Hogg Injured

Time flew by, and six months passed in the blink of an eye.

During his first two months at Ernst Institute, aside from the daily required Holy Dragon Secret Canon and Holy Dragon Meditation Method, Moke also had to attend several magic classes.

After all, Moke knew practically nothing about magic.

However, he possessed the top-tier comprehension granted by Coiling Dragon, and he could grasp the knowledge taught by the academy's instructors in an extremely short time.

And not only could he understand it, he could also draw inferences from it and comprehend the logic behind casting magic from its very foundations.

Such astonishing talent allowed Moke to absorb and thoroughly master everything the instructors taught in just two months.

From then on, Moke stopped attending classes.

Either he cultivated the Holy Dragon Secret Canon and Holy Dragon Meditation Method diligently in his dormitory.

Or he went to the back mountain of Ernst Institute to practice his combat techniques.

Just as Moke had previously guessed, once he possessed top-tier comprehension, the combat technique realm of Weightless as a Feather could no longer hinder him.

In less than two weeks afterward, he had completely mastered it and could use it skillfully.

More than that, over the following four months, Moke successfully comprehended another realm of Weightless as a Feather, which the ancestors of the Baruch Clan called: Light as Heavy.

Weightless as a Feather and Light as Heavy—Moke had completely mastered both different combat techniques.

He then entered the third realm and began comprehending "momentum."

Over the past half year, Moke's dou qi and spiritual force had also progressed considerably.

Unfortunately, he was still at the level of a Fifth-Level Mage and a Sixth-Level Warrior.

It would probably take another year before he could break through.

"Momentum is the momentum of heaven and earth. To borrow the momentum of heaven and earth, one must first merge oneself with heaven and earth."

"But how does one merge oneself with heaven and earth?"

On the back mountain of Ernst Institute, Moke opened his eyes atop a smooth boulder, a faint trace of confusion flashing through them.

Over the past month or so, he had finally made a small breakthrough in the realm of "momentum."

Unfortunately, after one breakthrough came another difficult problem.

"Forget it. At least I have an idea now. All I need to do next is put it into practice."

Moke rose to his feet and headed down the mountain, where he happened to run into Linley, who had just come down as well.

Like many students who cultivated diligently, the two brothers often trained on the back mountain.

"Big Brother, going to eat?" Linley asked with a dazzling smile, as though he had made some progress in his cultivation.

Has he reached the Second-Level Mage rank?

Moke guessed inwardly, then nodded with a smile. "How are things between you and Delia? I've seen you two spending a lot of time together lately."

He grinned and teased him. He and Linley would soon be ten years old.

"What do you mean, how are things?" Linley looked utterly baffled.

Beside him, Doering Cowart laughed so hard that he bent over.

"Uh?"

"Fine!"

Moke shook his head helplessly. At this time, Linley still had absolutely no thoughts in that direction.

Then again, he was not even ten yet.

"What a sin, what a sin," Moke muttered to himself.

"Linley!"

"Linley!"

"Moke!"

When they arrived at the dining hall, Reynolds, George, and Yale waved to them from afar.

Beside them was Dixie, the number one genius of Ernst Institute.

Since Moke and Dixie were neighbors, while Delia and Linley were good friends,

the group had become friends over time and often ate together.

"Coming!"

Linley and Moke walked over with smiles.

"Wonderful! Wonderful! Heaven is blessing my Baruch Clan!"

At Baruch Mansion, Hogg held seven-year-old Wharton in his arms and burst into hearty laughter.

At his side, butler Hiri and guard captain Hillman were also smiling broadly.

Just now, after being tested with the Dragonblood Needle, Wharton's Dragonblood Warrior Bloodline had met the standard. He could cultivate the Dragonblood Secret Canon and become a true Dragonblood Warrior!

Hogg was so excited he was nearly going mad. "My two sons have entered Ernst Institute. They will certainly become great mages in the future!"

"And now, my youngest son Wharton has become a Dragonblood Warrior!"

"My Baruch Clan is truly going to rise again!" His eyes gleamed with unparalleled excitement.

Cough! Cough!

Hogg, who had been laughing excitedly, suddenly bent over and began coughing violently.

He even coughed up a large mouthful of blood, startling Wharton.

"Father! Father!" Little Wharton cried anxiously from Hogg's arms.

Hillman and Hiri hurried forward as well.

"It's all right, Wharton. Don't worry. Father merely caught a chill. It's nothing." Hogg wiped away the blood and forced a smile.

A Sixth-Level Warrior had caught a chill and was coughing blood?

Hogg was merely taking advantage of little Wharton's ignorance.

Afterward, Hiri took Wharton away first, while Hogg and Hillman remained behind.

"Lord Hogg, your injuries?" Only then did concern appear on Hillman's face. With Wharton present earlier, he had not dared make a sound.

Hogg's body went limp, and he collapsed directly onto the steps of the Baruch Clan ancestral hall. "A Seventh-Level Warrior truly is far stronger than a Sixth-Level Warrior."

"He was poisoned and made one final desperate slash before dying. It actually broke my arm, cracked my breastbone, and even injured my internal organs."

Hillman nodded deeply. The difference between the sixth and seventh levels truly was enormous.

A Sixth-Level Warrior was merely an Intermediate Warrior, while a Seventh-Level Warrior was already an Advanced Warrior.

They were classified this way because a Seventh-Level Warrior's dou qi had already liquefied. The boost in combat power brought by liquefied dou qi far surpassed that of gaseous dou qi.

A single Seventh-Level Warrior could almost kill dozens of Sixth-Level Warriors.

"But these injuries were worth it!"

Hogg's gaze suddenly turned sharp. "Hillman, I have discovered who took Lina away."

"Hm?"

Hillman was instantly shocked.

Hogg said word by word, "The people who took Lina had Red Spider Clan marks on their arms. Behind them was Duke Patterson of the Fenlai Kingdom."

"A duke?!"

Hillman was stunned.

He had never imagined that his good brother's wife had been taken away by a duke.

In the Fenlai Kingdom, only the king stood above dukes. There were only a few dukes in the entire kingdom, and Hillman had heard of Duke Patterson.

He was the younger brother of Clayde, the king of the Fenlai Kingdom and a Ninth-Level Warrior!

It could be said that Duke Patterson, as he was now, was an enormous existence the Baruch Clan simply could not shake.

Just a few Seventh-Level Warriors under his command could sweep through all of Wushan Town.

"More than that, I also learned during this investigation that after Duke Patterson took Lina away, he gave her to another group."

Hogg's eyes were cold. "There is an even more powerful force behind Duke Patterson!"

This was undoubtedly another bombshell, leaving Hillman dizzy.

They could not deal with even one Duke Patterson, and there was an even more terrifying force behind him?

Hillman fell silent for a while, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "Lord Hogg, Young Master Moke and Young Master Linley have entered Ernst Institute. With their talent, they have a great chance of becoming Advanced Mages in the future!"

"Young Master Wharton has even awakened the Dragonblood Warrior Bloodline. He will almost certainly become a Saint Realm expert in the future. A Saint Realm expert would be enough to kill Duke Patterson!"

A Saint Realm expert was enough to stand above the king of an entire kingdom.

Even the king of a powerful nation such as the Fenlai Kingdom would have to treat one with courtesy.

"Yes, there is still hope!"

Hope shone in Hogg's eyes. "Though I am weak, my sons will certainly not be weak in the future. They will avenge their mother!"

"But before that, I need to do some things for my sons."

"What things?" Hillman hurriedly asked. He truly did not want Hogg to take any more risks.

"Find out who stands behind Duke Patterson!" Hogg said coldly.