"[Legendary]!?"
Contrary to what Zona had expected, Leilin did not panic upon hearing the news. Instead, he asked with genuine interest: "Then please tell me about the target's basic information! Based on our previous intelligence-sharing agreement!"
"
Zona rolled her eyes at Leilin, then recited the target's general information in a flat, expressionless tone, as though reading off a list.
By the end, Zona could barely contain herself and stared directly at Leilin: "Lord Leilin! You are still young and possess astonishing talent. Becoming [Legendary] is not just a dream for you—but you must face reality now. As long as you swear to join our Goddess of Wealth's Church and relocate to the mainland, the Goddess will surely protect you..."
As for the Dawnstar Harbor and other assets in the
Zona believed he should be able to see that clearly.
After all, compared to his influence in the Outer Seas, the Temple of Wealth valued Leilin's potential far more!
With the aptitude he had displayed, his advancement to [Legendary] was practically certain, with over a fifty-percent chance of success. For the Church of Wealth, this would absolutely be a profitable investment.
"I appreciate your kind offer! However, I will not give up what I've built here..."
But Leilin's response was something Zona had not anticipated.
Her brow furrowed slightly as she stared at Leilin with some displeasure: "Do you even know what [Legendary] means? That Corpse Collector Soros is a notoriously deadly assassin. Even if we sent an equally [Legendary] powerhouse to guard you, you could still be killed by him, let alone—"
"I know all of that!"
Leilin interrupted Bishop Zona's words, his face carrying an apologetic expression: "When I was in Silvermoon City, I paid a visit to Lady Elaszhuo and have read quite a few research documents on Legendary Wizards. I naturally know that before a Legendary powerhouse's domain, no amount of numbers makes any difference..."
As for the terror of Legendary beings, Leilin understood better than anyone.
Once one entered the Legendary realm, one could potentially wield the power of a domain! Under a domain similar to dragon pressure, no number of low-level professionals stood a chance!
What's more, only Legendary powerhouses who had undergone the sublimation of their life essence could truly digest and control the power of divinity, walking the path to godhood.
However, the path Leilin had chosen was entirely different from Zona's, and so his reaction was correspondingly different.
"Are you really planning to take on a [Legendary]-level powerhouse head-on? With just this wizard tower? I doubt it would take more than a few breaths before they tore it apart..."
Zona sensed the pride in Leilin's words, and that determined gleam of refusing charity made her feel a subtle sting.
"You..."
Feeling her pride wounded, Zona's tone carried a note of displeasure. But then it turned to astonishment: "You... the arcane aura around you..."
"I've been diligently experimenting these past two years, and my
Leilin's voice was calm, as though stating a trivial matter, yet it nearly made Zona choke.
Both of them were [High-rank Wizards], but was there any comparison between fifteenth-level and nineteenth-level? One had just entered this tier, while the other had already reached the pinnacle of Wizards and begun experimenting with the Legendary domain.
"Only two years! In less than two short years, he's already reached the level of a nineteenth-level Wizard!"
Zona stared at the arcane aura Leilin had deliberately let leak, and her entire mind went blank.
"A genius! A genius of the entire world of gods!! No—at this level, it has surpassed the realm of genius and entered the territory of monster! Except for those Chosen, even martial-type classes can't match this speed, let alone the Wizard class, which is notoriously the hardest to advance in..."
Zona's eyes went slightly vacant. She could now be certain that with his talent, as long as he survived this encounter, Leilin would absolutely have a place among the [Legendary powerhouses] of the mainland in the future!
"I'm sorry! My words were a bit harsh earlier..."
Having now mentally recategorized Leilin as a future Legendary powerhouse, Zona's choice of words immediately became more respectful.
"In truth, Mr. Leilin, I still maintain my previous recommendation. With your talent, there is truly no need to confront the enemy head-on in the Outer Seas. The Church of Wealth will be your eternal shield..."
Leilin naturally expressed his gratitude for the goodwill Zona was offering. But he showed no signs of budging on temporarily avoiding the conflict, which left Zona feeling thoroughly exasperated.
After seeing Zona off, Leilin returned alone to the training room, wearing a contemplative expression.
"So the Murder God's Church is finally striking back? It's actually later than I expected..."
Although hearing that the enemy possessed Legendary strength, it didn't really affect Leilin. After all, Tifa under his command had long since advanced to Legendary, and had even led a team to slaughter a Legendary-level dragon. Ordinary Legendaries posed no real threat to him.
"However, Tifa's identity cannot be exposed, and I can't simply summon him here. That's where things get a bit troublesome..."
Leilin stroked his chin, then suddenly his eyes lit up: "Perfect chance to test that thing..."
"Tower Spirit!"
"Master!" The girl-shaped Tower Spirit popped out, her watery eyes full of anticipation.
"I'm going to seal off the entire wizard tower. Pass the word—in the coming period, no one is to disturb me! That includes
"Understood!" The Tower Spirit's primary directive was to obey Leilin's commands absolutely, so there was naturally no objection.
Following Leilin's will, the apprentices living in the wizard tower—and even Ernest—were ushered out, leaving the entire tower suddenly empty.
"Sigh... I hope this kid knows what he's doing..."
Ernest was aware of some of the higher-level matters. Although Dawnstar Harbor was still peaceful on the surface, the atmosphere of an approaching storm was already subtly forming.
The pressure brought by a Legendary powerhouse was simply too immense.
And Leilin's current actions, in Ernest's mind, were a desperate gamble to rapidly boost his own strength—which naturally filled him with worry.
He knew just how knowledgeable his student was.
Among the research materials of those ancient Wizards, there were indeed several methods to rapidly increase one's strength—but the costs were so great as to be almost unthinkable.
"I just hope he doesn't push himself too hard..."
A bitter, helpless smile tugged at the corner of Ernest's mouth. Ever since Leilin came of age, this mentor of his had lost all ability to persuade the younger man. Though he was still Leilin's nominal teacher, Ernest knew perfectly well that apart from some basics of Wizardry, he hadn't actually taught Leilin anything—yet Leilin's returns had far exceeded anything he had given.
"I believe in Leilin—he's someone who specializes in creating miracles!"
Ernest kept encouraging himself. "It'll be fine! It'll definitely be fine..."
Meanwhile, deep inside the wizard tower, Leilin—the one Ernest was worrying about—was not conducting any forbidden experiments.
But in a sense, the method by which he gained his strength was even more dangerous than what those ancient Wizards had done.
"There are no living beings in the entire tower except for me now, so I don't have to worry about secrets being discovered or leaked... Begin!"
Whoosh! Dark crimson patterns surfaced across Leilin's skin, and his body grotesquely swelled, instantly bursting through his casual robe. The vertical slit of a third eye appeared on his forehead.
Nightmare Transformation! The Nightmare Energy-Draining Physique of the ancient Nightmare King, now fully replicated through Leilin.
"Wandering emotional forces—absorb!"
The vertical eye on Leilin's forehead cracked open slightly, emitting red light that pierced through the void like a spider spinning threads, pulling in vast quantities of emotional energy tied to him.
Reverence, fear, love, hatred...
The dense emotional forces were originally formless and intangible, completely impossible to utilize—yet under the influence of the vertical eye's red light, they transformed into dark crimson mist, which was then completely devoured by the Nightmare Energy-Draining Physique.
As the emotional forces intensified, the blood-red runes on Leilin's body grew ever more radiant.
"Faith power! At its core, it is also a type of emotion concentrated to the extreme, containing the energy released when souls fluctuate! And the Nightmare Energy-Draining Physique is even more terrifying—as long as the emotion is connected to the main body, no matter how minute, it can be directly mobilized..."
Leilin's pupils had turned blood-red as well. A massive serpentine phantom emerged.
It was the Tagarian Winged Serpent—vast as a world, with black scales, demonic wings, terrifying claws, and a single horn atop its head.
"Hsss..."
The Tagarian Winged Serpent was also undergoing a transformation. Wisps of dark crimson mist wrapped around its body, causing its scales to gradually shift toward a dark red hue.
A crude vertical eye had already formed between the two serpentine pupils, its slit slightly parting.
"Ughhhhhh... Devouring Power—full eruption!"
Under Leilin's control, the Devouring Power and Dream Power complemented each other perfectly.
The complex emotional forces were absorbed by the Nightmare Energy-Draining Physique, then converted through the Devouring Power into the purest form of energy.
[Beep! Energy reserves at 100%! Initiating feedback to the main body!]
After some unknowable amount of time, the Chip's mechanical voice rang out—music to Leilin's ears.
A warm current instantly surged through his entire body, then spread into his soul.
A sound like crystal shattering echoed, and Leilin felt his soul undergo yet another upgrade and evolution, receiving a fundamental baptism...