Book 02, Growing Up Read online

  Hogg only felt that his own son seemed to have dramatically changed, totally changed!

  “Lord Hogg, Linley really did tame this Shadowmouse. I personally witnessed it. This little Shadowmouse is also the reason why in recent days, Linley has often caught wild animals to feed to the ‘adorable pet’ he had behind the back courtyard.” Hillman explained.

  “He was feeding this ‘pet’?” Hogg thought for a moment, then stared at Linley disbelievingly. “Magical beast Shadowmouse. This is the ‘cute animal’ you told me you were feeding in the back courtyard?”

  Linley nodded honestly.

  Hogg didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. The ‘cute pet’ was actually a magical beast?

  Although he had many questions about how Linley might have entered a soulbinding pact with the little Shadowmouse, Hogg didn’t worry too much about it. Right now, he was in a wonderful mood.

  “Fine, enough of that topic. Uncle Hiri, Hillman, lead the guards to make the arrangements right away. Tonight, I am going to host a magnificent banquet.” Hogg laughed loudly. Right now, his laughter was extremely full and carefree.

  Linley stared at his father. From as far back as he could remember, he had never seen his father so happy.

  … … … .

  That very night.

  It was extremely noisy inside the Baruch clan manor. Even the ten-plus bodyguards and their families had all been invited. There were five full tables placed in the main courtyard of the manor, and the entire Baruch manor was filled with laughter and joy.

  “Yummy, yummy.” Little Wharton first grabbed this, then grabbed that, eating excitedly.

  “Young master Linley, congratulations on being admitted to the Ernst Institute. In the future, young master Linley will no doubt become a mighty, powerful magus.” A clan guard laughed as he toasted Linley politely.

  During this banquet, Linley was the main attraction.

  Upon hearing that Linley had been admitted to the Ernst Institute, everyone present had become excited. One could easily understand that entering the Ernst Institute meant entering a certain destiny. In the future, Linley definitely would not be constrained by tiny little Wushan township.

  “Big brother, all of them are toasting you. I want to also.” Little Wharton grabbed his juice cup.

  Seeing little Wharton’s greasy hands, Linley didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. But he still raised his own glass of juice and tapped it against little Wharton’s cup.

  “Come, we’re brothers.” Linley grinned as he lifted his cup as well.

  … .

  Late night, the Baruch family ancestral hall. Only Linley and his father were present.

  The door to the ancestral hall was closed, and a row of candles was lit in the entire hall, making it quite warm. At this moment, Hogg was staring at the spirit tablet in the middle of the hall. His voice low, he said, “Linley, after the fifth Dragonblood Warrior was born, our Baruch clan began to weaken, generation by generation, to the point where even our hereditary, ancestral heirloom was lost. Every time I think of this, I can’t help but feel absolutely ashamed. We’re supposed to be the noble Dragonblood Clan!”

  Linley stood behind him without making a sound.

  He felt the shame as well.

  An ancient clan which had lasted five thousand years. The Dragonblood Warrior clan. Linley felt pride in his heart. But their ancestral heirloom had been lost.

  “Linley.” Hogg suddenly turned and looked at Linley solemnly. “From today forward, I will no longer treat you as a child. I will view you as the sturdiest pillar in the future of our Baruch clan! Our clan’s hopes for the future will all rely on you, now.”

  “Yes, father.” Linley resolutely nodded.

  “Wait a moment. I am going to get something.” Hogg suddenly turned and entered a hidden room next to the ancestral hall. Shortly afterwards, he returned with a thick book in hand. “Linley, take this and give it a good read. Memorize everything.”

  “This is?… “

  Linley looked suspiciously at the thick book he had just accepted. There were no words on the cover, but when he opened it, there were four big words printed on the first page – Secret Dragonblood Training Tome.

  *

  Book 2, Growing Up, Chapter 11 – The Secret Dragonblood Training Tome (part 2)

  “The Secret Dragonblood Training Method?” Linley couldn’t help but look strangely at his father.

  Hogg smiled. “Not only is it the Secret Dragonblood Training Method. This tome also discusses many things related to our Baruch clan. The Secret Dragonblood Training Tome is included within, as well as the method to create and control the Dragonblood Needles, as well as the history of some of the elders of our clan.”

  Linley carefully flipped through it.

  Indeed, the tome was divided into four sections. The first part was regarding the ‘Secret Dragonblood Training Tome’, while the rest were regarding other matters pertaining to the clan.

  “Linley, even if this tome falls into the hands of outsiders, it would be useless to them, as there is simply no way an outsider can train in accordance with the Secret Dragonblood Training Method. As for our family history, so what if someone learns about it? What’s more, we have multiple copies of this tome as well. This one is also just a copy. After so many years have passed, the original has long since turned to dust.” Hogg laughed as he spoke.

  Linley immediately laughed as well.

  “Makes sense. Even if someone acquires it, it would be useless.” Linley immediately began to more curiously flip through the pages of the tome and read through each section.

  Secret Dragonblood Training Tome, Chapter 1.

  “If one wants to utilize the Secret Dragonblood Training Method, one must be able to call forth the blood of the Dragonblood Warriors flowing through their veins. There are two ways of calling forth the Dragonblood. The first method requires the density of the Dragonblood having reached a certain level. But if the density is insufficient, there is still a second method… “

  Reading this, Linley was stunned.

  Aside from a high density of Dragonblood, there was another method? Why hadn’t anyone in the family succeeded in all these years, then?

  “The second method is to take a deep drink of the blood of a living dragon, or of the blood of a dragon that just died a few minutes ago. The longer a dragon has been dead, the lower the chance of awakening the Dragonblood! A deep drink of dragon’s blood can activate the inherent Dragonblood flowing in each member of our clan’s veins. For the best results, drink the blood of a Saint-level dragon. If one only drinks the blood of a dragon of the ninth rank, the chances of activating one’s Dragonblood is rather low.”

  Reading through this, Linley was stunned.

  “Our clan elders really were formidable. They actually came up with the idea of drinking the blood of a living dragon in order to utilize the Secret Dragonblood Training Method.” Linley didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry.

  “Drink the blood of a living dragon, and a Saint-level one at that? Linley, your ancestors really were extremely formidable.” Doehring Cowart had appeared by Linley’s side and was reading the Tome as well. Seeing the introductory paragraphs, he couldn’t help but feel shocked as well.

  Hogg, of course, couldn’t discover Doehring Cowart’s existence at all. Hogg laughed bitterly at Linley. “Linley, did you see that? Based on our ancestor’s method, the Dragonblood is lurking hidden within all of our veins. To call it forth, there are just two methods. But the second method requires one to drink the blood of a living dragon. How can that be an easy task? What’s more… Linley, flip to the back and take a look.”

  Linley flipped the page.

  “However, this second method of drinking live dragon’s blood is extremely risky. Dragon’s blood is extremely forceful. When it is rubbed on one’s body, it has the effect of improving the quality of one’s body, rapidly increasing one’s strength. However, it will also cause pain comparable to one’s
skin being peeled off. And this is just a topical application. If one actually drinks dragon’s blood, then one’s body will feel as though it is being scorched, to the point where one can actually be burned to death, with veins exploding, causing immediate death.”

  Upon seeing this part, Linley was utterly speechless.

  “Father, who wrote this Secret Dragonblood Training Tome? Since it is so dangerous, why did he even include it?” Linley didn’t know what to say.

  Hogg said with a solemn face, “Linley, this Secret Dragonblood Training Tome was written by our founder and first ancestor, the very first Dragonblood Warrior to appear in the Yulan continent, Baruch! He naturally must have had his own reasons for writing this down. Nonetheless, in our family history, there have been two descendants who drank the blood of a Saint-level dragon, and in the end, both of their veins erupted and they died.”

  “There’s been people who have actually drank the blood of a Saint-level dragon?” Linley was somewhat shocked.

  But actually, it was quite normal.

  In the past, when the first, second, and third generation of Baruch clan members were all Dragonblood Warriors, the clan was in its glorious ascendancy. At that period in time, it wasn’t impossible to procure the blood of a Saint-level dragon.

  “The events of the past happened too long ago. The real secrets of that era, this book has not revealed. All I know is that because of this, the dragon race sent representatives to engage in discussions with our Baruch clan’s clanlord. After this, our descendants no longer attempted this method. Later on, when our family line weakened, even when we wanted to drink dragon’s blood, we no longer were able to.” Hogg shook his head and sighed.

  Linley nodded.

  The arrogance of the dragon race was something discussed in many books.

  Capturing a live Saint-level dragon to engage in bloodletting? How great a humiliation would this be for the dragon race? It was quite lucky for the Baruch clan that the dragon race didn’t exterminate them in a fiery rage. However, from this, one can imagine how powerful the Baruch clan was at that time.

  “This can’t be right, father. If no one has ever successfully become a Dragonblood Warrior as a result of drinking dragon’s blood, then why did our ancestor write that it is possible to use dragon’s blood to refine our own? And even say that the blood of a dragon of the ninth rank would also have some effect?” Linley was really puzzled.

  Hogg was startled.

  “Linley, don’t ask too much. Honestly, I only know a little bit about our family history as well. As far as what happened four thousand years ago, there’s no way we can clearly know what happened.” Hogg laughed towards Linley.

  Linley nodded.

  But in his heart, Linley was still suspicious. If no one in history had ever successfully become a Dragonblood Warrior by drinking dragon’s blood, then why would this method be written down in the Secret Dragonblood Training Tome?

  “Linley, it’s getting late. You should go back and get some rest.” Hogg laughed.

  Linley nodded.

  Night.

  Linley had returned to his own bedroom and was reading the tome, but his heart was still full of questions.

  “Grandpa Doehring, what do you think. If no one has ever succeeded using this method, how could it have been discovered?” Linley simply couldn’t understand the logic.

  Doehring Cowart was so old that he had become as crafty as a fox. Stroking his white beard, he said in a self-satisfied manner, “Linley, the answer is simple. Based on what I know, the dragon race is extremely proud, and also extremely large and powerful! I wager that drinking the blood of a live dragon is probably an effective method, but your clan came under tremendous pressure from the dragon clan, and therefore altered the contents of this book.”

  Linley immediately understood.

  This was very possible.

  Under pressure from the dragon race, the Dragonblood Warriors of the Baruch clan were undoubtedly forced to stop catching live dragons for bloodletting.

  “But of course, that’s just my conjecture.” Doehring Cowart said placidly. “And Linley, based on what I know, drinking the blood of a live dragon is not necessarily a road to death. As long as you combine it with some Blueheart Grass, the negative effects of dragon’s blood will be negated. But I bet there’s very few people nowadays who know this secret.”

  Linley was stunned.

  And then, he was wildly overjoyed. “Grandpa Doehring, are you saying that fresh dragon’s blood, when mixed with Blueheart Grass, is safe to drink?”

  Doehring Cowart confidently nodded. “Of course. In the past, in the Pouant Empire, when a princess acquired a serious disease, in the end, the only method of curing her was a medicine that included a mixture of fresh dragon’s blood and Blueheart Grass. As a matter of fact, I was the one who personally caught a Saint-level dragon.”

  “I remember the master physician who provided the prescription saying that everything in this world has its equal and opposite. For every single ingredient, there was another that would match with it. In that era, the only person who knew how to mix fresh dragon’s blood with Blueheart Grass was that old physician. Since six thousand years have gone by, no doubt no one knows it any longer.” Doehring Cowart said calmly.

  Linley nodded.

  “Fresh dragon’s blood and Blueheart Grass… ” Linley’s eyes shone with excitement. “In the future, when I am powerful enough and become a magus of the ninth rank or even higher, I will use fresh dragon’s blood and Blueheart Grass to let little Wharton become a Dragonblood Warrior.”

  Linley even hoped that…

  If he had the chance, he himself would use this recipe.

  If he could become both a Saint-level magus and a Dragonblood Warrior… .but of course, that was just a dream. To even be able to catch a Saint-level dragon was a distant, untouchable dream.

  “The road ahead is still long. Time to sleep, time to sleep. I need to train tomorrow.”

  *

  Book 2, Growing Up, Chapter 12 – Instructions

  Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, months had passed. Many new trees had begun to sprout on Wushan township, filling the area with a feeling of spring.

  Beneath a pine tree.

  Linley was seated cross-legged in a meditative trance, generating mageforce.

  After having entered the meditative trance, Linley could clearly sense large amounts of earthen specks of light and green specks of light. These countless specks of lights continuously swirled into his body, and through his limbs and his bones, were purified and stored within the central dantian in his chest.

  Within his central dantian, there was a smoky earthen mist intermingled with a smoky green mist.

  The earthen mist was his earth element mageforce, while the green mist was his wind element mageforce.

  “Whew.” Slowly releasing a breath, Linley exited his meditative trance.

  Doehring Cowart, wearing a moon-white robe, was seated cross-legged next to him, a smile on his face as he enjoyed the surrounding scenery. Seeing Linley awaken, he laughed. “Linley, tomorrow you are heading to the Ernst Institute, yet you are still hard at work today?”

  Linley’s lips curved up in a smile. “Grandpa Doehring, I believe you were the one who said that strong combatants must work hard every single day, and not relax for even an instant. Only long term training will produce astonishing power.”

  “Little punk, so now you are going to give me instructions?” Doehring Cowart laughed while ‘grumbling’.

  “Hehe,” Linley chortled.

  “Woosh!” A black shadow from far away came flashing towards them, appearing on Linley’s shoulders in the blink of an eye. It was the Shadowmouse, ‘Bebe’. Young Bebe leaned towards Linley, making a chewing motion with his mouth, while pointing at a nearby dead hare.

  Just from the look on Bebe’s face, Linley knew what was up.

  “You want me to cook it?” Linley laughed as he spoke.

&nbs
p; Bebe nodded repeatedly.

  “Linley.” The nearby Doehring Cowart mentally spoke to him. “This little Shadowmouse is really quite strange. It’s been months, but judging from his size, it’s almost as though he hasn’t grown at all. For an infant Shadowmouse, the early childhood growth rate should be quite noticeable.”

  “I have no idea either.” Linley shook his head.

  Although Shadowmouse ‘Bebe’ did not increase in size, his speed was improving quite remarkably.

  “It really is bizarre.” Doehring Cowart looked at Bebe. Right now, Bebe didn’t have any idea that a spirit was mentally weighing him.

  “It’s getting late. I’ll need to start warrior training soon.” Linley stood up and grabbed the dead hare as he began heading down the mountain. Doehring Cowart flew by his side, unhappily saying, “Linley, in the future, you will be a magus. Why are you still engaging in warrior training?”

  Linley laughed, “Grandpa Doehring, I’ve discovered that warrior training can increase my endurance, and with increased endurance, my spiritual essence can increase as well.”

  “I know that, of course.” Doehring Cowart said, dissatisfied. “But how could those basic training methods compare to the meditative trance in turns of how fast one’s spiritual essence increases?”

  Linley shut his mouth and no longer spoke.

  While it was true that fighter training allowed one to improve one’s spiritual essence, that wasn’t the real reason.

  The real reason that Linley continued his fighter training was this. “In the future, if I have the chance to drink fresh dragon’s blood, I will be able to practice according to the Secret Dragonblood Training Tome. I have to keep up my physical training. The body is like a vessel, while battle-qi is like wine. The body is extremely important. The earlier I begin building my fundamentals, the faster my improvement will be when I study the Secret Dragonblood Training Tome in the future.”

  Actually, based on Linley’s affinity for elemental essences, each day, he didn’t have to spend too much time or effort to gather and generate mageforce.

  Most of his time was spent in the meditative trance, training his spiritual essence.