Third-Level Mage

Morning light streamed through the wooden window of the Ernst Institute dormitory, falling on the warrior training post in the courtyard.

The sturdy solid-wood post was hard and thick, intended specifically for warriors below the fourth level to hone their punches and kicks. It was one of the training tools most commonly used by low-level warriors.

Haoyue stood before the post and loosened his wrists.

Yesterday, he had successfully broken through to become a Level Three Warrior and unlocked his second Hex talent, [From Mind to Matter].

According to the system's conversion, his health and physique had firmly reached the threshold of a Level Six Warrior.

Now, he was full of anticipation.

He slowly gathered his strength, then suddenly drove his right fist forward.

Bang!

A muffled impact rang out.

The upright post stood firm, not budging an inch.

Haoyue raised an eyebrow. Without pausing, he smashed another punch into it.

"Huh?"

How could this be?

The air fell silent for a moment.

Haoyue looked down at his fist, then back at the post. It was intact, with only a slight dent in its surface. His face filled with confusion.

Something's wrong.

Every cultivator knew that this post couldn't withstand blows from a Level Five or Level Six Warrior.

He had the vitality and physique of a Level Six Warrior, so how had he failed to break even a wooden post after two punches?

He suppressed the strange feeling and stopped holding back. His fists whistled through the air as he struck the same spot on the post more than a dozen times in succession.

His punches cut through the air in the dormitory courtyard, each one fierce and powerful.

Crack-

After a while, a faint cracking sound rang out.

The solid post broke in two and fell heavily to the ground.

But Haoyue's expression gradually darkened.

The more he punched, the colder his heart grew.

He could clearly sense that his strength, speed, and the destructive power of his punches were no different from before he had broken through to become a Level Three Warrior and unlocked his Hex talent.

The only change was in his body's endurance.

Before, punching with all his strength would leave his arm numb from the impact, and striking something hard would cause distinct pain.

Now, he felt nothing.

"So it only increases my health, not my strength?"

Haoyue muttered to himself, instantly grasping the crucial issue.

The so-called physique of a Level Six Warrior meant his health and ability to take a beating had reached Level Six, not that his attack power and explosive strength had risen along with them.

It was like having a layer of thick, sturdy heavy armor appear out of nowhere, impervious to blades and spears. The armor offered superb defense, but did nothing to boost his attack power.

In his current state, he was a pure tank, through and through.

He had thick skin and plenty of health, and could take a beating, but his ability to dish one out was still at the level of a Level Three Warrior.

He felt like crying, but had no tears.

He raised a hand and punched his firm abdomen, neither too hard nor too gently.

He felt no pain, and his body remained as steady as a rock.

Haoyue fell silent for a moment, then forced himself to take comfort.

"Oh well."

"Being impossible to kill is the greatest advantage in itself."

"Those at my level can't hurt me, and I can withstand attacks from those above me. Being a pure tank isn't necessarily a disadvantage."

He gradually calmed himself, accepted the special mechanics of [From Mind to Matter], and turned back toward the dormitory.

Time flew, and a week passed in the blink of an eye.

Late at night.

The student dormitories of the Ernst Institute were silent.

The three boys who shared his room had long since fallen asleep, their snores rising and falling.

Kaluo was sprawled on his back, snoring the loudest.

Lei'en lay half on his side, still mumbling cultivation terms in his sleep.

Luo'en's sleeping posture was the most exaggerated of all. His limbs were spread wide, and drool ran from the corner of his mouth, nearly soaking his pillowcase.

Dim moonlight filtered through the window lattice and fell on Haoyue, who sat cross-legged on his bed.

His eyes were closed in concentration as he immersed himself in his daily meditation.

Within his sea of consciousness, his crystal-clear spiritual power core slowly rotated, giving off a gentle glow that steadily nourished his soul.

Day after day, he had never stopped meditating on his three elements of magic.

Just then-

Buzz!

A faint yet exceptionally clear tremor suddenly burst forth from the depths of his sea of consciousness!

Haoyue's consciousness jolted, and his entire body instantly tensed.

He could clearly sense that the bottleneck that had long restrained his spiritual power had shattered!

His previously steady spiritual power surged like a flood through opened gates, expanding, sweeping forward, and growing stronger!

"I broke through! Third-level spiritual power!"

Wild joy instantly welled up in his heart.

The moment his spiritual power advanced, the three elements of magic power dormant within him were completely ignited as well.

Three entirely different magical energies-water, fire, and earth-boiled and churned at once, surging freely through his meridians.

The perpetual recovery effect of Dragonheart activated at full strength, pouring a steady stream of energy into his body every second and further accelerating the growth of his magic power.

Auras of three colors quietly gathered around Haoyue.

Clear blue, fiery red, and deep earthy brown intertwined and flowed without end, especially brilliant in the still of the night.

His Water Element, Fire Element, and Earth Element magic all advanced to the third level together, carried along by his spiritual power breakthrough!

The entire transformation lasted a full half hour.

After half an hour, all the restless energy settled down.

Haoyue slowly opened his eyes. The sharp gleam in them faded, and his bearing was entirely renewed.

He had thoroughly understood the core mechanics of [From Mind to Matter].

The health this talent granted him.

Its conversion of 50% of his total energy into health was founded on the combined total of his five core energies.

Spiritual power, battle qi, Water Element magic power, Fire Element magic power, and Earth Element magic power.

Every time one of these five energies rose in level and increased in quantity, his body's health and defensive physique would surge once more!

With his spiritual power and three elements of magic breaking through to the third level together, his total energy had just doubled.

With a thought, Haoyue directly brought up his personal system panel.

[Hextech System]

Host: Haoyue Bolei

Age: 10

Warrior level: Level 3 warrior (beginner)

Mage level: Level 3 mage (beginner)

Spiritual power: Level 3

Battle qi: Level 3

Health: Level 6 warrior standard

Activated Hex talents:

[Dragonheart] (prismatic · passive)

Water Dragon Soul: Energy recovery +5%/second, health recovery +5%, water element affinity +500%

Fire Dragon Soul: Magic damage +50%, fire element affinity +500%, 30% chance to trigger 50% additional critical damage

Mountain Dragon Soul: Physical defense +50%, earth element affinity +500%, generates a perpetual shield equal to 20% of maximum health

[From Mind to Matter] (silver · passive)

Passive boost: Gain additional health equal to 50% of total energy

After reading the panel, Haoyue silently drew a sharp breath.

A week ago, his health had barely reached the peak of a Level Five Warrior.

Now that all five of his energies had advanced, his physique was firmly at the level of a Level Six Warrior!

But with that came a perfectly clear understanding of himself.

His explosive power in close combat and the strength of his punches and kicks remained at the standard level of a Level Three Warrior.

In a head-on fight, he could at most overwhelm a third-level magical beast. Against a fourth-level magical beast, he would have difficulty breaking through its defenses in close combat.

But he had three elements of magic for ranged attacks, a Level Six Warrior's body to fall back on, and battle qi as well.

He was, by all appearances, a tank-built mage.

That was the most accurate description of his role at this stage.

Having thought it all through, Haoyue finally let a confident smile lift the corners of his mouth, which had been tense for days.

"This is fine too."

"There are strong people who can kill everywhere."

"Only the unkillable are truly impossible to deal with."

As his mind relaxed, the fatigue of days of arduous cultivation washed over him.

Haoyue closed his eyes to rest and slowly drifted off to sleep.

A vast blizzard suddenly entered his dream.

The world was a sea of white, and a bitter, piercing wind swept across the land.

On the desolate snowfield, everything was still and lifeless. Only the wind and snow howled.

A figure of flawless white walked slowly out of the depths of the blizzard.

It was a fierce tiger, snow-white from head to tail, its fur pure and without a trace of another color. At the center of its forehead, a brilliant golden "Wang" marking shone brightly.

Its golden vertical pupils were cold and sharp, carrying an endless aura of antiquity, vastness, and nobility.

The white tiger walked step by step to Haoyue and quietly stopped.

Its deep, vertical pupils watched him in silence.

A moment later, the noble white tiger lowered its head slightly and gently nudged Haoyue's chest with its warm nose.

In an instant.

A wondrous resonance swept through his entire body.

Haoyue's heartbeat fell perfectly in sync with the white tiger's.

Blood surged and boiled wildly in his chest, and from deep within his veins came the faint, low, distant sound of a tiger's roar.

The ancient bloodline belonging to the Tiger-Striped Warrior was fully stirred and awakened.

After a long while, the white tiger turned and stepped back into the vast blizzard.

Just as its figure was about to disappear entirely into the snowfield, it suddenly looked back and gave Haoyue a long, deep look.

That look seemed to span a thousand years, carrying the inheritance and deep-seated determination of an entire clan.

"Hah-"

Haoyue jerked awake, gasping for breath.

His body was covered in fine beads of cold sweat, and his heart pounded so violently that his chest felt slightly numb.

He sat upright and instinctively raised a hand to his chest.

Beneath his palm, his skin was faintly hot. A violent, ancient bloodline power was slowly awakening and flowing through his limbs and bones.

The Tiger-Striped Bloodline.

It was growing clearer and more intense.

Haoyue looked up and gazed out the window.

The deep darkness of night receded, and a faint pale light quietly appeared along the edge of the sky.