Morning light pierced the thin mist and spilled over the training ground at Baruch Manor.
Bare-chested, Linley gripped the smoothly polished wooden sword in both hands. Sweat slid along the contours of the muscles on his back and dripped onto the bluestone slabs, spreading into small damp patches. He sprang forward like a hunting leopard, his sword cutting through the air with the keen edge unique to youth as he hacked at the wooden post again and again.
Ever since putting on the black ring he had found in the ancestral house, Linley had felt a faint warm current lingering around his chest, and the fatigue from training had faded a little faster. He dismissed it as his imagination and gave it little thought. Now, wholly absorbed in his sword moves, he shifted his footing, only to trip over a loose paving slab and stumble forward.
"Hss-"
The wooden sword flew from his grasp, and Linley's right arm slammed into the corner of the wooden post. Rough splinters tore his skin, and blood immediately welled up, winding down his arm and dripping onto the black ring at his chest.
The instant the warm blood touched the ring, a dense, earthy-yellow halo abruptly shone from its previously dull surface. A vast, ancient aura suddenly spread outward-a steady, weighty power that shared its origin with the earth, making even the surrounding air seem heavy. Before Linley could cry out, an illusory figure slowly emerged within the halo. He wore simple, moon-white mage robes, his hair and beard were white, and his thin face bore wise eyes. Pure earth magic fluctuations surrounded him. He was none other than the peak Saint-level Magus who had been sealed within the Coiling Dragon Ring for five thousand years.
"Five thousand years... at last, someone capable of stirring the blood of recognition." The old man's voice carried the weathered weight of the years, yet could not conceal a trace of gratification. His gaze settled on Linley's astonished face. "Little fellow, do not be afraid. My name is Doehring Cowart, an earth Saint-level Magus of the Puang Empire."
Linley's eyes widened, and he instinctively retreated half a step. Shock had long since replaced the pain in his arm. He could clearly sense that the apparition before him harbored not the slightest malice. Those earth magic fluctuations were gentle and weighty, yet carried a heart-quaking Saint-level pressure.
Just then, a figure swept over like a swift wind. Hillman had just completed an intensive session of cultivating Earth Pulsation. His strength had stabilized at the ninth-level peak, and his perception of earth elemental energy far surpassed what it had been before. The pure earth-element soul aura that had suddenly erupted within the manor instantly brought a key figure from the original story to mind-This had to be Doehring Cowart!
Hillman landed at the edge of the training ground. His gaze swept over Linley's bleeding arm and glowing ring before settling on the illusory figure, understanding and respect flashing in his eyes. He could sense the terrifying mastery of magic contained within this soul form, far beyond anything an ordinary Mage could match.
Doehring Cowart noticed Hillman as well. When he sensed the ninth-level peak battle qi surrounding him, tightly linked to the earth, a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes. "A ninth-level warrior? To think such a person exists in little Wushan Town."
"Hillman, captain of the Baruch Clan's guards, pays his respects to you, Lord Doehring Cowart." Hillman inclined his head slightly, his tone respectful but neither servile nor overbearing. "I have long heard of how you once swept across the Yulan Continent with your earth magic, leaving countless legends behind."
Doehring Cowart raised his eyebrows, clearly not expecting this ninth-level warrior to recognize him. "You know my origins?"
"I have heard a little. Five thousand years ago, your enemies ambushed you, and you sealed your soul within this Coiling Dragon Ring to escape danger." Hillman answered without servility or arrogance, turning his gaze toward Linley, who was still stunned. "Since Linley's blood awakened you, you must already have noticed-this child was born with an extremely strong affinity for the elements, especially the earth element."
Doehring Cowart's gaze returned to Linley. A strand of earthy-yellow elemental power quietly emerged from his fingertip and circled Linley. Sure enough, those earth elements flocked toward Linley's body like birds returning to their nests, even entering his wound of their own accord to ease the pain. The surprise in the old man's eyes deepened. "Such astonishing elemental affinity-even greater than mine was back then!"
He fell silent for a moment, then looked at Hillman, his tone probing. "You seem to have known all along that I would appear?"
"Linley is the hope of the Baruch Clan. His talent should not be buried." Hillman smiled faintly and said frankly, "As a foremost master of earth magic, you are not only well versed in magical theory, but also created the 'Flat Blade' school of stone carving, using carving to temper the mind and character. You are precisely the mentor Linley needs most. If you take him as your disciple, you will surely help him embark on an unprecedented path to power."
Doehring Cowart stroked his beard, his gaze moving between Linley and Hillman. He could sense Hillman's sincerity, and even more clearly see the pure yearning for strength in Linley's eyes. As a Mage devoted to magic, how could he not wish to pass down everything he had learned throughout his life? Moreover, Linley's talent could truly be called something seen once in a thousand years.
By now, Linley had recovered from his shock, and youthful passion boiled in his chest. He recalled his helplessness during the Velociraptor incident and the path of the strong that Hillman had taught him. Looking again at the legendary Magus before him, he felt an intense desire to become his disciple.
"Lord Doehring Cowart!" Linley drew a deep breath and, enduring the pain in his arm, bowed solemnly to the apparition. "I, Linley, humbly ask you to accept me as your disciple and teach me earth magic!"
Doehring Cowart looked at the respectful boy before him, a gratified smile showing in his eyes, and raised an insubstantial hand to support him. "Good! I have been trapped within this ring for five thousand years, and today I have finally found a successor! From this day onward, I will teach you all the earth magic and stone carving art I have learned throughout my life!"
The earthy-yellow halo flickered, and Doehring Cowart's figure slowly merged into the Coiling Dragon Ring, leaving only his gentle voice sounding beside Linley's ear. "Tend to your wound first. Tomorrow morning, I will teach you to sense the elements and take your first step into magic."
Linley raised a hand to stroke the ring at his chest. Feeling the warmth and weight emanating from it, his eyes shone with excitement.
Hillman stepped forward and handed Linley a jar of healing ointment, his eyes filled with gratification. "Linley, devote yourself to studying under him. This is a crucial step on your path to the pinnacle of strength."
Sunlight bathed the training ground, and anticipation filled the boy's face. The Coiling Dragon Ring lay quietly against his chest, yet seemed to contain the power of the entire earth. No one knew what tremendous upheaval this encounter, brought about by blood, would unleash upon the Yulan Continent.
Before you continue