Mist Valley

A month and a half later, the two arrived at a lake in the forest.

Having not bathed for over a month, they were both smelling quite foul, and they jumped into the lake without a moment's hesitation.

Over the past month, Linley had done most of the fighting. Garen only stepped in occasionally when they encountered a level six magical beast to test out his blade techniques, and they had yet to run into a level seven magical beast.

Garen wasn't in a hurry. By following Linley, he should be able to find the Mist Valley, where there would be plenty of high-level magical beasts and a massive amount of experience to be gained.

One had to realize that even in the heart of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, the higher the level of the magical beasts, the lower their population density. Sometimes, there were only a few beasts within a range of several kilometers. If Garen wanted to kill beasts, he often spent more time searching for them than actually fighting.

Just as Garen, Linley, and Bebe were splashing around in the lake, the ground in the distance suddenly began to tremble.

"Thump, thump, thump, thump..."

"A large magical beast is approaching."

The two of them quickly leaped out of the water.

Before long, a level seven Velociraptor, over ten meters tall and thirty meters long, appeared before them. Its lantern-sized eyes glowed with a red light as it spotted the two humans and the beast.

Bebe chirped excitedly, though it was unclear what he was saying to Linley.

"Alright, I'll leave this big guy to you, but be careful," Linley said with a hint of worry.

Garen, however, wasn't worried at all; he understood Bebe's strength better than Linley did.

A few minutes later, Bebe chased off the massive Velociraptor and chirped at Garen.

Seeing the smug look on his face, Garen knew he was definitely bragging.

He just smiled and said nothing.

With the appearance of a level seven magical beast, they had officially reached the central region.

A few days later, they encountered a level five assassin in black. After Linley killed him, they hadn't gone far before Garen spotted a dozen red dots in the trees nearby.

"Could it be a flock of flying magical beasts?"

As they drew closer, they discovered a dozen men in black. They were likely members of the same organization as the assassin they had just killed.

Garen and Linley made no attempt to hide their presence, and the dozen assassins quickly spotted them.

"Hmm? Two teenagers? Number 2, go finish them off."

One of the leaders commanded.

"Yes, sir."

One of the men in black leaped down from the tree and charged toward them at extreme speed.

Judging by his speed, he was likely a level six warrior.

"I'll take him."

Garen drew his God-Slaying Blade. After its evolution, the blade was now five meters long and weighed a thousand jin, making it a heavy weapon.

As the assassin closed in, he swung a short black blade with lightning speed.

"Hmph."

Garen let out a cold snort, striking after the enemy but arriving first.

The God-Slaying Blade moved lightly, appearing slow to the eye, yet a single flash of light appeared directly above the assassin's head.

It gave off a strange sensation—it looked slow, yet it was incredibly fast.

"Slash."

Without the slightest resistance, the assassin was cleaved in two from the top of his head.

Both sides were stunned.

Garen's eyes lit up. That was the feeling. After so long, he had finally grasped that sensation. The moment he swung the blade, his power erupted instantly, and the weight of the God-Slaying Blade itself had contributed to that explosive force.

Weightless Strength—he had finally achieved it.

Linley and Bebe only felt that the strike was powerful, but they didn't understand exactly what made it so special.

The voice of Doehring Cowart echoed in Linley's mind.

"This little fellow is truly a genius. At such a young age, he has already grasped the realm of Weightless Strength. Even most level nine warriors struggle to reach this level. Not simple, not simple at all."

"Grandpa Doehring, what is Weightless Strength?" Linley asked curiously.

"Weightless Strength is a higher realm of understanding that a warrior reaches after perfecting their basic techniques. You are still far from that level, so don't get ahead of yourself. Just focus on your magic training."

Meanwhile, in the trees nearby, the dozen assassins wore grave expressions.

Although they couldn't comprehend the realm behind that strike, the fact that he could so easily kill a level six warrior in one blow meant this youth was at least a level seven warrior, making him extremely troublesome.

"Retreat, don't engage."

The leader of the assassins was very cautious. He leaped to another branch, and the dozen men followed suit. Within a few breaths, the group vanished into the dense forest.

Garen was in a great mood and didn't bother to chase them.

As they set off again, Garen felt relaxed. The purpose of this trip had been largely achieved; the next step was to find some high-level magical beasts to farm for experience.

The two walked for half a day, but they only encountered a few level six magical beasts along the way. Garen lost interest in fighting, so Linley teamed up with Bebe to take them down.

Suddenly, Linley, who was walking in front, shouted loudly.

"Look, there is a strange valley here."

Garen quickly ran to the edge of the cliff.

"It really is the Mist Valley, haha."

Garen was overjoyed; the treasure trove for grinding monsters had finally arrived.

Between two mountains lay a deep valley that grew wider the further down it went, filled with rolling white mist that obscured everything, as if a giant monster were breathing within.

The two walked along the side of the mountain for four or five miles until the cliff walls on both sides drew closer, leaving only a one-meter gap.

Linley looked down and suddenly froze, staring blankly at a spot in the valley.

"Blue Heart Grass, it really is Blue Heart Grass."

He suddenly shouted in excitement.

Garen followed his gaze and sure enough, a small, blue, misty herb was swaying in the wind on the cliff wall.

"Linley, what's wrong? Although this Blue Heart Grass is very valuable, it shouldn't be enough to make you this excited, right?"

Garen asked, feigning ignorance.

"Garen, you don't know, but my Baruch clan is one of the Four Ultimate Warrior clans, the Dragonblood Warrior clan. The Dragonblood Secret Manual passed down in our family records that clansmen with insufficient dragonblood concentration can activate their bloodline and become Dragonblood Warriors if they drink the fresh blood of a Saint Realm dragon. This Blue Heart Grass is the only divine medicine capable of neutralizing that fresh Saint Realm dragon blood."

Linley thought for a moment before speaking with pride.

A Saint Realm Dragonblood Warrior clan with a heritage of over five thousand years was indeed something to be proud of.

"What, you are from the Four Ultimate Warrior Dragonblood Warrior clan?"

Garen said in surprise.

He then laughed and continued.

"Then we are truly fated, look."

As he spoke, Garen transformed directly into his Tiger-Striped Warrior form.

The surging aura forced Linley to take several steps back, and Bebe was also startled.

"Linley, do you see it now?"

Garen said excitedly.

"Could it be, could it be..., you are from the Tiger-Striped Warrior clan, one of the Four Ultimate Warriors?"

"That's right. I didn't know about the Four Ultimate Warrior clans originally, but when I was on my way to Ernst Magic Academy as a child, I was provoked by bandits and activated my Tiger-Striped Warrior bloodline. Later, after looking up information, I realized that I was a Tiger-Striped Warrior among the Ultimate Warriors."

"No wonder your warrior rank is so high, so that's why."

After learning each other's secrets, the two became even closer.

"Let's go, I'll cover you. Go pick that Blue Heart Grass first. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we brothers both cultivated to become Saint Realm Ultimate Warriors in the future? Haha."

(End of chapter)