The Soul Contract Magic Array was known to almost every magician. However, there was a restriction to setting it up—one had to reach the seventh-level magician realm to possess enough Soul Power to create it.
A five-pointed, nearly transparent magical pattern hovered in midair.
Then, this magical array flew directly toward the Black-striped Cloud Leopard's head. The leopard made no resistance, allowing the pattern to merge into its mind. In an instant, both Lin Lei and the Black-striped Cloud Leopard felt the spiritual connection between them.
It was different from the Equal Contract Lin Lei had formed with Bei Bei.
When making an Equal Contract, both Lin Lei's and Bei Bei's souls had merged into the magic array. This Soul Contract, however, was formed by Lin Lei's Mental Power. By accepting this Soul Contract, the Black-striped Cloud Leopard naturally acknowledged Lin Lei as its master.
"Master," the Black-striped Cloud Leopard said with deep respect.
Lin Lei looked at the leopard. "What is your name?" He knew that many high-level magic beasts had names of their own. For instance, the Spike-backed Iron-armored Dragon he had seen in the Misty Mountain Valley was named Sadias.
The Black-striped Cloud Leopard's voice sounded in Lin Lei's mind. "I am called Heilu."
"Heilu?" Lin Lei memorized the name.
"Heilu, tell me, what's with the different forms you can change into?" This was something Lin Lei was very curious about.
The Black-striped Cloud Leopard nodded. "Master, I am a dual-element magic beast of Darkness and Wind. I have two Magic Crystal Cores in my mind, one for each element. In my normal state, which is how I looked when we first met, my defense, speed, and attack power are all balanced."
"When I draw primarily on the energy of my Darkness Magic Crystal Core, my size increases, my attack power grows, and my speed drops slightly. If I draw primarily on the Wind Magic Crystal Core, I take on this wind-element form. My speed increases, but my defense weakens."
Heilu answered honestly.
Lin Lei understood. So the Black-striped Cloud Leopard was a dual-element Darkness and Wind magic beast. Its current form was the wind-element form. The larger size was the Darkness form, and only the initial appearance was its normal state.
"I initially thought this was its normal form," Lin Lei chuckled to himself.
He recalled a book he had read that introduced the Black-striped Cloud Leopard. He suspected that the person who first discovered it had encountered it in its wind-element form, leading them to believe that was its standard appearance.
"Roar~~" Bei Bei ran over and growled lowly at the Black-striped Cloud Leopard.
The leopard responded in kind, and the two beasts began to converse.
"The journey ahead just got more interesting." A smile touched Lin Lei's lips.
Accompanied by his two magic beasts, Heilu and Bei Bei, Lin Lei continued his arduous training journey. Each day, he immersed himself in the world of swordsmanship. His mastery of the Heavy Sword occasionally brought him new insights.
Spring gave way to autumn.
In the blink of an eye, another year passed.
In the second year's autumn, during the season when all things wither, Lin Lei sat cross-legged beneath an ancient tree, deep in cultivation. The Dragon Blood Battle Qi surged within him, and his bloodlines and heart underwent further reinforcement and transformation.
In his Dantian, the Dragon Blood Battle Qi finally completed its metamorphosis, and Lin Lei smiled with delight. He had finally broken through the peak of the seventh level, reaching the eighth-level realm. He had become an eighth-level warrior!
As an eighth-level warrior, once he fully underwent Dragon Transformation, Lin Lei could reach the peak of the ninth level.
The peak of the ninth level and merely entering the ninth level were vastly different.
"Back in Hes City, I couldn't even break the defense of a typical ninth-level magic beast. But now, even without using the Black Jade Heavy Sword, I can kill an ordinary ninth-level beast." Lin Lei was brimming with confidence.
A peak ninth-level Dragon Blood Warrior could definitely eliminate a peak ninth-level magic beast.
Aside from those in the Saint Realm, perhaps no one could threaten him now.
"But what exactly is the next level of the Black Jade Heavy Sword, this so-called 'Potential'?" Lin Lei's brow furrowed. He had already fully mastered the 'Rushing Thunder' technique, which embodied the principle of handling great weight as if it were light.
Barefoot, treading upon the earth, Lin Lei continued his arduous journey. He felt the fluctuations of the earth with his soul, sensing the ethereal nature of the wind. His own heart was cleansed by nature, becoming ever more pure and clear.
Winter arrived.
One morning, a heavy snowfall descended, blanketing heaven and earth in endless white. Lin Lei stood in the snow, watching the thick flakes fall from the sky, his heart profoundly calm.
Suddenly, he sat cross-legged on the flat ground, the Black Jade Heavy Sword laid horizontally across his legs, his upper body still bare, clad only in the same tattered linen trousers.
Snowflakes landed on Lin Lei's body, but he took no notice.
Time flowed onward. The snow had started in the morning and continued until evening, covering the entire ground with a thick layer at least a foot deep.
Bei Bei and Heilu had taken shelter under a large pine tree, watching Lin Lei from afar.
"Potential."
Lin Lei's eyes opened, a gleam of joy within them. He looked up ahead. The snow had stopped. Though it was evening, the entire world seemed brightly lit by the snow cover.
"Roar~~" A magic beast's roar echoed from the distance.
An Ice Snow Lion was walking through the snow. It seemed to spot Lin Lei and began approaching him step by step. Lin Lei watched the lion approach without any reaction.
"Whoosh." The Ice Snow Lion pushed off the ground and lunged at Lin Lei.
Lin Lei watched the lion charge, and with a casual motion, he grabbed the Black Jade Heavy Sword from his legs, slashing directly at the creature.
"Boom~~~" As the Black Jade Heavy Sword swung down, a portion of space around it seemed to compress, all the force bearing down upon the Ice Snow Lion.