Panlong's Transcendental Fire

Chapter 18 Embarking on the Journey Home

The morning after slaying the giant green-striped python, Lin Tian awoke in the cave to dappled golden sunlight filtering through the vines and casting long shadows on the ground outside. Feeling his magic and battle aura replenished and refined, Lin Tian suddenly understood—true training is never about defeating a monster, but about constantly pushing one's limits on the brink of life and death.

Over the next month, Lin Tian underwent even more intense training in the Monster Mountain Range. He no longer deliberately selected targets, but instead actively attacked following the scents of monsters, from level six armored rhinoceroses to level seven shadow leopards, leaving his footprints in every dense forest and canyon in the middle section of the mountain range.

The battle with the armored rhinoceros was a clash of brute force. The behemoth, nearly three zhang tall, had hide so thick it could withstand level five magic; Lin Tian's fireball, striking its back, only left a charred mark. After a three-hour stalemate, Lin Tian, ​​using the rhinoceros's momentum from its charge, concentrated the high temperature of his "Flame Spear" at its tip and thrust it into the gap in the joint of its foreleg—the only weak point of this steel behemoth. When the rhinoceros crashed to the ground, Lin Tian's arm was dislocated from the recoil, but after a quick reset, he immediately began stripping the magic core from it.

Encountering the Shadow Leopard was another extreme test. The beast was entirely black, able to blend into the shadows for rapid movement, and its claws were coated with a paralyzing toxin. Lin Tian was toyed with by it for two whole days, sustaining seventeen claw marks on his body, until he figured out its movement patterns. Only then did he use a barrage of fireballs from his "Gunfire" to block any possible footholds, finally piercing its heart with his "Gunblade." As he slumped beside the Shadow Leopard's corpse, looking at his left arm, slightly blackened by the toxin, he realized for the first time that "caution" was more important than talent.

Besides magical beasts, the threat of raiders has never disappeared. In a valley abundant with Nether Grass, Lin Tian had just finished off a level six magical bear and was crouching down carefully collecting his spoils when three poisoned crossbow bolts suddenly shot out from the bushes behind him, whistling sharply as they aimed straight for his back. Lin Tian reacted with lightning speed, instantly channeling his battle qi into his legs, his body flipping to the side at an almost bent angle. The crossbow bolts grazed his side and embedded themselves in the soil, the eerie blue sheen of their fletchings indicating their deadly poison.

"You're quite clever, kid." A burly man dressed in black emerged from behind a tree, a full head taller than Lin Tian. He was broad-shouldered and thick-backed, holding a serrated knife in his right hand, the blade still stained with undried blood. His aura was deep and unfathomable—he was a level seven warrior. There was no one else behind him; he was clearly a lone raider. "Judging by your young age and the fact that you dare to venture into the middle of the Monster Mountain Range, you must have quite a few good things in your hands."

Lin Tian slowly straightened up, twirling the spear in his palm, the tip pointing directly at the burly man: "Trying to steal from me? You're asking for trouble!"

The burly man sneered, twirling his serrated blade in his hand, producing a piercing metallic scraping sound: "Level six brat, you've got quite the nerve. Today I'll show you that we're the ones who set the rules in this mountain range." Before he finished speaking, he charged forward, his serrated blade whistling through the air as it slashed towards Lin Tian's neck. The blade's force was heavy and fierce, clearly indicating that he was a ruthless character who had fought life-or-death battles for years.

Instead of retreating, Lin Tian advanced, suddenly crouching low. The intense heat of his "Flame Gun" instantly ignited the dry grass on the ground. Under the cover of the thick smoke, the spear tip darted out like a serpent, precisely piercing the burly man's joint—a blind spot in his armor. With a "thud," the spear tip sank half an inch in. The burly man cried out in pain and dodged to the side. His serrated blade swept across, forcing Lin Tian to leap back and dodge. However, the blade's wind still grazed his lower back, causing a burning pain.

"Quick reaction." The burly man licked his lips, his eyes growing increasingly fierce. "But the difference between level seven and level six is ​​not small." His footwork was steady, each swing of his blade carrying immense force, each strike aimed directly at vital points, clearly intending to end the battle quickly. Lin Tian, ​​on the other hand, used his agility to constantly move around, alternating between fireball and spear techniques. Sometimes he would use the continuous fireballs from his "guns and cannons" to disrupt his opponent's vision, and sometimes he would use the penetrating power of his "spear blades" to find openings.

After nearly half an hour of fierce fighting, Lin Tian's left arm was slashed open by the wind from the blade, leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound. The poison spread through his blood, causing his vision to blur. The burly man was also in bad shape; his right leg was burned by the fireball, making his movements noticeably sluggish. Knowing he couldn't delay any longer, Lin Tian suddenly feigned exhaustion, staggering backward and creating a deliberate opening. The burly man fell for the trap, roaring as he swung his blade fiercely. Just as the blade was about to strike, Lin Tian bit his tongue, using the intense pain to regain his focus. He simultaneously channeled his magic and battle aura into the spear, causing the tip to erupt with a blinding red light—the extreme temperature of the "Flame Spear."

"Go to hell!"

The instant the gun clashed with the knife, the intense heat melted a nick in the serrated blade. In the brief moment the burly man hesitated, Lin Tian had already closed in, the spear tip piercing through the nick and straight into his chest. The burly man's eyes were filled with disbelief as his massive body collapsed to the ground. Lin Tian, ​​leaning on his spear and panting heavily, looked down at his left arm, blackened by the poison, and suddenly remembered what Lauen had said when they first entered the mountains: "Caution is not cowardice, it's the capital for survival." Now he truly understood the weight of those words.

For the past month, Lin Tian's days have been spent in a cycle of fighting, healing, and cultivating. He learned to quickly meditate and restore his magic power during lulls in battle, mastered the technique of using battle aura to expel poison, and could even observe the weaknesses and habits of magical beasts while fighting them. His self-created techniques became increasingly refined: the temperature of his "Flame Gun" could be precisely controlled to burn rather than incinerate; the density of the fireballs from his "Gun Cannon" could be adjusted according to the number of enemies; and the penetrating power of his "Gun Blade," after constant refinement, could even barely break through the physical defense of a level seven rock turtle, which possessed defense comparable to that of a level eight magical beast.

His storage ring gradually filled up: over a hundred magic cores of various levels, a pile of healing and recovery herbs, and three anonymous magic crystal cards scavenged from the marauders' corpses. More importantly, his warrior strength quietly broke through to the late stage of level six, his mental power also stabilized at the late stage of level six, and the coordination between his magic power and battle aura became increasingly harmonious. Sometimes, he could even use his battle aura to strengthen his body and perform incredible evasions while casting spells.

That afternoon, Lin Tian had just finished off a level seven Rock Armor Bear and was squatting by the stream washing away the blood when he suddenly sensed a familiar aura coming from the horizon. He looked up and saw a fiery red figure breaking through the clouds, swooping down with a scorching wave of air—it was Lao En's magical beast companion, Firewind.

Firewind landed on a clearing not far away, the gust of wind it created as its wings folded up whipping Lin Tian's bangs back. Lauen leaped off Firewind's back, his grey robes fluttering in the mountain wind, his gaze fixed on Lin Tian with a mixture of scrutiny and satisfaction.

"Teacher." Lin Tian stood up, subconsciously straightening his back. After this period of training, his posture was even more upright, and his eyes were brighter and sharper than ever before.

Laun approached slowly, his gaze sweeping over the still-healing wounds on the man's body, then glancing at the corpse of the rock-armored bear by the stream, before finally settling on the man's clenched right fist—where traces of condensed battle aura still lingered. "Not bad," the old mage's voice chuckled, "After many days of training, you not only survived, but you've also honed your strength to an even more solid level."

Lin Tian scratched his head, recalling his initial awkwardness when he first entered the mountains, and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed: "It's all thanks to your guidance, teacher."

"You walked this path yourself, you shed this blood yourself. Listening to the道理 (principles/reasons) is not enough; you must also put them into practice." Laun waved his hand, pointed at Huo Feng, and said, "Pack up, it's time to go back. Your magic power and battle aura have greatly improved after being honed. You should go back and reflect."

Lin Tian's heart skipped a beat. He quickly put the Rock Armor Bear's magic core and paw into his storage ring and checked his belongings again. As he walked towards Huo Feng with his spear on his back, he suddenly remembered something and looked back at the mountain range that had witnessed his life and death these past few days—the roars of magical beasts seemed to come from the depths of the dense forest, the distant canyons were still filled with lingering smoke, and the air was always filled with the fragrance of grass and trees and a faint smell of blood.

"Reluctant to part with it?" Laun's voice came from behind.

"A little," Lin Tian admitted frankly.

Upon hearing this, a rare gentleness appeared on Lao En's aged face: "The path of cultivation is forged through life and death. But neither closed-door training nor brute force will take you far. Go back and reflect, and once you have digested the insights you have gained over this period, then come back."

Lin Tian nodded emphatically and followed Lao En as he leaped onto Huo Feng's broad back. As Huo Feng took flight, he looked down at the gradually shrinking mountain range. The canyons where they had fought, the caves where they had healed, and the dense forests where they had gathered herbs all became burning imprints in his memory.

The wind whistled past my ears, carrying the chill and freedom of the high altitude.

"Teacher, next time I come, I want to challenge an eighth-level magical beast," he shouted into the wind.

Laun's laughter echoed in the wind: "Let's talk after you break through to level seven!"