Unexpected

Mackenzie, hidden within the Fire Domain, grew increasingly anxious. His battle-qi was rapidly running out.

After using his ultimate move, he still hadn't even brushed Garen's clothes.

Garen, on the other hand, seemed to have entered a special state. His blade grew more and more elusive, sometimes slow and sometimes fast. The two concepts of speed and slowness seemed to be gradually merging.

Mackenzie knew that if he didn't strike now, he was certain to lose. His battle-qi erupted, and the Fire Domain rapidly contracted. Fire Elements across a thousand-meter radius swiftly gathered, transforming into a giant fire dragon. Holding his spear, Mackenzie became one with it. The spear tip turned into the dragon's head. This thrust surpassed his limits, its momentum unstoppable.

Garen saw the spear images vanish, replaced by a terrifying, blazing dragon charging toward him.

A brilliant gleam flashed in his eyes. Following his instincts, he brought his blade down, finally unleashing the fusion of the Mysteries of Speed and Slowness.

Boom!

Terrifying energy erupted as if it would destroy the heavens and earth. The violent shock wave sent Garen flying back more than a hundred meters!

Thud!

Mackenzie was sent flying over a thousand meters like a weightless leaf, then slammed hard into a nearby hill.

He felt as though every bone in his body had been crushed to powder. His wounds were deep enough to expose bone, and blood poured out, staining the surrounding ground crimson. His condition was ghastly.

Mackenzie's vision went dark, and he fainted.

Garen hurried down. He hadn't even used battle-qi during their sparring, and he hadn't expected that final strike to be so powerful. It had exceeded his imagination.

He took a Phoenix Blood Fruit from his Space Ring and fed it to the unconscious Mackenzie.

Garen glanced over and noticed Linley nearby, eyes closed again. It seemed that watching their fight had given him some insight.

A dozen minutes later, the Phoenix Blood Fruit took effect, and Mackenzie slowly opened his eyes.

"Ah, I never thought that even my limit-breaking final strike wouldn't be enough to make you transform. I'm impressed, truly impressed. Cough, cough..."

After speaking, Mackenzie seemed to aggravate his injuries and began coughing violently.

"Brother, don't talk yet. Eat two more Phoenix Blood Fruits."

Garen took out two more Phoenix Blood Fruits.

He hadn't expected Mackenzie to be so badly injured. It took nine Phoenix Blood Fruits in all before his injuries were barely healed.

Mackenzie got to his feet, still somewhat weak, and said with a sigh, "Phoenix Blood Fruits really are something. Decades ago, I went to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to look for them, but they hadn't ripened yet. A Saint Realm Fire Phoenix even set its sights on me, and I nearly died. I only managed to escape by sheer luck. I never imagined I'd get to taste one today. I don't regret losing this match. Hahaha."

"Besides, after you pushed me into unleashing a strike beyond my limits, I gained some insight. I feel that within a century, I'll certainly reach the Saint Realm peak. I gained a lot from this battle."

Sometimes good fortune came from misfortune. Although Mackenzie had suffered severe injuries, without Garen's Phoenix Blood Fruits, even if he recovered, he might never have made another breakthrough in his life—and would have been left with lasting ailments.

But now, absorbing the Phoenix Blood Fruits had not only healed his injuries, it would also benefit his future cultivation.

And in the end, he had broken through his limits in the fight. His cultivation would surely improve from now on.

"Then let me congratulate you in advance, Brother."

Seeing that Mackenzie had regained some color, Garen finally felt relieved. It would be terribly awkward if Mackenzie came looking for a spar and ended up seriously hurt.

Besides, he was counting on Mackenzie to deal with Lady Wade. Garen believed in seeing good deeds through to the end; he didn't want to give up halfway.

The two were about to head back to the city when they noticed Linley still sitting on the ground, eyes closed. He showed no sign of waking, as if he were in a state of sudden enlightenment.

"What's this?"

Mackenzie asked in confusion.

"He probably gained some more insight."

Garen was at a loss for words. It was one thing for him to gain insight through fighting, but Linley could gain insight just by watching. His comprehension was unbelievable. Garen was envious—and jealous.

They left Linley undisturbed and sat cross-legged, each reflecting on the battle.

Garen sat near Linley and opened the System Panel.

Wind Laws

Mysteries of Velocity: (6.89 million/200 million experience)

What was going on? Had he fused the Mysteries of Speed and Slowness? The Mysteries of Velocity needed 200 million experience?

But then Garen realized what had happened, and was pleasantly surprised.

One spar had earned him more than six million experience. It was that easy?

At that moment, Garen suddenly realized that he'd gained nothing from grinding monsters before.

But then he considered that if he hadn't ground monsters early on, he wouldn't have his current strength. That put things into perspective.

The experience he'd gained from this insight alone would probably exceed what he'd get from killing every ninth-level and Saint Realm magical beast on the Yulan Continent.

"Looks like my comprehension is pretty incredible too. I gained so much insight from a single fight. Heh heh."

Garen had meant to review and digest the battle, but now he was too excited to get into the right frame of mind.

It took quite a while for his excitement to settle.

By then, Linley had also opened his eyes and stood up.

"Linley, what did you gain insight into this time?"

Garen hurried over and asked.

Mackenzie came over too, listening with curiosity.

"Oh, nothing much. Seeing Brother Mackenzie's Fire Domain gave me some insight into the Laws and Mysteries of Fire Elements. I've just started learning the Mysteries of Fire Elements."

Garen grumbled inwardly. Earlier, Linley had called him "senior," but now that he called Mackenzie "Brother," Linley did too. He wouldn't let Garen have even that small advantage!

Mackenzie, meanwhile, was stunned. His Fire Domain was only a combination of battle-qi and elements. He had used it hundreds of times himself without comprehending the Laws, yet Linley had watched him use it once and grasped the Laws. How was that even possible?

Garen had traveled through the Magical Beast Mountain Range with Linley for so long. Ever since Linley had comprehended Momentum, Garen had explained the Laws and Mysteries of each element to him in broad strokes. So Garen had a general idea of which mysteries Linley had comprehended.

Garen had originally thought Linley had gained insight into the Wind Laws. He hadn't expected him to grasp the Fire Element Laws. But then again, ever since eating ten Phoenix Blood Fruits, Linley's affinity for Fire-style magic had reached the highest level. With his comprehension, it wasn't surprising that he'd grasp the Fire Elements.

All three of them gained something from the battle, and everyone was pleased.

Though some had gained a little more, and others a little less.

Back at Mackenzie's residence in the provincial capital, they were served another feast of fine food and wine. The three of them drank and toasted, and this time Mackenzie treated Garen and Linley with even greater respect.

Before, he'd only heard of the Four Ultimate Warriors and had still harbored some doubts.

Now, he was truly convinced. The two young men had only just turned twenty-one.

One was an Eighth-level Warrior who had already begun to learn two Laws and Mysteries (though Mackenzie didn't know he'd actually begun learning three). All he lacked was battle-qi. Once he reached the Saint Realm, he'd be a peak Saint Realm Dragonblood Warrior—an existence invincible beneath the God Realm.

The other was a ninth-level Warrior whom Mackenzie couldn't understand at all. With nothing but the strength of a ninth-level Warrior, he'd easily crushed Mackenzie to the point that he questioned his own existence—and nearly died. His understanding of the Laws and Mysteries was profound too. Mackenzie couldn't even muster envy anymore; the gap was simply too vast. They seemed to belong to different worlds.

In his heart, he already saw Garen as someone destined to become a figure like O'Brien or the High Priest.

Thanks for the brothers' monthly and recommendation tickets. I won't thank you all one by one; I'd rather spend that time writing more. Work has been busy lately, and if I want to write two chapters a day, I have to race against the clock.