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On January 15, 10000, by the Yulan Calendar, in the Imperial Capital of the Yulan Empire, at the Earl's Mansion.

Akes set down the secret letter from the Dawson Chamber of Commerce. His gaze lingered on the final line for a moment: "Linley Baruch escaped amid the chaos on the day of destruction and killed King Clyde of Fenlai during the turmoil. His whereabouts have been unknown ever since."

He held the letter to the candle flame and watched it turn to ash.

Nowhere to be found.

Akes knew exactly where Linley had gone: deep into the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Years of arduous cultivation awaited him. Akes knew what would happen in the future, what Linley would go through, and even how the Radiant Church would ultimately meet its end.

But so what?

Akes raised his right hand, and a clump of crimson flame appeared in his palm. The Fallen Heart Flame burned quietly, its heat restrained, yet the violent power contained within it was unmistakable. It was one of the foundations that let him survive in this world, but that was all.

Mid-seventh level.

He had been in this world for nearly ten years and was far stronger than his peers. But on this continent, Saint-level experts were the ones who truly moved the pieces. Forget Saint-level experts—even against a ninth-level expert, his chances of survival would be slim.

What good was knowing the plot?

He couldn't save Linley's father. At the time, he had still been a first-year student at the Ernst Institute. He couldn't change Linley's fate of being imprisoned by the Radiant Church, either. The Saint-level pope had personally intervened.

Akes clenched his fist, and the flame went out.

He rose and walked to the window. People streamed along the Imperial Capital's streets. The warmth of the Yulan Festival had yet to fade, and colorful lanterns still hung everywhere. A month ago, Fenlai City had run red with blood, but here, a thousand miles away, people still lived in peace.

"My lord." His steward Kaman spoke from outside the door. "There's a reply from the Dawson Chamber of Commerce in the O'Brien Empire."

"Come in."

Kaman entered, carrying a letter in both hands. Akes had hired the old steward after arriving in Yulan. He had once managed the household of a fallen noble family, and was meticulous in his work and never pried.

Akes took the letter, opened it, and skimmed through.

It was Yale's reply. The message was simple: Linley was indeed still alive, but had refused all offers of help and gone into the Magical Beast Mountain Range alone. At the end, Yale complained that "the guy was still as stubborn as ever," then added some idle chatter like "How are things on your end?" and "Come to O'Brien for a drink when you have time."

Akes smiled and tucked the letter into a drawer.

"Kaman, turn away all my afternoon visitors. I'm going to cultivate."

"Yes, my lord."

Kaman bowed and withdrew. The door closed softly behind him.

Akes turned and headed for the cultivation room. It was the place he liked best in the Earl's Mansion. A fire-type magic array had been laid beneath the floor, keeping the room warm year-round and giving fire magic a slight boost. It was nowhere near as effective as the private cultivation rooms at the Ernst Institute, but it was better than nothing.

He sat cross-legged on the cushion and began to meditate on the Nuwa Diagram, with his hands and feet turned skyward.

The towering figure with a human head and a serpent's body appeared in his mind, surrounded by a swirling Star River as chaos gave way to creation. Every time he meditated, Akes felt his spiritual power being tempered, little by little, growing denser.

This was his greatest source of confidence.

The Nuwa Diagram came from the Desolate Era world. Its effect on spiritual power far surpassed that of any cultivation method on the Yulan Continent.

Akes opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

He knew he shouldn't be impatient. Going from nothing to the middle of the seventh level in ten years was enough to shock most people. But whenever he thought of the beings in the original story who could destroy the heavens and the earth, or of the divine battlefield he would face in the future, his current strength felt utterly inadequate.

What bothered him more was knowing that Linley would soon encounter one fortuitous opportunity after another: subduing Haeru, comprehending Force, obtaining the Necropolis of the Gods Manual, and awakening the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline... Every leap in strength would leave his peers even further behind.

And what about him?

The Sign-in System had given him some good things, but aside from the Fallen Heart Flame and the Nuwa Diagram, most of them were support items. The Ice Block could keep him alive, but wasn't enough to kill his enemies. Teleportation gave him excellent mobility, but if he couldn't win, he couldn't win. The Fire Spirit Bead doubled the power of his fire magic, but he was only at the seventh level. Could doubled seventh-level magic hurt a Saint-level expert?

No.

Akes understood that perfectly well.

So what could he do?

Nothing.

He wasn't the sort to let his blood run hot and charge in without thinking. He hadn't been before transmigrating, and he was even less so now. Knowing he wasn't strong enough and still rushing into Linley's affairs wasn't loyalty. It was suicide.

Akes stood and walked over to the weapon rack on the other side of the cultivation room. A staff rested on it, dark red from end to end, with a fire-type Magic Core the size of a fist set into its tip—the core of a seventh-level Red Flame Lion King. He had paid a hefty sum to have it custom-made after arriving in Yulan. It couldn't compare to the sacred artifacts passed down for millennia, but it was still a fine piece.

He gripped the staff and channeled his magic power into it. The Magic Core at its tip glowed with a warm red light.

At the same time, he activated the Fallen Heart Flame. The two flames resonated with each other, forming a faint ring of fire around him.

Seventh-level magic—Fire Snake Dance.

Akes swept his staff, and more than a dozen fire snakes burst from thin air, weaving through the cultivation room without touching a single wall. Such precise control came from his powerful spiritual strength, one of the abilities he was proudest of.

Akes extinguished the flames and returned the staff to the rack.

He walked to the window and pushed it open. The afternoon sunlight streamed in, carrying the coolness of early spring. People hurried along the Imperial Capital's streets, and the sounds of hawkers calling out and people chatting drifted faintly through the air.

In a few years, Linley would emerge from the Magical Beast Mountain Range and make his way to the Chaotic Lands. He would build his own forces and eventually fight a decisive battle against the Radiant Church. By then, the Radiant Plane behind the church would descend, the gods would intervene, and the entire Yulan Continent would be swept into an even greater maelstrom.

If all he wanted was a peaceful life, he could start enjoying it now. A seventh-level mage, an earl's title, and a comfortable fortune were more than enough to make life pleasant in the Yulan Empire.

But Akes wasn't content with that.

He had transmigrated, gained a system, and been given talent far beyond ordinary people. If all that was for the sake of a comfortable life, it would be a waste.

He didn't want to change the plot—no, he had considered it, but he couldn't. Changing the plot required strength, and strength was exactly what he lacked.

So all he could do was wait.

Wait until he grew stronger.

"If I'm not strong enough, I'm not strong enough. What's the point of thinking about it so much?"

Akes muttered to himself, then turned and walked back to the cushion. He sat down cross-legged again.

He recalled a saying he had read in his previous life: A general on the march doesn't chase after little rabbits.

Akes closed his eyes and began meditating on the Nuwa Diagram once more.

The towering figure in his mind grew clearer. The Star River around it turned slowly, and wisps of cool energy seeped into the depths of his soul. He felt his spiritual power grow denser once again.

Cultivation knew no time.

When Akes opened his eyes again, dusk had fallen outside. The setting sun painted the sky orange-red, and the edges of a few clouds gleamed gold.

He stood and stretched his stiff limbs.

"Kaman."

"My lord." The old steward's voice came from outside the door.

"Is dinner ready?"

"Yes. As you requested, we prepared Roasted Snow Beef and Firethorn Fruit Soup tonight."

Akes nodded and left the cultivation room.

The dining room was small, with only a single long table. He sat alone at the head, with two simple dishes and a bowl of soup before him. After all these years since transmigrating, he had long grown used to being alone. His friends from the Ernst Institute were scattered far and wide. Linley was cultivating in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Yale was managing the chamber of commerce in the O'Brien Empire, and he had heard that George had gone to serve at a church somewhere in the Fenlai Kingdom.

Everyone was walking their own path.

Akes ate dinner slowly, still thinking about cultivation. At his current pace, reaching the eighth level from the seventh would probably take another year and a half to two years. Going from the eighth to the ninth would take longer, perhaps four or five years. And from the ninth level to Saint-level...

He set down his cutlery and shook his head.

No point thinking about it. You had to take things one step at a time.

"Kaman, starting tomorrow, cut my morning appointment hours down to one. I'll spend the rest of the time cultivating. Unless there's news from the Dawson Chamber of Commerce or the Ernst Institute, handle everything else as you see fit."

"Yes, my lord." Kaman replied respectfully. "Also, someone from the Imperial Magic Guild came by this afternoon. They'd like to invite you to serve as an examiner at next month's mage assessment."

Akes thought it over. "Turn them down. Tell them I'm at a critical point in my cultivation and can't leave."

"Understood."

After dinner, Akes returned to his study and lit the magic lamp. He took a book called Biographies of Saint-level Experts of the Yulan Continent from the shelf. He had bought it soon after arriving in Yulan. It chronicled the lives, achievements, and signature techniques of the continent's notable Saint-level experts from nearly the past thousand years.