Unexpected

Mackenzie, hiding within his domain of fire, grew increasingly anxious as his battle qi depleted rapidly.

After unleashing his ultimate techniques, he hadn't even managed to touch a corner of Garen's clothes.

Garen, on the other hand, seemed to have entered a unique state; his blade became increasingly ethereal, shifting between slow and fast, the two opposing concepts slowly beginning to merge.

Mackenzie knew that if he didn't strike now, he would surely lose. He erupted with all his remaining battle qi, causing his fire domain to shrink rapidly. The fire-elemental energy within a kilometer radius condensed swiftly, transforming into a massive dragon of flame. Mackenzie gripped his spear, man and weapon becoming one, the tip of the spear forming the dragon's head. This strike surpassed his limits, possessing an unstoppable momentum.

Garen saw the spear shadows vanish, replaced by a terrifying dragon of fire charging toward him.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Following his intuition, he slashed down, finally fusing the Mysteries of Slowness and Velocity into a single, explosive strike.

"BOOM!"

A terrifying burst of energy erupted, as if destroying the heavens and the earth. The violent shockwave sent Garen reeling back over a hundred meters!

"BANG!"

Mackenzie was sent flying like a light leaf, struck by that terrifying force for over a thousand meters before slamming heavily into a small hill nearby.

He felt as though every bone in his body had been pulverized into powder. His wounds were deep enough to reveal bone, and blood gushed out, staining the surrounding ground a deep crimson. His appearance was truly gruesome.

Mackenzie felt his vision go black, and he lost consciousness.

Garen flew down in a panic. During their spar, he hadn't even used his battle qi, and he hadn't expected the final strike to be so powerful—it had far exceeded his imagination.

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

Garen glanced casually and noticed that Linley was nearby, eyes closed again, seemingly having gained some insight from watching their battle.

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

"Sigh, to think that even after pushing past my limits for that final strike, I couldn't even force you to transform. I am impressed, truly impressed! Cough, cough..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mackenzie seemed to aggravate his injuries, breaking into a violent fit of coughing.

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

Garen immediately produced two more Phoenix Blood Fruits.

He hadn't expected Mackenzie to be so severely injured; it took a total of nine Phoenix Blood Fruits before his injuries were barely stabilized.

After standing up, a still-weak Mackenzie sighed with emotion.

"The Phoenix Blood Fruit is truly a treasure. Decades ago, I went to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to search for one, but unfortunately, they weren't ripe yet. I was even targeted by a Saint Realm Fire Phoenix and nearly lost my life, only escaping by sheer luck. I never expected to have the fortune of tasting one today. I don't regret losing this match, haha."

"Moreover, after being forced by you to unleash a strike beyond my own limits, I have gained some insight. I feel that within a hundred years, I will certainly be able to step into the peak of the Saint Realm. This battle has been incredibly rewarding."

It must be said that fortune and misfortune often go hand in hand. Although Mackenzie was severely injured this time, if Garen hadn't had the Phoenix Blood Fruits, he might never have improved again even after healing, and he would have been left with lingering hidden ailments.

But now, absorbing the Phoenix Blood Fruits not only repaired his injuries but also provided significant benefits for his future cultivation.

Furthermore, having broken through his limits in this battle, his cultivation would surely advance in the future.

"Then I congratulate you in advance, brother."

Seeing Mackenzie regain some of his vitality, Garen finally felt relieved. It would have been quite embarrassing if he had invited someone to spar only to end up causing them serious harm.

Besides, he was still counting on Mackenzie to deal with Lady Wade. He wanted to see his good deed through to the end and didn't want to give up halfway.

Just as the two were preparing to return to the city, they noticed that Linley was still sitting on the ground, eyes tightly shut, showing no signs of waking up. He seemed to be in a state of epiphany.

"This is?"

Mackenzie asked, puzzled.

"I suppose he's had another breakthrough!"

Garen was speechless. It was one thing for him to gain insight during a fight, but for Linley to gain insight just by watching? His talent was truly unparalleled; it was enough to make one envious, jealous, and hateful.

The two didn't disturb him, each sitting cross-legged to digest the lessons from their previous battle.

Garen sat not far from Linley and opened his system panel.

Wind Element

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

Wait, what was going on? Had the Mysteries of Slowness and Velocity merged? And the Mysteries of Velocity required 200 million experience?

But then, Garen realized what had happened, and a wave of great surprise washed over him.

A single spar had actually granted him over 6 million experience points. Was it really that good?

At this moment, Garen suddenly realized that all his previous monster-grinding had been for nothing.

However, thinking that he wouldn't have his current strength without that early grinding, he understood.

The experience gained from this single insight was likely more than what he would get from killing every level-nine and Saint Realm magical beast on the Yulan Continent.

"It seems my talent is also monstrous. I gained so much from just one battle, hehe."

Garen, who had intended to summarize and digest the battle, found himself too excited to settle down.

After a long while, his mood finally calmed.

At this moment, Linley also opened his eyes and stood up.

"Linley, what did you gain this time?"

Garen hurried over and asked.

Mackenzie also walked over, listening with curiosity.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just saw Mackenzie's Fire Domain and gained some insight into the Mysteries of Fire Elements, so I've just entered the threshold of the Mysteries of Fire Elements."

Garen grumbled inwardly, He called me senior before, but the moment I called him brother, he called me brother right back. He won't let me take even the slightest advantage!

Mackenzie, standing to the side, felt like he had been dealt a critical blow. His own Fire Domain was merely a combination of battle qi and elements; he had used it hundreds of times himself without ever grasping the Laws, yet Linley had watched him use it just once and had already grasped the Laws. This...???

Garen and Linley had been adventuring in the Magical Beast Mountain Range for so long that ever since Garen had grasped Momentum, he had explained the general concepts of the Laws of various elements to Linley. Therefore, he had a rough idea of what kind of mysteries Linley had grasped.

Garen had originally thought that Linley would have gained insights into the Wind Laws, but he hadn't expected him to grasp the Fire Element Laws. However, considering that his affinity for fire had reached the super grade after consuming ten Phoenix Blood Fruits, it wasn't surprising that he had grasped the Fire Element Laws with his level of comprehension.

After the battle, all three of them had gained insights, and everyone was happy.

It was just that some had gained a little more, while others had gained a little less.

Returning to Mackenzie's mansion in the provincial capital, fine wine and food were served once again. The three of them toasted and drank, and this time, Mackenzie's attitude was even better than before.

Previously, he had only heard the reputation of the Four Ultimate Warriors and still held a shred of doubt in his heart.

But now, he was truly convinced. Two young men, both just turned twenty-one.

One was an eighth-rank warrior who had already entered the threshold of two types of Mysteries of the Laws (though he didn't know it was actually three). All he lacked was battle qi; once he reached the Saint Realm, he would be a peak Saint Realm Dragonblood Warrior, an existence invincible beneath the God Realm.

The other was a ninth-rank warrior whom he couldn't fathom at all. With only the strength of a ninth-rank warrior, he had easily toyed with him to the point where he doubted his own life, nearly losing it. His grasp of the Mysteries of the Laws was so profound that Mackenzie couldn't even feel jealousy; the gap was so vast that it felt like they weren't even from the same world.

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

Thank you to all the brothers for your monthly tickets and recommendation votes. I won't thank you one by one; I'd rather spend that time writing more. I've been busy with work lately, and to write two chapters a day, I have to race against time.

(End of chapter)

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