Lightning Wings

Soaring through the sky, Garen couldn't help thinking of Jenny's face.

Could I really have fallen for that young girl?

Sigh. An eighteen-year-old beauty really was tempting for a lonely old bachelor like me.

After all, in his previous life, Garen had been a homebody who only liked playing games and reading novels. Now, in this life, he was already in his twenties and had never even held a girl's hand.

It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to. At Ernst Institute, he had advanced a year at a time, and by the time he was fifteen or sixteen and beginning to understand the ways of the world, he had already graduated.

All told, between his past and present lives, he was practically a forty-year-old man who had never experienced romance.

Garen shook his head and thought to himself:

I'll leave it to fate. It's best to let things happen naturally.

Half an hour earlier, Garen and Linley had enjoyed a lavish Chinese meal, generously hosted by Jenny and Keane. The delicious food and pleasant atmosphere had made them feel thoroughly at ease.

Afterward, Garen and Linley had said their goodbyes to the siblings. Jenny and Keane were reluctant to see them go, but they understood that everyone had their own affairs to attend to. They couldn't stay in this small county town forever.

Garen planned to capture a Saint Realm Thunder-Winged White Tiger and take it home to awaken his father's Tiger-Striped Warrior bloodline. It wasn't something he could put off for too long. He worried that if his father grew too old, it might affect his future cultivation.

Linley, meanwhile, was eager to find a suitable place for arduous cultivation. Their earlier battle, the time spent watching the fight, and the discussions over the following days had given him many new ideas and insights into the Laws and Mysteries. He couldn't wait to put them into practice and deepen his understanding.

After bidding farewell to Jenny and Keane, Garen parted ways with Linley as well. Linley decided to cultivate in seclusion for a while before going to find his younger brother, while Garen set out alone for the Sunset Mountain Range.

Before long, he had crossed the O'Brien Empire and the Yulan Empire and reached the Sunset Mountain Range.

When he had previously sent Xiao Pa to scout the Sunset Mountain Range, Xiao Pa had spotted a Thunder-Winged White Tiger.

But Garen hadn't been strong enough back then. The Thunder-Winged White Tiger was, after all, a top-tier Saint Realm magical beast—not something a Black Dragon or Trident Dragon could compare to.

Once a Thunder-Winged White Tiger reached the Saint Realm, it could attain the level of a peak Saint Realm magical beast. It was far stronger than an ordinary peak human Saint Realm expert. And as a Lightning-style magical beast, it was among the fastest and most powerful attackers in the Saint Realm.

To subdue a magical beast, he had to make it submit sincerely. That meant he needed to be strong enough to overwhelm it.

Since his last battle, Garen felt that his strength had made a tremendous leap forward.

The fusion of the fast and slow Laws and Mysteries had doubled his speed.

Garen was a Tiger-Striped Warrior who had comprehended Wind Element. Now that his speed had doubled, even peak Saint Realm experts might not be able to match him.

The offensive power of Mysteries of Velocity was greater than that of the Fire-style Profundity of Explosion. After all, it was a fusion of profound mysteries.

And he had already made considerable progress in his comprehension, with more than six million experience points—six times as much as he had in the Profundity of Explosion. The power of the two Laws and Mysteries was worlds apart. It was now Garen's strongest means of attack.

Now, Garen was confident he could defeat any Saint Realm expert he faced!

He had something to brag about again.

I'm invincible below the God Realm.

"Master, the Thunder-Winged White Tiger's territory is just ahead," Xiao Pa reminded him.

Saint Realm magical beasts each had their own territory. Generally, they didn't intrude on one another, unless they were close friends who visited and socialized like humans.

But under normal circumstances, entering their territory was considered a provocation.

As soon as they reached the air above the Thunder-Winged White Tiger's territory, a gigantic white tiger with a wingspan of a hundred meters flew into the sky.

Garen had read about the Thunder-Winged White Tiger and seen pictures of it in books at Ernst Institute.

But pictures and videos couldn't compare to seeing one in person.

Arcs of electricity flickered across its purple wings, and purple lightning crackled from time to time. Its snow-white fur was smooth and glossy, and its lantern-sized black eyes gleamed with ferocity. The sight of it was enough to make anyone shudder. It looked like a domineering king among savage beasts, and was one of the most striking magical beasts around.

Garen couldn't say whether anyone else felt the same way, but he took to this magical beast at first sight.

"Human, this is my territory. I am Tornest. Have you come here looking to die? You must be tired of living, daring to trespass on my land. I'll give you one chance: get on your knees and beg for mercy! Perhaps I'll consider letting you leave alive. Otherwise, you'll die beneath my claws!"

Tornest had spotted a Golden Sun Eagle and a human warrior who was only at the ninth level. He was extremely arrogant, his tone full of scorn. He didn't take Garen or Xiao Pa seriously at all.

He had been bored, so he decided to toy with this ignorant human.

There was no one in the Saint Realm who could make him wary. His speed surpassed that of every other magical beast, making him virtually invincible.

Among humans, he didn't care about anyone except the War God and the High Priest.

"What an arrogant tiger. But the more arrogant you are now, the more pathetic you'll look in a moment."

From the mocking look in the Thunder-Winged White Tiger's eyes, Garen could tell that even if he got on his knees and begged, the beast wouldn't let him go. It was simply playing with him like a cat with a mouse.

"Xiao Pa, fly farther away. I'm going to teach this fellow a lesson first, so he understands there's always a higher mountain and a stronger beast. Let's see if he still keeps his eyes on the sky afterward."

Xiao Pa knew he would be of little help in a fight between his master and the Thunder-Winged White Tiger. Even his Dimensional Blade would have little chance of hitting a target as fast as the tiger. So he flew off to a spot some distance away.

Garen drew the God-Slaying Blade without releasing any killing aura. While teaching the Thunder-Winged White Tiger a lesson, he could also familiarize himself with using Mysteries of Velocity. He had only just fused and comprehended them, and still couldn't unleash their full power.

The Thunder-Winged White Tiger had never expected a ninth-level human to dare challenge him.

Is the Thunder-Winged White Tiger clan not feared enough by humans? Or is this human an idiot?

But then he flew into a rage, determined to make the human before him suffer the full force of his wrath.

"Whoosh!"

A purple blur flashed, and the Thunder-Winged White Tiger was already in front of Garen.

A terrifying tiger paw came crashing down, lightning surging from it.

Before the paw even landed, the air trembled. The ear-splitting sonic boom made Garen's eardrums ache.

As the paw closed in, Garen simply swung his blade.

"Swish!"

"Boom!"

The Thunder-Winged White Tiger's enormous body was sent flying, and its paw was left drenched in blood.

Garen was very pleased with his current attack power. That strike had been completely casual. If Linley had been there, Garen really could have bragged.

The power of fusion profound mysteries was truly outrageous. With the strength of a ninth-level warrior, he could easily defeat a peak Saint Realm magical beast. Garen now understood that fusion profound mysteries were the ultimate answer.

Sigh. I've gotten stronger, but I'm the only one who knows. I can't even show off. It's miserable!

After recovering from his shock, the Thunder-Winged White Tiger stared at his injured, bloodied paw, his ferocity fully unleashed.

A new month, a fresh start. I hope all the readers stay healthy and grow richer!