The excitement in Lin Lei's heart erupted like a volcano, surging up all at once.
"Grandpa Derinkoort, can you really teach me magic?" Lin Lei looked at old Derinkoort, too thrilled to contain himself.
Derinkoort saw Lin Lei like this and his white beard twitched upward. "Lin Lei, your Grandpa Derinkoort is a Holy Domain Grand Mage. Even if your talent isn't all that great, I can still teach you magic. Of course… if your talent is low, your achievements will be limited as well."
If Derinkoort's words had been overheard by any other mage, they would have been utterly astonished.
In the world of mages, talent was the most important thing. Without talent, one could not become a mage — that was something universally acknowledged!
Yet Derinkoort dared to claim that even with unremarkable talent, one could still be nurtured into a mage. If anyone else had said this, it might have been dismissed as empty boasting, but this was a Holy Domain Grand Mage from over five thousand years ago!
"Low talent, limited achievements?" Lin Lei felt a slight tremor in his heart.
The reason he wanted to become a mage was to restore the glory of the
But to accomplish all of that, strength was essential.
"Lin Lei, don't worry. Your magical talent hasn't even been tested yet — who knows whether it's high or low? Perhaps your talent will be exceptional." Derinkoort stroked his white beard and smiled as he spoke.
Grandpa Derinkoort's composure helped settle Lin Lei's nerves.
"Grandpa Derinkoort, how do you test magical talent?" Lin Lei asked, his anticipation growing.
"Testing magical talent is actually quite simple." The words had barely left Derinkoort's mouth when suddenly — Footsteps sounded from beyond the door. Hearing them, Lin Lei panicked and quickly whispered to Derinkoort, "Grandpa Derinkoort, hide quickly — someone's coming!" If this Holy Domain Grand Mage from the Puan Empire, who had lived over five thousand years ago, were discovered, it would be disastrous.
But Derinkoort merely smiled faintly, not moving an inch.
"Grandpa Derinkoort —" Lin Lei grew anxious.
The bedroom door creaked open. The butler, Xili, glanced inside and was surprised to see that Lin Lei was awake. He smiled and said, "Young Master Lin Lei, I didn't expect you to wake up so soon. Young Master Lin Lei, are you feeling better now?"
Lin Lei immediately forced a smile and nodded. "Thank you for your concern, Grandpa Xili. I'm much better now."
Inwardly, Lin Lei was in a panic. He couldn't help glancing several times toward where Derinkoort stood. The old mage simply remained there with a smile on his face. "What's wrong with Grandpa Derinkoort? Ugh, if I'm found out, explaining all this is going to be a nightmare."
"Young Master Lin Lei, it's time for lunch. Since you're already awake, why not come and eat together?" the butler Xili said with a smile.
"Oh, understood." Lin Lei stole another glance toward Derinkoort, a suspicion forming in his mind. "What's going on? The way Grandpa Xili is acting, it's as if he can't see Grandpa Derinkoort at all."
The butler Xili noticed Lin Lei repeatedly looking toward an empty spot beside the bed and asked with puzzlement, "Young Master Lin Lei, what are you looking at over there by the bed? Did something fall? I'll get it for you."
"N-no, nothing." Lin Lei scrambled out of bed right away. "Grandpa Xili, let's go have lunch."
Though the butler Xili felt Lin Lei's reaction was a bit odd, he didn't think too much of it and simply nodded with a smile. Lin Lei put on his clothes and shoes, still unable to rest easy as he glanced toward Derinkoort. At that moment, Derinkoort gave Lin Lei a grin, moved once, and vanished from Lin Lei's field of vision as if into thin air.
"He went back into the
Unlike before, after the blood-bonding ritual, Lin Lei's awareness of the Coiling Dragon Ring had clearly risen to an entirely new level.
"Lin Lei, you don't need to speak out loud. Simply talk to me in your mind and I can hear you. You are the master of the Coiling Dragon Ring, and I am its soul spirit — we can communicate telepathically with ease." Derinkoort's voice resonated within Lin Lei's mind.