The spring breeze had greened the poplar trees around the eastern clearing of Wushan Town. On the open ground, a group of boys were training fervently. A year and a half had passed since the last test of their Dragonblood Warrior lineage. Now, Linley was eight years old. Over this year and a half, Hilman had clearly noticed that Linley trained even more diligently!
"Excellent, Linley. Hold on, hold on!" Hilman encouraged from the side.
At this moment, Linley wore only trousers, his bare upper body glistening with sweat. His entire form was taut like a drawn bowstring as he maintained a push-up position. His hands, rooted like ancient tree trunks, pressed firmly against the ground. Motionless, he supported himself solely with his palms and the tips of his feet, every muscle in his body tensed to the limit.
Static tension training!
A simple yet effective exercise. If one could maintain this posture for an hour, their body would become impervious to ordinary blades.
*Drip!*
A bead of sweat slid from his forehead past the corner of his eye. Linley's right eye stung reflexively, forcing him to squint.
"Lei is amazing. Only eight years old, yet his static tension training rivals kids of thirteen or fourteen," whispered some boys who had already given up, watching Linley while exchanging remarks.
"Lei, keep it up! Fight for us, defeat those thirteen or fourteen-year-old big kids!" shouted the golden-haired Hadley nearby.
"Go, Lei!" The other children cheered in unison.Lin Lei had an excellent relationship with the other youths. Although considered a noble's descendant, he treated the commoners' children with great kindness, often assisting them in their training.
"Keep going, keep going," Lin Lei repeatedly urged himself inwardly.
His mind echoed with words his father had spoken a year prior: "Lin Lei, we belong to the Dragonblood Warrior family. As a member, you possess both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that even if your Dragonblood Warrior lineage isn't concentrated enough to fully awaken, your physique will still far surpass ordinary people. Others might struggle to reach the sixth rank as warriors through physical training alone, but for you, it will be comparatively easier."
"However, there is also a drawback. Those of the Dragonblood Warrior lineage cannot practice other combat energy manuals. The dragonblood within our veins is only compatible with the *Dragonblood Codex* and rejects all other energy cultivation methods. Yet the *Dragonblood Codex* can only be practiced by those whose dragonblood concentration meets a certain threshold. Thus, you cannot cultivate combat energy."
"Additionally, while it's theoretically possible for ordinary individuals to reach the sixth rank as warriors through pure physical training, such cases are exceedingly rare in reality. Our lineage is different. Even with diluted dragonblood, our foundation remains superior. Through physical training alone, we can attain the sixth rank. Your great-grandfather once reached the seventh rank as a warrior purely through bodily cultivation."Father's words, Linley remembered clearly.
Linley roared inwardly, *"The reason I'm stronger than others now is because of the Dragonblood Warrior lineage in my body. But I can't cultivate martial energy. I must work hard, harder! My great-grandfather could reach the level of a 7th-rank warrior through pure physical training. Then I… might become an 8th-rank warrior, or even a 9th-rank warrior. Nothing is impossible!"*
An 8th-rank warrior!
A 9th-rank warrior could already be considered the strongest expert in the Kingdom of Fenlay. If he became an 8th-rank warrior, even if he couldn't restore his family to its glory from five thousand years ago, he could still vastly improve their circumstances.
*"Persist!"* Linley clenched his teeth.
At this moment, his arms ached as if countless ants were gnawing at them. His entire body was trembling incessantly, every muscle fiber in every part of him quivering. The intensity of each tremor in his muscles felt startlingly distinct.
After a long time—
*Thud!*
Linley collapsed weakly onto the ground, utterly drained.
"So comfortable..." Pressed against the earth, his body fully relaxed, Linley could keenly sense a numbing, itching sensation spreading across his limbs. His muscles, after the grueling exercise, had begun their slow process of growth. This progress might seem negligible after one or two sessions, but over time, the advancements in his physique would become undeniable.
Beside him, Hillman nodded in approval.
He then turned his icy gaze toward the group of teenagers aged fourteen or fifteen and barked, "Hold on, all of you! Linley is only eight years old. You're nearly adults—don't let an eight-year-old child outdo you."After finishing his morning exercises, Linley parted ways with a group of good friends and returned as usual to the Baruch family mansion. At just eight years old, anyone unfamiliar with him would surely mistake him for an eleven- or twelve-year-old youth rather than a child. The descendants of the Baruch family were indeed different from ordinary people.
"Brother!" Warton, a lively little boy with a round face, rushed toward Linley the moment he saw him.
"Alright, Warton. I'm all sweaty. Let me wash up first." Linley pinched Warton's cheek and smiled.
Warton huffed, "I know. After washing up, you'll go to Father's lesson."
As a noble child, Linley's aristocratic education had to begin early. The Baruch family, an ancient lineage spanning over five thousand years, imposed even stricter educational standards than the great nobles of the kingdom.
"Alright, Warton. I'll play with you at noon," Linley said with a smile.
Warton was still a child, but Linley had grown far more mature.
After washing up and changing into clean clothes, Linley entered the parlor. There, his father, Hogg Baruch, sat rigidly upright beside the dining table. In front of Hogg lay three thick books.
"Father!" Linley bowed respectfully.
Hogg nodded coldly. Linley then stood nearby, maintaining a proper distance.
"Yesterday, I explained all the nations of the Yulan Continent to you. Recite them now," Hogg commanded sternly.
This was the true Hogg.
The rare moment when he had held Linley in the ancestral hall was an exception. Normally, Hogg's demands on Linley bordered on harshness. He pursued perfection in every detail, tolerating not the slightest mistake."Yes, Father." Lin Lei replied calmly.
"The entire Yulan Continent has three major dangerous regions: the first mountain range, the 'Mountain Range of Magical Beasts'; the second mountain range, the 'Sunset Mountains'; and the foremost forest, the 'Darkness Forest'. These three perilous areas each occupy vast territories. The Mountain Range of Magical Beasts nearly traverses the continent from north to south, stretching over ten thousand miles in length. Its interior contains countless magical beasts, including even Saint-domain magical beasts possessing world-destroying power. The entire continent's geopolitical structure has also been shaped by this Mountain Range of Magical Beasts."
"West of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts lie twelve kingdoms and thirty-two duchies. Among these numerous kingdoms and duchies west of the mountain range, they are primarily divided into two factions. One is the Holy Union led by the Kingdom of Fenlai, and the other is the Dark Alliance headed by the Kingdom of Heishi. The Holy Union and Dark Alliance, belonging to the 'Church of Light' and 'Church of Darkness' respectively, remain locked in constant warfare."
"East of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts exist four great empires, six kingdoms, and numerous duchies! These four empires are the most massive, remaining unaffected by the influence of either the Church of Light or Church of Darkness. In these four empires, imperial authority reigns supreme. Any single one of the four empires could rival the Holy Union in scale."
"The four empires are: the centrally located 'Yulan Empire', the southeastern 'Rhine Empire', the eastern 'Rowe Empire', and the northern 'O'Brien Empire'." After reciting all this in one breath, Lin Lei quietly exhaled in relief."Is that all?" Huo Ge's face turned cold.
Lin Lei immediately tried to continue, but Huo Ge cut him off sharply: "Let me ask you—how many kingdoms and how many dukedoms are there in our Sacred Alliance?"
"Our Sacred Alliance has six major kingdoms and ten, ten…" Lin Lei suddenly furrowed his brows.
Exactly how many dukedoms were within the Sacred Alliance? His memory grew fuzzy. Was it fifteen dukedoms? Or seventeen kingdoms? For a moment, Lin Lei couldn't be certain.
"Hmph."
Huo Ge's face darkened. He retrieved a willow branch from nearby, and Lin Lei obediently extended his right hand.
A muscle twitched near Huo Ge's eye as the willow branch in his hand whipped down with a sharp *crack*, striking Lin Lei's palm squarely. A bloody welt immediately appeared on Lin Lei's hand, but he gritted his teeth, enduring the pain without uttering a sound.
"Lin Lei, you must remember—we live within the Sacred Alliance now. You must know its structure inside and out!" Huo Ge glared coldly at his son. "The entire Yulan Continent is broadly divided into six major powers: four great empires and two alliances!"
Lin Lei nodded.
Though his father's explanation was brief, it clarified things plainly.
"The Sacred Alliance borders the 'O'Brien Empire' at its northern extreme. The Dark Alliance, meanwhile, borders the 'Yulan Empire' to the south. Under the leadership of the 'Church of Light,' the unity of our Sacred Alliance rivals even that of the four great empires."Lin Lei listened to his father's words, feeling deep agreement in his heart.
Yesterday he had also browsed through many books. Clearly, the Holy Union could be considered the 'artistic center' of the entire Yulan Continent. Simultaneously, the Holy Union's economy was comparable to that of the Yulan Empire, the continent's foremost economic power.
With the Church of Light backing it from behind,
the Holy Union was indeed extraordinarily powerful.
"Today, we shall study art." Hogg said coldly. "As nobility, one must attain mastery in art. Art cultivates a noble's inner temperament!" He then retrieved a book as thick as a fist from beside him and opened it.
"In Yulan Calendar year 3578, the great stone-carving master 'Pruex' was born in..."
While Hogg lectured sternly nearby, Lin Lei strove to memorize and comprehend, pushing himself to meet his father's exacting standards.