Chapter Twenty-One: The First Senior Brother
Mountain winds howled, yet as Lin Lei and Caslot walked along the mountain path, they covered a hundred meters every two or three steps.
"Eight senior brothers live on Qing Lei Peak. The First Senior Brother's residence is at the very summit," Caslot remarked with a sigh.
In his mind, Caslot was imagining the battle over a thousand years ago between Hissey and that First Senior Brother.
"Caslot, do you know what the fight between Hissey and your First Senior Brother was like?" Lin Lei asked.
Caslot replied with envy, "That great battle happened before I even entered the Martial God Gate. But I have heard other senior brothers talk about it. Hissey's strength was terrifying, and his speed was incredibly fast. The First Senior Brother's speed is also the fastest among all us martial brothers. Yet he could only fight Hissey to a standstill."
"How fast exactly?" Lin Lei, who was also skilled in speed, was curious.
Caslot gave a faint smile. "I don't know, since I didn't see it with my own eyes. But I estimate... he's probably much faster than you or Olivier."
Lin Lei understood. In his current human form, he hadn't yet entered the Saint Realm. There was still massive room for growth in his strength. It was only natural he couldn't compare to them right now.
At the summit of Qing Lei Peak.
The summit was an open space roughly dozens of meters across, dotted with some ancient, gnarled trees and wild grass. Nestled beside one of these old trees were two stone houses.
On the edge of the summit, a person stood, gazing down below.
Lin Lei studied the figure. The man wore a simple, plain blue-green robe. His build was lean but he stood as straight as a ramrod. His hair was cropped short, only three inches long, and was the same blue-green color. Just from his back, he gave off an extremely fierce and resolute impression.
"First Senior Brother," Caslot said respectfully.
The blue-green-haired man turned his head. When his gaze fell upon Lin Lei and their eyes met, Lin Lei felt his very soul tremble.
What kind of attack was this?
Lin Lei was shocked inwardly. He was certain that if an ordinary warrior had been in his place, this First Senior Brother's gaze alone might have shattered their soul. Fortunately, he possessed the mental power of a Grand Magus of the ninth level.
"Not bad," the First Senior Brother nodded with a smile. "You're Lin Lei?"
"Yes." Lin Lei merely nodded.
"I'm Fane," the First Senior Brother said with a smile. "The master asked me to receive you. You were able to transform by drinking dragon blood, correct? You're not a pure Dragon Blood Warrior?"
"Huh?" Lin Lei frowned.
"I heard about your transformed appearance and guessed. I've also seen the Dragon Blood Warriors of your Baruch Family," Senior Brother Fane said lightly.
"Correct. So what?" Lin Lei retorted.
Senior Brother Fane sighed. "As far as I know, pure Dragon Blood Warriors of the Baruch Family have greater potential. Those mutant Dragon Blood Warriors born from drinking dragon blood have slightly lesser potential. If you were a pure Dragon Blood Warrior, then once your strength reached its peak, you should be able to fight me."
"Even as a mutant Dragon Blood Warrior, my potential should still be greater than yours," Lin Lei said, dissatisfied with the Senior Brother's tone.
Senior Brother Fane's eyebrows knit together.
Who was he? Even the Rock Sword Saint Hederson, hailed as the strongest in the Saint Realm, was merely a junior in Fane's eyes. He couldn't be bothered with them. Lin Lei's current backtalk did indeed make him unhappy.
But remembering the Martial God's instructions, Fane smiled faintly and let his anger go.
"Indeed, an ultimate warrior, even if not a pure one, has far greater potential than a normal human," Fane said with a smile. Then he glanced at Caslot. "Junior Brother, you may go back first. I will temporarily receive Lin Lei."
"Yes, First Senior Brother," Caslot said respectfully. He then gave Lin Lei a meaningful look, signaling him not to be too arrogant, before descending the mountain.
Lin Lei took a deep breath. He understood that in the Martial God Gate, it was better to be a bit more humble.
"Lin Lei, let's sit and chat," Senior Brother Fane waved a hand, and two wooden stools from a distance flew directly over, landing before Lin Lei and himself.
Lin Lei watched this with puzzlement. What method had Fane just used? He hadn't sensed any Battle Qi at all.
"I heard you refused Lord Hodan?" Fane said with a smile. Even Fane was very respectful toward Hodan, after all, Hodan was a god-level expert.
"Yes," Lin Lei nodded.
"Smart," Fane chuckled. "Lin Lei, we should feel fortunate we were born on the Yulan Continent."
"Oh?" Lin Lei was a bit confused.
Fane continued, "Many Saint Realm experts have been famous for centuries. They've enjoyed everything, and their loved ones have mostly aged and died. With no ties, most of these Saint Realm experts have gone to the Higher Realms."
Lin Lei nodded. He understood this point. One could grow weary of material life after enjoying it for long enough. After centuries, those who hadn't reached the Saint Realm would naturally grow old. With no attachments, going to the Higher Realms was perfectly normal.
"But what those people don't know is that many experts in the Higher Realms wish they could come to our Yulan Continent's plane," Fane said, a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. "Lin Lei, do you know about the descent of experts from other planes over five thousand years ago?"
"I've heard of it," Lin Lei nodded.
"I didn't expect you to know even that," Fane nodded. "Why did so many experts come to the Yulan Continent? Naturally, because our Yulan Continent's plane has something that attracts them."
Fane shook his head and sighed. "Many Saint Realm experts, on the contrary, ran off to the Higher Realms, crowded with experts. That's truly seeking far while neglecting what's close."
"Lin Lei, I'm just telling you this: don't rush to the Higher Realms. Stay here, and you'll understand the benefits later. As for what secret the Yulan Continent holds, I can't tell you for now," Fane said with a smile.
Lin Lei looked at Fane, confused. "Why are you telling me this?"
This kind of matter, many Saint Realm experts didn't know about. Why was Fane telling him?
"This is the master's instruction," Fane said.
"The Martial God?" Lin Lei was deeply puzzled in his heart.