Linley

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Childhood and Ernst Academy

Linley was born into the declining Baruch Clan as the elder of Hogg and Lina’s twin sons. At six, he and An endured Hillman’s Qi Storing Posture training for nearly an hour, earning permission to join the ten-year-old training group 1.

At six and a half, Linley failed the Dragonblood Needle test because his bloodline concentration was insufficient for awakening. Although shaken, he vowed to recover the clan’s lost ancestral saber, Slaughter. An reassured him that physical cultivation and magic offered other routes to strength 3.

His magical aptitude test at eight revealed exceptional earth and wind affinities, average fire affinity, and spiritual energy eighteen times the average for his age. Accepted into Ernst Academy, he shared dormitory 1987 with An, Yale Dawson, and Reynolds. He also learned stone carving under Doehring Cowart, whose instruction distinguished his training from An’s self-directed practice 5 6 7.

Mountain Training and Alice

Linley and An hunted progressively stronger beasts in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, developing coordinated wind and earth tactics. A seventh-level Silver-Patterned Shadow Leopard broke through their control spells and injured Linley before An killed it. Later, the brothers attacked a bandit camp, freed Kalan, Alice, and their companions, and escorted them to safety 8 9 11.

Linley subsequently fell in love with Alice. As their relationship deteriorated, he repeatedly traveled to Fenlai City carrying Memory Crystal Balls recorded for her, only to be left waiting. Learning that she had chosen Kalan devastated him; he drank until unconscious while An, Yale, and Reynolds stayed with him 13 14.

He then withdrew to the hills behind the academy. Over eleven days of contemplation and carving, he created Dream Awakening: five figures of Alice depicting their relationship from rescue to separation. He refused to sell the sculpture and asked Yale to keep it safe. The experience also produced his breakthrough to seventh-level mage 15 16.

Awakening and Restoring the Clan

After his breakthrough, Linley accompanied An and Bebe into Mist Canyon to obtain Blue Heart Grass. Bebe gathered 160 stalks, and the group escaped a pursuit by the canyon’s magical beasts. Nearby, they discovered an injured peak eighth-level Golden Dragon 16.

Linley used earth magic to restrict the dragon while An attacked at range and Bebe exploited its wounds. His Earth Spike Array pierced its unscaled belly after An brought it down. The brothers then consumed Blue Heart Grass and dragon blood, enduring a painful transformation that awakened both as Dragonblood Warriors 17 18.

At seventeen, Linley graduated by demonstrating seventh-level wind and earth magic. Recruitment attempts from major powers followed, including a Dark Church abduction attempt thwarted by Radiant Church forces. With Yale’s assistance, Linley and An located Slaughter in the Lucas Clan and received it from Jeb Lucas without payment 19.

Their return to Wushan Town fulfilled Linley’s childhood promise. Hogg restored Slaughter to the Ancestral Hall, while the twins demonstrated their awakened bloodlines before him 20.

Investigating Lina’s Abduction

Hogg revealed that Lina had been abducted and that his investigation implicated Duke Paterson. Linley and An entered Fenlai service to investigate discreetly; Clayde granted each the title of Earl Baruch, a residence in eastern Fenlai City, and an annual stipend of ten thousand gold coins 20 21.

The brothers ambushed Paterson’s convoy and learned that Clayde had ordered Lina taken to the Royal Palace. Linley killed Paterson, fulfilling his stated intention to do so personally. Rather than immediately attack Clayde, he accepted An’s plan to gain Saint-level combat strength first, mindful of possible Radiant Church intervention 20 22.

When An achieved that strength, the twins returned to inform Hogg and planned to seize Clayde during a royal hunt. Linley was assigned the perimeter guards and mages while An targeted Clayde and Caesar 23.

Disaster, Separation, and Reunion

During the magical-beast invasion of Fenlai City, Linley helped rescue Yale and led their companions toward the Dawson family’s evacuation passage while An held off a Saint-level Tyrannosaurus 26.

Afterward, the twins returned to devastated Wushan Town, found surviving family members, and helped evacuate survivors. Linley guarded the refugee carriage with Slaughter while An scouted overhead. He later chose further training in the Magical Beast Mountain Range rather than accompanying the family directly to the O’Brien Empire, believing himself too weak to keep pace with An 25 27.

Seven years later, Linley reunited with his family in Chiyan City as an early ninth-level warrior. He supported Wharton’s pursuit of Princess Nina and cautioned him against underestimating Blumer before their duel. After Wharton’s wedding, Linley and An learned from Planar Overseer Hodan that their ancestors had gone to the Infernal Realm, but declined the opportunity to leave the Yulan Plane 29 30 35.

The Baruch Empire and the Necropolis

Linley joined An, Barker, and Bebe in securing regular blood supplies from Saint-level dragons for future Baruch descendants. The resulting agreement also enabled Hogg to awaken his Dragonblood Warrior bloodline 36 37.

As a major defender of the Baruch Empire, Linley opposed the Radiant and Dark Churches’ pressure on its Magic Crystal Ore Vein. He brought An into a hidden miniature space discovered by Barker, where unusually dense elements accelerated his Earth Pulse comprehension 44 46.

Before departing for the Necropolis of the Gods, Linley helped arrange imperial affairs and stood beside his family when Wharton formally proclaimed the empire on January 1, year 10023. At Beyrut’s castle, he took Desri’s warning about the expedition’s mortality seriously and instructed Barker to remain with their group 47 50.

Appearance

Linley is tall and slender, with a composed bearing; at seventeen, he was approximately An’s height of 185 centimeters. The twins looked so alike in childhood that Hogg distinguished them by An’s slightly longer hair 1 20 30.

• Human form: Later wears fitted navy-blue or dark-cyan warrior clothing, with his long hair tied back 35 36.
• Dragon scales: Deep azure or dark cyan, with blue-gold coloring described during his homecoming transformation 18 20 36.
• Dragon features: Two forehead horns, closely spaced spinal spikes, a long tail, and slit-pupiled golden or dark-golden eyes 18 20 36.
• Wings: Approximately two meters across at his first transformation, colored azure with gold 18.

Personality

Linley is remembered by An as a cheerful, protective older brother who comforts his friends. His loyalty to the family appears in his early vow to recover Slaughter and his concern that Wharton should not suffer the heartbreak he experienced 3 15 29.

His affection for Alice was intense enough that he considered leaving the academy to be near her. Her betrayal left him despondent, but he transformed that pain into Dream Awakening. Years later, seeing Wharton and Nina together briefly recalled Alice before he consciously put those memories aside 14 15 30.

He combines determination with caution. He insists on sharing dangerous work rather than letting An face it alone, yet warns Wharton against dismissing Blumer and recognizes the experience and solidarity of Saint-level dragons. His decision to seek life-and-death training reflects both ambition and discomfort at falling behind his twin 16 27 30 36.

Abilities & Skills

Earth Magic

• Gravity Spell: Raised gravity to three times normal within fifty meters during the Shadow Leopard battle; prolonged use against the Golden Dragon strained his endurance 9 17.
• Earth Spike Array / Earth Spike Gun: Produces earthen spears for attacks, blocking routes, and forcing concealed enemies into view. It inflicted the Golden Dragon’s decisive belly wound 9 11 18.
• Earth Split: Opens fissures to trap opponents and reshape the battlefield, used against the bandit leader and Golden Dragon 11 17.
• Defensive armor: Rock Armor protected his chest against the Shadow Leopard, though the impact still injured him. His seventh-level Earth Guardian Sacred Armor reached the jade tier and resisted a fireball during the Mist Canyon escape 9 16.

Wind Magic

• Wind Blade: Used in beast combat; by ninth-level mage strength, he could form a nearly transparent blade as thin as a cicada’s wing 9 30.
• Flight Spell: Became available at seventh level and featured in his graduation demonstration 16 19.
• Combined tactics: Uses wind and earth together, pairing mobility and attacks with terrain restriction. Working with An, he became capable of easily dispatching seventh-level magical beasts 11.

Dragon Transformation

• Activation: Channels Dragonblood Battle Qi to assume a scaled, horned, winged form and can return to human form 18 20.
• Physical enhancement: His first transformation produced a dramatic increase in strength and enabled flight without a spell 18.
• Saint-level defense: His transformed scales withstood the razor-sharp energy blasts guarding the miniature space’s entrance 46.

Swordsmanship and Physical Combat

• Unarmed strength: Lifted a Horned Boar weighing several hundred jin and killed it with a kick to the head 8.
• Precision attacks: Targeted a Saint-level Golden Dragon’s eye with the Black Jade Heavy Sword 37.
• Wind Ripple: Released numerous purple sword shadows against the dragon’s neck 37.

Earth Pulse Profound Mystery

• Vibration comprehension: Had reached 256 layers of vibration waves before becoming stuck 46.
• Condensation insight: Learned that advancing required bringing all 256 layers’ profundity into a single vibration 46.
• Limit: Still had not crossed the final threshold to the Saint-level Limit before the Necropolis expedition 47.

Stone Carving

• Instruction: Trained under Doehring Cowart and influenced An to take up carving 7.
• Commercial work: Individual sculptures could sell for five or six thousand gold coins 15.
• Dream Awakening: Five lifelike portrayals of Alice capturing successive stages of their romance. Yale judged it superior to works he had seen by Master Proulx; Linley retained it rather than selling it 15.
• Cultivation benefit: Completing the work increased his spiritual energy tenfold 16.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Flat Blade — Stone-carving tool used to create Dream Awakening; also wielded when casting a Wind Blade against the Shadow Leopard 9 15.
• Slaughter — Recovered Baruch ancestral saber. Linley carried it during the Paterson ambush and while guarding Wushan’s refugees 19 21 25.
• Black Jade Heavy Sword — Used against the Saint-level Golden Dragon during the dragon-blood expedition 37.
• Coiling Dragon Ring — The ring from which Doehring Cowart emerged during the twins’ bloodline awakening 18.
• Memory Crystal Balls — Bought for over a thousand gold coins and filled with recordings intended for Alice 13 14.
• Debs Clan emblem — Accepted after rescuing Kalan’s group, together with an invitation to visit Fenlai City 11.

Relationships

• An Baruch — Younger twin brother, training rival, and frequent combat partner. An supported him through Alice’s betrayal and promised Delia they would return from the Necropolis together 7 14 47.
• Hogg — Father. Linley helped restore his hopes for the clan by recovering Slaughter and awakening as a Dragonblood Warrior 20.
• Lina — Mother. Her abduction and death drove Linley’s investigation of Paterson and Clayde and his preparations against the Radiant Church 20 22 29.
• Wharton — Younger brother. Linley supported his relationship with Nina and helped him manage the empire’s military and diplomatic responsibilities 29 30 47.
• Delia — Wife of many years. Their bond is described as deep; she worried about the Necropolis expedition and asked An to protect him 47.
• Bebe — Shadow Mouse companion who communicates with Linley through Soul Transmission. Kept watch during his carving seclusion and assisted in obtaining Blue Heart Grass and dragon blood 6 15 16 18.
• Doehring Cowart — Saint-level magus mentor, affectionately called “Grandpa Doehring.” Taught Linley carving and explained his seventh-level breakthrough 7 16.
• Yale Dawson — Roommate and close friend. Investigated Alice’s circumstances, retaliated economically against the Debs Clan, and agreed to safeguard Dream Awakening 6 15.
• Reynolds — Roommate and close friend. Comforted Linley after his breakup and monitored his prolonged isolation 6 14 15.
• Alice — Former lover. Her choice of Kalan ended their relationship and inspired Dream Awakening 13 14 15.
• Barker — Combat ally and expedition companion. Fought alongside Linley against the Saint-level Golden Dragon and joined his Necropolis group 37 50.
• Hillman — Childhood instructor and family retainer. Trained Linley in Wushan Town and escorted the twins to Ernst Academy 1 6.

Notable Quotes

“I will bring Slaughter back.” 3

“We go together. Watching each other’s backs is better than letting you take the risk alone.” 16

“Wharton, never underestimate an opponent.” 30

Trivia

• An explicitly remembers that the original story gave Linley a younger brother, Wharton, but no twin; An’s birth is a change associated with his transmigration 1.
• Ernst’s graduation examiners publicly ranked Linley and An together as the second-youngest seventh-level mages in the continent’s history. Linley had actually broken through at sixteen, before graduating at seventeen 16 19.
• Hodan revealed that the Baruch Clan’s recorded history had been altered under pressure from dragons, concealing its many Dragonblood Warriors and the blood-drinking awakening method 35.