novelTele Chapter 8: Six Months of Intensive Training
Chapter 8: Six Months of Intensive Training
Time flows like water, silently passing by.
Half a year has passed since the day Delin Coward woke up.
Over the past six months, life at Baruch Manor has undergone subtle changes. On the surface, everything seems normal—the children still practice their Qi-gathering techniques with Hillman every day, Hogg is still busy with the trivial matters of the estate, and Wharton is still running around in the yard, chasing butterflies and dragonflies. But in the corners unnoticed by anyone, Linley and Lin Yun's world is quietly changing.
Every morning, before dawn, the two brothers would quietly get up and sneak to the small hill behind the manor. There was a grove of trees there, not very dense, but enough to block the view from the manor. Delin would float out of his dragon ring, hover in front of the two, and begin the day's magic lesson.
"Meditation is the foundation of magical cultivation!" Delin's voice was gentle yet serious. "You must remember that magical power is not created out of thin air, but rather through meditation, you refine the elements of heaven and earth into your body and store them. The longer and more focused you are in meditation, the faster your magical power will accumulate."
Lin Lei sat cross-legged on the grass, eyes closed, trying to calm his mind. Six months had passed, and he could now enter a stable meditative state without needing Delin's guidance. However, compared to his younger brother, his progress was still much slower—each meditation session took him about ten minutes to fully immerse himself, while Lin Yun…
Lin Lei secretly opened his eyes and glanced at his younger brother beside him.
Lin Yun sat upright with his eyes closed, his breathing long and even, as if he had become one with the natural environment around him. A gentle breeze blew by, the leaves rustling, and a few withered leaves fell on his shoulder, but he was completely unaware.
We've already entered again.
Lin Lei sighed inwardly, closed his eyes again, and continued to work hard.
Half an hour later, Delin's voice rang out: "Alright, that concludes today's meditation."
Lin Lei opened his eyes and stretched his stiff neck. Lin Yun also opened his eyes, a glimmer of light flashing in them—a sign of abundant spiritual energy.
"Linley," Delin floated in front of Linley, "You've made rapid progress recently. The time and quality of your meditation have improved. In just six months, you've reached the level of a first-level mage."
Lin Lei smiled and said, "Really?"
"Of course." Delin nodded. "However, you must remember that a mage's rank is not the most important thing. What's important is the understanding of magic. Rank can be increased over time, but understanding magic requires comprehension."
Lin Lei nodded seriously.
Delin then turned to Lin Yun, a complex look flashing in his eyes.
Lin Yun's progress was even more astonishing than he had anticipated.
Six months ago, he judged that Lin Yun's mental strength had reached the level of a fourth-level mage. Half a year has passed, and Lin Yun's magical power accumulation speed is far beyond that of ordinary people. He has successfully refined the magical power of the seven elements: earth, fire, water, wind, lightning, light, and darkness. Each element has reached the peak level of a third-level mage. He is only one step away from truly stepping into the realm of a fourth-level mage.
A level 3 mage of the seventh element.
This conclusion surprised even Delin himself.
It's important to understand that a single-element mage only needs to refine one element and focus on one path to cultivate. A genius dual-element mage needs to spend twice the time and effort. Lin Yun, however, is a seven-element mage.
Seven times the amount of refining, seven times the accumulation of magical power, and seven times the time invested.
However, Lin Yun's progress was not slowed down—his mental strength and elemental affinity were too powerful, powerful enough to support the simultaneous advancement of all seven elements. With each meditation, he could refine all seven elements at the same time, several times more efficiently than a single-element mage.
This left Delin both amazed and puzzled.
"Lin Yun," Delin's voice drifted from the ring, "your magical power accumulation is already very solid, with all seven elements reaching level three. This is probably unprecedented in the history of the Yulan Continent."
Lin Lei relayed Delin's words to Lin Yun.
Lin Yun nodded, his expression unchanging. He knew where his advantage lay—the powerful spiritual strength accumulated from his three lifetimes of soul cultivation, combined with the superposition of the cultivation results from the two realms by the small cauldron, allowed his magical power to accumulate at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary people. However, magical power was only the foundation; true magical combat relied on magic itself.
"However," Delin changed the subject, "I must tell you the truth. Although I am proficient in earth magic, I only have a superficial understanding of the other six elements. In the past five thousand years, the magic world must have developed a lot, and the knowledge I have may be outdated."
He paused, his tone becoming more serious: "Especially for you two brothers—Linley has dual talents in earth and wind magic, while Lin Yun is proficient in all seven elements. With my abilities alone, I cannot teach you all the magic elements. You need to learn more systematically and gain more comprehensive magical knowledge."
"Grandpa Delin means..." Lin Lei said thoughtfully.
"The Magic Academy," Delin said. "You need to go to the Magic Academy. There you'll find a complete magical system, magic instructors from various departments, and a wealth of magical texts and training resources. Only in that environment can your magical talents be fully realized."
Lin Lei and Lin Yun exchanged a glance.
The Magic Academy—Ernst Magic Academy, the most prestigious magic academy on the Yulan Continent, a place that countless magic students dream of!
Six months earlier, an accidental magical battle in Wushan Town sparked Linley's determination to learn magic. Hogg planned to send the two brothers to Fenlai, the capital, to test their magical talents when recruiting soldiers in late autumn. However, due to the appearance of Delinkovt afterward, the two never mentioned the matter again, leading Hogg to believe that Linley's actions were just a momentary impulse.
Now that Delinkovit brought up the matter again, it strengthened Linley and the other's resolve to go to the magic academy!
"Then let's test our magical talents in a while," Linley nodded vigorously.
Lin Yun nodded, but he was thinking about something else.
Magic Academy, Ernst... If he remembered correctly, in the original story, after Linley entered Ernst Academy, he would meet Yale, Reno, George, and others, as well as Delia. Those people would become Linley's most important partners and helpers in the future.
And this time, he will be there too.
In the past six months, Lin Lei and Lin Yun not only practiced meditation, but also learned some basic magic.
Delin's specialty was earth magic, so he taught the two earth magic first.
"The core of earth magic is 'weight' and 'stability'." Delin hovered in the air, gesturing with his hands. "Earth magic is not as light as wind magic, nor as violent as fire magic. Its power comes from the earth itself—steady, resilient, and unshakeable."
The first spell he taught Linley was "Earth Spike"—to gather earth elements on the ground to form sharp stone spikes to attack enemies.
This spell seemed simple, but it required a high level of control over magic. It took Linley two whole months to barely grasp the essentials—he could conjure three finger-thick stone spikes on the grass, short and thin, but at least he succeeded.
And Lin Yun...
Lin Lei still remembers the first time he saw Lin Yun use the Ground Thrust.
That afternoon, the two brothers were practicing on the hillside. Lin Lei struggled mightily to conjure three crooked stone spikes on the ground in front of him. He was about to show off to Lin Yun when he saw Lin Yun simply raise his hand—
"Puff puff puff—"
Dozens of stone spikes, each as thick as an arm, suddenly pierced the ground, arranged in two neat rows, each one sharp and gleaming with an earthy yellow light.
Lin Lei was dumbfounded.
"This...this is the power of a level three spell?" he murmured.
Delin's voice echoed in his mind, tinged with a hint of helplessness: "Not level three, but level two. But with his current magical reserves, he could cast it ten times in a row without any problem."
Lin Lei remained silent for a long time.
From then on, he never showed off in front of Lin Yun again.
"Lin Yun's talent... is terrifying." Delin exclaimed to Linley more than once, "His mental strength is so strong that he can precisely control every bit of magical power. His understanding of the elements is also far beyond that of ordinary people. The same spell he casts will have an effect that is at least two to three times that of a mage of the same level."
Lin Lei felt a little envious, but he was mostly happy for his younger brother.
"It's alright," he told Delin, "I'll try even harder."
Looking at this resilient young man, Delin's eyes were full of satisfaction. Talent is important, but an indomitable determination is an essential condition for reaching the top.
As the sun sets in the world of Panlong, the moon in the world of Swallowed Star is slowly rising.
The nights in Yangzhou are always so quiet they feel somewhat oppressive.
Lin Yun lay on the small bed in the low-rent apartment, his eyes closed, but he couldn't fall asleep; his consciousness had just switched from the Panlong World.
He sat up and tiptoed to the window.
Outside the window was the unchanging scene of the working-class district of Yangzhou—low-rise houses, narrow alleyways, and the faint outline of the giant city wall in the distance. Moonlight shone on the dilapidated rooftops, gilding this post-apocalyptic world with a cold, silvery hue.
Lin Yun took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to try something.
During this time, he studied meditation under Delin in the Panlong World, and his methods of cultivating mental power had become systematic and standardized. In the Swallowed Star World, he had always had an idea—to apply the meditation methods of the Panlong World to the cultivation of mental power in this world.
The energy systems of the two worlds are different, but the essence of spiritual power is the same.
In the world of Panlong, spiritual power is used to sense and refine magical elements; in the world of Swallowed Star, spiritual power manifests as mental power—an invisible force that can directly affect the material world.
If the meditation methods in the Panlong world can enhance his mental strength in the Swallowed Star world, then his strength in that world will experience a leap forward.
Lin Yun adjusted his breathing and slowly entered a meditative state according to the method taught by Delin.
At first, nothing happened.
He couldn't sense the colorful magical elements found in the Panlong World—those things didn't exist in this world. The air was filled with a completely different kind of energy, violent, chaotic, and full of destructive power—it was genetic energy, the foundation of martial arts cultivation.
But the way mental energy operates is the same.
Lin Yun cleared his mind of all distractions, focusing entirely on the depths of his consciousness. He felt his spiritual power was like a still, deep lake, calm and profound. He tried to extend this power outwards, just as he had tried to sense magical elements in the Panlong world—
Then, he "saw" it.
It's not about seeing with your eyes, but about perceiving with your mental power.
He "saw" his grandfather's even breathing in the next room, "saw" a stray cat sneaking past in the alley outside the window, and "saw" soldiers patrolling back and forth on the distant city wall. All of this was not seen with his eyes, but perceived directly with his mental power.
He could feel the dust floating in the room, and he could feel the wooden box hidden under the bed—containing a few changes of clothes and a few coins his grandfather had saved. He could even feel the violent genetic energy in the air; although he couldn't refine it like he could refine magical elements, he could definitely sense its presence.
This is the power of mental energy.
Lin Yun opened his eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing within them.
He tried to concentrate his mental energy to touch a cup on the table.
The cup trembled slightly, and then... slowly floated up.
It worked!
Lin Yun's heart pounded, but he forced himself to calm down and continue to concentrate. The cup hovered in the air for about ten seconds before landing steadily back on the table without making a sound.
His mental power is now able to move objects.
Although his mental strength was powerful enough in the Panlong world to easily cast level three magic, converting mental strength into mental power in the Swallowed Star world was a completely different matter. It was like someone who was very strong, but needed skill and precise control to use that strength to embroider.
And now, he has taken the first step.
In the days that followed, Lin Yun would spend time practicing his mental powers every night.
He discovered that the meditation methods of the Panlong world were indeed effective for cultivation in that world—after each meditation, his mental power would become more solid and more controllable. Furthermore, the precise control he had over the elements when cultivating magic in the Panlong world was perfectly transferred to the application of his mental power.
A month later, he was able to use his mental powers to control three small objects simultaneously, making them perform various complex movements in the air.
Two months later, his mental power range expanded to a radius of 100 meters, within which no slightest movement could escape his perception.
Three months later, he tried something even bolder—using his mental powers to strengthen his body.
In the world of Swallowed Star, psychic cultivators and martial artists follow two different paths. Martial artists enhance their bodies with genetic energy, gaining immense strength and speed; psychic cultivators, on the other hand, focus on cultivating their mental power, using it to attack enemies. However, truly powerful psychic cultivators can also enhance themselves with mental power, though not as much as the enhancement provided by genetic energy, it is still not to be underestimated.
Lin Yun covered his limbs and torso with his mental energy, and could feel the tingling pain and the slowly increasing power in his body!
However, he also discovered a fact that he found somewhat regrettable.
In the world of Swallowed Star, he cannot use magic.
He tried to simulate magic using his mental power—for example, the Earth Thrust, which could be cast with a single thought in the Panlong world, was impossible in this world. It wasn't that his mental power was insufficient, but rather that the rules of this world forbade it. The air in this world contained no magical elements, only violent genetic energy; without magical elements, there was no magic.
This discovery disappointed Lin Yun somewhat, but he quickly came to terms with it.
Every world has its own rules, which cannot be forced. The magic of the Panlong world cannot be used here, but mental power itself is the "magic" of this world, and the power of mental power is no less than that of magic.
In the original novel, Luo Feng relied on his mental power to gradually reach the peak in the early stages.
He possesses a stronger foundation of mental power than Luo Feng, as well as the advantage of dual-realm cultivation, making his future potential in mental power limitless.
In the past six months, Lin Yun's strength in the Swallowed Star World has made a qualitative leap.
His mental power can now cover a radius of 100 meters. Within this range, he can simultaneously control more than ten objects, each with a movement trajectory accurate to the millimeter. He can also use his mental power to enhance his body.
At school, he remained low-key.
His grades were above average, neither outstanding nor lagging behind; he had a good relationship with his classmates, but never took the initiative to make friends; his performance in physical education class was only "okay." No one knew that this quiet boy already possessed the strength of a martial artist.
Meanwhile, when Luo Feng was eight years old, something incredibly painful happened to him: his younger brother, Luo Hua, had his leg broken by a car. Heartbroken, Luo Feng immediately fell into a coma. When he woke up, his physical abilities had miraculously become much stronger!
Lin Yun knew that this was caused by the awakening of spiritual power in Luo Feng's mind. As for Luo Hua, Lin Yun felt a little guilty. He knew that such a thing would happen, but he was unable to inform Luo Feng and the others in advance.
In the original story, Luo Feng entered the martial arts school at the age of 16 and immediately reached the intermediate student standard. He reached the advanced student standard at the age of 17. Now, with Lin Yun's teaching and supervision of his training experience, Luo Feng's strength will only improve even faster!
Late at night.
Lin Yun lay on the bed, his consciousness gently swaying between two worlds.
In the world of Panlong, he and Linley are walking the path of magic step by step under Delin's guidance. He has accumulated the power of the seven magic elements to the peak of level three, and has also mastered several earth magics. In a month, he will go to Fenlai City to test his magical talent so that he can join the magic academy to study!
In the world of Swallowed Star, his mental power had already reached a considerable level, and his strength was comparable to that of a high-level warrior. He was only eight years old—to have such strength at this age would make him one of the top geniuses in the entire Jiangnan Base. However, he would not flaunt it; he would quietly accumulate his strength and wait for the day when he was truly needed to make his move.