Amazed

Garen grabbed Linley and quickly brought him outside the city.

He looked at the numerous wounds covering Linley's body.

Garen took out a Phoenix Blood Fruit.

"Eat this. It'll help your injuries heal faster."

"A Phoenix Blood Fruit?"

Doehring Cowart emerged from the Coiling Dragon Ring with a startled exclamation.

"This really is a treasure. It can not only heal injuries, but also improve one's Fire-style magic affinity. Years ago, an imperial princess asked me to help her find some. I fought bitterly against two Saint Realm Magical Beasts in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, and in the end, I only managed to snatch a few."

"Linley, you're one lucky kid. If you had eight or ten of these Phoenix Blood Fruits, perhaps you could even raise your Fire-style affinity to the highest level."

Hearing Doehring Cowart's words, Garen sensed there was more to them than met the eye, so he took out nine more Phoenix Blood Fruits.

Linley understood that this wasn't the time to be polite. He put away the nine Phoenix Blood Fruits, ate one, then sat cross-legged and focused on refining it to heal his injuries.

Seeing Linley's wounds rapidly healing, Doehring Cowart relaxed. Only then did he turn to Garen and smile.

"I never imagined that, so many years after my death, I'd meet a genius like you, Doehring Cowart. To reach the Saint Realm in your teens is unheard of. And I can sense that your Soul Power is exceptionally strong. Your spiritual force has even reached Level Nine. Tsk, tsk. You're no ordinary person!"

Praised by Doehring Cowart, Garen felt a little embarrassed. Without the system, he'd probably be about the same as Dixie by now. Not wanting to say much about that, he pretended to be astonished.

"Doehring Cowart? Wasn't that the Earth Saint Magus of the Puang Empire from over five thousand years ago? Why are you inside Linley's ring?"

"Ah, that's a long story. There's no need to bring it up. Just know that I've taught Linley earth magic since he was a child. I'd never harm him."

Garen had no reason to worry. He knew that Doehring Cowart treated Linley like his own grandson, and would rather have his soul scattered than let Linley die.

Linley was healing and was no longer in danger. Bebe couldn't speak yet, so Garen and Doehring Cowart chatted like old friends.

From Doehring Cowart, Garen learned that Phoenix Blood Fruits had only appeared after the World-Ending War ten thousand years ago. He couldn't help wondering if they might not have come from the blood of a Blazing Fire Phoenix, but instead had evolved after the blood of the Vermilion Bird, a Chief God, dripped onto a tree. Otherwise, it seemed unlikely that the blood of an ordinary God Realm Phoenix Magical Beast could grant such an outrageous improvement in Fire-style affinity.

Before long, Linley had absorbed the energy in the Phoenix Blood Fruit. He took out another and, after refining three in a row, not only fully recovered from his injuries, but also broke through from the late seventh level in spiritual force to the eighth level.

Reynolds had spent half a day absorbing a Phoenix Blood Fruit, while Linley finished one in less than half an hour. The Dragonblood Warrior's talent really was extraordinary.

Linley stood up, walked over to Garen, and bowed deeply.

"Thanks."

"Damn, what are you doing, you little punk? Why make things so serious? You're alive—that's what matters. Just remember me when you get something good in the future."

Bebe then copied Linley, putting on a solemn act as he bowed to Garen.

The two of them burst out laughing.

After some lighthearted joking, Garen asked Linley about his plans.

"After that battle, I realized how weak I still am. I'm going to train hard in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, then head to the O'Brien Empire to find my younger brother Wharton and Uncle Hillman. After that, I'll look for a chance to take revenge on the Radiant Church."

Linley spoke solemnly.

"Heh, we have the same enemy. I was planning to go home, and my route takes me through the O'Brien Empire anyway. I'll join you in the Magical Beast Mountain Range first, then head home. We're still far too weak right now. Once we're strong enough, we can discuss how to deal with the Radiant Church."

"That's great. Once my brother Wharton and I become peak Saint Realm Dragonblood Warriors, and you're a peak Saint Realm Tiger-Striped Warrior, we'll have a much better chance against the Radiant Church."

"Linley, Garen entered the Weightless Strength realm several years ago. Judging by how powerfully he dealt with those Level Nine warriors earlier, he may have already grasped the Laws and Mysteries. You'll benefit greatly from watching his sword techniques."

Doehring Cowart's voice sounded in Linley's mind at the same time.

After they finished discussing their plans, they returned to Hess City and found Yale, George, and Reynolds. The five friends met up one last time before parting ways. After that, Garen and Linley set off on a long journey through the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

More than a month later, Linley was still practicing the basic forms of the heavy sword, while Garen focused on sensing nature and comprehending the Laws. At times, he practiced combining magic; at others, he swung his blade, demonstrating his moves as if no one else were around. The two made slow progress.

Whenever Garen practiced combining magic, Doehring Cowart would let out a startled exclamation.

"He can actually fuse two types of magic completely! How strange, how strange."

He found himself understanding Garen less and less.

Linley's Fire-style affinity had now also reached the highest level. He tried combining Wind and Fire, Earth and Wind, and Earth and Fire magic, but couldn't do it. He could only manage to release them together in simple combinations, and even that was extremely difficult. Each time he cast the magic, his head throbbed unbearably.

Only then did Garen belatedly wonder whether his original soul might have been somewhat different from the souls of this world. Before, combining magic had consumed a great deal of his spiritual force, but never given him a headache. Now that his soul had undergone a Soul Mutation, he could fuse magic directly, and the strain on his spiritual force had lessened considerably.

After Garen explained his Soul Mutation to Linley, Linley couldn't help feeling a little envious.

"What an incredible natural gift!"

Doehring Cowart was full of praise.

The power of fused magic was several times greater than that of ordinary magic. It was an enormous boost to one's strength.

Atop a mountain peak, Garen watched Linley, barefoot and bare-chested, practice swordsmanship beneath a waterfall. Bebe slept nearby as Garen's thoughts drifted.

"To comprehend the Laws and Mysteries, I still need to be somewhere like the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Nature feels closer here, and it's easier to sense the presence of the Laws. No wonder peak Saint Realm experts like to cultivate in remote mountains, quiet forests, or snowy peaks."

Garen's cultivation had tangible results. He could check his system experience and see exactly how much he had comprehended. Over the past month, he'd gained new insights into the Laws of Wind Element, earning more than a hundred thousand experience points. That was even more than he'd get from killing a group of Level Nine Magical Beasts.

Unfortunately, it seemed difficult to make progress in the Profundity of Explosion of the Fire-style Laws. Perhaps it was the environment, or perhaps High-level Profound Mysteries were simply harder to comprehend.

After sorting out his thoughts, Garen wondered whether he could practice spiritual attacks now that his soul had mutated, his spiritual force had reached Level Nine, and his Soul Power had taken the shape of a blade.

Spiritual attacks were formless and intangible, making them extremely difficult to defend against. The only way to resist them was with one's own spiritual force. Most Saint Warriors had spiritual force equivalent to that of an eighth-level mage, while most Magical Beasts had strong physical defenses but ordinary spiritual force. If he could develop a powerful spiritual attack, it could become one of his strongest trump cards.

Thanks to reader 20201013175140700 for the monthly ticket, Sui Feng Qu Gan for the six steady recommendation tickets, Feng Wuyu Wen, weedsprince, and the many other readers who voted for the book. This book will be featured in its first round of recommendations on the 26th. Please keep voting!