Summer of year 9997 of the Yulan Calendar, Ernst Academy.
June sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of ancient trees, scattering dappled light and shadow below. Cicadas called back and forth through the woods. Behind the academy, a waterfall thundered into a deep pool, its spray forming a faint rainbow in the sunlight.
An stood beside the pool with his eyes closed.
His breathing was extraordinarily slow, with half a minute between each inhalation and exhalation. Within his middle dantian, a dense green mist of magical power churned ceaselessly. At its very center, a single drop of liquid floated in silence.
He had become a Level Seven Mage, crossing a threshold countless mages failed to overcome in their entire lives.
At level six, magical power took the form of mist; at level seven, it became liquid. Liquid magical power was more than ten times as concentrated as mist, and the same spell cast by a Level Seven Mage was three to five times as powerful as one cast by a level six mage. More importantly, a Level Seven Mage of the wind element could cast the Flight Spell-and truly soar freely through the sky.
An opened his eyes and took a flat blade and a stone from inside his clothes.
Six years had passed, and stone carving had become an indispensable part of his life. It was not merely because carving could strengthen his spiritual power. More than that, while carving, he could experience a rare tranquility-that state of utter concentration, in which he forgot both himself and the world, allowed him to forget all his pressures for a while.
The flat blade glided over the stone, sending chips flying.
This time, he carved a running leopard.
A lifelike cheetah appeared in his palm, its limbs extended as though it would leap out of his hand at any moment.
Footsteps sounded in the distance, and Linley emerged from the woods.
"An, are you ready?" Linley asked.
"Ready."
"What about Yale and Reynolds?"
"I already said goodbye," An said. "Yale told us to be careful. Reynolds insisted on coming along, but I turned him down."
Linley nodded.
The Magical Beast Mountain Range, the largest mountain range on the continent, stretched tens of thousands of li from north to south, dividing the Yulan Continent in two. Countless magical beasts inhabited its mountains, ranging from the lowest first-level beasts to the legendary Saint-level magical beasts.
An and Linley were headed for the outer reaches of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
They should not venture too deep on their first expedition; staying within a hundred li of the edge would suffice. Most of the magical beasts there were between the third and fifth levels, well within their ability to handle.
"Let's go!"
The two brothers walked side by side through the academy's rear gate and set off along the road to the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
The Magical Beast Mountain Range lay roughly three hundred li from Ernst Academy.
They headed south along the main road at tremendous speed. An cast the wind-element support spell, Gale Spell, while Linley likewise enhanced himself with wind-element magic. The two brothers traveled faster than galloping horses.
The sun rose in the east and gradually climbed overhead.
By noon, they had traveled more than a hundred li. The scenery on either side of the road changed from fields to hills, then from hills to wooded mountains. The trees grew denser, and the air became increasingly damp.
"Stop," An said suddenly.
Linley halted and looked around warily. "What is it?"
"There are people up ahead."
An closed his eyes and cast the wind-element spell, Wind of Perception. A gentle breeze spread outward from him in every direction, allowing him to clearly sense everything within three hundred meters-trees, rocks, undergrowth, and the creatures hiding within it.
"Three people, hiding in the woods up ahead on the left," An said, opening his eyes.
Linley frowned. "Bandits?"
"Possibly," An said. "Let's go around them."
Without alerting the three people, the brothers made a wide detour to the right and continued on their way.
By evening, they finally reached the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
An looked up at the immense, unbroken mountain range before him, and an indescribable awe rose within him. The mountains stretched beyond the limits of his vision, their peaks rising and falling in overlapping ranks like a giant dragon sprawled across the earth.
"It's huge." Linley held his breath as well.
"So this is the Magical Beast Mountain Range," An murmured. "The continent's largest mountain range, home to countless magical beasts-even Saint-level ones."
An took a deep breath and tightened the pack on his back.
Inside were changes of clothes, dry rations, salt, and some medicinal herbs for treating wounds.
"Let's head in," An said.
The two stepped into the Magical Beast Mountain Range, as though entering another world.
Ancient trees of unknown age blotted out the sky, breaking the sunlight into countless tiny patches. Dead branches and fallen leaves carpeted the ground, rustling beneath their feet. Weeds and thorns grew everywhere, and vines coiled around tree trunks like snakes.
The air was thick with the damp smell of rotting leaves, occasionally mingled with the faintest trace of blood.
"In a place like this, you wouldn't see a magical beast even if it were hiding ten meters away," Linley said quietly.
An nodded. His lips moved slightly as he quietly cast Wind of Perception.
A breeze spread outward from him, bringing everything within two hundred meters clearly into his awareness.
"It's safe. Let's go," An said.
They continued deeper into the mountains.
The daylight gradually faded, and the woods grew pitch-black.
An found a sheltered spot against a rock face and scattered some powder around it to repel magical beasts. Then he and Linley sat down back to back.
The Magical Beast Mountain Range was far from quiet at night.
Wolf howls sounded in the distance, occasionally joined by deep, powerful roars-the voices of large magical beasts. The undergrowth rustled constantly with the movements of unknown small animals.
Linley closed his eyes and began to meditate. His body was extraordinarily sensitive to earth elements; he would immediately detect any unusual vibrations in the ground.
An kept his eyes open, gazing at the small patch of sky framed by the canopy overhead. Starlight shone through the gaps, faint and distant.
Late that night, he slowly closed his eyes and entered a half-sleeping, half-waking state of meditation. The flow of wind elements formed an invisible barrier around him, allowing him to sense any rapidly approaching creature in advance.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, they ate some dry rations and continued deeper into the mountains.
Once the sun rose, visibility in the woods improved considerably. An and Linley advanced cautiously. Every so often, An cast Wind of Perception to make sure there was no danger ahead.
"There's a magical beast up ahead." An suddenly stopped. "A Horned Boar. A third-level magical beast of the earth element. The only spell it can cast is Earth Spike Gun."
Linley's eyes lit up. "Perfect for a little practice."
They crept closer. The Horned Boar was rooting for food beneath a tree, completely unaware of the approaching danger.
When only ten meters remained between them, Linley suddenly charged.
The Horned Boar raised its head in alarm and thrust its thick horn at Linley. Linley dodged sideways, seized the horn with his right hand, and heaved-the boar, weighing several hundred jin, was lifted clear off the ground.
Linley pushed off the ground and leaped into the air. His right leg lashed out like an iron whip, slamming into the Horned Boar's head.
Crack! The sound of shattering bone rang out clearly.
The Horned Boar crashed heavily to the ground, twitched twice, and lay still.
An walked over, took the flat blade from his pack, and deftly cut open the skull, extracting an ocher-colored Magic Crystal Core. A third-level Magic Crystal Core was worth only ten gold coins, but small gains would add up.
"Third-level magical beasts are too easy for you." An put away the Magic Crystal Core. "We need to find something stronger."
Linley nodded. "Let's head deeper."
They continued onward for roughly another twenty li, and the levels of the magical beasts rose noticeably. They encountered a fourth-level Ironback Wolf and a fifth-level Wind Blade Leopard, but dispatched both with ease.
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