Linley and Monica arrived home in the afternoon, and Monica didn't bring Wharton back until evening.
Linley had already learned about Wharton's Dragon Transformation through Bebe's soul connection, and took him to change his clothes.
Dinner was sumptuous, but none of the people at the table knew what to say. Even with his excellent aristocratic education, Hogg had never hosted Saint-level before, so he was inevitably nervous.
"Ms. Monica, Bebe says you want to teach Wharton magic." Linley, being more familiar with Monica and being an impatient child, asked first.
Monica pointed in Linley's direction.
"Ouch." Linley seemed to have been flicked on the forehead.
"You know my ability to detect things, I heard everything you said."
Hogg was stunned for a moment, then broke out in a cold sweat. His knowledge of the Saint-level was limited to some information about his family!
Monica glanced at Hiri, who was standing beside her.
Hiri wisely left, taking Hillman, who was waiting outside, with her.
"Teaching Wharton is no problem, but I suggest he learn magic first."
"This—" Hogg and Linley exchanged glances, their eyes filled with hesitation.
"Let me finish." Monica flicked Linley's forehead again from a distance, and he winced and covered his head in pain. Incidentally, Monica cast a light blue Wind Element shield around the dining table, isolating the surrounding sound.
"First of all, Dragonblood Warrior possess extremely high aptitude; as long as they don't perish prematurely, breaking through to the Saint-level is inevitable. Furthermore, for Saint-level members, learning some magic and having a strong affinity for magic greatly helps in enhancing their strength after breaking Saint-level. This isn't just my opinion, but a consensus among all Saint-level members!"
Linley and Hogg looked at Wharton, Wharton looked completely bewildered.
Monica continued, "The reason I'm having Wharton learn magic now is because his situation is rather special. If he doesn't learn now, his aptitude might decline later."
"My father's travel notes record that some people are born with pure souls. These people have a high degree of ' Soul Plasticity,' and if they receive proper early training, there is a high probability that they can acquire talent in cultivating the Four Edicts!"
"The Four Edicts differ from the Seven Elements. There are two ways to acquire these four talents: one is through bloodline or external stimulation during the embryonic stage of soul development, thus gaining a talent related to a certain rule innately; the other is through later influences, resulting in the soul being reshaped and acquiring a talent related to a certain rule."
"The former is uncontrollable and rare, so testing it isn't too difficult; many major powers have relevant testing methods. The latter is more common but difficult to control. For example, after death, living beings transform into undead in the Netherworld. Long-term exposure to the Power of Death will cause their souls to tend towards the Edicts of Death, giving them an additional talent in the Edicts of Death; the elves love nature and live in forests full of life, so they have a high probability of possessing a talent in the Life Law; those who have experienced a lot of battles and killings will have their souls altered by the Edicts of Destruction, which is why they are more likely to comprehend the Edicts of Destruction during battles and killings."
"However, the level of one's acquired talent in the Four Edicts is not only related to the length of time spent in contact with them, but also limited by the ' Soul Plasticity.' The purer the soul, the greater its malleability, and the more the soul will be molded to adapt to the corresponding rule after exposure to the four rules."
Monica pinched Wharton's cheek beside her. "Wharton's soul is very pure. I sensed it, and his soul's purity should be sufficient to adapt to both rules, and he possesses high talent in both. However, this ' Soul Plasticity ' is time-limited. As his experience grows, his soul will become less pure, and his Soul Plasticity will decrease sharply."
As she spoke, Monica untied her "belt," at which point Linley realized it was actually a vine.
"My father's notes recorded methods for learning Life Magic. Over the years, I've tried to get closer to life, and even learned the Life Magic, all in the hope that my soul could adapt to the Life Law. Unfortunately, my Soul Plasticity, and so far I don't even have a basic life talent." Monica wrapped the vines back around her waist.
"Therefore, we should try not to waste Wharton's potential. For Dragonblood Warrior, the Saint-level is not the end; he needs more room for development."
Wharton and Bebe still didn't quite understand, while Hogg and Linley looked shocked.
Linley subconsciously communicated with Doehring Cowart's spirit.
Doehring Cowart paused for a moment before saying, "I haven't learned about the Four Edicts, but rule talents are indeed very precious to the Saint-level. Fate Magic, Necromancy, and Fate Law are known as ' Higher Magic,' and their power far surpasses that of the Seven Elemental Magic of the same level! Saint-level that cultivate the Edicts of Destruction are renowned for their powerful offensive capabilities! The ' Profound Mysteries ' I mentioned before is a hard standard for judging the strength of Saint-level, and having elemental affinity or talents in the Four Edicts greatly helps in comprehending the Profound Mysteries."
Linley nodded to Hogg, who was unsure of what to do.
Hogg seemed to have made up his mind upon seeing this. "Lady Monica, what are your plans for Wharton's magical training?"
"Wharton's Soul Plasticity, capable of being modified by two rules. The Edicts of Destruction requires a lot of fighting and killing, which is unsuitable for Wharton is still young; the Fate Law is unique to the Radiant Church, which I cannot obtain; as for the cultivation method of Life Magic, I have it here; Necromancy is mainly controlled by the Rhine Empire's royal family, and I am a distant relative of the Rhine Clan."
Monica took a deep breath. "I want to take Wharton to the Rhine Empire, where he can learn Necromancy and Life Magic, and ensure his safety."
Linley was taken aback. He wanted Wharton to become Monica's apprentice because he didn't want to be separated from his brother. He didn't expect Monica to want to take Wharton directly to the Rhine Empire.
This time, Hogg spoke first, "Your Excellency Monica! Our Baruch Clan has maintained friendly relations with the Radiant Church for generations, and has resided in the Fenlai Kingdom for over four thousand years! Our family has no desire to leave our homeland."
Hogg's words were tactful; he did not want Wharton to pledge allegiance to the Rhine Empire.
Monica shook her head. "That's probably not up to you."
Linley thought Monica was trying to forcibly take Wharton away, "Monica, Wharton and I can become your students, and we will be devoted to you for life!"
"That's not what I meant— the Radiant Church might kill Wharton!"
This time, not only Hogg and Linley, but also Wharton and Bebe opened their eyes wide.
"Your strength is too weak, and I do not have the absolute power to protect you, so I cannot say too much."
The Four Ultimate Warrior Clans did not decline in the initial period after the Saint-level collectively went to the Infernal Realm; some even had members who had activated their bloodlines but had not yet ascended to the Saint-level. However, they were all jointly wiped out by the two major churches, and for a thousand years they have continued to hinder your chance to awaken your bloodlines. Most importantly, besides the two major churches, there is another very powerful figure, whom I suspect is a Deity-level being hostile to you!
"How is that possible!" Hogg and Linley exclaimed in unison!
Monica said, "Think about it, why has your Baruch Clan remained a single lineage for over a thousand years! There are clearly many cases of full siblings in your family tree."
Monica had previously read Linley's "Dragonblood Secret Manual," which contained a simple family tree. Although the Baruch Clan had a low birth rate, there were still a few cases of families having two or three children, but they either died prematurely or disappeared without a trace!
Finally, without waiting for Linley and Hogg to object, Monica spoke directly.
"Whether you believe me or not, the Baruch Clan has only produced one Dragonblood Warrior who has awakened on his own in thousands of years, and I must protect him," Monica said solemnly. "Tomorrow I will take Wharton to the Rhine Empire, and you can claim that Wharton died in an accident. The Radiant Church should be paying attention to your Baruch Clan. I cannot help you awaken your bloodline, so you can only pretend that nothing happened."
Finally, Monica stood up. "You and your family should say a proper goodbye tonight. I'm going to find the body of a stillborn child; hopefully, that will fool the spies from the Radiant Church."
Under the watchful eyes of the three people and the mouse, Monica's figure flew out of the living room at an almost imperceptible speed.
I had the idea of using Soul Plasticity to explain the Four Edicts talents, but I've only now had the opportunity to write it down.