The auxiliary A.I. Chip from his past life had immense memory space and calculating abilities. Furthermore, for it to better aid the researchers, there was even a microscope that could see accurately up to the atomic level.
During his transmigration, it even connected with Leylin's soul, increasing many unfathomable changes.
Now it seems that in the aspect of purifying blood, Leylin had an enormous advantage with it.
After all, the purification of the bloodline was an extremely precise yet tedious process, and this method was the kind that posed the least problem to the A.I. Chip.
"No wonder the great Magus Serholm had laid the test of horrifying calculation and analysis ability as his final test to obtain the high-grade meditation technique. To Warlocks with a strong ability for calculations, they can research on the bloodlines and unearth the power within!"
Leylin was somewhat enlightened and thought of the few breeding labs that the great Magus Serholm had had.
"No matter if it was the lab in Extreme Night City or Dylan Gardens, the great Magus Serholm had always carried out experiments on blending and modulation. Only that it's unclear if he succeeded in the end…"
...
A few days later, under the ominous dark clouds looming over the sky, Leylin once again returned to the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy.
"Really... "Leylin looked at the graveyard and academy constructions that were almost repaired fully as he smiled wryly.
Bosain, whom he had killed, was a member of the Lilytell family, thus boasting a strong influence within the academy.
Although right now it was almost impossible for them to know that it was Leylin who killed Bosain, there was a certain chance of risk.
If possible, Leylin would never want to return to the academy. However, he grasped time to come back was because he had important things to do.
"There is no choice, who asked the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy to have the best resources and experiment labs. I have to hurry and purify the ancient bloodline and gather the ingredients for the Serenity Potion, so I have to come back this time…"
Leylin was confident of his deception. Adding on to the fact that Bosain died inside the secret plane, due to the separation effect caused by the spell formation, concrete information on his death would have been very difficult for the people in the main world to receipt.
Using the most boorish method of tracing in the physical world required a lot of time.
Also, Bosain and the others sneaked out, so even their families did not know where they were headed to.
Moreover, Leylin had been rushing back along the way. It was to gather all his resources, complete the experiment and leave before the Lilytell family could react.
"Although there are some risks, according to my calculations and the simulation from the A.I. Chip, I can escape before the Lilytell family reacts!"
After inspecting Leylin's pass at the entrance, the Granite Ape that Leylin saw before very soon allowed him to enter the academy that was underground.
After which, Leylin did not even return to his dorm and immediately went to the counter at the resource point, exchanging a large number of his magic crystals for resources.
To brew the Serenity Potion and complete the experiment on bloodlines, the items required were a monstrous amount.
Furthermore, many ingredients and items were extremely precious, so Abyssal Bone Forest Academy only would have them.
What made Leylin's heartbeat quicken was that under the current policies of the academy, he could purchase resources that were many times cheaper than the market price.
He had already offended a large Magus family and had no place to hide. He could only continuously raise his strength to solve this problem.
"According to the A.I. Chip, the requirement for a level 3 acolyte to advance and become a rank 1 Magus, is 15 spiritual force!"
Leylin thought as he commanded, "Inspect my current status!"
[Mission establishing! Host data gathering in progress!] The A.I. Chip's loyal voice intoned.
[Beep! Leylin Farlier. Level 3 acolyte, Knight. Strength: 3.1, Agility: 3.3, Vitality: 3.4, Spiritual force: 16.1, Magic power: 16 (magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force). Status: Healthy]
Ever since Leylin had used the Blood Vengeance Potion to raise his spiritual force to the limits, no matter how much he meditated, he could not increase it one bit.
It seems like the elementary meditation technique that he received from the academy back then was now obsolete.
In fact, many Magus were in such a situation. Without the high-grade meditation technique, every improvement or advancement required a huge amount of precious resources. Moreover due to the tolerance of the physical body, the demand on its strength was even higher the next time round. Hence, this formed a vicious cycle.
Adding on to the fact that they did not choose their innate spell model correctly, and the spell model needed for the next advancement was also difficult to find, it was such a huge factor that it halted the footsteps of many official Magi.
Hence, in the whole south coast, newly advanced rank 1 Magus were the most common. As for rank 2 Magus like Siley, they were of the upper hierarchy, as with other chairmen of large organisations and academies. As for a rank 3 Magus, they stood at the peak like a fearsome existence!
However, after obtaining the high-grade meditation technique, Leylin could absolutely catch up to them!
"My spiritual force has already met the required value. What's next is to change the meditation technique and purify the ancient bloodline and try to advance into a rank 1 Warlock!"
A fiery passion blazed in Leylin's eyes as he hurried his pace.
After the settlement of the resources, Leylin did not visit Kroft, but only left a message to say that he would enter a very important experiment and required to be in seclusion for cultivation.
After which, he poured all his heart into the experiment lab in the academy.
"This set of apparatus was made with vulcanised glass and is the firmest!"
Leylin looked inside a large experiment lab, his hands touching a set of sulphur-coloured glass apparatus.
"There is also this! A machine that can generate negative energy 300 times faster!" Leylin turned around and looked at two large black coloured instruments on the table.
Beside the black instruments, there was an item that resembled a microscope. However, the multiplier effect could not match up to Leylin's A.I. Chip.
Leylin had specifically rented this experiment lab. Normally it was only available for official Magi, but he was a potential Magus in the academy, so he had gained the privilege to rent the experiment lab for set period.
The experiment labs that Magi used were naturally better than acolytes'; there were, even more, guarantees in the safeguarding of privacy.
After all, the official Magi were professors that formed the foundation of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. Even if it was Chairman Siley, he could not intrude on the privacy of these professors. Those who were able to become a Magus often had their secrets and trump card. Any form of detection or prying into them was considered as an outright provocation. Even Chairman Siley could not resist against the power of all the professors if they were to unite forces!
Of course, under the consideration of being cautious, Leylin let the A.I. Chip scan this area several times. He also used many detection spells, and even some that fended against the outside world.
"Let us begin!"
Leylin nodded his head and took out a small box from his robes. After opening it, a dozen blood red rocks lay there, emitting a mystical energy wave constantly. These waves were then absorbed by the dispel formation that Leylin set up, not leaking one bit of it at all.
"I haven't conducted such an intricate experiment for a long time, I hope my skills aren't rusty!"
Leylin's expression was extremely solemn as he picked up a purple potion...
Afterwards, Leylin spent his day inside the lab. Even the daily nourishment needs intake was relied on potions.
Under the stupendous microscopic ability of the A.I. Chip and consultation from the Book of Giant Serpent and Kemoyin's pupil, the progress of bloodline purification was rather smooth.
However, one day Leylin was compelled to leave the lab.
"What? Bicky has been held captive by her own family?"
Dark circles appeared on Leylin's eyes, and there was a stubble under his lips. It seemed to be somewhat decadent.
However, a pair of eyes gleamed brightly, looking at the girl in front of him.
The girl had a head of blonde hair, her body contours delicate. Her lips were thin and had a layer of luscious red lipstick applied, adding a more matured look to her appearance.
Leylin recognised this girl. She was called Hong, a simple one-syllabled name. It seemed to be the style of the hometown where she came from.
Moreover, she was Bicky's good friend and had seen Leylin during several encounters.
"Why?" Leylin very soon retracted his expression and a calm expression was formed.
However, under the mask of this serenity, it made Hong shudder slightly.
"It's said that Leylin is not only a genius in Potioneering, but even your cultivation in magic also has a high talent. You have advanced to a level 3 acolyte before twenty, obtaining many favourable impressions from professors…" Hong bit her lips, as envy and jealousy unconsciously filled her insides as she thought of the news she heard of Leylin.
However, this feeling was suppressed very quickly.
Hong combed her loose hair and smiled wryly, "Because she stole a precious Rainbow Potion from her family…"
"Rainbow Potion?! That was a rare potion that had vanished. It is known to greatly enhance the effects of Grine Water. The Rainbow Potion which could complement the advancement of an acolyte to an official Magus?"
Leylin tapped his fingers on the circle desk in rhythm, the scented tea in the cup showing ripples.
He had heard of Bicky's family before. They had a rather long standing history, their ancestors also had a period of glory, but they seemed to fall after that.
It was different with the Lilytell family and other large families, Bicky's family was only a small one.
As for now, the elders were only of level 3 acolytes, upholding the magic artifact and treasures from their ancestors which could temporarily have the might of an official Magus as self-defense.
It can be seen that such a family did indeed have a hope in raising another official Magus, to continue the glory of their family.
As for Bicky, as one of the heirs that had been fully nurtured by the family, not only had she betrayed her family, but she had also stolen the family's treasure. Even if she was killed on the spot, it was not a strange thing.
"Bicky is only a level 2 acolyte, did she steal it for Fayle then?"
Leylin thought of the crux of the matter and questioned immediately.
As expected, anger filled Hong's face. "It is for Fayle! Originally, Bicky planned to elope with him after the theft, but Fayle had been misleading her all along!"
Hong was fuming, apparently feeling unjust for her friend. "After obtaining the Rainbow Potion, Fayle immediately left her behind and joined the Redbud Flower family!"
-x-X-x-
The Redbud Flower family was one of the three big families behind Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, the same as the Lilytell family.
This was a family that had official Magi among every generation and could activate the battle prowess of those Magi in times of war. It was completely on a different level than Bicky's falling family.
With the protection of the Redbud Flower family, Bicky's family could only grit their teeth in defeat as they would never be able to recover the Rainbow Potion.
"As for Bicky, she was captured by the experts in her family. It's said that she would very soon be put on trial and charged guilty for betraying the family.
Hong's eyes turned red, her tears almost falling.
"Hu!" Leylin exhaled a long breath.
Bicky had a crush on Fayle, he knew it since the first day in the academy. Moreover, he also knew that Fayle did not have much moral values.
When Bicky told Leylin that Fayle had already accepted her to be his girlfriend, Leylin felt that there was a conspiracy behind it, yet he had no way of reminding her.
Fayle, who had gathered enough contribution points in the secret plane, had exchanged it for the Grine Water. Adding on to the Rainbow Potion, his chances of advancement to a rank 1 Magus were extremely high!
As for Bicky's family, it was akin to losing one official Magus. Moreover, they had to suffer even the loss of Bicky, who was an acolyte.
"A rather good scheme. A pity that his character had somewhat fallen to the lowest. If I see him next time, I'll just kill him!"
Leylin thought indifferently.
Bicky was his good friend. Moreover they had a one night stand, so he had to try to rescue her. Moreover, as long as it was within his capabilities, he would help her seek revenge.
However in Leylin's heart, there wasn't any feeling of humiliation or disgrace that Bicky had given him.
Looking at it in detail, Bicky was Fayle's girlfriend both in name and in reality. In fact, it was Leylin who did the dishonorable thing and let Fayle wear a green hat[1. Wearing a green hat means to be cuckolded.], so naturally he did not have to feel humiliated or anything of the sorts.
However, the crucial point now was to save Bicky.
Professor Kroft was an excellent candidate to save her, but Leylin very soon dismissed that thought.
The relationship between the professors and acolytes in Abyssal Bone Forest Academy was only based on mutual benefits. The acolytes would fork out magic crystals and services. In return, the professors would give them knowledge.
If it were Jayden and Torash, highly talented individuals who had gained their mentor's nurture, it was still alright. However, Bicky who had a rather average aptitude only had a simple relationship with her mentor.
It was as if after she had graduated, the relationship between her and her mentor would wane unless she advanced into an official Magus.
Moreover, Kroft was the professor of Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. When entering the academy, he had already signed a contract not to interfere with the internal matters of other families.
As for Bicky's family, it was one of the many families under the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy's banner.
Hence, Kroft could not take action as he would dishonor the agreement.
After drinking the somewhat cooled down tea on the circular desk, he slowly spoke under the anticipatory gaze of Hong.
"Due to an important experiment I am unable to leave, but I will write a letter. Please revert it to the elder behind Bicky's family. "
The experiment of purifying the bloodline had just entered its most important juncture.
If not for Hong telling him the news of Bicky, Leylin might not even have taken the time away from it.
However, he could not leave the lab for too long either.
Compared to Bicky, Leylin's impending doom was even greater. He had to advance into a rank 1 Warlock in the shortest possible amount of time, to better deal with the threat from the Lilytell family.
Furthermore, the Lilytell family could trace it back to him any moment. Along with the passing of time, this possibility can only grow bigger. He had to purify the blood before the Lilytell family discovered anything, and find a safe place outside the academy to complete his most important advancement!
This matter concerned his life and death! Comparing the weight of this matter, Bicky's issue could be put aside first.
Leylin reasoned that he was a genius acolyte in the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy that had a huge chance of advancing into an official Magus.
As for Bicky's family head, he was only a level 3 acolyte. In the Magus World, the prerequisite of association was to have similar levels of strength! Hence, towards Leylin's words, the other party would definitely give it some consideration.
After hearing Leylin's words, Hong's eyes dimmed. She straightened her body and almost left the seat immediately.
It seems that she thought that Leylin only wanted to gloss over this matter on a superficial level.
As a matter of fact, that was the most common practice of acolytes. Hong was already mentally prepared, but she still felt a little frustrated.
"On the letter, I will earnestly request for the head not to proceed with the trial and also to leave Bicky's source of spiritual force intact, not causing harm to it.
The source of spiritual force was the most basic foundation of magicians which was the sea of consciousness and the spiritual force.
Once this source was to be wasted, the magician would be crippled. This was often the methods of families executed on those members who had betrayed them.
"And in return! I promise to compensate for the missing Rainbow Potion!" Leylin's final words made Hong's eyes gleamed immediately.
"Thank you! I am really so thankful..." Hong was too excited that her speech turned incoherent.
If it was just a simple request, the other party might not give Leylin any face at all, as they were both level 3 acolyte and the head were borne from a Magus family.
However, with the promise of compensation, it was a different case.
After all, even if they killed Bicky now, there were no benefits to the family at all. If they were only to keep her in captive, there was even the chance of receiving compensation for it!
All logical magicians would definitely know what to choose between the two.
"Bicky and I have the same mentor, so it's something I should do!"
Leylin smiled and got up.
After his experiment, he would immediately try to advance. Once he succeeds and becomes an official Magus, his authority would immediately change.
At that time, if he tries to rescue Bicky, it would be less troublesome.
To tell the truth, the price of a Rainbow Potion could be easily compensated with what Leylin had now. Not to mention the peddling of potions, just based on the few precious herbs he grabbed in Dylan Gardens, each and every one of time had a price that was several times of the Rainbow Potion.
However if he were to just take the money and redeem her, he would easily be labelled as an idiot who had more money than sense. Leylin decided that there was no purpose in him being talked of as a fool.
Under the combination of logic and benefit, he chose the way that would be least consuming for him.
"I have sought out many a person, but only you, Leylin, helped me. Bicky would definitely be happy to have a friend like you!" Looking on, Hong's relationship with Bicky seemed rather good.
"If there are no other matters, then pardon me for taking my leave first!"
Leylin smiled like a gentleman, leaving his seat elegantly.
Bicky's matter was only a small surprise to Leylin. After leaving the lab to settle this issue, Leylin once again buried his head in the experiments.
Three days later, Leylin looked at a vulcanised crystal test-tube with an engrossed expression.
Inside the test-tube, a layer of purple, red fluid had already occupied more than half the space within. Moreover, there was effervescence in it, continuously emitting tiny bubbles, as if having its life.
"This is from all the essence from the Black Horrall Snake, adding on to the special blood purification apparatus using the heart as a primer. After the microscopic abilities of the A.I. Chip coupled with magic spells to continuously purify it, I have finally obtained half a test-tube of this ancient bloodline!"
A dreamy expression could be seen on Leylin's eyes as he muttered.
Just by holding onto the test-tube, Leylin felt a tremendous force continuously emitting from the test-tube, radiating out to its surroundings.
"It is indeed the bloodline of the ancient creature-Giant Kemoyin Serpent!"
Leylin asked the A.I. Chip, "How is the sorting of information concerning the Giant Kemoyin Serpent?"
These formidable creatures of ancient times would only be briefly mentioned in very few documents and tales of bards. There were many misconceptions about them, so what Leylin had the A.I. Chip do was to sort out the real content of the data on the Giant Kemoyin Serpent.
After all, this was his only choice!
As for other bloodlines of other snake species, how could it be gotten that easily? Any creature with a trace of ancient bloodline could command a frightening price. Moreover, Leylin was not an official Magus yet, so many channels could not be used.
[Beep! After 3465 comparisons, omitting 139 false information, 45 repeated information, the main content has been sorted.] The A.I. Chip's voice intoned.
[Giant Kemoyin Serpent: Ancient creature, reaching the length of 5000 metres in an adult phase. It is known to have a powerful body and mysterious spellcasting abilities. In the adult phase it can go against rank 4 Magus and is the destroyer of many cities in legends. Main elemental properties: Darkness, with secondary element of Fire! In the legends, the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes had failed to gain control of the Shadow World, hence bringing her children to the Purgatory World. From then on, her descendants all has the element of Fire.]
[Sources of origin: Ancient Creatures Illustration Handbook, The Travels of Grey, Diary of the great Magus Serholm, The Book of Giant Serpent....]
"Darkness Element and Fire Element?" Ecstasy filled Leylin's face.
Although after transplanting the bloodline, the Warlocks would naturally add on the elements of the ancient creature, it was definitely the best to have their innate affinity to be compatible with the ancient creature.
Even after changing bloodlines, the original qualities of the magician's body was extremely important. It was decided from the start of birth and was extremely difficult to change in the future.
"A.I. Chip, bring out my elemental affinity chart!"
In front of Leylin, a projected image appeared.
The longest bar was dark coloured, representing the main elemental affinity that Leylin had: Darkness.
Afterwards, it was followed by a fiery red bar half the size of the Darkness Element. This was Leylin's secondary elemental affinity, Fire.
At the back, there was a green bar and few other colours, representing the affinity of other elements.
However, these bars were much shorter than Fire by a dozen times. If Leylin chose to cultivate mainly with those elemental energy particles, then he might not even be a level 2 acolyte by now.
Which is to say, Leylin's affinity in the Darkness Element was highest followed by the Fire Element. The others could be treated as negligible.
"The properties of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent is actually compatible with my affinity. According to the introduction of the Kemoyin's Pupil, under these circumstances, it can have a multiplier effect on the magician's affinity, which is also the best choice!"
Leylin could not mask the overjoyed expression he had on his face.
-x-X-x-
Leylin immediately left the academy on the second day.
He had managed to purify the ancient bloodline after using the facilities in the academy. Even the ingredients for the Serenity Potion were mostly gathered, so Leylin could not think of any other reason for him to stay.
Moreover, with the passing of time, the probability of the Lilytell family uncovering the truth would only grow bigger. Leylin had no means at all to resist them within the academy.
He also had another level of consideration. What he was about to advance to was a subtype of the ancient Magi-Bloodline Warlock!
This was definitely differently from other official Magi. During the advancement, it was possible to have unique energy waves that were radiated. If chairman Siley or a magician at that level were to find out, his ending would not be any good.
For safety reasons, it was better to advance outside.
Before leaving, Leylin carefully cleansed all traces of his experiments inside the experiment lab. No matter how hard others might try to inspect, they would not be able to know what he had been doing inside the lab.
After giving one last look at the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, Leylin left.
He had a premonition that after leaving this time, it might take a very long time before he returned here again.
After thinking of the future happenings in the school, it would definitely be very intriguing! Leylin grinned as he urged his handsome steed to leave the Abyssal Forest.
Grey Stone City was a city that was relatively close to Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, and there weren't many inhabitants there. Moreover, there weren't any magicians staying here.
Ever since Leylin had left Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, he had been pressing on continuously until he got here, even buying a two-storeyed flat in the heart of the city.
Around the apartment, there was a circle of greenery. Even though it was the heart of the city, there was a feeling of serenity.
On the side of the greenery were a row of small shops. Occasionally, there were mercenaries with steel blades walking together with women who wore extremely revealing clothes.
Leylin looked on for a while, before closing the windows.
This villa was the location that he had chosen to advance to a rank 1 Warlock. It was also protected with a defense spell formation, so the average person would definitely not be able to enter.
Furthermore, there were a huge number of regular humans residing within the surroundings of the villa. As long as they did not meet any insane Dark Magi, their safety in the area was considered rather well.
Leylin did not unreasonably hope that by taking all these people around him as hostages, the other party would let him go. However, as long as they were somewhat apprehensive to cast a large area of effect spell, it would be an extremely great thing for him.
*Sua!* Leylin shut the windowsill.
The thick sackcloth blocked the sunlight from entering the room, and there was a faint layer of scarlet light appearing in the middle of the room.
The entire second storey of the villa was already under Leylin's control by this point. Moreover, there was a layer of a mysterious spell formation inscribed on the floor.
These runes were writhing as if they were made of little snakes, as they continuously headed towards the scarlet red light.
The light crisscrossed, forming a spell formation.
As for the centre of the formation, there was a pure black stone platform. Many scratches were cut into it with a small knife, taking the appearance of a very strange picture.
"The bloodline transfer formation is finally complete!"
Leylin massaged his temples, and a blue glow could be seen in his eyes. "A.I. Chip! Scan my stats! Bring out my current condition!"
[Beep! Gathering Host data!]
Very soon, the A.I. Chip brought out Leylin's stats. [Beep! Leylin Farlier. Level 3 acolyte, Knight. Strength: 3.1, Agility: 3.3, Vitality: 3.4, Spiritual force: 15.5, Magic power: 15 (magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force). Status: In the middle of cultivating in Kemoyin's Pupil meditation technique, spiritual force in purification!]
Back at the academy, after using the A.I. Chip to analyse the Kemoyin's Pupil meditation technique completely, Leylin had begun to adjust his own meditation technique and practice the high-grade meditation technique.
The Kemoyin's Pupil meditation technique that he had obtained had a total of three levels. With each increase in level, the technique would automatically advance the Warlock's rank.
Previously, Leylin did not have any sort of snake type bloodline, so he could not even cultivate fully in the first level.
However, the high-grade meditation technique was indeed something good that had been previously concealed by the various organisations. After cultivating a good part of the first level and converting it into a meditation technique, Leylin realised that his spiritual force had undergone a purification process.
Many impurities within his spiritual force, which had been boosted in the past by potions, were now expelled during the process of meditation.
Leylin looked at his spiritual force stats. Due to removing the previous impurities, his spiritual force had decreased by 0.6, but it was all worth it.
As an acolyte, it was the foundation on the path towards being a Magus. The more solid one's foundation was, the further one could walk down the path of a Magus in future.
Leylin had previously sought a rapid way and consumed potions in vast quantities. This had left many of the residues of those potions accumulated in his body. Even his spiritual force was affected, becoming somewhat heterogeneous.
If such a situation were to occur constantly, one day, his path in advancing would become completely blocked.
As for now, under the Kemoyin's Pupil meditation technique's influence, his spiritual force was continuously being purified, heading towards a better development.
However, no matter how hard he tried, without the ancient bloodline, he would never be able to cultivate fully in the first level and advance to a rank 1 Warlock!
"The requirement for an acolyte to be able to advance is a spiritual force of 15. The requirements for Warlocks and official Magi are almost the same, with only the additional requirement of a bloodline!
Leylin inspected the spell formation again.
"A.I. Chip! Scan and inspect the bloodline transfer spell formation again!"
Following his command, a strong glow of blue light appeared in Leylin's eyes as it scanned the formation.
This concerned Leylin's future, so he had to be particularly cautious.
Leylin had confirmed that everything was in order and that he had not missed anything, but did not, however, begin to rush through the bottleneck.
First, he sealed off the entire second storey, walked towards a restaurant outside, and ordered a lavish meal filled with delicacies.
Afterwards, Leylin wore commoners' clothes, and walked several times around Grey Stone City, looking at the motions of the regular humans as they worked, rested, and played, feeling their joy and sorrows.
Finally, Leylin returned to the villa and sat cross-legged on the bed, yet did not begin to meditate.
He recalled his memories about his previous life, the experience of transmigrating to the Magus World, the life he had in the carriage party, entering the academy, and his various expeditions.
The appearances of George, Kaliweir, Merlin, Kroft, and Bicky all surfaced in Leylin's mind.
Several hours later, Leylin's recollections of his memories scattered. What took its place was only calmness and indifference.
With the serenity of his heart, for the first time, Leylin did not meditate, but immediately fell asleep.
Only when the sun rose on the second day did Leylin get up, feeling refreshed, as if every cell in his body was filled with energy.
After activating all of the defense mechanisms, Leylin wore a loose white robe and went towards the second storey.
After giving the formation and potions one final check, a resolved expression appeared within Leylin's eyes.
"Let us begin!"
*Pa!* The buttons on the white robes came undone as it slid to the floor.
Leylin was stark naked as he walked towards the centre of the scarlet formation, sitting down on the black stone platform.
The black stone platform was made of bright black stones. A feeling of chilliness emanated through Leylin's skin, giving him goosebumps.
Leylin picked up a black dagger, the tip of the blade giving off a sharp coldness to it.
Leylin's expression turned vicious as he cut himself on his body.
*Pu!* Blood gushed out.
His expression was unchanging, and the hand that held the dagger did not quiver. In a mysterious sequence, the black dagger began to cut all over his body.
Every time the black dagger drew across Leylin's body, it would leave a bloody wound from where blood continuously dripped.
At the very end, from his stomach to his forehead, there was a mystical triangular shaped rune on Leylin's body.
The blood that poured forth continuously from his skin looked extremely eerie and mysterious.
*Di Da!* *Di Da!*
The blood that flowed down from his body was collected by the grooves on the black stone platform, beginning to converge while following the grooves, and flowed towards the formation below the platform.
*Bang!*
Under the influence of the blood, the scarlet spell formation radiated a dozen times brighter.
The powerful flash of light brought forth a strong energy wave, which continuously radiated to the four walls of the villa.
At this moment, on the four walls of the villa, magical blue runes began to absorb the energy waves that leaked from the spell formation.
The scarlet coloured turned brighter and brighter, before finally engulfing the entire room.
In this blood red world, a layer of black smoke suddenly appeared, continuously changing shape in midair.
"Abiding by the ancient contract, my strength will now be that of the bloodline!
After seeing the black shadow, Leylin moved his lips and chanted in the Byron language.
*Weng Weng!*
After Leylin had chanted the incantation, the thick black smoke attached itself to Leylin's body, and the triangular shaped wounds began to gleam in a grim black light.
Leylin shivered as an extremely strange iciness began to charge to his nerves.
After it had frozen to the extremes, a burning sensation seemed to set all of the cells on his body ablaze.
[Warning! Warning! Mysterious energy discovered infiltrating and beginning to consume copious amounts of the Host's lifeforce. Use the Host's own magic power to dispel?]
A row of words in red appeared.
"Deny!" Leylin gritted his teeth.
Along with the continuous burning of his body, he could distinctly feel that his spiritual force was increasing at a crazy rate.
It was constantly drawing nearer to the boundary of an official Magus.
However, if he were to use his lifeforce for that, it might have been very likely that before he reached the bottleneck of an official Magus, he would have first burned to a shrivelled corpse!
"It's now!"
Leylin picked up the vulcanised crystal test tube containing the Kemoyin bloodline and poured the purple-red blood on his wounds.
*Hua La La!*
The purple-red blood landed on Leylin's body. It began to wiggle, as if having its own life, and turned into an innumerable amount of little snakes that drilled through Leylin's wounds.
"Arghhh!" Leylin's eyes were popping out as the muscles on his face contorted.
An extremely frightening agony constantly grated on his nerves, even turning his vision blurry.
At that moment where he lost consciousness, Leylin only knew to follow the method of the Kemoyin's Pupil meditation technique, as he began to attempt to break through to a Warlock.
-x-X-x-
After Leylin had fainted, the red light in the second storey of the villa did not disappear, but gradually became more intense.
Time passed, and very soon, it was the morning of the second day.
The scarlet light grew stronger, and even the blue runes on the wall produced creaking noises as if they were unable to endure any longer.
*Ping Pang!* With sounds like the shattering of glass, the blue runes were finally dispersed and the red light shone through the walls and onto the villa beside it.
"Look quickly! What's that?"
The unusual condition of the villa was finally found out by the passersby. A bald man who looked like a merchant began to point at Leylin's villa as he shouted.
Following the direction to where he pointed, one could see that the second storey of the villa was currently radiating scarlet rays of light.
The red light was so dazzling that even the sun could not hide its presence.
With the continuous emission of rays of light, many regular humans around Leylin's villa mysteriously fainted.
*Peng!* The bald merchant who had pointed at Leylin's villa now had a frightened expression on his face as if seeing some natural nemesis. Both of his hands gripped his chest where his heart was, his eyes turning white as he fell onto the ground.
With the continuous expansion of the light rays, the number of passersby who fell to the ground increased, eventually extending to the whole street.
The citizens screamed and cried out in fright. A horde of them squeezed and jostled out of the city as if there was some scary demon behind them.
...
Leylin had a very long dream.
In his dream, he was an incredibly tiny snake that constantly hid and snuck around, learning the methods of hunting prey.
The surroundings were up in flames. What surrounded him were simply lava and black boiling stones. The sight ahead was also a fiery-red.
As for him, he gradually grew up, going from sneaking around to avoid enemies, to being a natural predator at the top of the food chain.
No matter how many ferocious or horrifying creatures there were out there, they could only accept death in front of him while he swallowed them.
Leylin constantly changed his territory. One day, he arrived at another location.
That place was filled with the same species as him. Deep in his heart, there was a feeling of longing, which made him press on and climb deeper in.
As he went deeper in, Leylin could feel that the aura of the stronger members of his species increased. Just the aura radiating off of some of them was enough to leave Leylin with a feeling of suffocation.
Moreover, the surrounding flames and sulphur rapidly disappeared. What took its place was pitch-black darkness.
This darkness had countless shadows, yet it gave him a sense of security as if he was returning to his parent's body.
In the centre of the darkness, he could finally see.
What he saw was a giant ball of snakes, which seemed to cover the sky's horizon. It seemed to be a planet in the universe, eternal yet mighty. Every giant snake in the ball had strength surpassing his imagination.
"Hissssss!"
Leylin flicked his tongue out, letting off a hiss that was only produced by snakes.
The giant ball of snakes opened, revealing the figure of a black haired woman.
This black haired woman had an exceptionally charming feature. Her eyes had vertical slits for pupils and looked as if they were made of a ceramic glaze that would let one see through to its bottom. She also had hair that writhed continuously, as if they were tiny snakes.
The hair, which seemed to look like snakes, also gave her another layer of mysterious allure.
"You have come!" The woman opened her mouth, her voice ringing within Leylin's heart. The language spoken was extremely strange and Leylin hadn't heard of it before, yet he still understood it.
Just as Leylin was about to speak out and ask a question, a flash of bright light appeared in his vision.
He reached out to shield from the light and realised that his hand was that of a human's. Only then, he realised that he had woken up from his slumber.
"I recall it now; I'm Leylin, who was completing the ceremony of transferring a bloodline to break through a bottleneck.
The life in his dream, which had seemed to be the reality, appeared in Leylin's mind. For a moment, it made him think that he wasn't human.
It seemed as if his reality had had been obscured by a veil- nothing could be seen clearly.
Slowly, large amounts of memories surfaced in his mind.
"The villa has been destroyed?" Leylin looked at the construction which had collapsed, and the sunlight, which bore through the holes in the ceiling, finally noticing the difference.
With Leylin at the centre, the surroundings were in a mess. Apart from him, there were no other living organisms.
"It seems like the energy absorption spell has failed and copious amounts of radiation leaked out..."
Leylin stroked his chin, suddenly thinking of something. "Warlock?! What happened to my advancement?"
At this moment, he was stark naked, but Leylin could feel an intensifying strength under his skin. Moreover, his spiritual force had significantly increased from before.
Leylin, somewhat unsettled, delved into the sea of his consciousness.
At this moment, his sea of consciousness was filled with a scarlet light, turning the space into a patch of redness.
At the centremost was a spell formation that had an octagonal crystal, floating quietly in the space.
The power that he felt from inside to outside continuously emanated throughout his whole body.
After he sensed the innate spell inside the crystal, Leylin grinned as he knew he had successfully advanced into an official Magus!
"A.I. chip, bring out the previous monitor record!"
[Detected traces of suitable composition for Host's absorption! Determined to be the blood essence of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent! Beginning absorption]
[Blood essence burning! Host spiritual force increases significantly!]
...
[Successful completion of the first level of the Kemoyin's Pupil! Host advances into a rank 1 Warlock! Various stats have been greatly boosted!]
[New scanning of Host's data...]
[Beep! Leylin Farlier. Rank 1 Warlock, Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Strength: 7.1, Agility: 6.7, Vitality: 8.5, Spiritual force: 27.9, Magic power: 27 (magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force). Status: Healthy]
The A.I. Chip duly reflected the data in front of Leylin.
"There is actually such a great increase, no wonder I feel different. Even my physical figure has been enhanced and my strength has increased!"
Leylin clenched his fist and punched, emitting a shrill air explosion in the air.
"Right now my body is not inferior to that of any powerful creatures!"
Leylin looked at his chest. The appearance did not change much, only that his skin looked even glossier. His abs were well defined, yet not too protruding, maintaining a fine balance.
"However, such a huge disturbance will definitely alert nearby magicians. It's better to leave earlier!"
Leylin casually picked up a black robe in the mess and put it on. Seeing the mess, he smiled wryly.
About the advancement to an official Magus, the A.I. Chip had no better research materials. Although Leylin did his best to lay the energy absorption spell formation, it still shattered under the sheer amount of energy emitted.
As for official Magus, even if they restrained their radiation, regular humans would not be able to withstand it.
How would Leylin be able to restrain himself during the advancement? Hence, it resulted in such a scene.
After figuring out the details, Leylin shook his head and kept a few important items from the rubble before placing them all into a knapsack.
*Bang!*
Leylin exerted strength and made a deep impression on the ground. His body then turned into a dark flash and left the area with a speed several times faster than before.
Some time later, a cawing of a bird was heard.
A snow white giant bird landed, with two official Magi on its back. What they wore were the clothes from the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy.
"We're here, the place where we sensed the energy waves!"
A female Magus touched the rubble on the floor and shut her eyes to sense for something.
"I sense a tremendous spiritual force and also a blood-reeking aura. The feeling that it gives me slightly deviates from an official Magus..."
"This is very normal!"
A cloaked male came together with the female Magus. Under the cloak was the voice of a male.
"Choosing to advance here would only mean that it's a wandering magician! Furthermore, they have obtained the inheritance from a remnant!"
The cloaked man grudgingly shrugged his shoulders. "There are many remnants in the south coast, who knows what period the inheritance that the magician obtained came from. He seemed to have inherited some sort of ancient cultivation path, so his aura having deviations from the norm is not out of the ordinary. However, the energy waves have obviously reached the might of a rank 1 Magus, so this matter should be treated seriously...."
After hearing the words of her counterpart, the woman's face turned solemn.
In the south coast, various guilds and magisterium had mostly controlled the advancement of acolytes to protect their unique positions.
However, in such a vast domain, there were always many of these lucky wandering acolytes who had obtained the inheritance or remnants of others and advanced successfully.
Although it wasn't very often, these sorts of things occurred once every couple of years.
The approach of the powerful organisations in the south coast was very clear. They would rope them in if possible, and if not, they had to coerce these lucky people into not spreading their knowledge about advancement!
As for the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, which was the closest to Grey Stone City, they were naturally the people in charge of enforcing this law to the wandering magicians in the Poolfield Kingdom.
Very soon, the cloaked male and female magicians began to investigate. However, all of the eyewitnesses had more or less died. As for those who were lucky enough to survive, they seemed to be in trauma. No matter what, they could not remember Leylin's appearance. Even retrieving their memory was meaningless, so the two investigators could only leave.
At this moment, in the nearby dim forest close to Grey Stone City, Leylin stopped.
"After running for so long, I am actually not showing any signs of exhaustion. My vitality, which has reached 8.5, is indeed extraordinary!" Leylin could not mask the joy on his face.
The current Leylin was a complete beast in the form of a human. No matter how hard a greatsword would be sent chopping towards his body, his muscles would still most likely wedge it within, and hold it in place.
"According to the Book of Giant Serpent's description, usually, acolytes who advance into an official Magus would only get a great increase in their spiritual force, which would also form their innate talent. Warlocks, however, are different. They would be able to unearth the power of the bloodline, and obtain the strengthening of both their spiritual force and their physical bodies.
Leylin's vitality right now had already surpassed many Grand Knights. Even if it were the Branded Swordsmen in the legends, they would most likely only be equal to him.
-x-X-x-
"I am almost used to the familiarity of my physical body, but I wonder what kind of innate spell did I obtain?"
After a long run, Leylin casually did a few standard swordplay movements. After having some understanding of his reinforced body, he shifted his thoughts to other matters.
According to the Kemoyin's Pupil meditation technique and the introduction of the Book of Giant Serpent, Leylin had more understanding about the innate spell of Magi.
As far as regular Magi were concerned, most of them would choose a rank 1 defensive spell model and complement it with Grine Water to make a breakthrough.
Magi, who advanced with this method, had the smallest potential. In future, if they were unable to obtain more precious resources and a rank 2 spell model that were suitable for them, they would have absolutely no hope of advancing.
As for some large organisation heads or first-rate Magi Families' core members, they could practise the high-level meditation techniques.
Each level of the meditation technique could correspondingly promote the rank of a Magus. Moreover, the innate spell model found in each level is fixed.
In other words, it would be easy to guess a Magus' innate spell just by looking at a part of the high-grade meditation technique that the Magus practised.
However, Warlocks were different; they were literally "dependant on the heavens to have bountiful crops"[1. (看天吃饭) - Depends on the heavens to have bountiful crops refers to luck.].
The formation of innate spells was heavily dependent on luck, purity and concentration of the blood essence of that bloodline.
Leylin knew his luck was only so-so, but he had got the blood essence of an ancient being - the Kemoyin Serpent! Thus, it should be highly compatible with this high-level meditation technique, and would thus be good for him.
After putting a thread of his spiritual force into the crystal, almost instinctively, Leylin knew the details of his own innate spell.
Eye of Petrification... and... Scales of Kemoyin!
Two innate spells! That's right! There were two innate spells!
"Haha..." Leylin did not contain his laughter and let out a hearty laugh.
Concerning Warlocks, in the process of forming their innate spells, there was another scenario that could happen. That only occurs when the blood essence of the bloodline was extremely rich, almost the same as the origin of the bloodline. In such circumstances, there would be an additional innate spell.
Of course, the two innate spells Leylin obtained were rank 1 spells, not that he immediately advanced into a rank 2 Magus.
Inside a rank 2 Magus, they would have two innate spells too. However, one was a rank 1 spell while the other was a rank 2 spell! As for now, Leylin only had two spells that were of rank 1.
Only after advancing to a rank 2 Warlock, the rank 2 innate spell would be formed!
As for the might of the rank 2 spells, they would naturally overpower the rank 1 spells.
Even so, having an additional spell will allow Leylin to be proud and unyielding amongst rank 1 Magi.
This was equivalent to having an additional spell amongst the magicians of the same level, so naturally he had a great advantage.
Very soon, Leylin looked through the Kemoyin's Pupil meditation technique and the Book of Giant Serpent, obtaining more information on those two innate spells.
"Eye of Petrification: A petrifying gaze will be emitted from the eyes, equivalent to the might of a petrification spell. The target will immediately be petrified. For more powerful beings, they would become rigid temporarily! Consumption: spiritual force 1, magic power 1!"
"Scales of Kemoyin: A layer of scales will form instantly providing a layer of defense. Physical defense: 25 degrees! Magic defense: 27 degrees! Consumption: Every 5 hours spiritual force 1, magic power 1!"
The consumption was calculated by the A.I. Chip. Leylin looked at it blankly.
According to the estimations of the A.I. Chip, these two innate spells were rather outstanding even amongst all the rank 1 spells.
If it was formed through a spell model, each of the spells required consumption of at least 10 points of spiritual force and magic power.
As for now, the consumption was one-tenth of before. This was the advantage of innate spells!
Furthermore, Leylin also felt that he could only spend a consumption of 2 points in spiritual force and magic power to have the Scales of Kemoyin always in effect.
At this moment, he roughly knew what the defensive forcefield, which always hovered around Magi, was.
Those were the innate defensive spells that they had activated around them perpetually. Any attacks, as long as they do not break through their innate spell defense, will never be able to cause them any harm.
"These two innate spells, one is for offense, and the other is for defense. With them, my current abilities, even amongst official Magus, can be considered excellent!"
Leylin estimated his might calmly.
As he chose the path of Warlocks which had good meditation technique and bloodline, the benefits he obtained right after an advancement greatly surpassed that from regular Magi.
As for those newly advanced Magi, they were not Leylin's opponent at all. Only those who remained for some time inside the rank 1 domain, those with their spiritual force and magic power almost reaching the limits and having recorded a large number of rank 1 spells, would be a force to be reckoned with for Leylin.
As for rank 2 Magi? Right now Leylin was far from being their opponent. He did not even have much confidence in fleeing from them.
Every level between Magi had the difference like that between heaven and earth. It was not something that the bloodlines or better meditation technique could solve.
However, Leylin was extremely pleased with the present outcome.
After all, he had just advanced, and his path in future was broad.
With a joyful heart, Leylin took off the black robes that he put on and changed into a new set of clothes as he began to rearrange the things that he had brought along with him.
After wearing black robes, Leylin immediately hung the Fallen Star Pendant on his neck again.
"The defense of this pendant is rather low now! Most of the rank 1 spells are above 20 degrees. Any attack from an official Magus will be able to break the defense of this Fallen Star Pendant!"
"A.I. Chip! Establish mission and calculate the probability of improving the Fallen Star Pendant!"
[Beep! Mission establishing, beginning analysis...] The A.I. Chip carried out its mission, and also gave a stream of information for Leylin to check on the progress.
After advancing into a rank 1 Warlock, the A.I. Chip that was connected to Leylin's soul also obtained large benefits. Its calculation abilities were evidently more powerful than before.
After changing his robes, Leylin walked towards a small stream and looked at his reflection.
In the clear waters, a handsome, black-haired youth looked back at him, his body emitting a strange charisma.
"My hair, why has it turned black?" Leylin looked at his reflection, suddenly recalling the black haired snake woman inside his dream.
"Could it be...That the dream was not just an illusion?"
Leylin faintly guessed that it was the external changes caused by the changing of bloodlines.
Moreover, Leylin realised that there were some slight changes to his face.
Leylin had a rather average countenance at the start, at most having the looks of a youth. As of now, his eyes were brighter than before, his brows sleeker and the face turned more handsome than before. Combined with the dignity as a Warlock, there was a mysterious charisma to it.
"In legends, not only did Warlocks have powerful spells and physical bodies, each and every one was a handsome man or a beauty. So, this was all influenced by the bloodline!"
Leylin looked for a while more, before continuing with his preparations.
He was a Warlock, not someone who relied on his face to live, so being handsome or ugly had no difference.
...
Sapphire Lake, situated at the eastern part of the Poolfield Kingdom, was an extremely beautiful lake.
During winter, when the sun shines down from the sky, looking at it from a vantage point the azure lake seemed to be crystal clear like sapphire.
Not only that, there were even a special species of Blue Ice Fishes living in the Sapphire Lake. Its taste was extremely fresh and succulent. If acolytes were to include it in their diet often, it would have a slight boost in their meditation.
Hence, this area was controlled by a Magus family.
Tyler family was the Magus family which controlled the Sapphire Lake from nearby, to which Bicky belonged.
On this afternoon, there was a visitor inside the Tyler family's ancient castle.
"This is the ancient castle of the Tyler family?"
Leylin looked up at the large stone castle.
The Tyler family's castle was erected on a cliff close to Sapphire Lake. Around it there was even a layer of poisonous cloud hovering around it, so very few people were able to come here.
Leylin sized up the giant castle. The large yellowish cliff had the depression and precipitation that withstood the test of time, silently standing here, bringing on a gloomy and declining feeling to it.
At the front of the castle were two fire breathing statues.
"The Tyler family was known to have a period of golden age; one can tell just by looking at the outline of this ancient castle. A pity..."
Leylin touched the two lifeless statues and sighed.
Magus families which were slightly more powerful can lay a defensive spell formation around their fort. At the very least, the door guards should at least be guarded by magical creatures.
As for now, Leylin only saw two stone statues, and there was no aura of radiation coming from the ancient castle.
With Leylin's strength as a rank 1 spell right now, he could completely demolish this castle.
It seemed like the news of the Tyler family of not having a rank 1 spell was true.
After lingering around the front of the castle for a while, the people inside it were shocked.
*Boom!* Huge stones axles revolving sounded, and the two sides of the door opened slowly.
"May I ask...Who are you looking for?"
A chirpy birdlike girl's voice sounded. From behind the door, a green haired girl roughly 8 to 9 years old peeked out.
"I am Leylin, looking for your family's head!"
Leylin caressed the little girl's hair.
"My Lord! I'm sorry my Lord, this is my daughter, I did not pay attention to her for a while..."
At this moment, a middle-aged man with the energy waves of a level 2 acolyte finally appeared from the door, looking at Leylin in fright.
"Kushy! Hurry up and bow!" The middle-aged man hugged and placed the girl behind him, making her do a bow.
From the middle-aged man's knowledge, although Leylin seemed rather young, he had the terrifying energy waves which had far surpassed himself.
"He's at least a level 3 acolyte!"
He would never be comparable to a level 3 acolyte that this young man was.
Moreover, the Tyler family was in decline for a long time already, so they did not have much backing.
-x-X-x-
"Hi! I'm Leylin, here to meet the head of the Tyler family!"
Leylin repeated his intent.
"Leylin? Leylin!" The middle-aged man repeated the name before his expression changed suddenly, before asking in a more respectful tone, "May I ask if you are the Leylin from the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy?"
"That's right!" Leylin affirmed.
The smile on the middle-aged man's face grew in splendor; it seemed more forced than good-natured as he said, "Welcome to the Tyler family! I will immediately announce your arrival..."
After learning of Leylin's identity, this man's manner changed.
The man had heard Leylin's distinguished name many times; not only was he Bicky's junior, and Professor Kroft's accomplished student, as well as a genius in the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, rumor has it that he has astonishing talent in Potioneering and advanced to level 3 acolyte, with potential to become a Magus before turning 20 years old.
However, the most important thing in the letter was, Leylin had promised to compensate the damage caused by Bicky.
Thinking of this, although the man appeared deferential on the surface, there was a trace of greed within the nervousness he felt.
"I feel very upset regarding the matter of Miss Bicky..."
The man squeezed out some tears as he said, "Previously, Miss Bicky was a very obedient child, but now..."
"I am well aware of all this, bring me to see your family's head!"
Leylin gaze turned frosty, and the middle-aged felt a chill run down his spine. He felt as if he were being stalked by an extremely dangerous beast.
"I shall go at once! I shall go at once!"
Following which, he took hold of his daughter and immediately vanished behind the door.
More than ten minutes later, Leylin had already been received within the great hall of the castle and was in the presence of the Tyler family's patriarch.
"Distinguished guest! I am Tyler family's patriarch - Johnson Tyler! I welcome you to the Tyler Fort, and I hope that your stay here will be pleasant."
The patriarch of Tyler family was known as Johnson Tyler. He was an old man wearing a formal black attire and had a head of lustrous, silver hair which had been carefully combed. But his eyes appeared a muddy white.
[Johnson Tyler. Level 3 acolyte. Strength: 1.9, Agility: 2.5, Strength: 2.0, Spiritual force: 13. magic artifact on target's body can unleash attacks up to three times, each producing a force of more than 20 degrees. ]
A trace of blue light, invisible to others, flashed through Leylin's optic nerve, as the A.I. chip scanned and recorded the information regarding the Tyler family's patriarch.
Then, Leylin's nose twitched; he had smelled a deteriorating and decaying odor emitted from that Patriarch's body.
It was clear from the many wrinkles on this patriarch's face that this man did not have many years of his lifespan left.
Too weak! This kind of strength, in front of Leylin, was the same as grinding an ant to dust.
Leylin swept a glance from top to toe of the patriarch and found that the magic artifact he wore was somewhat decent.
If a level 3 acolyte were allowed to pay an extremely high cost, they could attain a magic artifact suitable for a rank 1 Magus. It seemed that this was something that was passed down the family.
However, from what Leylin saw, instead of one hit, he needed just two to take Johnson down.
The disparity between their strengths was too high, and Leylin did not feel inclined to gossip with him.
"My purpose for coming here is: as stated in my letter from before, I will pay a sufficient cost to compensate for the Rainbow Potion, and you all must pardon Bicky of her crimes."
Leylin ignored the angry look upon the patriarch's face and found a seat to sit down on.
Seeing that Leylin did not show any courtesy, a trace of fury flashed in the eyes of Johnson Tayler, but he quickly suppressed it.
But within his mind, he felt aggrieved, as if a large stone had been placed in his heart. Since when could a level 3 acolyte act this brazenly inside the Tyler Fort?
However, Johnson had, after all, had plenty of experiences during his span of life. Moreover, he could always detect a trace of danger from Leylin.
The many years of training made Johnson put a smile on his face as if he was not even the teensiest bit angry due to Leylin's actions.
"The Rainbow Potion is a precious ancient treasure, right now many of its ingredients are hard to find..."
"I will give the Grine Water in exchange for it!"
"Wh... What..." Johnson stammered immediately, and an unbelievable expression filled his face.
"I said that I will give the Grine Water for it! That would be enough to exchange for the Rainbow Potion, would it not? After all, the Rainbow Potion's effect is to complement the success rate with the Grine Water. When comparing the treasures, the Grine Water is much rarer!"
Leylin interlaced his fingers as he smiled, immediately throwing out a temptation that Johnson could not refuse.
The composition and effect of the Grine Water had long since been analysed by the A.I. Chip during this period.
Only that the brewing process required a lot of ingredients to carry out. Leylin did not have that many ingredients on him, so he could only make do with the analysis.
According to the A.I. Chip's calculation, the effect of the Grine Water was to burn the life force of the acolyte and breakthrough the spiritual force bottleneck.
This method had very evidently had a huge backlash and after effect.
As for Leylin, although he burnt a little of his life force during his advancement, it was very soon replenished by the Giant Kemoyin Serpent's blood essence.
Leylin guessed that it was the tremendous vitality found within the Giant Kemoyin Serpent's blood essence that substituted his own life force that was burnt during the advancement.
Hence, after advancement, right now Leylin had at least 500 to 600 years of lifespan according to the A.I. Chip.
As for normal rank 1 Magus, even if they used many methods to prolong their life, they would at most live up to 200-300 years old.
Moreover, after Leylin advanced to a rank 1 Warlock, the Grine Water that had effect for acolytes was not of much use to him anymore.
Leylin had planned to exchange it for some resources, but now it seems that using it as compensation was not a bad idea too.
As expected, after hearing the words 'Grine Water,' this patriarch Johnson began to pant.
There hasn't been the birth of an official Magus in the Tyler family for over 300 years!
Moreover due to the decline of the bloodline and lack of resources, the Tyler family members had very little chance of advancement. They did not even have a level 3 acolyte where the academy chairman could fawn upon to sign a contract. So naturally they had no way of obtaining the Grine Water.
As for other families, they were extremely pleased to watch the decline of the Tyler family before stepping in to swoop all of their resources. Thus, there weren't any good-natured people to aid them.
Although the Rainbow Potion was good, it was not rarer than the Grine Water.
After all, the Rainbow Potion's effect that could raise the success rate was rather hard to determine. It would at most raise it by 20%.
However, the Grine Water was different! With it and an outstanding acolyte, the Tyler family could definitely try to cultivate their own official Magus! They did not have to be restrained by other contracts!
However, although this wily fox Johnson was extremely willing, he still put on a difficult expression.
"When Bicky stole the Rainbow Potion, she even ruined some treasures..."
Leylin shook his head. He had already predicted such a scene before his advancement.
Even if he was willing to compensate, he would definitely be ripped off.
As he was merely a level 3 acolyte, yet the other party was from a Magus family. Even if it was a declining family, their power is still to be reckoned with for any regular acolytes.
If Johnson did not ruthlessly try to knock off a huge amount from Leylin, then he would have lived to this ripe old age in vain.
"Enough!" Leylin's face darkened.
At the same time, a mighty spiritual force energy wave emanated from his body.
*Hu Hu Hu!* As if a strong gale had swept past, the cloth on the tables and curtains on the windows let off a rattling sound.
The mighty spiritual force of an official Magus mercilessly swept through the fort as frightened wails were heard.
Many youths in the Tyler family fainted on the spot, without making a sound.
They were all regular humans without any resistance to Magus's methods.
As for those level 1 acolyte and level 2 acolyte, they were not any better off. Their faces were reddened as they tried their best to support themselves and not fall onto the ground.
"Of... Official Magus?!"
As if seeing a ghost, Johnson's mouth gaped widely, large enough to stuff several duck eggs inside.
After which, fright surfaced on his face as he immediately knelt onto the ground, "Most respected Lord Magus! Please be appeased and let my family members off!"
Seeing that Johnson, who had wanted to rip him off just a few moments before, was now kneeling on the floor like a frightened rabbit, Leylin harrumphed coldly. However, he still retrieved his spiritual force.
Leylin only did a slight test earlier with some restrain. If not, the regular humans in the fort would have all died from the radiation.
Johnson shuddered as he knelt, his inner heart wildly howling, "This spiritual force definitely belongs to an official Magus! It can't be wrong! He... He is only 18 at most!"
Once he thought of having offended such a genius official Magus, Johnson desired to cry yet there were no tears. He even had the notion of committing suicide.
"Bicky! Yes! His relationship with her is good!" Johnson's eyes lit up as he suddenly thought of this point.
"Quick! Quick bring Bicky here! No... Maid! First, bring her for a bath..."
After seeking approval from Leylin, Johnson scampered off and ran into a large hall, screaming at an acolyte that was sprawled on the floor.
After which, Johnson put on a flattering smile as he bowed towards Leylin. "My Lord, do you have any other orders?"
Looking at his shameless behaviour, Leylin was somewhat speechless.
After all, this was Bicky's family; he could not do things to the extremes.
After Johnson accompanied Leylin in trepidation for another dozen minutes or so, Leylin finally got to see Bicky.
Bicky had apparently gone for grooming; her hair even had water droplets which had not been dried properly. She wore a white gown, her expression, however, did not seem very well, having huge eye bags and dark circles around her eyes.
"You... You're Leylin?!"
Bicky looked at Leylin who stood there unyieldingly and then at her family head who was smiling obsequiously, suddenly feeling dizzy as she tried to connect the dots...
-x-X-x-
Several minutes later, within the large hall.
There was no one else apart from Leylin and Bicky.
Leylin and Bicky sat facing each other, only separated by a small, white round-table. There were many appetizers and aperitifs arranged on this table.
Bicky was holding a piece of sponge cake within her hand, but it appeared she had no appetite.
"Is it true? How did you actually get promoted to a level 1 Magus this soon?"
Bicky, still appearing absent-minded, picked up a steaming drink and took a gulp.
"Congratulations, Leylin! Also, thank you for coming over to help me."
"Don't mention it. After all, you are my friend." Leylin smiled as he said.
"That's right! You are a good friend." Bicky unconsciously repeated whatever Leylin said, still looking dazed.
"What do you plan to do from now on?" asked Leylin, anxiously, seeing Bicky acting in this manner.
"In the future?" Bicky bowed her head as in deep thought and said, "I do not intend to return to the academy. I shall go and travel and perhaps one day; I will return to my family..."
Saying this, she looked eagerly at Leylin, "Maybe I can become your follower?"
After becoming an official Magus, a person can usually accept a few followers and agree upon a soul contract where the followers would pledge their life and loyalty to their master. In return, based on their accomplishments, the masters would have to provide their followers with knowledge and resources to the best of their abilities.
And in the outside world, a follower can be the representative of their master to a certain extent.
"This will not do!" Leylin refused Bicky's request after thinking for a while.
"I have a big problem on hand. Besides all that..."
Even though Leylin did not speak it out, Bicky understood that followers must have certain strength, which could, later on, be of help to their masters
Now, Leylin was already a Magus. With his talent, this was only the beginning of his journey.
And because of this, Leylin's followers' aptitudes should not be lousy. Otherwise, further cultivation would be useless.
Bicky's spiritual aptitude was not very good-till now she was still only a level 2 acolyte. Leylin reckoned that, if she did not experience any strange events, the status of a level 3 acolyte would be the highest she could achieve in her lifetime, which would not be of much help to him.
"If it's like this! I merely made a passing remark..." Bicky laughed forcefully.
Seeing the way Bicky behaved, Leylin suddenly felt he had a headache coming on. He said, "Regarding Fayle, have you decided what is to be done?"
"About him..." Bicky remained silent for a moment.
A good while later, she calmly spoke, "He entered the Purple-Gold Flower family and now has both Grine Water and the Rainbow Potion. I am afraid that he has already broken through and become an official Magus. What can I do?"
"At an appropriate moment, I will make him pay the price."
Leylin still wished to offer some hope and guarantee to Bicky.
Certainly, when and how he will take revenge is up to him to decide. In any case, Leylin himself wasn't prepared to be riddled with troubles to kill the guy who cheated Bicky.
Even if Fayle had advanced, he was now only a newly-minted Magus-which was definitely not a match for Leylin.
Moreover, there were many rank 1 spells contained within that Book of Serpent, some which can kill people without a trace of sound. Outsiders will definitely not be able to connect the death to Leylin.
Bicky's eyes reddened as tears the size of beans rolled down her cheek.
"Thank you! Thank you! Leylin..."
She cried as she pounced into Leylin's arms. Leylin's expression was tender as he hugged her with his left arm, with the right hand patting her gently on the back.
After which, Leylin made a strange gesture with his right arm where Bicky did not realise it.
A greyish black gas was pulled out from Bicky's body and held firmly in Leylin's hands.
Several hours later, after refusing Johnson's invite to stay, Leylin left the Tyler Fort on his own.
Before leaving, he still went according to the contract and gave the Grine Water to the Tyler family as compensation.
In exchange, Johnson pardoned Bicky's crime in front of all the members, even with the intent of making her the successor immediately.
Leylin walked a good long distance before looking back at Tyler Fort. With his vision, he could see a smoky white figure standing alone in front of the Tyler Fort, maintaining the gesture of sending Leylin off earlier.
"I hope the potions I gave her will be of some use!"
Before leaving, Leylin even gave Bicky some of his modified Azure Potion and told her clearly of its uses. And like before, Leylin told a lie, saying that he managed to chance across them and made a purchase.
Although he had the strength of a rank 1 Warlock now and could definitely protect a potion's formula, he still wished to avoid trouble.
To him, Bicky and the other acolytes in the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy were only part of his journey to climb to the top.
He would slightly halt in this part of the journey, but not forever.
He still wished to climb further to greater heights, to see and accomplish more things.
Perhaps, after he had climbed to the highest point, he would then reminisce of his past and return to it.
But before that, he will never leave behind any regrets!
"The issues are almost settled. Maybe I should leave the Poolfield Kingdom and travel around the south coast?"
The Lilytell family was a large family with a strong backing. Leylin's might could not even be compared to a fraction of it.
Leylin did not assume that after advancing into a rank 1 Warlock, he would be able to eradicate this family.
Moreover, at the very end, the Chairman Siley of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy will definitely appear. This was a rank 2 Magus! An existence Leylin had no chance against right now!
As the representative of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, Siley will definitely take action!
After thinking for some while, Leylin felt that deserting the school was his best choice.
As for whether his professors and friends would be implicated?
No matter if it was Kroft, or the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy members, or even Nyssa and the other acolytes, they were all members of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy.
As one of the three big families, the Lilytell family had to maintain its decorum of nobility and exercise the compliance of rules.
Towards this, the noble family amongst regular humans which Leylin was born in were not much different.
Moreover, even if the Lilytell family did not want face at the end and used other people as hostage to capture him, so what?
Would Leylin be this foolish to walk right into this trap?
Although Leylin would offer his help for Bicky and the rest of them, it always came with a prerequisite. That he had enough power to do it and it would not bring him much trouble.
Once exceeding this threshold, Leylin would somewhat become cold-blooded.
To put it in another way: even if the Lilytell family went to the Chernobyl Islands and used the Farlier family as a hostage to threaten him, Leylin would not give two hoots about it.
At the very most, after his power had increased, he would return to exterminate the Lilytell family, thus avenging the Farlier family.
Leylin thought of his plans as he rode on a horse along the road.
*Thud Thud!*
With the fast trampling of the horse hoofs, they ran past a forest.
As for Leylin, he had been squinting his eyes. At this moment, they were suddenly opened, and a streak of toying expression appeared on his face.
*Pu!*
Just when the horse was about to leave the forest clearing, several arcs of light shot out from the trees.
*Ka-Cha!*
With a huge boom, the fine steed was severed into a few pieces, bleeding out a huge amount of blood and intestines.
At that moment when the light hit his horse, Leylin used his palm to press on the horse, grabbed his knapsack and jumped away from it.
When both of his feet landed on the ground, he realised he had been surrounded by a group of black-robed figures.
They all gave off the energy waves of level 3 acolytes. A few of them also had the aura of magic artifacts radiating from their bodies. As for the one in the centre, his strength had already reached the standard of an official Magus!
The clothes on these black robed figures had an image of several crows stitched on with a gold lining on it.
"Such a getup? The Academy's Enforcement Squad?"
Leylin already guessed who they were, and calmness showed on his face.
"Leylin! Someone has accused you of killing your fellow level 3 acolytes. Bosain, Jayden, Shaya and Roth. Come back with us for your trial!"
The scarred faced leader did not hide the killing intent in his eyes.
Leylin understood that the Lilytell family had finally investigated the matter previously, and even push the blame of the other level 3 acolytes death onto his head.
"And if I say no?"
The people who surrounded Leylin were not only level 3 acolytes but also an official Magus. Before his advancement, he could not even escape such a formation. But now, Leylin had an impulse and was rather eager to battle.
"Defying the Enforcement Squad! Kill on the spot!"
The official Magus, Scarface, unleashed his killing intent and waved his hands.
Many incantations sounded, and various energy waves were emitted.
Dazzling fireballs! Jade green corrosive acid! Purple blades, as well as several other magic artifacts were used, appearing above Leylin's head.
*Bang!*
A huge pit appeared on where Leylin stood. On the sides there were still flames burning, the surroundings littered with broken bones and mutilated corpses.
"He's already killed?" An acolyte behind Scarface spoke.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, the acolyte's brains exploded with the white brain juices and blood splattering on the ground.
"Ted?!"
The group members behind him shouted with faces of disbelief.
*Sua! Sua! Sua!*
Arrows were immediately shot off, causing the level 3 acolytes behind the official Magus to have their heads explode.
"This is? Illusionary spell?" Scarface shouted and immediately chanted an incantation.
*Sssii!*!
Ear piercing wails continuously sounded, and the air in the surroundings seemed to undulate like waves in the water.
The void seemed to be ripped open like the curtains from a theatre. Scarface looked at the surroundings. The level 3 acolytes were all laying on the ground with their eyes shut tightly, not knowing if they were still alive or dead.
However, at this moment, the official Magus did not pay any more attention to them.
"You... Advanced?" Scarface had a shocked expression, "You actually... Advanced into an official Magus at 18 years old!"
"What a frightening talent. A pity you have offended the Lilytell family, so you're destined to die here!"
Scarface licked his lips, revealing a bloodthirsty expression. "Let me introduce myself. Clayde is my name, Clayde Lilytell!"