The Momentum

After choosing a direction, he traveled several more kilometers.

Groups of Level Six Double-Winged Pegasi and Level Seven Thunder-Winged Pegasi were all around. Some played in the air, while others grazed on the ground.

Garen had always liked horses, and these flying horses looked incredibly handsome, pleasing his aesthetic sense. He decided to let them live.

He used the Flight Spell to fly into the mist, using it as cover as he continued onward.

After flying for more than ten kilometers, he finally spotted some solitary magical beasts. There were Velociraptors and Black Bears within a few kilometers, and Cat-Bears more than ten kilometers away.

The solitary magical beasts were scattered far apart, so Garen wasn't worried about them attacking in a group. Before long, he was flying above a Level Seven Velociraptor.

The Velociraptors living here were clearly larger than the ones he'd encountered before. They were probably close to becoming Level Eight Magical Beasts.

Unfortunately, their fate was already sealed when faced with a killer like Garen.

The hunt began!

After killing more than forty Velociraptors nearby, Garen finally raised his Warrior Level to Level Eight. Looking at the other Level Seven Velociraptors in the distance, he said, "Heaven has a virtue of sparing life. You're all lucky dragons."

Warrior Level: Level 8 (105/200000 experience)

Transformation Level: Level 9

He'd gotten another Primary Enhancement Stone and a Primary Experience Card.

Another Primary Enhancement Stone. He planned to enhance the God-Slaying Blade again and see what power it would have once it reached Divine Artifact level.

Ding! The Primary Enhancement Stone's level is too low. Enhancement failed.

Garen had been prepared for the system's notification. Since Primary Enhancement Stones existed, there had to be Intermediate and Advanced Enhancement Stones as well. It was only natural that a Primary Enhancement Stone couldn't enhance equipment into a Divine Artifact. He could only keep enhancing the Tiger God Armor.

Tiger God Armor: Highly effective protection against magical beasts below the Saint Realm (upgradeable), Gemstone Smelting unlocked (2 slots)

Level 1 Blessing Stone: Reduces mana, battle qi, and spiritual energy consumed when using magic and battle qi by 10%.

Level 2 Black Gem: Increases character's speed by 10%.

At the peak of Level Nine after transforming, he'd comprehended Weightless Strength, and now possessed two pieces of high-level equipment, the God-Slaying Blade and Tiger God Armor. He should be able to kill a Spine-Armored Dragon if he ran into one, but it was hard to say whether he'd be able to take it down without suffering losses. There was still some danger, after all—it was a being infinitely close to the Saint Realm.

There weren't any major threats left in Mist Valley. He needed a lot of experience to reach the next level, and although Mist Valley was vast, there were probably only two or three hundred Level Eight Magical Beasts, and even fewer Level Nines. It was a rule of nature: the more powerful the magical beasts and humans, the fewer of them there were.

Even if he killed every Level Eight and Level Nine Magical Beast in Mist Valley, it still might not be enough to level up.

For now, he could only keep grinding here, try to comprehend Momentum, and then explore other places. He'd first raise his Warrior Level to Level Nine. By then, transforming would make him a Saint Realm expert, and with his speed, he'd have no problem protecting himself.

Once he reached the Saint Realm, his level of understanding would be the most important thing. The system hadn't dropped any items related to the Laws and Mysteries yet, so he didn't know whether it could help him comprehend the laws directly.

And so, in the valley, Garen cleared out a large area where Level Eight Black Bears lived. He found a scenic spot by a lake, built a little wooden cabin (although most of the canyon was grassland, there were still some trees), and began his cultivation.

The central area of Mist Valley had a magic concentration dozens of times greater than the outside world. Garen spent most of his time studying sword techniques, trying to comprehend Momentum. Whenever inspiration struck, he tested his techniques on rocks or magical beasts.

When he felt stuck, he would clear his mind and meditate, refining his magical power.

By now, even in human form, he could kill Level Eight Magical Beasts with a single casual blow.

Depending on their strength, Level Eight Magical Beasts granted around 500 to 800 experience each.

Just like that, nine months passed.

During those nine months, he'd nearly wiped out all the Level Eight Magical Beasts living alone on the ground. There had been more than 140 in total, earning him over ninety thousand experience. His human form had reached the middle stage of Level Eight, while the group of Fire Dragons and Green Dragons in the sky had escaped his clutches.

The commotion from his first battle against a Level Eight Velociraptor had alerted the group of Fire Dragons and Green Dragons. They had swarmed him, attacking with fireballs and ice arrows; some had even rushed in to claw at him.

Unfortunately for them, after another upgrade, the Tiger God Armor now offered powerful protection even against Saint Realm Magical Beasts, let alone a group of Level Eight Magical Beasts. Their magic and physical attacks could barely get through his defenses.

Garen flew into the dragon horde and began slaughtering them.

But Fire Dragons and Green Dragons were enormous. After he killed seven or eight, they realized something was wrong and all fled.

In the sky, even with the speed boost from the Level 2 Black Gem, Garen's Flight Spell as a Level Seven Mage wasn't fast enough to catch those Level Eight flying dragons.

After that, they learned to recognize Garen. Whenever they saw him, they flew far away, abandoning all their pride as dragons.

The God-Slaying Blade, Tiger God Armor, and Primary Enhancement Stones could no longer be enhanced.

All the Level Eight Magical Beasts on the ground had been killed, and he couldn't catch the ones in the sky. Aside from its rich concentration of magical elements, there wasn't much reason to stay here.

"It's time to return to the academy and apply for graduation, then go home for a visit. I haven't been home in so many years. I wonder how Mom and Dad are doing."

Garen

Warrior Level: Level 8 (99578/200000 experience)

Transformation Level: Level 9

Magic Level: Level Seven (14736/100000 experience)

God-Slaying Blade: Deals tremendous damage to magical beasts below the God Realm (upgradeable), Gemstone Smelting unlocked (3 slots).

Level 2 Sun Stone: Increases the damage of the character's Fire-style magic and battle qi by 20%.

Level 1 Critical Hit Stone: Gives the character's attacks a 2% chance to critically hit.

Level 1 Breeze Stone: Increases the damage of the character's wind magic and battle qi by 10%.

Tiger God Armor: Highly effective protection against magical beasts below the God Realm (upgradeable), Gemstone Smelting unlocked (3 slots).

Level 2 Black Gem: Increases character's speed by 10%.

Level 2 Blessing Stone: Reduces mana, battle qi, and spiritual energy consumed when using magic and battle qi by 20%.

Level 2 Nature Stone: Increases the speed of meditation and refining magical power by 20%.

Garen began his journey back. He strolled leisurely along the way, as if he were walking through his own garden, taking in nature and the wind.

Two months later, Garen spotted Fenlai City in the distance. Looking at the enormous city and its bustling crowds, he felt as if he'd returned to another world. Without realizing it, he'd spent a year in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

A snowflake drifted onto his face, cold and damp. He looked up at the sky as flakes of snow as large as goose feathers began to fall.

As he watched the snow filling the sky, Garen's eyes lit up. He stood motionless for a while, then suddenly closed his eyes.

His mind filled with the overwhelming Momentum of snowflakes blanketing the sky. It was as though the heavens themselves were pressing down, leaving him struggling to breathe and acutely aware of his insignificance. This was the Momentum of Heaven and Earth.

"This is the overwhelming Momentum I've been looking for."

Garen took out the God-Slaying Blade and stood motionless, slowly merging with the world around him.

He stood there for half a day.

Suddenly, he smiled.

"Hahaha! That's it! That's it!"

Without using any battle qi, he followed his instincts and casually swung his blade toward the sky.

BOOM!

A tremendous aura surged into the sky within a hundred meters. The might of that single slash kept the snow from falling above his head, and the surrounding area instantly seemed to become a vacuum.

Garen sheathed his blade with satisfaction and quickly left the area.

The commotion had been too great. He was afraid it would attract people from the Radiant Church.

He soon returned to the academy.

He was about to tell Yale, Linley, and the others that he was back and invite them all out for a get-together. But when he found the dormitory empty, he asked some students in the neighboring dorms and learned that they'd seen the others heading to the back hill behind the academy.

It was so cold and snowy. Why weren't they staying in the dormitory? What were they doing on the back hill?

Suddenly, he realized—on a snowy day? Could it be? He hurriedly made his way up the hill.

(End of Chapter)