nyslfriends Chapter 13 Preparation for Trials
Chapter 13 Preparation for Trials
After a night of consolidation, Lin Tian fully absorbed the spiritual energy from his breakthrough and steadily stepped into the sixth level. Suppressing the surging joy in his heart, Lin Tian packed his bags early and set off for Lauen's private manor to inform his mentor of his successful breakthrough as soon as possible.
"Well done, Lin Tian." Lauen spoke slowly, his tone full of praise. "A level six mage is the result of your hard work and perseverance day and night. It is enough to prove your talent and willpower."
Lin Tian bowed slightly and said, "Without your careful guidance and patient teaching, I would not have been able to make steady progress. I am grateful to you, teacher."
After a brief moment of praise, Laun's expression gradually turned serious. He put away his gentle smile and said bluntly, "You must not be complacent because of this. A level six mage is ultimately only a mid-level mage. On the path of magical cultivation, you have only just gained a foothold. Only by breaking through to level seven and entering the realm of advanced mages can you truly cross the key threshold of cultivation and step into a completely new stage of training."
With a solemn expression, Laun meticulously explained the cultivation barrier to the seventh level: "The advancement from the sixth to the seventh level is the most important watershed in a mage's life, completely different from all previous breakthroughs. Advancing from the fifth to the sixth level is merely an accumulation of magical power, but breaking through from the sixth to the seventh level is a comprehensive and fundamental transformation. This step requires two core breakthroughs. One is the liquefaction of magical power, which involves completely condensing and compressing the gaseous magical elements in the body into a liquid state, greatly improving the purity, endurance, and power of magic."
At this point, Laun's tone softened slightly, and he said confidently, "With your foundation, talent, and hard work, liquefying magical power will be no problem for you. You can achieve it naturally with normal training. There's no need to worry."
He then frowned slightly, his tone tinged with obvious worry: "But my only concern is the transformation of your spiritual power. The core constraint of the seventh level has never been magical power, but rather the qualitative change in spiritual power and temperament. You are still young, have devoted yourself to cultivation since childhood, and have lived in a stable environment for a long time. You have never experienced the storms of the world or the trials of life and death, and your experience is shallow. This will be the biggest obstacle for you to break through to the seventh level."
Lin Tian listened intently, and a sudden realization dawned on him. He had been so focused on honing his magic and accumulating cultivation that he had never realized his temperament and experience were actually weaknesses on his path of cultivation. Lin Tian proactively asked, "Teacher, is there any way to quickly temper one's spiritual power?"
Laun nodded: "If you want to quickly temper your spirit and hone your character, life-and-death experiences are the only shortcut. In most magic academies on the continent, students enter the Monster Mountain Range for training when they reach the fifth level of magic. The Monster Mountain Range is fraught with danger, with unknown perils lurking at all times. Being there will keep you in a highly tense mental state for a long time. Constantly fighting, struggling, and growing on the edge of life and death, as long as you survive safely, your mental strength will continue to break through and transform, and your character will become more and more resilient. This is a way of growth that secluded cultivation can never replace, and at the same time, it can greatly hone your practical combat ability and on-the-spot adaptability."
Having said that, Laun granted him the right to choose, speaking gently and fairly: "With your talent and foundation, even without experiencing dangerous trials, as long as you cultivate steadily step by step, achieving the Saint Realm is a certainty. Level Seven is an easy hurdle for you to overcome. The Monster Mountain Range is treacherous and unpredictable; whether you go or not is up to you to decide. There's no need to force yourself."
Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Tian's eyes suddenly lit up with a determined light, and his tone was firm and powerful: "Teacher, I must go! There are no shortcuts on the path of cultivation; comfort will only hinder growth. If weaknesses are not addressed, they will eventually become bottlenecks in future cultivation. I can endure the life-and-death trials that my peers can withstand. All the hardships on the path of cultivation must be experienced sooner or later, and I want to truly become stronger through my own experience, and I will never shirk challenges."
Lauen was filled with satisfaction and laughed loudly, "Good! This is my disciple, Lauen! He has courage, responsibility, and perseverance!"
"Don't worry, I will accompany you throughout this training in the Monster Mountain Range to ensure your safety. However, the purpose of this training is to hone your skills. I will only come to your rescue when you encounter a fatal crisis; otherwise, you will have to rely on your own training and growth."
Lin Tian felt a warmth in his heart and completely put aside his worries, quickly asking, "Thank you, teacher! When shall we set off for the Monster Mountain Range?"
"No need to rush." Laun waved his hand and calmly instructed, "You've just broken through to level six, and your magical power hasn't been refined yet. You haven't mastered level six magic spells. Focus on your training, refine the elements of heaven and earth to raise your magical power to level six, and once you've mastered level six magic spells, we'll set off immediately."
"Okay," Lin Tian solemnly agreed, and from then on devoted himself to arduous training, focusing wholeheartedly on honing his own strength.
Over the next week, Lin Tian worked diligently to refine the elements of heaven and earth, while also learning the basic principles of level six fire magic spells in advance, in preparation for mastering level six magic spells.
A week later, Lin Tian successfully completed the refinement and reached the level of a sixth-level mage. After that, he began to practice magic spells.
As a fiery meteor struck the training ground, an even larger crater appeared in the already cratered ground.
"Your spellcasting is skillful. Go back and pack your things; we'll depart for the Monster Mountain Range tomorrow morning."
"Yes, teacher!" Lin Tian bowed in response, bid farewell to Lao En, and turned to return directly to the palace. The dangers of his training expedition were unknown, and he needed to personally inform his father and mother so that his elders would know the details and be at ease.
Upon returning to the palace, Lin Tian immediately paid his respects to his father and mother, truthfully recounting his successful breakthrough to the sixth level of magic and his upcoming journey with Laun to the Monster Mountain Range for training. Hearing of their son's further advancement, his parents were filled with joy and pride. However, upon learning that he was to travel to the perilous Monster Mountain Range, their smiles vanished instantly, replaced by deep worry and concern.
Hubble Leo carefully instructed, "Lin Tian, your cultivation is progressing rapidly, which greatly pleases your father. However, the Monster Mountain Range is teeming with ferocious beasts and fraught with danger, harboring countless unknown perils. You must not be careless. Stay close to your teacher and always prioritize your own safety. Your safe return is the most important task."
Lin Tian's mother, Nicole Rossi, held his hand tightly, repeatedly reminding him to be careful.
After offering some heartwarming words of advice, Hubble took out an antique and exquisite ring and handed it to Lin Tian, saying, "This is a spatial storage ring. It's extremely secure and suitable for use when you go out to train. I've already had someone prepare all the training supplies for you and store them in it. Keep it close to your body and don't lose it."
Hubble then patiently taught Lin Tian how to bind the ring to his finger with blood and manipulate it with his mental power. Lin Tian followed his instructions, pricking his fingertip. A drop of blood fell onto the ring, and instantly the binding was completed.
He channeled his spiritual power into the ring and was immediately struck by its beauty. The ring possessed a spacious, independent space of over a hundred cubic meters, neatly arranged inside. It contained everything he needed: a change of clothes, various high-level medicines for stopping bleeding, healing wounds, detoxifying, and relieving pain, as well as rare potions for quickly restoring magical power, and a large quantity of neatly packaged gold coins.
Looking at the overflowing supplies, Lin Tian was dumbfounded, feeling both warm and helpless. He was only on a short training trip, and with Lao En protecting him throughout, he didn't need such abundant supplies at all.
Before Lin Tian could refuse, the Empress stepped forward and handed him a translucent, anonymous magic crystal card, saying, "Lin Tian, this card contains one million gold coins. Traveling abroad is far from the comforts of the palace; there's no one to take care of you. Don't deprive yourself."
Lin Tian wanted to say that he was only going to the Monster Mountain Range with Teacher Lao En for a short period of time, and wouldn't need these gifts. He also said that with Teacher Lao En around, he wouldn't be in any danger. However, seeing his mother's eyes, he had no choice but to accept them.