Panlong's Worton

Chapter 5 Derinkwater

Lin Lei woke up at noon the next day.

Sunlight streamed in through the wooden window, illuminating the fine dust floating in the air. He opened his eyes, his first sensation being a dull ache in the back of his head, as if someone were gently tapping it with a hammer. He tried to turn his head, but his neck was stiff.

"Don't move."

The voice came from beside the bed, but it wasn't his father, nor was it Ciri. Linley turned his eyes and saw an old man with a white beard sitting on a stool, wearing a moon-white robe, smiling at him.

There was no one else in the room.

"Who are you?" Lin Lei asked, his voice a little hoarse.

"Delinkovo," the old man said, "in your modern terms, he's a Saint-level Archmage, from the Puang Empire five thousand years ago."

Linley stared at him, his mind working a little slowly: "Sacred... Archmage?"

"Yes." Delinkov nodded. "I slept in the ring on your chest for over five thousand years, and yesterday your blood awakened me."

Lin Lei looked down and saw the Dragon Ring still hanging around his neck, the bloodstains on its surface dried to a dark brown. He looked up at the old man again: "You are... a soul?"

"Smart," Derlinkovit praised. "Most kids would be screaming by now."

"I'm eight years old," Lin Lei said, then added, "and I saw something even scarier yesterday."

Delinkovt chuckled. "True." He paused. "Your brother Wharton can see me too. When I came out last night, he wasn't scared at all, and even chatted with me for a bit."

Linley paused for a moment, then asked, "Wharton?"

"Yes. That child is extraordinary. Although he is only two and a half years old, he speaks and acts in a very organized manner, unlike ordinary toddlers." Delinkovt stroked his beard. "Your Baruch family may produce two outstanding figures in this generation."

Footsteps sounded outside the door, and Hogg pushed it open, carrying a bowl of hot soup. Seeing Linley was awake, his expression relaxed slightly: "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts," Lin Lei said honestly.

"It's normal, seven stitches." Hogg placed the soup on the bedside table and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Don't move around too much these next few days, just rest well."

Linley nodded, his eyes glancing in Derinkwater's direction. Hogg followed his gaze, only to see an empty chair: "What are you looking at?"

"...It's nothing." Lin Lei looked away.

Hogg didn't delve into it, gave a few instructions, and left, saying he had other matters to attend to in town. After the door closed, Drinkovart reappeared: "Your father cannot see me. Only you and Wharton can see me, because you are the owners of the rings, or have a blood connection to them."

Linley processed this information for a moment: "You said you're a Saint-level Archmage... then can you teach me magic?"

Derinkowart's eyes lit up: "You want to learn?"

"Yes," Linley said firmly. "That magician yesterday was amazing. I want to be that amazing."

"The path of a mage is not easy," Delinkovt said seriously. "It requires talent, perseverance, and a lot of time. And you're injured right now; you need to heal first."

"I know," Lin Lei said, "but I can start learning the theory now and put it into practice after I recover from my injury."

Derinkowart looked at him, a hint of appreciation in his eyes: "Alright. But before that, I need to test your talent. The two most important things for a mage are elemental affinity and mental strength. I can roughly sense mental strength, but elemental affinity... I'll have to test it with meditation."

"Meditation?"

"It's a method of sensing the elements of heaven and earth," Delinkovt explained. "Close your eyes, calm your mind, and feel for any glowing elemental points around you. Different elements have different colors: earth is yellowish-brown, wind is cyan, fire is red, water is blue, lightning is purple, light is white, and darkness is black."

Lin Lei noted it down: "Shall I try it now?"

"Let's wait until tonight," Drinkwater said. "Wharton will be tested too."

"Wharton?"

"Yes. Although he's young, his mental strength is considerable, and he's precocious," Delinkowert said. "Since he can see me, it means he has something special about his soul. Let's test him; maybe he also has magical talent."

Lin Lei thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay."

By dinner time, Linley was able to sit up, though he was still a little dizzy. Hogg allowed him to get out of bed to eat, but told him to be slow. In the dining room, Ciri laid out the food—oatmeal porridge, dark bread, and some cured meat, a larger portion than usual, supposedly to help the wounded recover.

Walton sat opposite Linley, sipping his porridge, his eyes occasionally glancing at the bandage on his brother's head.

"Does it still hurt?" Walton asked.

"Much better," Lin Lei said. "You weren't injured yesterday, were you?"

"No," Walton shook his head. "You're protecting me."

Lin Lei smiled but didn't say anything.

After dinner, Hogg went to his study as usual. While Ciri was clearing away the dishes, Linley winked at Wharton: "Come to my room, I need to talk to you."

Walton followed him into the room. After the door closed, Linley sat on the bed, and Walton moved a stool and sat down.

"Grandpa Delin said he's going to test our magical talent tonight," Linley said in a low voice.

Walton nodded: "I know."

"You know?" Lin Lei was stunned.

"He talked to me when he came out last night," Walton lied without batting an eye. "He said he wouldn't tell you yet, he'd tell you after you've recovered."

Lin Lei believed him: "So... are you nervous?"

"A little," Walton said. This was the truth. He knew he most likely had fire-type talent, but he didn't know the specific affinity level. Furthermore, Derinkowart was an earth-type holy mage, and might not be proficient in fire. What would he do if the test revealed this?

"I'm nervous too," Lin Lei sighed. "If I don't have the talent, it'll all be for nothing."

"You do," Walton said confidently.

How did you know?

"It feels like it," Walton said.

Lin Lei smiled and ruffled his hair: "Then I'll take your good wishes."

After dark, Ciri came to check on Linley's wound, changed his dressing, told him to go to sleep early, and then left. Only after the footsteps faded into the distance did Delinkovt float out of the ring.

There were no candles lit in the room; only moonlight streamed in through the window, barely enough to make out outlines.

"Is everything ready?" Delinkowert asked.

Linley nodded, and Walton nodded as well.

"Alright, let me get to the point first." Delinkovt floated between the two of them. "The foundation of meditation is calming the mind. Close your eyes, don't think about anything, empty your mind. Then feel your surroundings—not with your eyes, but with your 'heart'. If you have elemental affinity, you will 'see' glowing elemental points. The higher the affinity, the more and clearer the elemental points you can see."

He paused for a moment: "The first meditation might take a while, don't rush. If you still can't feel anything after twenty minutes, it means your affinity is too low, or you simply don't have it."

Lin Lei asked, "Would you like to sit or lie down?"

"Sit upright with your hands on your knees," Drinkwater said. "Wharton is young, so he can lean against the headboard."

The two did as instructed. Linley sat cross-legged on the bed, while Walton leaned against the foot of the bed, with a pillow behind his back.

"Close your eyes," Delinkowart's voice softened. "Take a deep breath, inhale... exhale... slowly..."

The room fell silent. Only the soft sound of breathing could be heard.

Linley closed his eyes and, following Derinkower's instructions, slowly cleared his mind. At first, his mind was a jumble—thinking about yesterday's battle, the wound on his head, the magician's fire serpent—he forced himself to banish these thoughts and focus on his breathing.

Inhale, exhale.

Inhale, exhale.

About five minutes later, a strange sense of tranquility enveloped him. Then, in the darkness, points of light began to appear.

It was blurry, like looking through frosted glass. But it was definitely light, a yellowish-brown color, one, two, three… more and more, densely packed, like a swarm of fireflies on a summer night. They floated in the air, moving slowly, some close together, some far away.

Lin Lei's heart skipped a beat, but he immediately reminded himself to stay calm. He continued to "watch" the points of light and discovered that they were not entirely random—some were drifting towards him, slowly but definitely getting closer.

Is this the Earth element?

His attention was completely drawn to those yellowish-brown specks of light. There were so many, too many to count, and they grew brighter and clearer over time.

He was so engrossed in watching.

On the other hand, Walton's experience was completely different.

He closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and quickly entered a meditative state. This wasn't his first attempt at meditation—over the past few months, he had privately tried using some breathing techniques he knew from his past life to calm his mind. Although he hadn't formally studied them, he had some basic knowledge of them.

The field of vision darkened, and then points of light appeared.

But it's not earthy yellow.

It is red.

The fiery, flickering red lights, like tiny flames, burned in the darkness. They were so numerous and densely packed that they almost filled the entire field of vision. Wharton "saw" them and could even feel a warm sensation, not a physical temperature, but some kind of spiritual connection.

This is the fire element.

He tried to find other colored specks of light. Earthy yellow—there were some, but few, scattered sparsely in the sea of ​​red, like a few grains of sand in the desert. Cyan specks were even fewer, occasionally flashing by one or two. Blue, purple, white, black… almost nowhere to be seen.

Fire affinity is at least superior, and possibly even superior.

Wharton understood. But he didn't move, continuing to "watch" the red dots. They were lively and restless, unlike the stable earth elements Linley had described. Some dots began to drift towards him, not slowly, but leaping and jumping, approaching one after another.

Time passed second by second.

Twenty minutes later, Delinkovt's voice rang out: "It's okay now, slowly open your eyes."

Linley opened his eyes first, his gaze somewhat unfocused, as if he hadn't fully emerged from that state. Wharton also opened his eyes, his expression calm.

"How is it?" Delinkovt asked Linley.

"I saw it." Linley's voice was filled with suppressed excitement. "Yellowish-brown specks of light, lots and lots of them."

"How much?" Delinekwart pressed, "Describe it."

"Like...like fireflies in summer, countless and densely packed," Linley struggled to organize his thoughts. "And they seemed to be drifting towards me."

Deringer's eyes lit up: "Being able to see the light spots moving means the affinity is at least moderate. You said very much... possibly superior, or even super-superior."

"Superior?" Lin Lei's breathing quickened.

"Possibly," Delinkovt stroked his beard, "but we still need to test his mental strength. Elemental affinity is fundamental, which is good; it will make later training much faster." He turned to Walton, "Walton, what about you?"

Walton paused for a moment, then said, "I saw it too."

"What color?"

"red."

Derinkowart paused for a moment, then asked, "Red? Fire-type?"

"Hmm." Walton nodded. "Lots of red dots, very few yellowish-brown ones."

Delinkov frowned: "Did you look closely? Earth-elemental elements are yellowish-brown; perhaps you misjudged it due to the dim lighting?"

"That's right," Walton said confidently. "It's red, like a little flame."

Delinkovt floated closer, stared at Walton for a moment, and sighed: "Fire... I'm an Earth-type Saint Mage, so I don't know much about fire. But since you can see elements, it means you have an affinity for them, and it's a fire affinity."

There was a hint of regret in his voice. If Wharton were an earth-based magic user, he could teach him personally. Since Wharton was fire-based, he could only teach him general theory; he couldn't teach him specific magic.

Linley only then realized, "Walton is fire-based? That's great! Fire magic attacks are very powerful!"

"It is strong," Delinkov nodded, "but I'm not good at it. If Wharton wants to learn fire magic in the future, he'll have to find another teacher or go to a magic academy."

Walton remained silent. He had anticipated this outcome. In the original story, Walton was naturally gifted in fire magic and later pursued a warrior path, with magic serving only as a secondary element. Now, with the character panel, he could actually learn on his own, but he would need a source of knowledge about fire magic.

Delinkovt rallied his spirits: "Anyway, having talent is a good thing. Next, we'll test your mental strength—I can't measure it precisely, I can only get a general sense of it. Linley, relax, I'll take a look."

Linley nodded. Derinkowart extended a finger, lightly touching Linley's brow, closed his eyes to sense it for a few seconds, and opened them with a look of delighted surprise: "Such strong mental power! At least ten times that of his peers!"

"Ten times?" Lin Lei didn't understand the meaning of this number.

"The minimum for a mage is five times," Delinkowert explained. "Ten times is already above average. Combined with your elemental affinity... Linley, you're a magical genius."

Lin Lei's face was a little red, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

Delinkovt tested Walton again, his expression even more astonished: "You also have about eight times... For a two-and-a-half-year-old, this level of mental strength is extremely rare."

Walton knew that this was due to the spiritual power boost that the transmigrator's soul inherently possessed, combined with the results of his private training over the past six months.

"So...we can all learn magic?" Linley asked.

"Yes," Delinkov said confidently. "Linley, I will teach you earth magic. Wharton, I can only teach you general meditation and basic theory; you'll have to find an opportunity to learn fire magic yourself later."

"That's enough," Walton said.

Derinkowart looked at the two brothers and smiled: "Very well, from today onwards, you are my students. But there are a few rules—"

He held up a finger: "First, magical training must be kept secret, especially by Linley. I don't know your father's attitude towards magicians, but it's better to avoid trouble. Don't reveal anything until you can protect yourself."

Lin Lei nodded.

"Secondly, magical training must not interfere with normal physical training and academic studies. You are members of the Baruch family; you cannot lose your warrior foundation, nor can you lack knowledge."

Both of them nodded.

"Third, I will teach you every night, and you can meditate on your own during the day. Linley will only meditate and not practice magic until he recovers. Wharton is young, so he will also only meditate until he is six years old."

"Why?" Walton asked.

"Your body isn't fully developed yet," Delinkov said seriously. "Premature exposure to magic might damage your meridians. Six years old is the safe age."

Wharton accepted. He had three and a half years left, which he could use to build a solid foundation while focusing on physical training.

"So what are we going to learn now?" Lin Lei asked impatiently.

"Meditation," Delinkowert said. "What you just experienced was only a preliminary perception. Now I'm going to teach you a systematic meditation method that can more efficiently absorb elements and convert them into magical power."

He floated to the center of the room, moonlight passing through his body and casting a faint shadow on the ground.

"Listen carefully. The essence of meditation is to use mental power to guide elements into the body and refine them into magical power in the chest area. There are three steps—sensing, guiding, and refining."

Delinkov explained in great detail. From how to sense the elements more clearly, to how to use mental power to "grab" elemental points, and then to how to use mental power to grind and purify them at the chest, ultimately forming one's own magical power.

Linley listened intently, repeatedly asking about every detail. Wharton also listened carefully, comparing his notes with those on the panel in his mind—the panel had displayed the entry for [Magic Theory: Basics of Meditation] as soon as Delinkovt began his explanation, and its proficiency was slowly increasing as his understanding deepened.

After speaking for about an hour, Delinkovt stopped: "That's all for today. Take a moment to digest this, and we'll begin formally practicing meditation tomorrow night."

Linley was still somewhat unsatisfied, but his head was starting to ache again. Wharton slid off the bed: "Brother, you should rest."

Delinkov nodded: "Yes, the injured should be prioritized. Walton, you should go back to your room and get some sleep too."

Walton walked to the door, then turned back: "Grandpa Delin, will you be living in the ring from now on?"

"Yes," Delinkowert said. "I am a spirit, and I cannot leave the ring's three-meter radius. However, you can communicate with me at any time using your mental powers; just call my name in your mind, and I will hear you."

"Like this?" Lin Lei thought to himself.

"Yes, that's it." Derinkowart laughed. "Alright, go to sleep."

Walton returned to his room, closed the door, leaned against it, and took a deep breath.

The test results were as he expected. He had fire-based talent, and his affinity should be quite high, but the exact level was unknown. Derinkowart couldn't teach fire magic, which meant he'd have to find a way himself from now on.

However, with the panel available, as long as he can acquire knowledge of fire magic, he can master it through study and practice. The problem is the source of this knowledge—the Baruch family's study might have some, but not much. For a more systematic approach, he'd have to go to a magic academy or become an apprentice to a fire mage.

Three and a half years later, at the age of six, he could have his bloodline concentration tested and participate in magic tests. If his fire-elemental talent was high enough, he might be able to enter a magic academy, even if it wasn't Ernst Academy, a regular academy could still provide basic instruction.

But the path of the Dragonblood Warrior must also be followed. Dual cultivation requires time, energy, and resources.

Wharton walked to the bedside, sat down in the dark without turning on the light, and tried the formal meditation method taught by the Derlinkovt school.

Close your eyes and slow your breathing.

The red dots reappeared, clearer and denser than before. He tried to "touch" the nearest dot with his mental power—the feeling was wonderful, like holding a tiny flame in an invisible hand, warm but not hot.

The light spot was enveloped by mental energy and slowly pulled toward the body. The moment it entered the skin, there was a slight stinging sensation, like being gently pricked by a needle, and then the light spot merged into the chest area.

The place was originally empty, but now there is a tiny red spot of light, so faint that it is almost invisible.

[Fire Magic Power (Initial Conversion)]

Total Amount: 0.001 standard units

Purity: Extremely low

[Tip: Consistent meditation can increase both the total amount and purity.]

The panel prompts are very concise.

Walton continued guiding the second point of light, the third… With each one he guided, the light spot on his chest brightened slightly, and his total magical power increased imperceptibly. The process was slow, but the mental exertion was considerable. By the time he guided the twentieth point of light, he felt a wave of fatigue, as if he had run for a long time.

He stopped and opened his eyes.

The room remained dark, but he could feel a faint warmth in his chest. It was fire magic, his first wisp of power.

The quantity was very small, so small that it wasn't even enough to cast the most basic level one spell. But this was just the beginning.

Wharton lay down and pulled the blanket over himself. He was physically exhausted, but his mind was clear.

Linley has been personally taught by Delinkovt, possessing exceptional earth-type talent, and his future path is already paved. He himself has fire-type talent, but lacks a mentor and can only rely on his stats and self-exploration.

That's good, though. Although self-learning is difficult, every step is solid and there's no dependence on others.

The moon outside the window rose high in the sky, its silvery light streaming in and cutting a bright square on the floor.

Walton closed his eyes, and this time he was truly asleep.

In the next room, Lin Lei was still awake.

He leaned against the headboard, repeatedly reviewing the key points of meditation taught by Deringer in his mind. The wound on his head was still throbbing, but he couldn't suppress the excitement in his heart.

Magician.

He really could become a magician.

He remembered the grey-robed mage standing on the black dragon's back yesterday, and the fire serpents that destroyed everything. Power, that power to control everything—he wanted it.

"Grandpa Delin," he called out in his heart.

"What's wrong?" Delinkovt's voice rang out.

"When will I be able to cast my first spell?"

"It depends on your progress," Delinkov said. "If you meditate every day, you'll accumulate enough magic power to cast a level one spell in a month if you're quick, and three months if you're slow. But magic power alone isn't enough; you also need to learn how to construct spells using magic power."

Is it difficult?

"It's difficult," Delinkovt said frankly, "but you have talent, perseverance, and I'll teach you. As long as you put in the effort, you'll definitely succeed."

Lin Lei clenched his fist: "I will put in the effort."

"I believe you," Delinkowert said gently. "Alright, go to sleep. Starting tomorrow, your life will be different."

Lin Lei lay down and closed his eyes. In the darkness, he seemed to see those yellowish-brown specks of light again, densely packed, surrounding him like a starry sky.

He slowly fell asleep.

Inside the ring, Delinkovt floated in his own soul space, stroking his beard with a smile on his face.

After five thousand years of slumber, to wake up and encounter such a student is quite fortunate.

Linley is exceptionally talented and resilient; as long as he doesn't go astray, his future achievements are limitless. Walton is even more mysterious, incredibly precocious, and his fire-based talent is probably quite high; it's just a pity I can't teach him.

However, it's better for the two brothers to support each other than for one of them to walk alone.

He looked up at the empty top of the soul space, where there was nothing, but he seemed to be able to see the sky from five thousand years ago.

The Puang Empire is gone, and all those who came before have turned to dust. He is still alive, in this half-dead state.

But at least, I can still do something.

For example, to teach a student who can become famous throughout the mainland.