him had leapt forward in both quantity and quality.

He opened his eyes, the sharp light in them now held in check, his aura more composed and weighty. He didn't test his strength right away. Instead, he closed his eyes again and carefully felt every change in his body and Battle Qi after the breakthrough, stabilizing them completely.

Only when the eastern sky began to brighten did Lin Qin finish consolidating his breakthrough and rise to his feet. He casually punched a nearby tree with a trunk as thick as an adult's waist.

"Thud!"

The trunk shuddered violently, its bark bursting apart and leaving a clear fist mark sunk deep into the wood. This was pure physical strength, without any Battle Qi behind it.

Lin Qin nodded in satisfaction.