Lin Tian returned to the palace, overjoyed, with the Saint Domain magic staff Laun had given him. The moment he saw his father and mother, he could not wait to show them this precious staff. Under the sunlight, it gleamed with silvery light, while the embedded Magic Crystal Core resembled a beating heart of flame, radiating powerful magical fluctuations.
His father and mother gazed at the staff, their eyes filled with amazement and gratification. His mother gently took Lin Tian's hand and advised, "Lin Tian, Saint-level Magus Laun thinks so highly of you that he gave you such a precious gift. You must follow his teachings. He truly has your best interests at heart."
Lin Tian nodded firmly, his gaze resolute. "Mother, do not worry. I will. Teacher Laun has taught me with great care. I see it all, and I remember it in my heart."
After speaking with his parents, Lin Tian returned to his bedchamber. He sat by the bed, took a deep breath, and began that day's meditation lesson. After an unknown amount of time, his mind gradually grew weary, and he slowly drifted into sleep.
Spring passed into autumn, and time flew by. In the blink of an eye, four years had passed. Lin Tian was now ten years old. Thanks to his unbroken warrior training, his physical strength had reached the level of a fifth-level warrior. He had grown to one meter seventy, and with his upright posture and determined gaze, if not for his somewhat childish face, he looked every bit like a teenager.
Because of Laun and Porter's instructions that day, Lin Tian had focused on cultivating his mental strength over the past few years. He had not continued researching the mutated Fireball in depth. Only occasionally, during breaks in his training, would he conjure a fireball and quietly stare at it, carefully sensing the subtle changes in its elements.
With the royal family's generous support of resources, Lin Tian's mental strength had successfully reached the peak of a fifth-level mage before the new year. An increase of two levels in four years did not seem like much, but Lin Tian's training schedule was extraordinarily packed. Every morning, when the first ray of sunlight fell upon the palace walls, Lin Tian began warrior training to strengthen his body and temper his will. In the morning, he studied etiquette, the arts, and related subjects to cultivate his bearing and temperament. The afternoons were reserved without fail for magical training, where he focused on improving his magical skills and learning new spells. Only at night could Lin Tian finally settle down to meditate and accumulate mental strength.
As he grew older and his knowledge deepened, his lessons in etiquette and the arts finally ended during the past year. They were replaced by training in warrior combat techniques and battle qi. As a result, his meditation time became severely insufficient.
Originally, Lin Tian had wanted to use the afternoons for meditation, complete his accumulation of mental strength as quickly as possible, and become a Saint Domain Mage sooner. But once, after over-meditating, he had severely exhausted his mental strength. He became completely drained and had even fallen briefly unconscious. After Laun learned of it, he sternly imposed strict limits on Lin Tian's meditation time for cultivating mental strength, warning him seriously, "Lin Tian, cultivation must never be rushed. If the depletion of mental strength exceeds what your body can endure, not only will all your previous effort be wasted, but it may also leave hidden dangers that affect your future path of cultivation."
A mage's cultivation naturally became slower and slower in the later stages. Lin Tian had reached the peak of the fifth level not only because of his exceptional talent, but also because the royal family had spared no expense in supplying all manner of precious resources, along with the method Lin Tian himself had found that suited him and could rapidly improve his mental strength.
After breaking through to the fifth level, his cultivation progress became even slower. Lin Tian racked his brains, wondering whether he could find a method like the Flat Blade Style that could rapidly increase his mental strength. He thought about it for days without finding any leads. After all, the fire element of fire magic was too violent. It was easy for it to cause scorching and destruction when used for many purposes, making it difficult to find a suitable approach.
Later, while training in combat techniques and preparing to choose a weapon, Lin Tian suddenly recalled a weapons master from the Purple Flame Warrior Clan among the Four Ultimate Warriors Lin Lei had once encountered. An idea flashed through his mind. He decided to learn how to forge weapons with fire magic. Perhaps that could improve his mental-strength cultivation.
Lin Tian found Laun and eagerly shared his idea. "Teacher Laun, I want to try forging weapons with fire magic. Do you think it could quickly improve my mental strength?"
Laun frowned slightly. After thinking for a moment, he said, "That is certainly an unusual idea. Forging weapons with fire magic does require precise control of the fire element, so it may help improve your mental strength. But the process will not be easy. You must be prepared to endure hardship."
Lin Tian nodded firmly. "Teacher, I am not afraid of hardship. I am willing to try."
After gaining Laun's approval, Lin Tian immediately began acting. However, how to begin was also a problem. On the Maya Continent, weapons masters still used ordinary furnaces when forging weapons. Moreover, most weapons masters were warriors who cultivated battle qi, using battle qi to increase the temperature of the flames whenever assistance was needed.
After pondering for a long time, Lin Tian suddenly thought of the cultivation novels he had read in his previous life. Most cultivators in those stories used their own pill fire when refining artifacts. They did not need hammering or anything similar, and could directly form an item in one piece. Could he likewise melt the materials directly, then use mental strength to control the molten materials and shape them into a weapon?
Lin Tian instantly cast a large fireball and maintained its temperature before throwing in various materials. To sense the changes in the fire element more directly, he carefully extended his mental strength to perceive the changes in the fire element while keeping the instantly cast large fireball active to melt the materials. During the melting process, because different materials had different melting points, Lin Tian needed to constantly adjust the temperature of the large fireball. His mental strength also had to remain focused on controlling the temperature. Throughout the process, Lin Tian felt as though he had formed a closer connection with the fire element. Before he knew it, his mental strength had improved.
Through this focused training method, Lin Tian reached the peak of the fifth-level mage stage in less than a year after becoming a fifth-level mage. He was only a single opportunity away from becoming a sixth-level mage.
Thus, Lin Tian decided to forge a suitable weapon for himself and use the concentration required for forging to break through to the sixth level. Because he had admired Zhao Zilong, the white-horse silver-spear warrior, in his previous life, the image of the Dragon Gall Silver Spear appeared in his mind. He carefully designed a weapon similar to it.
During the forging process, Lin Tian devoted himself entirely to the task, continuously pouring mental strength into it. He carefully controlled the temperature of the fireball and the shape of the flames, allowing the molten materials to gradually take shape according to his vision. As the weapon's outline became increasingly clear, Lin Tian's mental strength continued to rise. Finally, at the moment the weapon was completed, a powerful fluctuation of mental strength erupted from his body. Lin Tian's mental strength successfully broke through to the sixth level.
Lin Tian looked at the brand-new weapon in his hand while sensing the mental strength of a sixth-level mage within himself. Joy filled his heart, though he also sighed with a trace of regret. "What a pity. I did not encounter enlightenment and missed the chance for my mental strength to surge."
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