The Silver Dragon's Promise

The sun rose in the east, and gray mist seemed to roll ceaselessly. Beside a massive lake a hundred meters across, a waterfall over ten meters wide plunged straight down.

Just then, two black specks slid straight down from above and landed on a huge greenish boulder at the bottom of the valley.

"Cough! Cough! Cough!"

Luo Feng finally woke up. He clutched his chest with his left hand and slowly pushed himself up with his right, coughing up water all the while. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious.

Then something occurred to Luo Feng. Seeing the shrunken silver dragon beside him, he couldn't help remarking, "I took such a huge loss for your sake this time, you fellow. I bet that Warrior of the Ninth Rank and ninth-rank magus are blocking the exit from the Magical Beast Forest by now, too. Honestly..."

Swaying unsteadily, Luo Feng looked at his injuries and shook his head. He had really been hurt too badly this time. Fortunately, he had been lucky enough to escape with his life. He then sat down cross-legged and slowly circulated the battle qi in his body, which had long since been exhausted.

As he breathed in and out, streams of free energy from heaven and earth converged like countless rivers flowing into the sea, frantically seeping into Luo Feng's body through the pores of his delicate skin. In the blink of an eye, they burst forth inside him, turning into currents of pure, lively battle qi that warmed his bones, cleansed his meridians, and tempered his muscles...

Five days later.

Luo Feng opened his eyes and abruptly scrambled to his feet.

Lin Luo Feng was completely naked. His clothes had already been torn to shreds in the fight with the Warrior of the Ninth Rank, and after being soaked in the lake, they were no longer fit to wear. Luo Feng had simply torn them off. This was the Magical Beast Forest, after all, and he didn't even know where he was. How could he spare a thought for clothes?

In five days, Luo Feng had completely recovered from his injuries. In fact, his only injury had come from the Warrior of the Ninth Rank's final punch, which had fractured some of his bones. Fortunately, his battle qi had slowly repaired the fractures, and after five days, his injuries had mostly healed.

Seeing that the shrunken silver dragon still hadn't woken up, Luo Feng went over, hoisted him onto his back, and headed into the forest.

Two months later.

"Ha, silver dragon, how about that? I'm already a mid-stage Seventh-level Warrior. Take my punch!" A loud laugh rang out through the forest.

The silver dragon, at a loss, lashed out with a wing.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Luo Feng was sent flying once again.

"You fellow, how did you recover in two months after suffering such serious injuries, without your strength being affected in the slightest?" Luo Feng asked helplessly.

But Luo Feng also knew that the silver dragon was a ninth-rank Light Element magical beast, and Light Element magic was the best healing magic. Two months was enough time for the silver dragon to recover.

A hint of mockery showed in the silver dragon's enormous eyes. Just think about it. I'm a ninth-rank Light Element magical beast, a member of the great dragon race, and you think a Seventh-level Warrior can hurt me? You've got quite the imagination, kid. Still, the silver dragon really was surprised by Luo Feng's progress, though the proud dragon race would never admit it.

The central region of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts saw few human visitors all year round. Magical beasts of the seventh through ninth ranks appeared here from time to time, and perhaps only ninth-rank experts had the courage to cross the range. This time, however, Luo Feng had come to the central region and continued north along the range's central axis. Even an ordinary ninth-rank expert probably wouldn't be crazy enough to attempt such a feat.

Luo Feng wore only a pair of tattered linen trousers and went barefoot. Naturally, he had stripped the trousers from a dead mercenary in the Magical Beast Forest. Who would want to walk around naked?

He walked over the thick layer of fallen leaves, his expression calm. The silver dragon circled overhead in boredom. Having returned to his original size, the silver dragon was no joke. His aura alone was enough to keep the high-rank magical beasts nearby from daring to approach Luo Feng.

Although he was traveling close to the central region, Luo Feng still made a point of avoiding places where not a single magical beast could be seen for dozens of miles. If there wasn't a single magical beast for dozens of miles so close to the central region, it was quite likely to be the territory of a Saint-level magical beast. Though Luo Feng was confident and had the silver dragon by his side, he still didn't want to provoke a Saint-level magical beast-or rather, he didn't dare.

Cutting his way through the wilderness, Luo Feng wasn't making rapid progress. He had originally come to the Magical Beast Forest to train and break through to become a Seventh-level Warrior. Now that he had reached the seventh rank, he still hadn't left. For one thing, he had applied to the academy for three years of training, so he had plenty of time. For another, he had a new task.

He had to become a Warrior of the Ninth Rank as soon as possible. Only then would the silver dragon, Wa'ersi, agree to acknowledge Luo Feng as his master and sign a contract with him. Of course, Luo Feng had wanted to sign the contract immediately, but Wa'ersi had been adamant. As a member of the noble dragon race, he would never allow his master to be too weak. Anyone who wanted to contract him had to be at least a Warrior of the Ninth Rank.

Chopping, slashing, sweeping, thrusting-Luo Feng practiced all manner of basic movements with the greatsword he had picked up beside a dead mercenary. Luo Feng was very practical. He never studied flashy ways of fighting, instead practicing the basics over and over. On the path of cultivation, one must never aim too high and neglect the fundamentals.

He had learned combat techniques when he was a Warrior of the Sixth Rank and had developed techniques of his own, but even now, Luo Feng still hadn't comprehended Wielding Something Heavy as Though It Were Light. He found that frustrating. In the original story, Barker and his four brothers, those simple-minded fellows, had begun learning Wielding Something Heavy as Though It Were Light when they first met Linley, and in just a few years, most of the brothers had mastered it. Luo Feng had begun training at Philipzi Warrior Academy when he was eleven.

Now, after five or six years, he was still only at the combat-technique stage. How could he not be frustrated? What Luo Feng didn't know was that Barker and his brothers had spent years fighting in the Chaotic Territory, taking part in wars large and small without pause. Under those circumstances, they had long since honed their combat techniques to perfection and had a deep understanding of Wielding Something Heavy as Though It Were Light, which was why they had mastered it in such a short time.

Luo Feng, on the other hand, had wanted to master Wielding Something Heavy as Though It Were Light after only five years at most. That really was a bit of wishful thinking.

Fortunately, Luo Feng had never been one to complain. He was proud but not conceited. A warrior had to have a warrior's pride, but could not be conceited.

Since he couldn't measure up to others, he would put in hundreds or thousands of times the effort to catch up and surpass them. Luo Feng had never given up on the path to becoming a powerhouse. He firmly believed that he would one day create a glorious chapter of his own. For now, he was merely building himself up, waiting for the day he would bloom. Luo Feng believed that day was not far off.