Ignoring Divine Wind Bear Bill, whose inner monologue was overflowing, Lei Mo arrived at the Magic Beast Knights' headquarters and took a seat with the other Level Nine powerhouses.
They had been reluctant to sit alongside Lei Mo, but at his insistence, they had no choice but to sit down, trembling with anxiety.
Lei Mo was not the kind of person who broke through one morning and then turned his back on everyone. They had all been on equal footing before, and no one had treated him differently just because he was new. Now that Lei Mo had reached the Saint Realm, he naturally thought well of them all. He had no airs of superiority.
"I know you don't know me very well, since I haven't been with the Knights long. But I think highly of all of you."
Lei Mo spoke first. No matter what his attitude was, strength determined status.
"Everyone here is a seasoned Level Nine powerhouse. I made a major breakthrough in this battle, going straight from Level Eight to Level Nine, then reaching the Saint Realm after only a little cultivation. My strength has advanced more than my understanding." Lei Mo spoke sincerely.
"My lord is too modest!" Everyone praised him in unison.
"I'm serious! Right now, I'm eager to learn about the Saint Realm and any higher levels in our kingdom, our alliance, and even the whole continent. Although I've broken through the shackles and no longer have to worry about my lifespan, the strong only grow stronger. No one would turn down a chance to improve."
Lei Mo spoke plainly. This time, no one offered empty praise. Instead, they each shared what they knew.
"My lord, our Keaton Kingdom was founded thousands of years ago by a Saint Realm powerhouse—Tagore Keaton. As far as I know, there are only two Saint Realm powerhouses in Keaton. The other is our commander, John Keaton!"
A rough-featured fellow who looked rather simple-minded was the first to speak.
Lei Mo knew him. He was Dean Popov, a Level Nine powerhouse with a peak Level Eight Saber-toothed Tiger. He really did have little guile, but he was also quite perceptive.
"My lord, not every kingdom in the Seti Alliance has a Saint Realm powerhouse. Aragon, the other core kingdom, has three, but only two belong to its royal family. The other kingdoms have none, at least as far as the public knows. There are quite a few peak Level Nine powerhouses, though."
This Level Nine powerhouse was named Nicole Harrington. He was over six feet tall, yet weighed less than a hundred pounds, making him look gaunt.
His magical beast was a peak Level Seven Thunder Hawk. It was only Level Seven, but its lightning magic and exceptional flying ability made it far more troublesome than an ordinary Level Eight magical beast.
Lei Mo turned his gaze to a dignified, heroic-looking man.
This was Larson Keaton, a Level Nine powerhouse of the royal family. He had originally belonged to a distant branch of the family, but he had since been added to the royal family's direct lineage, and now held an extremely high status.
"Viscount Franklin, the records our royal family holds about the powerhouses of the Seraph Continent do indeed mention beings above the Saint Realm. But they stopped involving themselves in worldly affairs long ago."
"For example, Queen Seraph gave up her throne countless years ago, along with her ambition to unite the continent, and devoted herself to pursuing greater strength. As powerhouses ourselves, we can all understand that pursuit."
"Given the choice between power and strength, I believe we would all choose strength. It is the foundation of everything. Queen Seraph lived far too long ago, and the other powerhouses are mostly only suspected to be above the Saint Realm. I'll compile the specific records and hand them over to you, Viscount."
Larson Keaton spoke at length, giving Lei Mo exactly what he wanted. The royal family's resources were indeed far greater than those of ordinary powerhouses who relied on themselves alone.
The others said nothing more, and Lei Mo did not ask any further questions.
"Thank you all for sharing. I'll share some of my own cultivation insights as well!"
Lei Mo was about to unleash the full power of a transmigrator's silver tongue.
"At Level Nine, we can no longer focus solely on increasing the quantity of our battle qi. A Saint Realm powerhouse can easily kill us despite having the same amount of battle qi. Why is that?"
Everyone listened intently, their ears pricked up. Even Larson was no exception.
In several thousand years, the Keaton family had produced only two Saint Realm powerhouses. Larson hardly ever got to meet one. There might be cultivation notes, but how precious was it to hear a Saint Realm powerhouse explain their insights in person?
"To improve, we have to comprehend the Laws of Heaven and Earth. But everyone knows that these Laws are obscure and hidden, unlike the elements of Heaven and Earth, which are obvious."
Lei Mo spoke at an unhurried pace.
"I divide the Laws of Heaven and Earth into eight types according to the elements. Seven of them are relatively easy to grasp, and they're the ones that manifest openly in the world. At the very least, the elements they represent are everywhere."
"For example, the Fire Element corresponds to the Fire Law, and the Earth Element corresponds to the Laws of Earth. The same applies to the other five: Water, wind, thunder, light, and darkness."
"These Laws correspond to the common elements of the world. I haven't cultivated these Laws myself, but some of my experiences have given me a degree of understanding. We should pursue comprehension in line with our own battle qi affinities. That makes things much easier. I'm living proof."
"I cultivate something less apparent in the world. I call it an Edict, to distinguish it from the seven elemental Laws. Mine is the Law of Destruction. My understanding of it relies mainly on battle and hardship. That's the main reason I joined the Keaton Kingdom."
Lei Mo could now speak frankly about his true abilities, and it would not cause any problems.
Compared to someone who killed for the pleasure of it, they could more readily accept someone who fought and killed for the sake of cultivation.
"As for whether there are more Edicts and Laws, I think there should be. I simply can't sense them at all." Lei Mo finished with that final summary.
The powerhouses listened with shining eyes. Lei Mo had not given them any specific methods for gaining insight, but this guidance on the direction to take was invaluable to people whose cultivation had mostly been a matter of blind guessing. It was far more precious than some cultivation tips.
Everyone cultivated differently. Even when comprehending the same Law, there were different Mysteries; even those pursuing the same Mystery could approach it from different angles. That was why this kind of foundational knowledge mattered most.
Having exchanged knowledge with everyone, Lei Mo returned to his lodgings feeling refreshed.
After Lei Mo's breakthrough and the havoc he had wreaked on the battlefield, the large-scale fighting could no longer continue.
The Lombardy Alliance had suffered heavy losses trying to surround and kill Lei Mo. They still had no idea how strong the forces on this side were, so they could only retreat slowly to the territory they had controlled before.
On the Seti Alliance's side, Lei Mo's breakthrough had also made them reluctant to invite further trouble. They continued to exercise restraint. This unspoken understanding between the two sides brought about a ceasefire at the Brest Fortress front.
As for a complete end to the fighting, that would never happen. They had long since become sworn enemies.
Before you continue