A blade clashed with a sword.
Jason was fighting Veronica in her transformed state.
It had been over ten days since Veronica completed her Dragonblood Warrior transformation, and she had been getting used to her rapidly increased strength.
Veronica looked dignified and graceful in her transformed state, with silver scales, pupils that glowed with a silvery light, two silver-white horns, and a pair of wings.
Having inherited the Silver Dragon's traits, Veronica was fast and had strong regenerative abilities. As for her wings, her body's structure limited her to flying at low altitudes. Silver Dragons were naturally skilled at magic, but Dragonblood Warriors could not inherit that advantage.
Unlike Linley in the original story, who already had extensive combat experience when he activated his bloodline, Veronica had grown up as a young lady and had never wielded a weapon-though, according to her, she had once used a chipped kitchen knife to defend herself.
Veronica would need at least another six months or more before she could truly wield the full strength of an ordinary Seventh-level Warrior.
As for the sword in her hand, the two of them had left the forest to buy it in a nearby town, along with some pots, bowls, and other utensils. They had also bought Veronica a set of clothes.
To avoid being discovered, the two had gone into town at night and taken everything they needed. Of course, they had left the money behind.
"What are we eating today?" Jason asked as they fought.
Fighting Veronica was easy. Although she was at the peak of the seventh level after transforming, combat was not something one could master in just over ten days.
"Windmane rabbit stew. We should use the wild ginseng we dug up yesterday, and roast a few pieces of root."
The two now ate one meal a day. They had to keep fires to a minimum in the valley to avoid attracting the griffins' attention. Given their strength, one meal a day was perfectly sufficient, though it had to be a large one.
The "roots" Veronica mentioned had been dug up nearby. They tasted like sweet potatoes, but neither of them knew the plant's name.
"Should we move a little closer to the center of the valley? This spot isn't much help to your training."
The two had not moved during this time and were still at the end farthest from the valley's center.
"It's all right. I'm in no hurry to advance in level. I care more about the insights I gain while training. Let's wait until you're used to fighting before we talk about it."
"Insights? Do you mean those 'Profound Mysteries' you mentioned?" Veronica had heard Jason talk about them before.
"That's right. With our aptitude, you and I will reach the peak of the ninth level sooner or later. To break through to the Saint-level, though, we'll have to comprehend 'Force' at the very least. It would be even better if we could comprehend a Profound Mystery." Jason nodded. "You don't just have an affinity for fire. I can sense that you have a talent for destruction, too, so make good use of your advantages."
To test for a talent for destruction, one either needed a precise instrument or had to comprehend the edict oneself before one could tell. Others with a talent for destruction could also sense it to some extent.
And since condensing one's soul required at least the spiritual power of a Saint Magus, a practitioner would probably die of old age before anyone could judge their talent for destruction by observing the shape of their soul.
Practitioners of the Profound Mysteries of the four edicts could all sense who had a talent for the same attribute. This was also the foundation for passing down the four edicts; otherwise, they would not even be able to find suitable students, and the three kinds of magic-life, death, and fate-would have been lost long ago.
As for how Bluefire judged Linley's talent in the original story by observing the shape of his soul as he became a god, that could not be replicated. The opportunity to become a god was unpredictable, so how could such a coincidence be arranged?
"The Baruch Clan's records only mentioned 'Wielding Something Heavy as Though It Were Light' and 'Force.' There was nothing about Profound Mysteries," Veronica said.
"That's normal, because Profound Mysteries depend on the individual. 'Wielding Something Heavy as Though It Were Light' and 'Force' can at least be described, giving warriors a direction to work toward. But with Profound Mysteries, you comprehend them when the opportunity comes; if it doesn't, no amount of reading records will help. The Dragonblood Warriors probably thought there was no need to learn about Profound Mysteries before reaching the Saint-level."
Wielding Something Heavy as Though It Were Light represented absolute control over one's body and weapon, while "Force" represented harmony with the laws of the world. Profound Mysteries, on the other hand, marked the true beginning of understanding and mastering those laws.
"Time to eat." Veronica divided the rabbit stew into two portions and added a few pieces of tuber.
Jason was preparing a Bloodthirsty War Boar. This kind of magical beast was fairly widespread in the valley, and it seemed the griffins were quite fond of hunting them.
After washing his hands, Jason picked up his bowl and chopsticks.
Veronica was a far better cook than Jason, which pleased him greatly. He no longer had to eat food grilled on a stone slab every day.
"A few days ago, you said one of your undead was a fifth-level skeleton with excellent swordsmanship. If you could have him spar with me, you'd have time to train on your own." Veronica knew Jason had already spent a great deal of time sparring with her.
Without transforming, Veronica was a Fifth-level Warrior.
Jason nodded, thinking it was a good plan. "Sure. As it happens, I haven't summoned my undead since breaking through to the sixth level, especially Lumba. I should be able to summon him now."
Lumba was currently at the high stage of the sixth level, still a long way from the seventh. Jason should have enough spiritual power to summon another fifth-level undead after summoning Lumba.
"I should also find some time to expand my undead army again."
They were still relatively far from the valley's core, so Jason decided to spend some time strengthening the undead under his command first. Once they ventured deeper into the valley, he probably would not have another chance. After all, the Power of Death was very conspicuous when Jason practiced Necromancy now, and it would be bad if the Level Nine Magical Beasts in the valley sensed it.
Jason summoned several undead to help dig the mountaintop cave a little deeper. Then he summoned the dual-sword skeleton to spar with Veronica while he entered the cave and immersed himself in the Power of Death surrounding him.
A little over a hundred meters from where Jason and Veronica were living, a black-furred, red-eyed cat was watching the two humans.
The Moonshadow Flame Cat was a dark-attribute magical beast of the eighth to ninth level. It was considered powerful among feline magical beasts, but amounted to very little in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts as a whole.
The Moonshadow Flame Cat had originally been a mutated variety of the Moonshadow Cat before eventually becoming a distinct, stable species of magical beast.
As adults, they were generally at the eighth or ninth level. Because their bodies were not particularly strong, they were at a disadvantage compared with other Level Nine Magical Beasts even if they broke through to the ninth level. Their only advantages were their dual dark and fire attributes, their relatively powerful magic, and their ability to conceal themselves and launch sneak attacks.
"Mist Valley"-Jason had ultimately given the place that name because he really did not want to spend time thinking of another.
The dark-attribute elemental essence was most concentrated here, naturally attracting the attention of many dark-attribute magical beasts, including this Moonshadow Flame Cat.
Unfortunately, the flock of griffins was too powerful. Many magical beasts might have dared to challenge a lone ninth-level griffin, but when faced with the exceptionally united flock, most magical beasts apart from those at the Saint-level dared not confront them.
The Moonshadow Flame Cat watched Veronica fighting the skeleton, its face full of confusion.
It had more than three hundred years of experience and had seen undead before. The Netherworld Cat, a feline magical beast, was a Saint-level magical beast with an undead attribute, and it had been fortunate enough to see one once.
As for this "humanoid monster" that could change between human and magical beast, it had never seen one before. Veronica was at the fifth level without transforming, but she was no match at all for the dual-sword skeleton, which was also at the fifth level. She could only partially transform into a dragon and fight it with strength at the peak of the sixth level.
But what had really attracted it was the aroma of the rabbit stew Veronica had just made.
The Moonshadow Flame Cat liked human-cooked food, which was also why a ninth-level magical beast like it stayed in the middle region of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts. It often chased away adventurers who were halfway through cooking and ate their food, and sometimes it traveled farther to feast in human towns.
Since coming to Mist Valley, the Moonshadow Flame Cat had gone more than a year without eating human food.