After a night of consolidation, Lin Tian had thoroughly absorbed the spiritual power from his breakthrough and firmly entered the sixth level. Suppressing the surging joy in his heart, he packed his belongings early and set out for Laun's private estate, eager to tell his mentor of his successful breakthrough.
"Very good, Lin Tian." Laun spoke slowly, his tone full of approval. "A sixth-level mage is the result of your tireless cultivation and unwavering perseverance. It is enough to prove your talent and determination."
Lin Tian bowed slightly. "Without your careful guidance and patient teaching, Teacher, I could not have broken through so steadily. I have you to thank."
After the brief praise, Laun's expression gradually turned grave, and his gentle smile faded. He said bluntly, "Do not grow complacent because of this. A sixth-level mage is still only among the intermediate ranks of mages. On the path of magical cultivation, you have merely found your footing. Only by breaking through the seventh level and entering the realm of advanced mages can you truly cross the crucial threshold of cultivation and step into an entirely new stage."
Laun looked at him solemnly and carefully analyzed the barrier to the seventh level. "Advancing from the sixth level to the seventh is the most important dividing line in a mage's life, completely different from every previous breakthrough. Going from the fifth level to the sixth merely requires accumulating more Magical Power. But breaking through from the sixth to the seventh is an essential transformation in every aspect. This step requires two core breakthroughs. The first is the liquefaction of Magical Power—completely condensing and compressing the gaseous magical elements within your body into liquid form, greatly enhancing the purity of your magic, your endurance, and the power of your spells."
At this point, Laun's tone eased somewhat as he said with certainty, "With your foundation, talent, and the accumulation from your hard work, liquefying your Magical Power will pose no difficulty at all. You need only cultivate normally, and it will happen naturally. There is no need to worry."
Then, his brows furrowed slightly, and his voice carried obvious concern. "But the one thing I worry about is the transformation of your spiritual power. The core bottleneck of the seventh level has never been Magical Power, but the qualitative transformation of one's spiritual power and state of mind. You are still young. Since childhood, you have devoted yourself to cultivation and lived for a long time in a stable environment. You have never experienced the storms of the world or trials of life and death, so your experience is shallow. This will be your greatest obstacle in breaking through to the seventh level."
Lin Tian listened intently, and realization dawned on him. He had always buried himself in refining his magic and accumulating cultivation, never realizing that his temperament and experience were weaknesses on his path of cultivation. Lin Tian asked, "Teacher, is there any way to temper spiritual power quickly?"
Laun nodded. "If you wish to rapidly temper your spirit and hone your character, life-and-death training is the only shortcut. In the major magic academies across the continent, students generally enter the Magic Beast Mountain Range for training once they reach the fifth level. The Magic Beast Mountain Range is filled with danger, with unknown perils lurking everywhere. Those within it must remain in a constantly tense state of mind. By fighting, struggling, and growing at the edge of life and death, as long as you survive safely, your spiritual power will continually break through and transform, while your character will become increasingly resilient. This is a form of growth that secluded cultivation can never replace. At the same time, it can greatly temper your practical combat ability and adaptability in battle."
After saying this, Laun gave him the freedom to choose, his tone gentle yet fair. "With your talent and foundation, even without undergoing dangerous training, you need only cultivate steadily step by step to achieve the Saint Domain without question. The seventh level is already a hurdle you could cross with ease. The Magic Beast Mountain Range is dangerous and unpredictable. Whether you go or not is for you to consider. There is no need to force yourself."
Lin Tian did not hesitate in the slightest. A determined light suddenly shone in his eyes as he said forcefully, "Teacher, I must go! There are no shortcuts on the path of cultivation. Comfort will only shackle growth. If I do not make up for my weaknesses, they will eventually become bottlenecks in my future cultivation. I can endure the life-and-death trials that others my age can endure. All hardships on the path of cultivation must be faced sooner or later. I want to truly grow stronger through my own training. I will never run from a challenge."
Laun was filled with gratification and laughed heartily. "Good! That is what it means to be my disciple, Laun's disciple—courageous, responsible, and resilient!"
"Rest assured, I will accompany you throughout this training in the Magic Beast Mountain Range and ensure your safety. But the purpose of training is to temper yourself. I will only intervene to save you when you face a fatal crisis. For everything else, you must rely on yourself to train and grow."
Warmth filled Lin Tian's heart, and he completely put aside his concerns. He quickly asked, "Thank you, Teacher! Then when will we set out for the Magic Beast Mountain Range?"
"There is no need to rush." Laun waved a hand and instructed him methodically, "You have only just broken through to the sixth level. The Magical Power in your body has yet to be refined, and you have not yet mastered sixth-level magic incantations. Focus on cultivating next. Refine the natural elements to raise your magic to the sixth-level standard, then become proficient in sixth-level magic incantations. Once that is done, we will depart immediately."
"Understood." Lin Tian answered solemnly. From then on, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation, focusing entirely on honing his strength.
Over the following week, Lin Tian worked hard to refine the natural elements while studying the basic principles behind sixth-level fire magic incantations in advance, preparing himself to master sixth-level spells.
A week later, Lin Tian successfully completed his refinement and reached the standard of a sixth-level mage. What remained was practicing magic incantations.
As a Fire Meteor formed from blazing flames crashed into the training ground, another, even larger crater appeared amid the pockmarked earth.
"Your spellcasting is proficient. Go back and pack your belongings. At dawn tomorrow, we will depart for the Magic Beast Mountain Range on time."
"Yes, Teacher!" Lin Tian responded with a bow, bid Laun farewell, and turned to head straight back to the palace. The dangers of training outside were unknown. He had to personally inform his father and mother, so the two elders would know the details and be at ease.
After returning to the palace, Lin Tian immediately went to see his father and mother and truthfully told them that he had successfully become a sixth-level mage and would soon follow Laun to the Magic Beast Mountain Range for training. Upon hearing that their son's cultivation had improved once more, both parents were deeply gratified and proud. But when they learned that he was heading to the dangerous Magic Beast Mountain Range, the smiles on their faces vanished at once, replaced by profound worry and concern.
Hubble Leo instructed him carefully, "Lin Tian, your cultivation is improving by the day, and your father is greatly pleased. But the Magic Beast Mountain Range is filled with ferocious beasts and dangers on every side, concealing countless unknown perils. You must not be careless. Stay close to your teacher at all times and always place your own safety first. Returning safely is the most important thing."
His mother, Nicole Rossi, held Lin Tian's hand tightly and repeatedly urged him to be sure to stay safe.
After the heartfelt advice, Habo raised his hand and took out an ancient yet exquisitely crafted ring. He placed it in Lin Tian's hand and said, "This is a Space Storage Ring. It is extremely secure and suitable for use during training away from home. I have already had people prepare all the supplies you will need and store them inside. Keep it close and do not lose it."
Habo then patiently taught Lin Tian how to bind the ring with a drop of blood and control it with spiritual power. Following his instructions, Lin Tian pricked his fingertip and let a drop of blood fall onto the ring's surface. In an instant, the ring completed its binding to him.
He sent his spiritual power into the ring, and his eyes immediately lit up. This ring possessed a vast independent space of more than one hundred cubic meters. Inside, everything had been neatly arranged: changes of clothing, various high-grade medicines for stopping bleeding, healing wounds, neutralizing poison, and relieving pain, rare potions that could quickly restore Magical Power, as well as a large quantity of neatly separated gold coins. Everything was there.
Looking at the abundant supplies, Lin Tian could not help staring in astonishment, feeling both warmth and helplessness. He was only going out for a short period of training, and the trip would not take long. With Laun protecting him throughout the journey, there was no need for such an ample reserve of supplies.
Before Lin Tian could refuse, the queen stepped forward and handed him a crystal-clear Anonymous Magic Crystal Card. "Lin Tian, this card contains one million gold coins. No one will be there to look after you when you are away from home, and life outside is not as comfortable as it is in the palace. Do not let yourself suffer."
Lin Tian wanted to say that he was only going with Teacher Laun to train in the Magic Beast Mountain Range for a while and would not be gone long, that he would not need these things, and that with Teacher Laun there, he would not face any danger to his life. But when he saw the look in his mother's eyes, he could only accept them.
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