Heavy sword training begins with the most fundamental basics: integrating strength, Battle Qi, and heavy sword technique.
When the Blackjade Heavy Sword had just been forged and Lin Lei used it in Hess City to attack the purple-robed high-level steward, he couldn't even channel his strength and Battle Qi into it properly.
Wielding a heavy sword isn't about mindlessly swinging it with brute force.
Rather, it's about conserving every ounce of strength, maximizing the sword's speed, and coordinating strength and Battle Qi with the blade to achieve the most perfect synergy possible.
Lin Lei had spent over a year of practice before he could wield the Blackjade Heavy Sword as naturally as moving his own arm, wasting not a single drop of strength. With limited power and Battle Qi, he could now bring the Blackjade Heavy Sword's might to its absolute peak.
But this was only the foundation.
Beyond this first layer lay the second level, which was a state of its own — one Lin Lei had just grasped a few days ago from watching the rushing torrent of water in a mountain gorge.
"Making the heavy feel light" — simple to say.
In reality, it meant perfect mastery over Battle Qi and strength. It was like floodwaters being ceaselessly held back by a dam; the moment the levee broke, the erupting force would be absolutely terrifying.
The "Charging Thunder" technique operated on exactly this principle.
Simple as it sounded, applying it required an incredibly solid foundation. Without perfect control over Battle Qi and strength, merely understanding the concept would be useless — one still couldn't execute the move.
"That impressive, Boss? So is this the strongest way to use a heavy sword?" Bei Bei exclaimed in amazement.
Lin Lei shook his head with a smile. "Hardly. According to my family's records, wielding a heavy weapon can be divided into three levels. The first is perfecting the fundamentals, the second is 'making the heavy feel light,' and the third is called 'momentum.'"
"Momentum?" Bei Bei looked confused. "What's that?"
"I don't know either," Lin Lei said, shaking his head. "The book in my family's collection only covers the contents of the Dragon Blood Secret Manual, along with some of the family's history and the deeds of our ancestors. As for the ancestor who wielded the great hammer, he's mentioned in just a few lines describing his strength. The book simply states that the third realm is 'momentum,' but it never goes into detail about what momentum actually is. I have no idea."
Lin Lei couldn't figure it out.
Momentum — could it mean something like imposing bearing?
But even if he had an imposing presence, how much more destructive power could that really add when swinging the Blackjade Heavy Sword?
"If I haven't figured it out, I can't understand it no matter what," Lin Lei sighed.
He knew full well that even at the "making the heavy feel light" level, he hadn't yet reached the absolute peak. The most critical aspect of the "Charging Thunder" technique was the explosive burst of power in that final instant.
How to maximize that eruption?
Right now, Lin Lei was simply unleashing his strength and Battle Qi all at once in a crude burst. He understood, however, that this was the most foolish approach.
"The path of cultivation offers no shortcuts," Lin Lei murmured with a quiet smile, then stopped letting his thoughts wander.
Deep autumn had arrived. Even the ancient trees deep in the Magic Beast Mountain Range had mostly shed their leaves.
By now it was late autumn of the year 10001 on the Yulan Calendar. Lin Lei had entered the Magic Beast Mountain Range over a year and a half ago, yet he had only covered roughly five or six thousand li of distance.
Training was his priority each day, and he typically covered only about ten li while traveling.
In the dead of night, when all sound had faded to silence, Lin Lei sat cross-legged beneath a massive tree in the core region of the Magic Beast Mountain Range — a tree so enormous it would take four or five people to encircle its trunk — lost in meditation.
Little by little…
Dawn broke, and Lin Lei opened his eyes. A faint smile had appeared on his face.
The cool morning breeze drifted past, carrying a few withered leaves that spiraled gently downward. Lin Lei watched the falling leaves in perfect stillness.
"Boss?" Bei Bei blinked open his groggy eyes, puzzled. "You're awake? Why didn't you wake me?"
In truth, whenever Lin Lei woke each morning, Bei Bei naturally stirred as well. But every day, Bei Bei would stubbornly wait for Lin Lei to call out before opening his eyes. Today, however, Lin Lei hadn't called him.
"Bei Bei, I think I've broken through," Lin Lei suddenly transmitted through his soul.
"Broken through?" Bei Bei sprang to his feet at once. "Broken through to what?"
Lin Lei grinned. "My Mental Power has finally reached the level of an eighth-level mage."
"Eighth-level mage?" Bei Bei let out a cry of astonishment.
Back during the winter of his sixteenth year, when Lin Lei had carved the stone sculpture 'Dream Awakening,' ten days and nights of explosive growth had caused his Mental Power to surge tenfold, reaching the mid-to-late stage of a seventh-level mage.
Mid-to-late seventh level at just sixteen years old.
From then until now, nearly three years had passed.
During his time in Fenn City, Lin Lei's Mental Power had grown at roughly half the usual rate. At that pace, it would have taken him five or six more years to step into the eighth level. But in this year and a half within the Magic Beast Mountain Range, his soul had merged completely with nature, and every carving he produced resonated in perfect harmony with the natural world.
His Mental Power had increased dramatically.
And now…
Lin Lei's Mental Power had finally reached the threshold of an eighth-level mage.
"Boss, how powerful is an eighth-level mage?" Bei Bei asked curiously.
"Why don't you try it and find out?" A playful smile spread across Lin Lei's face. Bei Bei glared, then puffed up with confidence. "Bring it on! I, Bei Bei, don't even fear eighth-level magical beasts — why would I be scared of an eighth-level spell?"
Lin Lei immediately began murmuring an incantation.
Moments later, vast quantities of Earth System elements rushed toward him from the surrounding area, coalescing rapidly. The Earth-type Magic Power within his body surged in response.
"Whoosh~~" A sudden gust of wind whipped up in front of Lin Lei, sending the withered leaves swirling into the air. Then came a tremendous roar, and a massive wolf the color of packed earth materialized before him — standing three meters tall and nearly ten meters long, its rippling muscles hardened like lumps of iron, its four limbs thick and powerful.