At the summit of Azure Thunder Peak, Fane had driven all his fellow disciples away. Being beaten so badly that he could not fight back was far too humiliating. However, he did not blame Olivier. Instead, he was curious why Olivier was so powerful.
After all, unless they were special lifeforms, such as divine beasts or experts from other planes, only they could surpass the Saint-level limit while still at the Saint level. Human experts, such as the current Saint-level limit experts of the Yulan Continent, might differ somewhat in strength, but the gap was extremely limited. Olivier was undeniably from the O'Brien Empire, with nothing unusual about his ancestry, yet he was so powerful. Fane found this very puzzling.
"Olivier, your strength...?"
Fane asked curiously. As someone who had been stuck at the Saint-level limit for years, if there was still a way to improve his strength, of course he wanted to know.
"Fane, I know what you want to ask." Olivier spoke slowly. "My strength is far greater than that of an ordinary Saint-level limit expert. Actually, you also have a chance to achieve this."
"Really?" Fane asked excitedly. "How?"
A huge pie had fallen right onto Fane's head. To improve beyond the Saint-level limit meant breaking through to become a god; that was a universally accepted truth. Now, someone was suddenly saying there was still a chance to improve, and that he could do it too. Fane was overwhelmed with excitement.
"I believe you also know that some special lifeforms are much stronger than ordinary humans at the Saint-level limit, such as divine beasts. They rely on their innate talents. But if we humans want to rival divine beasts at the Saint-level limit, there is only one way: fuse the profound mysteries of the laws."
"The profound mysteries of the laws can be fused?" Fane asked.
Olivier did not blame him for his ignorance. He estimated that even the War God did not know that profound mysteries of the laws could be fused, much less how many profound mysteries a single elemental law actually contained.
"Put it this way: the Thunder Element laws contain six profound mysteries. Comprehending any one of them allows one to become a god. A Saint-level limit expert like you is merely a step away from completely comprehending one profound mystery of the Thunder Element laws. If you comprehend another profound mystery of the thunder laws, then you can fuse the two profound mysteries. That will greatly increase your strength."
Olivier felt as though he were giving someone a basic education.
"However, Fane, I'm not telling you this so that you'll go fuse profound mysteries of the laws. If the difficulty of comprehending one profound mystery is one, then the difficulty of fusing two is at least ten thousand. What I want to tell you is not to think that comprehending one profound mystery and becoming a god is difficult. There are things ten thousand times harder. Believe in yourself. Don't place your hopes on divine sparks."
"In truth, for a Saint-level limit expert to break through and become a god, it takes an opportunity. Take Rutherford, for example. When his opportunity arrived, he naturally became a god. As long as you believe in yourself, perhaps you could become a god even in your sleep."
Like a mentor teaching his student, Olivier imparted this knowledge to Fane.
Although Olivier had not broken through to the god level, his strength far surpassed Fane's, so Fane did not resent him. On the Yulan Continent, strength had always commanded respect.
"Thank you, Olivier."
Olivier's words had deeply moved Fane. Fane understood these principles as well, but after so much time had passed, he had begun to doubt himself.
It was like knowing that one had grasped the truth but failing to put it into practice. Eventually, one would begin to wonder whether one was doing the right thing. Some persevered and ultimately achieved great victory; others doubted themselves, turned to something else, and ultimately gained nothing.
Olivier and Linley belonged to the former group, while Fane and several others clearly belonged to the latter.
"You're welcome. I only understand a little myself. There are still many things I need to ask you about."
Olivier discovered that he rather enjoyed the feeling of educating others.
Olivier knew cultivation knowledge that Fane did not, while Fane had lived for so long that he knew many things Olivier did not, such as historical events that had occurred over the past five thousand years.
The two chatted pleasantly for a long time.
"Come on. I'll take you to see my teacher."
By afternoon, Fane received a mental message from the War God, telling him to bring Olivier to meet him.
Olivier strolled leisurely behind Fane. When they reached the edge of the mountain path, they both flew directly downward.
In only a short while, Fane landed halfway down the mountain, and Olivier landed as well.
"Follow me inside." Fane headed directly toward a natural cave ahead. Olivier thought to himself, The War God likes living in caves? What a strange habit.
The cave twisted and turned. After walking for quite some time, they reached a cavern that dropped straight down. It was bottomless; when they looked down, all they could see was darkness.
"Jump down." Fane leaped directly into it. Linley followed him and jumped down as well.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The two plummeted rapidly, falling well over two thousand meters. They were already underground. Finally, Fane and Olivier landed lightly, like drifting leaves.
Afterward, Olivier followed Fane deeper into the cave. Yet as they advanced, the temperature inside grew increasingly high.
"It's so hot." Olivier had to use battle-qi to protect himself.
The surrounding stone walls were all crimson. After walking for a while, they arrived before a pitch-black stone door.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Scorching currents of air flowed from within the stone door, accompanied by a faint pressure. Facing that pressure, one felt an urge to kneel in worship.
"Teacher, I have brought Olivier," Fane said respectfully.
Was he finally going to meet the War God?
The War God was behind that stone door!
"Very well, Fane. You may withdraw first." An indifferent voice rang out.
"Yes, Teacher." Fane respectfully withdrew.
Olivier remained where he was, quietly waiting for the War God to speak.
"Olivier, reaching the Saint-level limit at your age and even surpassing Fane, I must admit that you are a genius." The War God's voice remained indifferent.
"Thank you for your praise, War God."
Olivier answered modestly.
"However, even so, breaking through to become a god is exceedingly difficult. Without guidance from a god-level expert, relying on one's own exploration makes it even harder."
The War God's voice remained indifferent, as though it carried no intonation. Olivier said nothing and waited for what came next.
"More than ten years ago, I offered to take you as my disciple. Today, I am personally making the offer again. This is the second time I am willing to accept you as my disciple. With my guidance, you can become a god-level expert more quickly."
The War God sounded slightly more cordial, with a tone that said he was doing this for Olivier's own good, that Olivier could not manage without him.
Haha, he actually wants to fool me.
Olivier was laughing inside. The War God's goal was actually to trick him into becoming his disciple. Seeing that he was about to become a god, the War God wanted to pick up a god-level disciple for free.
An ordinary person might truly have been fooled, but Olivier knew better. Could the War God even guide someone in becoming a god? He himself had become a god by refining a divine spark. Besides, why had the War God not guided Fane to become a god?
What an idiot.
Olivier thought this, but he did not dare let even the slightest hint show on his face.
"Thank you for your kindness, War God, but I already have a teacher."
Olivier had no choice but to make up a teacher. The War God had personally offered to accept him as a disciple. As a Saint, rejecting him to his face could easily get him killed.
"Oh? Who is your teacher?"
The War God asked again, as though determined to accept Olivier as his disciple.
"My teacher is an old man in a black silk robe, with long black hair. He never told me who he was or where he lived. Does the War God know of such a person?"
Olivier recalled that Beirut seemed to be dressed in black robes with black hair. He fabricated someone similar. In any case, there was no way to verify it. At the very least, the War God should not dare make things difficult for him just because he had refused.
"An old man in a black silk robe..." The War God muttered inwardly. Could it be Lord Beirut? But why would he not tell Olivier his identity?
Seeing the War God's enlightened expression, Olivier knew that the War God had probably guessed that his fabricated teacher was Beirut.
"I do not know such a person. Since you already have a teacher, I will not force the matter."
The War God's tone became much gentler. Although he suspected it was Beirut, he did not dare casually reveal Beirut's identity.
"Did your teacher ever mention the secrets of the Yulan Continent to you?"
The War God asked.
"The secrets of the Yulan Continent? Do you mean the Graveyard of the Gods?"
Olivier asked in return.
"That's right. Your teacher told you about it, didn't he?"
The War God said again.
"My teacher never mentioned it. I heard Rutherford speak of it when I was on the Arctic Ice Plain."
His teacher was fabricated, so it was better not to involve him too much.
"I see. There is a crimson token by the entrance... take it. From today onward, you can be considered one of my people."
Olivier had long noticed a flat stone beside the stone door, with a crimson token resting atop it. The token slowly floated over and came before Olivier.
There was only one character on it—"Wu"!
"This is the token representing the War God." Olivier knew that Linley had also obtained one.
"I believe you also know that entering the Graveyard of the Gods allows one to obtain divine sparks and divine artifacts. Since you have accepted this token, when the Graveyard of the Gods opens, I will notify you and take you there."
The War God continued.
"Thank you, War God."
For Olivier, having such a token was not a bad thing. At the very least, it would make things much more convenient in the O'Brien Empire.
"Olivier, you are a true genius. But I must give you one piece of advice. The elemental laws contain many different paths. What you must do is choose one path and continue down it. It is best not to study several paths at once."
Olivier smiled.
It seemed the War God had said the same thing to Linley. Ignorance was frightening. It appeared the War God had not overheard today's conversation between him and Fane.
I'm not you, War God.
"Thank you for the reminder, War God. I will keep it in mind."
Olivier found speaking with the War God terribly boring. He had to be mindful of the dignity of a god, yet the War God knew less than he did, while Olivier still had to pretend to be an ignorant novice.
"Very well. You may return now."
Knowing that Olivier might be Beirut's disciple, the War God had considered recruiting him. However, the War God Sect had nothing he could think of that might attract Olivier. Still, Blumer was now his disciple, so perhaps he could start from there.
"War God, then I shall take my leave."
Olivier immediately withdrew, turning into a streak of light and swiftly leaving the cave.
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