Doehring Cowart

Biodata

Power Progression

Doehring’s documented changes concern his soul’s awakening and recovery, rather than advancement to a higher cultivation rank.

Background / History

Pouant Empire and Dormancy

Doehring was a Saint-level Magus of the Pouant Empire. After being ambushed by two Saint-level experts, he sealed his soul inside the Coiling Dragon Ring and slept for more than five thousand years. By the time he awakened, his empire had vanished and everyone he had known was gone 4 5.

Awakening in Wushan Town

During the battle between Rudy and Tyrone, Linley suffered a head wound while protecting Wharton. His blood stained the Coiling Dragon Ring and completed its blood contract, awakening Doehring that night 4.

Wharton was the first brother to speak with him. Doehring identified Linley as the ring’s master and promised to teach him magic, but refused to wake the injured boy merely to introduce himself. He formally met Linley the following day 4 5.

Teaching the Baruch Brothers

Doehring tested both brothers’ elemental affinity and spiritual power, then accepted them as students. He could personally instruct Linley in earth magic, but Wharton’s fire affinity restricted their lessons to meditation and general magical theory 5.

He required secrecy, continued physical training and ordinary studies, and nightly lessons. Linley was initially limited to meditation while recovering; Wharton was forbidden to learn specific spells before age six because Doehring warned that premature exposure could damage his developing meridians 5.

Doehring also helped Linley befriend Bebe, encouraged him to seek a broader education, and accompanied him to Fenlai City. After Linley entered Ernst Institute, Doehring emphasized that its library, laboratories, and instructors were worth more than competing academies’ financial offers 6 7 8.

Departure and Later Guidance

Before leaving with Linley for Ernst Institute, Doehring transferred a framework of magical knowledge into Wharton’s mind. Most of it was sealed to unlock as Wharton grew stronger. He advised Wharton to prioritize basic warrior training until his bloodline concentration could be tested at six 10.

Later, at Linley’s mansion in Fenlai City, Doehring detected a concealed observer outside the northwest wall. He estimated the stranger to be at least a seventh-level warrior and noticed something familiar about his aura. The visitor proved to be Wharton, whom Doehring greeted after the brothers reunited 17.

Appearance

Doehring manifests as an elderly, white-bearded phantom with a kindly face and wise-looking eyes 4.

• Robes: Initially described as pale, moon-white; his robe is described as blue before Linley’s departure 4 5 10.
• Intangible form: Floats in the air, with moonlight passing through his body 5.
• Signs of recovery: His phantom becomes more solid as Linley’s magical power repairs his soul 10.

Personality

Doehring is affectionate toward his students but firm about their safety. He prioritizes Linley’s recovery over immediate spell practice and adapts Wharton’s training to his age and physical development 4 5 9.

He values perseverance, education, and restraint. His advice includes keeping exceptional talent hidden until one can defend oneself, maintaining a warrior’s foundation, and treating a contracted magical beast as a partner rather than a servant 5 7.

He readily acknowledges the limits of his expertise. Rather than risk misleading Wharton about fire magic, he offers transferable knowledge and recommends finding a suitable teacher. Teaching gives him a renewed purpose after awakening to a world without his former empire or acquaintances 5 10.

Abilities & Skills

Earth Magic and Magical Instruction

Doehring is an earth-element Saint Magus who teaches Linley earth magic and both brothers the foundations of magical cultivation 5.

• Explains meditation through three steps: sensing elements, guiding them into the body, and refining them into magical power 5.
• Teaches that spellcasting requires both sufficient magical power and knowledge of spell models 5.
• Cannot provide specialized fire-magic instruction; recommends another teacher or a magic academy for Wharton 5 10.

Spiritual Perception and Communication

As a soul residing in the ring, Doehring can communicate directly through spiritual power and perceive nearby auras 4 5 17.

• Hears Linley when called mentally and answers directly in his mind 5.
• Detects Wharton despite his concealed aura and estimates his minimum warrior rank 17.
• Cannot move more than three meters from the Coiling Dragon Ring 5.
• Explains that Linley can see him as the ring’s owner, while Wharton can see him through his blood connection to Linley; Hogg cannot see him 5.

Talent Assessment and Training Design

Doehring uses guided meditation to assess elemental affinity and can roughly estimate spiritual power 5.

• Initially estimates Linley’s spiritual power at least ten times that of his peers and Wharton’s at about eight times 5.
• Acknowledges that his measurements are approximate rather than precise 5.
• Adjusts Wharton’s physical training upward by thirty percent, with a week of observation before further increases 9.

Knowledge Transfer

Doehring can place structured knowledge directly into another person’s mind through a point of light entering the forehead 10.

• Gives Wharton a framework covering elemental affinity, spiritual-power growth, magical-power compression and purification, and milestones from the first level through Saint level 10.
• Seals advanced material so that it unlocks gradually with Wharton’s strength 10.
• Provides a theoretical foundation rather than specific incantations or advanced meditation techniques 10.

Magical-Beast Knowledge

Doehring identifies Bebe as a young Shadowmouse and explains its potential based on its speed and coloration 6.

• Recommends patient feeding and companionship instead of attempting forcible taming 6.
• Explains that an Equal Contract must be initiated voluntarily by the magical beast and can be formed only once in its lifetime 6 7.

Associated Items

• Coiling Dragon Ring — His soul’s refuge during five thousand years of dormancy and his residence after awakening. Linley becomes its master through a blood contract; Doehring remains confined to its immediate vicinity 4 5.

Relationships

• Linley Baruch — Student and master of the ring housing his soul. Doehring accompanies him beyond Wushan Town and continues teaching him earth magic alongside his academy education 4 5 6 10.
• Wharton Baruch — Student in meditation and general magical theory. Doehring admires his precocity and perseverance, supports his dual training, and leaves him a sealed body of theoretical knowledge 5 9 10.
• Bebe — Helps Linley earn his trust and stresses that their Equal Contract makes them partners with equal standing 6 7.

Notable Quotes

“He isn't your servant; he's your partner.” 7

“You must walk the road yourself, but at least you'll know where the signposts are.” 10

“The greatest power isn't talent. It's knowing what you want and being willing to pay the price for it.” 10