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Chapter 612: Sword and Sorcery
🕑 Added 2025-07-14 13:00:17 +0000 UTCIn this strange world, there were two types of fighters: knights and mages. Knights resembled martial cultivators and focused on strengtheni
In this strange world, there were two types of fighters: knights and mages. Knights resembled martial cultivators and focused on strengthening their bodies and using force to overcome all obstacles. Mages resembled spiritual cultivators and controlled the abundant mana in the air to cast spells.
The resemblance to cultivators was only superficial. Although knights could train their bodies and get stronger weapons, they could not ascend to a higher realm nor increase their lifespan outside of encountering treasures. Even then, they could only extend their lifespan by another hundred years at most.
Mages were the same. In terms of sheer destruction, they far exceeded knights. It was the difference between single-target and area-of-effect damage. However, the number of mages was far lower than knights and far more difficult to raise. The amount of resources needed to train a powerful mage surpassed the resources required to train ten knights of the same level.
That didn’t mean mages were guaranteed victory over knights. If a mage used up all the mana in their body, they could no longer control the mana in the environment to cast spells, practically making them sitting ducks to knights. If a knight was close enough or if they were trapped in an enclosed space, knights would win.
Mages were far frailer than knights of the same level. Even a high-level mage might not possess a body comparable to a lower-level knight, unless he modified his own body. Most mages would employ knights as bodyguards to combat this weakness, while others turned toward summoning.
Summoning, as the name suggested, was a spell used by mages to call forth magical beasts. Of course, just summoning the magical beast was far from enough. They had to subdue the magical beast and form a contract with it, making the magical beast their summon. Magical beasts did not possess wisdom, but their bodies were more powerful than humans at the same levels.
Knights and mages were categorized from level one to level ten, with level one being the weakest and level ten being the strongest. Magical beasts were split into ten levels too. Humans depended on talent to reach higher levels, while magical beasts relied on their bloodline.
A level five magical beast meant that the magical beast could reach level five once it reached adulthood. If a magical beast wanted to advance further, it was far more difficult than humans raising their levels.
Sun Wutian did not become a human but a magical beast in this dream. It did not surprise him. After all, he had always been some sort of monkey in his dreams. It was only after he appeared above a magic circle that he realized what kind of world he had entered.
The mage who summoned him failed to complete the contract.
Had the mage simply talked to Sun Wutian, he might have considered entering a contract, but the mage was too arrogant. He believed that no matter how powerful a magical beast was, it was just that—a beast. How could a beast compare to human wisdom?
The mage wanted to beat Sun Wutian into submission, so Sun Wutian simply smashed him into a paste with his palm. Once the mage died, the magic circle lost its power and sent Sun Wutian back to his original location.
In this dream, Sun Wutian became the Tornado Ape. Because magical beasts aren’t sapient, they do not have the qualification to become mages. That did not mean they could not cast spells. Powerful magical beasts housed elemental crystals in their bodies. By activating the elemental crystal, magical beasts could display powerful abilities that resembled spells.
The Tornado Ape’s ability was to form an armor of wind. The more powerful the magical beast, the more powerful the wind would become until tornado-level winds covered their entire body. Not only would it enhance his defense, but it would also increase his offensive capabilities.
However, the Tornado Ape was only a level seven magical beast. Since he came here, Sun Wutian naturally wanted to reach the peak power level. He didn’t know if it would help break his racial limit, but Sun Wutian discovered that by consciously absorbing mana, he could speed up his growth and reach the peak of his bloodline faster. Absorbing the mana in the air was very similar to absorbing qi.
Sun Wutian didn’t hide in his territory either. He left and explored. Neither would he mind contracting a human mage as a partner. Although magical beasts could not learn magic, Sun Wutian was different. He had wisdom, and he was very interested in the spells.
According to rumors, mages needed to understand a certain amount of the principles of the world in order to cast spells. A mage that wanted to cast cutting wind blades would need to understand why air moves, and so on. To Sun Wutian, it reminded him of the worldly laws and concepts that cultivators could only understand at the venerable level.
During his time in the world of sword and sorcery, Sun Wutian contracted a mage after he reached level seven and could not advance further. The mage was only level six and could not subdue Sun Wutian, so the two came to an agreement. Sun Wutian would protect the wind mage in return for magical knowledge and guidance.
Normally, mages would only contract magical beasts one or two levels lower than them. If the magical beasts were too strong, they could not be subdued. In fact, if mages did not have enough power, it was more than likely that the magical beast would not even pay attention to them. They might even attack them.
So, for the level six mage to contract a level seven magical beast like Sun Wutian was a blessing. All he had to do was impart some magical knowledge.
Sun Wutian also chose the level six mage because of some consideration. He was still improving, but after reaching level seven, his pace of improvement slowed dramatically. He continuously absorbed the mana in the air, but his body could not contain it. It was akin to an overflowing cup of water.
Mages could cast a myriad of spells, but the element of their spells depended on their affinity. Sun Wutian was the same. He discovered that he was only talented in wind-type spells. He was not too surprised by this. The wind elemental crystal in his body gave him an unparalleled talent in wind magic, but also restricted him from using the other elements.
Sun Wutian buried himself in his studies. According to the saying of the dream world, he was a seeker of the truth.
In this dream, Sun Wutian lived for a full five hundred years. He did not deliberately extend his lifespan and allowed nature to follow its course. As he wanted, he eventually became a level ten magical beast, but he was not satisfied. He continued to master and integrate all the knowledge of wind he could find.
Because of Sun Wutian’s advancement, the level six mage he contracted betrayed him. The level six mage advanced to level seven, but after that, he seemed to have an unbreakable bottleneck. Plagued by the bottleneck, the mage could only watch as Sun Wutian advanced step-by-step and reached the peak.
No, it was even greater than the peak. Sun Wutian was a magical beast. Because he reached level ten, he transformed from the Tornado Ape to the Typhoon Ape. With a body more powerful than any human knight and mastery of level ten magic, he could be considered the strongest lifeform in the dream world.
Eager to advance, the mage set up a trap for Sun Wutian. Although the two had a contract, it was not impossible to break it, just like he had.
Of course, the trap failed. Although Sun Wutian was powerful, it was difficult to defeat a coalition of level ten knights and mages by his lonesome. Still, he just temporarily fled and waited for the opportunity to take revenge. The people who attacked were killed. More than that, Sun Wutian also exterminated their bloodlines. He was originally a demon, so he did not have as much compassion as humans.
Although his actions caused many humans to fear him, they did not dare to attack. The only way they would choose to trap and kill him was if they were a hundred percent sure. If they failed, Sun Wutian’s revenge awaited them.
The only one who survived was the mage who contracted Sun Wutian. Sun Wutian had complicated feelings toward his contractor. After all, he was the one who guided him onto the path of magic. He could be considered half a teacher and a partner of several decades.
Even though Sun Wutian did not kill the mage, it might be a life worse than death for him. Because Sun Wutian had destroyed his life’s work and, due to association, few dared to interact with him. The mage could never advance again.
When Sun Wutian died, he had become the world’s only level eleven magical beast. However, that did not extend his lifespan.
When Sun Wutian woke up, he realized that he could undergo the Wind Tribulation. He decided to do it after Ancestor Fusang ended his sermon. After undergoing the Wind Tribulation, his Divine Dream Core had become a perfect sphere. Even the mist it emitted coated it perfectly, without any blemish.
Sun Wutian entered another dream again after Ancestor Fusang started another sermon. Perhaps it was his imagination. He felt that he was more successful and gained more from his dreams during his master’s sermons. More than that, he always woke up when Ancestor Fusang was almost done with the sermon, so he couldn’t help but feel there was a connection.
He did not ask and tactfully accepted Ancestor Fusang’s help. In the downtime between Ancestor Fusang’s sermons, Sun Wutian updated his graphic novel. The new dream world he experienced gave him a lot of inspirational ideas—so much so that he wanted to finish his current graphic novel and start a new series.
Sun Wutian’s senses toward the wind also became sharper. Although he couldn’t comprehend any concepts, it felt like the wind itself favored him.
When the next sermon started, Sun Wutian fell asleep again. This time, it was still a world of sword and sorcery. He also transformed into a primate again. This time, it was a Volcanic Gibbon. With the experience of the previous dream, Sun Wutian’s journey was much smoother.
In addition, some magical beasts had sapience. It wasn’t high, just at the level of a child no older than six or seven.
Because of this, Sun Wutian stayed with the Volcanic Gibbon Clan. While learning the magic of this dream world, he also attempted to teach them to perform magic. However, until the end of his life, the best he could do was engrave magical abilities that they could activate at will into their bodies.
Like with the previous dream, Sun Wutian could immediately undergo the Fire Tribulation. His Divine Dream Core was smelted and transformed from a polished core to a tempered core.
The next dream was also similar. However, the magical beasts’ intelligence and wisdom could grow equal to a human’s, but only the most powerful of magical beasts could reach this point. Unlike the previous dream, Sun Wutian became a unique magical beast—the only Lightning Lemur in the world.
In this world, strength was not measured by level, but by the number of tribulations. Of course, it wasn’t called tribulation in the world of sword and sorcery, but simply lightning strikes. Each time a knight, mage, or magical beast advanced, they would be struck by lightning. If they survived, they advanced. If they failed, they turned to ash.
Should they succeed, their injuries would be healed and their life level would increase. Compared to the first sword and sorcery dream world, humans could live up to five hundred years. It was still a far cry from the lifespan of magical beasts, though.
Since the number of lightning strikes they survived determined their rank, a knight who survived five lightning strikes would be known as a five-bolt knight.
In this world, lightning was supreme.
Many knights and mages would voluntarily seek lightning in order to bathe under it. Being struck by lightning like this had many benefits. Even if a five-bolt knight couldn’t become a six-bolt knight, his body would be tempered and his strength would increase—enhancing his chances of becoming a six-bolt knight.
However, it also had many downsides. Even if they survived, their bodies would not automatically heal, and they had to rely on themselves.
For Sun Wutian, this was the most suitable world for him. He constantly searched for thunderstorms in order to bathe in lightning. Because of this, he earned the moniker of Lightning Seeker.
Like after his previous dreams, Sun Wutian underwent the next minor tribulation. After undergoing the Lightning Tribulation, his tempered core became a purified core.
After reaching the peak of the Core Formation Realm, Wutian did not undergo the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation but continued to dream. This time, his focus was to improve his Dream Divinity Martial Body. His core may have reached the peak, but he had not opened all the acupoints in his body.
Sun Wutian thought he would appear in another sword and sorcery world because the previous dream world was very conducive to martial cultivation. No—this time, he entered an interstellar world.
Comments
KazukiNero
Tanyi has to have some hand in this.
