Finally, Level Eight

Time flowed like water, slipping quietly away.

In the year 9993 of the Yulan Calendar, Haoyue became a marquis of the Fenlai Kingdom and its first court mage, formally beginning his life among the powerful and influential of the Yulan Continent.

The marquis's residence was filled with visitors every day.

The great nobles of the Fenlai Kingdom came bearing gifts, eager to draw closer to this rising star. After all, a genius who had become a marquis and first court mage at eighteen had limitless prospects.

Haoyue turned no one away, receiving every visitor with due courtesy. But he was not blinded by all this false splendor.

He knew full well that the nobles were courting him not for who he was, but for his titles and potential. The moment he lost his value, they would be quicker than anyone to run.

So, aside from the necessary social engagements, he spent most of his time cultivating and studying magic incantations.

The copies of magic incantations the Fenlai Kingdom had given him were treasures. They included not only level seven, eight, and nine incantations, but even incomplete versions of several Saint-level spells.

"You couldn't buy treasures like these for any amount of money," Haoyue remarked as he leafed through them.

He devoted most of his energy to studying Fire and Earth Element magic. Although cultivating all three elements was powerful, dividing his attention also meant slower progress in each one.

Rather than advance in all three at once, he would first focus on mastering one or two, then consider improving across the board once he had grown stronger.

Haoyue chose the Fire and Earth Elements.

The Fire Element had the greatest offensive power, capable of burning the heavens and boiling the seas when cultivated to a profound level. The Earth Element excelled at defense, and combined with his Tiger-Striped Warrior transformation, it could make him invincible.

As for the Water Element... he would use it for support for now and come back to it when he had time.

The days passed.

In the autumn of the year 9993 of the Yulan Calendar, when Haoyue was nineteen, he received news that Linley's Flat Blade Style sculpting had reached a new realm.

"Flat Blade Style?" Haoyue was curious. "Linley broke through quickly thanks to the Flat Blade Style. I wonder if I can do the same?"

He decided to visit the Ernst Institute.

Linley was already eleven, and he had shot up in height, with a touch more composure in his expression. But when he saw Haoyue, he still broke into a boyish smile.

"Brother Haoyue!"

"I hear you're quite the sculptor," Haoyue said with a smile. "How about showing me?"

"Sure!"

Linley took Haoyue to his dormitory. The table was covered with sculptures of all kinds: some depicted lifelike people, while others showed animals that seemed ready to spring to life. Each piece had a distinctive charm.

"This..." Haoyue picked up a stone sculpture and examined it closely.

It was clearly just a stone sculpture carved on a whim, yet it gave him the strange feeling that something deep inside him had been touched.

"Grandpa Doehring said that's the essence of the Flat Blade Style," Linley said with a smile. "Feel with your heart, and express it with your blade."

"Grandpa Doehring?" Haoyue raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, he's a senior who teaches me sculpting," Linley explained. "He said I had good talent and was willing to take me as his disciple and teach me the techniques of Flat Blade Style sculpting."

Haoyue's heart stirred.

That was a Saint-level Mage! This was an opportunity that came once in a thousand years!

"Where is Senior Doehring?" he suddenly asked. "Linley, could you ask that senior to teach me too? I'm quite interested."

A flash of light appeared, and the translucent figure of a white-bearded old man floated out of Linley's ring.

"He's the Haoyue Bolei you've been talking about?" Doehring Cowart looked him up and down. "Hmm, a Level Seven Warrior and a Level Seven Mage... His talent really is good."

"Of course. Brother Haoyue is a genius. Why don't you take him as your disciple too, Grandpa Doehring?" Who communicated silently with Doehring Cowart in his mind.

"All right, all right, spare me that." Doehring Cowart waved a hand. "I may be a Saint-level Mage, but now I'm only a remnant soul. There isn't much I can do to help him."

"I know asking to learn right off the bat is putting him in a difficult position," Haoyue hurriedly said, seeing that Linley had been silent for a long time. "It's just that I heard there was a senior who lived a very long time ago, whose Flat Blade Style sculpting technique had reached an extraordinary level and was unmatched in the world. I saw that you had similar skills, and I admired them, so I'd really like to learn too."

Doehring Cowart raised an eyebrow. "Oh, word of my sculpting skills has actually survived? Does he really want to learn sculpting that badly?"

Then you asked Haoyue, "Brother Haoyue, do you really want to learn that badly?"

Haoyue nodded vigorously at once. "I couldn't ask for more."

"All right, then." Doehring Cowart nodded. "Flat Blade Style sculpting is about 'guiding the blade with the heart.' It requires an extremely high degree of control over spiritual energy. Long-term practice can improve spiritual energy. Yes, it would also greatly improve his strength, so I can teach him. That way, you'll have greater support in the future too."

"But-" His tone changed. "My Flat Blade Style isn't so easy to learn. Without enough artistic talent, you'll only reach the basics even if you practice your whole life."

Linley relayed his words.

Haoyue considered for a moment. "I'm willing to try."

Doehring Cowart glanced at him and suddenly smiled.

"Good, you've got courage. I'll teach you a few things and see just how talented you are."

From that day on, Haoyue began his life as a sculptor.

Doehring Cowart's teaching method was simple: spend two hours every day practicing the fundamentals with a carving knife and a stone. Once he could carve a perfect circle into a stone, he would have mastered the basics. (Linley passed the lessons on.)

"What's so hard about that?" Haoyue thought little of it at the time.

But reality dealt him a crushing blow.

A month later, his first "work"... could hardly be called a circle.

"Is he carving, or grinding stone into powder?" Doehring Cowart mocked him mercilessly, though Haoyue couldn't hear him.

There was nothing to be done about it. Artistic talent really was something you were born with. He had never been interested in literature or art growing up, and it was good enough if he could write neatly, let alone do fine carving.

"It's all right. Keep practicing," Doehring Cowart said. "What you lack in talent, make up for with diligence."

And so Haoyue began his long sculpting practice.

Each day, he cultivated Battle-qi and magic, then spent all his remaining time practicing the Flat Blade Style. One cut, two cuts, three cuts... The stones were hacked beyond recognition in his hands.

Linley would sometimes come to see him, and whenever he saw this, he couldn't help snickering.

"Brother Haoyue, that stone of yours looks like a dog's been chewing on it."

"Shut up." Haoyue glared at him. "I'm making progress."

"Progress?" Linley leaned in for a closer look. "Senior brother, what's the difference between this stone and the one from a month ago?"

"The difference is... this one's uglier."

The two looked at each other and burst out laughing.

And so, the days passed.

In the year 9994 of the Yulan Calendar, Haoyue had been practicing sculpting for a year.

One day, he suddenly realized that the circle he had carved finally looked like a proper circle.

"Linley, Linley!" Haoyue shouted excitedly. "I think... I've mastered the basics!"

Doehring Cowart floated over and took a look, then nodded. "That barely counts as mastering the basics. Looks like his talent really isn't much, but his perseverance is pretty good."

Although he had been mocked, he couldn't hear it, so he was still in a very good mood.

After mastering the basics, he finally experienced what made the Flat Blade Style so remarkable.

Every time he carved, he had to focus completely, channeling his spiritual energy into the carving knife. This method of cultivation trained his fine control over spiritual energy better than meditation alone.

"No wonder Linley's spiritual energy has improved so quickly," Haoyue said, suddenly understanding.

Although Linley hadn't been cultivating for long, his spiritual energy already surpassed that of most Level Four Mages. The Flat Blade Style had undoubtedly played a major part in that.

With the basics under his belt, Haoyue's sculpting skills began to improve steadily. Although he still couldn't compare to a monstrous talent like Linley, at least he no longer reduced stones to rubble.

In the year 9995 of the Yulan Calendar, when Haoyue was twenty-one, the day finally came.

Haoyue sat cross-legged in his cultivation room, sensing the changes in his spiritual energy.

After more than two years of Flat Blade Style practice and constant meditation, his spiritual energy had finally reached a critical point.

"Now!"

He guided his spiritual energy against the invisible barrier.

Once, twice, three times...

"Boom!"

It was as though something had broken through in his mind. An unprecedented sense of clarity surged through him.

Level eight!