Heart of the Strong (Part 2)

At dinner, the three members of the Baruch Clan and their steward Hiri ate together. Little Wharton made such a cheerful fuss at the table that laughter constantly filled the hall. After dinner, when old Hiri carried Wharton off to bed, Linley began talking with his father, Hogg.

“By the way, Father, which is stronger: a magus or a warrior?” Linley asked.

Hogg glanced at Linley, smiled, and shook his head. “Linley, magi and warriors each have their own strengths. In terms of power alone, a magus and a warrior of the same rank should be roughly equal, with the magus slightly superior. More importantly... magi hold extremely high status, higher than that of warriors. For example, that eighth-rank dual-element magus from earlier would probably outrank even a ninth-rank warrior in status.”

“Their strength is only slightly greater. Why is the difference in status so large?” Linley was puzzled.

Hogg smiled. “Before that, you must understand how magi are ranked. There are nine ranks of magi. First-rank and second-rank are low-level magi; third-rank and fourth-rank are mid-level magi; fifth-rank and sixth-rank are high-level magi. The seventh, eighth, and ninth ranks above them are all extremely formidable. Of course, beyond ninth-rank magi are Saint-level magi.”

“The reason magi hold such high status is that their destructive power is immense.” Hogg picked up a cup of fruit juice, took a small sip, and spoke.

“Destructive power?” Linley looked at his father.

Hogg set down the cup and nodded. “A warrior, even a Dragonblood Warrior, can kill only nearly a hundred enemies with a single sword strike. When facing an army of a million, he can at most kill the commander. But if one commander dies, the enemy can replace him with another. What about a Saint-level magus? One Forbidden Magic spell can destroy a city and wipe out hundreds of thousands of soldiers. If hundreds of thousands of troops are gone, what use is it if the commander is still alive? To a nation, a Saint-level magus is more frightening than an army.”

Linley understood at once.

“Never mind Saint-level magi. Even eighth-rank and ninth-rank magi can unleash astonishing power in war. That is why magi hold such lofty status.” Hogg smiled calmly.

Linley nodded lightly.

On the Yulan Continent, where war was a central theme, it was easy to understand why magi held such high status.

“Oh, right, Father. I remember reading that magi are physically weak compared with warriors. But I saw that magus leap easily down from the Raptor’s back. Is his body really weak?” Linley pressed.

Hogg answered, “We will come to that in a moment. Linley, you should know that ordinary people on the Yulan Continent live to one hundred or one hundred and thirty years old. Powerful magi and warriors generally live much longer—two or three hundred years, sometimes even three or four hundred. The greatest human lifespan is five hundred years. Only those who reach the legendary Saint-level can possess an extremely long, almost endless life.”

Linley nodded.

He had read that in books before.

“But Linley, do you know why powerful magi and warriors live so long?” Hogg immediately asked.

Linley froze.

He had taken it for granted that powerful magi and warriors lived for three or four hundred years. He had never considered why.

Seeing his expression, Hogg smiled. “Linley, first I must tell you that the world contains the elements of fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, light, darkness, and other attributes. Both magi and warriors cultivate by absorbing the elements of the world. That is why magic and Battle Qi each have attribute distinctions. If you watch closely, you can see that among the four male warriors in that mercenary party, the red-haired leader used Fire-element Battle Qi, while the other three used Wind-element Battle Qi and Water-element Battle Qi. Battle Qi has attributes, and magic has attributes as well.”

For the first time in his life, Linley understood that magi and warriors both absorbed the same worldly elements.

“Powerful magi and warriors live longer because when magi absorb worldly elements into their bodies and refine them into Mana, those elements flow through the body and are naturally absorbed by the organs, muscles, and bones. Over time, this improves a magus’s physique. The better the physique, the longer the lifespan. The same applies to warriors. When they cultivate Battle Qi, they absorb worldly elements and refine them into Battle Qi inside their bodies. As the elements circulate, they likewise improve the body. The more powerful the warrior, the stronger the physique, and naturally the longer the lifespan.” Hogg explained it all clearly.

Linley suddenly understood.

By his father’s reasoning, a magus’s body was also improved by worldly elements, so it was in fact quite strong.

“Father, then why do people say magi are physically weak?” Linley asked in confusion.

Hogg shook his head. “Can’t you figure that out? When people say a magus is physically weak, they do not mean that he is truly weak. They mean that compared with a warrior of the same rank, his body is a weakness. For example, although an eighth-rank magus does not train his body, it can still match a second-rank or third-rank warrior. But compared with an eighth-rank warrior, an eighth-rank magus’s body is weak.”

Linley slapped his forehead and smiled sheepishly.

He had failed to understand such a simple point. His thinking had become too rigid.

“However, while magi are poor at close combat, they have ways of dealing with it. One is to cast magic shields, such as Earth Shield, Ice Shield, Wind Shield, and Light Shield. They first use defensive magic to block an attack, then strike with offensive magic.”

“And powerful magi have another method: taming Magical Beasts!”

Linley leaned forward at once.

He also wanted to tame a Magical Beast, perhaps a powerful Raptor.

“A powerful Magical Beast can protect a magus and keep enemies from approaching. The magus can then cast powerful spells and kill the opponent directly.” Hogg smiled.

“Father, how can one tame a Magical Beast?” Linley immediately asked eagerly.

Hogg smiled at Linley’s expression. “Taming a Magical Beast requires two conditions. First, the Magical Beast must willingly submit to you. Second, you must set up a Soul Contract Magic Formation to make it your servant.”

“The first condition is difficult. To make a Magical Beast willingly submit, you probably have to defeat it head-on. For instance, if you want to tame a Raptor, you must first defeat the Raptor.” His father’s words left Linley speechless.

He wanted to tame a Raptor, but did he have the strength to defeat one?

“The second condition, setting up a Soul Contract Magic Formation, is also very difficult. At the very least, you must be a seventh-rank magus to have enough power to set one up.” Hogg spoke seriously.

Linley was startled. “Father, does that mean only seventh-rank magi or higher can tame Magical Beasts?”

“No, not necessarily. If you have enough money, you can buy a Soul Contract Scroll. Once you tear it open, it will directly form a Soul Contract Magic Formation. But Soul Contract Scrolls are very expensive.” Hogg gave a self-deprecating smile.

“How expensive?” Linley pressed.

“The last I heard, one scroll cost ten thousand Gold Coins, and even then it was not available for purchase.” Hogg’s words could only make Linley smile bitterly.

The hardest part of taming a Magical Beast was defeating it.

Of course, one could tame a weak Magical Beast, but what use would that be? To tame a powerful Magical Beast, did one have enough strength to defeat it? And if one relied on schemes, how could the Magical Beast be made to submit willingly?

Willing submission was no simple matter.

The seemingly secondary condition—setting up a Soul Contract Magic Formation—also meant that those who could tame Magical Beasts were either powerful magi or wealthy people. Spending ten thousand Gold Coins on a Soul Contract Scroll was an extravagance even nobles without sufficient wealth would not dare indulge in.

Linley pressed his lips together, his brows slightly furrowed.

“If I truly want to tame a Magical Beast, given our clan’s financial situation, my only path is to become a seventh-rank magus and then tame one,” Linley thought. He knew this path would be difficult.

Its first obstacle was whether he possessed the aptitude to become a magus.

After all, the chance was only one in ten thousand. Without the aptitude, becoming a magus would be impossible.