The Journey

A month after Linley left, Hogg was helping Wharton pack for the road, mostly clothes. Hogg had prepared clothes for him to wear from childhood until he was seventeen or eighteen.

Early the next morning, led by Hiri, one tall and one small figure left Wushan Town and set out for the O'Brien Empire. This time, Hogg did not come to see them off. Wharton knew that Hogg had stayed away because he did not want Wharton to be sad. Hogg was surely standing somewhere, watching him even now. Looking back at Wushan Town as it gradually receded into the distance, Wharton still felt reluctant to leave.

"Young Master Wharton, let's go!" Hiri said from beside him.

"Wushan Town, I will definitely return," Wharton said firmly as he looked back at the town behind him.

Thus, the two set out on their journey to the O'Brien Empire. Wushan Town was far from the O'Brien Empire; even traveling without rest would take nearly a year. The road was complicated, and bandits were everywhere. Their only option was to go to a city and join a merchant caravan bound for the O'Brien Empire. When they arrived at Fenlai City, many such caravans stood outside the city gates. After paying one thousand gold coins, they joined a caravan headed for the O'Brien Empire. The merchant group had its own guards, the strongest of whom had reached the level of a Level Eight Warrior.

Along the way, the caravan absorbed some smaller merchant groups, and the convoy grew larger and larger. A large number of mercenaries guarded the merchants. Though the road was still far from peaceful, those mercenaries handled every disturbance with ease. Listening to the mercenaries chat about their travels and experiences across the continent, Wharton greatly broadened his horizons.

Whenever he had free time, Wharton seized every moment to train. Because he was still young, he had been assigned a carriage of his own. Hiri was responsible for driving it, so no one disturbed Wharton's training.

A full year passed. The caravan's members changed wave after wave, splitting off for cities across the continent while new merchant groups joined them. Such scenes were common throughout the mainland. After traveling through many places, Wharton and Hiri finally arrived at the imperial capital of the O'Brien Empire.

Over that year, Wharton's strength had improved considerably. He had now broken through to the level of a Level Three Warrior. Wharton was only seven years old, yet he had grown to around 1.4 meters tall and did not look like an eight-year-old at all. Reaching the level of a Level Four Warrior at eight years old would be enough to break the historical record of Yulan Mainland. Over the past year, Wharton had also deliberately or inadvertently guided Hiri, and Hiri had now broken through to the Peak Level Six Warrior.

After paying the entrance fee, the two found a relatively cheap inn in the O'Brien Empire. They familiarized themselves with the surroundings while waiting for the O'Brien Empire's school term to begin. They had timed their journey according to the enrollment schedule, so they would be able to take the entrance examination in just a few days.

"Young Master Wharton, rest early. In a few days, the O'Brien Empire's entrance tests will begin. I'm sure you'll be accepted by the O'Brien Empire," Hiri said to Wharton beside him.

"Alright, Grandpa Hiri. You should rest early too," Wharton replied.

Talent Test

The O'Brien Empire Warrior Academy enrolled students once every six months. There was still half a month until enrollment. Wharton and Hiri wandered through most parts of the city and gained a certain understanding of the O'Brien Empire. Those who could live here were all people of great strength and status. Moreover, martial traditions flourished in the O'Brien Empire, and high-level warriors could be seen everywhere. Without Butler Hiri's reminders, Wharton trained diligently every day.

In just half a month, Wharton had been infected by this atmosphere. To avoid becoming merely an ordinary God Level expert who refined a Divine Spark like in the original story, he trained even harder.

The better one's magical talent, the greater one's advantage in comprehending the Laws, and the higher the chance of becoming a god. Thus, whenever he had spare time after cultivating the Dragonblood Manual, Wharton followed the method Linley had taught him and tried meditating on his own to see what his magical affinity was like. He had not expected to sense magical elements on his very first attempt.