The difference between the two laid in the fact that a whale’s abdomen had a leaf-shaped fin, whereas the Floating Beast’s abdomen had a pair of sky-spanning wings covered in scales and six pillar-like elephant-ish legs.
Enormous!
Strong and burly!
Lofty and majestic!
It was hard to imagine that an enormous creature like that would actually have such a mild and gentle temperament that even ordinary people could rear them.
Of course, riding a colossal creature like that wasn’t going to be as comfortable as riding a magic ferry or the empire special express for sure, but it suited the contestants just fine.
They were all ninth-grade experts. Who wouldn’t want to control a Magical Beast and ride on the wind? Where was the fun in riding a magic ferry or the special express?
The group arrived at the rental company and rented a Floating Beast in no time. Upon which, the related staff members got to work at once.
An hour and a little more later, a huge house had been fixed onto one of the Floating Beasts’ back—it looked just like a bulging turtle shell.
“This Floating Beast is now our mode of transportation. There are 60 rooms, and you may choose one as you please.”
“Thank you, President!”
A rope ladder cascaded all the way from the Floating Beast’s back down to the ground, allowing customers to climb up its back with it. However, none of the contestants used the rope ladder.
All of them transformed into numerous streams of light and went up the Floating Beast’s back in a jiffy with a light tap of their toes. Every one of them looked confident and moved about free and unhindered as though they were just taking a leisurely stroll, attracting much attention from others.
Indeed!
No matter where they went, a group of more than 50 ninth-grade experts would always be enough to cause a huge commotion. When it was Meng Lei’s turn, the commotion became even bigger, however.
As his feet left the ground, he began to slowly rise into the sky—it was as if there was an invisible flight of stairs beneath his feet, allowing him to take step after step into the sky.
This sight astounded everyone.
“President Fred, that little fellow has broken through?”
“Yes, he has!” President Fred nodded proudly.
“Hiss!”
The academy presidents stared at Meng Lei from the back, so astonished that they couldn’t even utter a single word. It had only been a night, yet Meng Lei had already broken through?
The other contestants were even more flabbergasted than them and held complex feelings about this.
...
After they got onto the Floating Beast’s back, Meng Lei casually chose a room from the many available. The room was smaller than what he had imagined and looked only to be about four to five square meters.
Within it was a slat bed and a desk, so apart from sleeping and eating, there was nothing he could do there. An environment such as this was totally shabby, but it couldn’t be helped.
Due to the Floating Beasts’ inexpensive rental costs, they were highly favored by small trader groups, adventurer teams, and mercenaries. Compared to other modes of transport, they were considered relatively low-cost long-distance tools of transportation.
Would anyone truly wealthy want to ride on them? Of course not. All of them had already gone to the magic ferry and the empire special express.
“It can’t get any shabbier than this.”
Meng Lei shook his head at the sight of the room, disinclined to stay any longer. He went to the Floating Beast’s head instead, intending to admire the scenery before he decided what to do later.
There was no lack of contestants with the same thoughts as him. A fair number of them stood outside the house as they waited for the Floating Beast to take off.
“Dear passengers, please go to your rooms and buckle up. We’re taking off soon!”
The beast tamer controlling the Floating Beast gave them a kind reminder. Beast tamers like him had entered into master-servant contracts with the Floating Beasts, so they were able to control the Magical Beasts.
He was also their chauffeur for the journey this time.
“It’s fine!”
“Go ahead and drive!”
“Alright!”
The beast tamer didn’t press any further. He had already witnessed these passengers’ capabilities just now, so he knew that all of them were experts and probably wouldn’t fall off the Floating Beast.
Whistle!
The beast tamer took out a whistle and blew it forcefully.
Howl!
The Floating Beast slowly began to move with a long howl. Its six elephant-like legs took step after step on the ground, producing loud, dull, and muffled booms as they did so.
Meng Lei and the others standing on its back could feel violent jolts and bumps from the movements. As the Floating Beast ran faster and faster, the bumping and tossing about also became more and more intense.
It went from a slow walk to a brisk one, and then it began to dash forward.
At last, when its speed finally reached a certain point, the Floating Beast suddenly spread its gigantic wings capable of blotting out the sun and covering the earth and soared into the sky.
Violent winds howled with the flapping of its wings.
The Floating Beast soared higher and higher, going further and further away from the plaza.
A few minutes later, the Floating Beast’s wing-flapping rate began to slow down when it reached a certain altitude. They flapped once only almost every half a minute, and then it went into the most energy-saving gliding mode.
As Meng Lei took in the sensation of the strong winds blowing at him and looked down upon the land constantly becoming smaller and smaller, a sense of heroism arose within him. Then, with a leap, he jumped off the Floating Beast’s back.
“Hahaha!”
A bout of mad, unrestrained laughter rang out as Meng Lei spread his arms, and he started to soar about freely in the sky like a bird.
Dashing forward occasionally, swooping downward occasionally, and circling about in the sky occasionally—he was as happy as a lark and as free and unfettered as a magnificent eagle!
“That boy...”
The six academy presidents shook their heads and chuckled as they watched the soaring Meng Lei. They couldn’t help but think back to the times when they had just broken through to Saint Domain. They had practically behaved the same way as Meng Lei, too...
Soar! Soar as much as you want!
However, they didn’t know that Meng Lei was in even higher spirits than what they had imagined. As someone born and raised on Earth, Meng Lei knew very well that humans couldn’t fly on their own.
This was an iron-clad rule and also an established law.
They could only gaze into the sky time and again, full of envy toward the flying birds as they sighed. “If only I had wings!”
However, Meng Lei could fly on his own now. This was a feeling that no words could describe.
Carefree, excited, agitated...
“The roc rises with the wind someday, soaring 90,000 miles yonder with the wind1!
“Sipping dew at sunrise and resting under the red clouds at sunset! This is exactly what a man should be like!
“Hahaha! This feels wonderful! So goddamn wonderful!”
The other contestants were green with envy as they watched Meng Lei soaring about unrestrained in the sky. How they wished they could also soar freely like him!
It was just a shame that they could only glare at him in vain.
Meng Lei flew to his heart’s content for almost half an hour before he finally returned to the Floating Beast’s back, far from sated.
“Meng Lei, come over here.” President Fred summoned Meng Lei over. “Here, let me introduce these people to you. This is the Fighting Dragon Academy’s president. And this is...”
Meng Lei greeted them one by one, while the five of them also
responded with smiles.
Before he had broken through, Meng Lei was but just a junior and student with excellent talent. Therefore, it was alright for them not to take him seriously.
However, now that he had become a Saint Domain and was standing on the same level as them, they had to treat him as an equal—age was irrelevant!
“Valor is better demonstrated by the young, indeed!”
The Fighting Dragon Academy’s president sighed approvingly and remarked, “At the qualifying round yesterday, we had thought that you’d need some time before you could break through. Never would I have thought that you’d break through right away last night. This is truly...”
“Indeed!”
“I really have no idea how you managed to do that!”
The other academy presidents also marveled at him, awfully perplexed.
“You flatter me, Presidents!” Meng Lei spoke very humbly.
...
The Floating Beast flew fairly steadily.
Meng Lei and the six academy presidents sat on its back. They chatted freely about various interesting news and everything under the sun while they admired the mountains and the streams, the rivers, and the lakes.
Meng Lei listened to them quietly. One could say that he had gained much from this.
Even the youngest of the six academy presidents was already past 100 years old. All of them had seen a lot and were very knowledgeable—the opportunity to listen to them chat about life was a precious treasure that no amount of money could buy.
Suddenly, a smiling President Fred said, “Meng Lei, you can try challenging the Dragon God Tower when you’re at the Imperial City. If you’re in luck, who knows, you might just be able to get some good stuff!”
“The Dragon God Tower?”
A look of confusion came over Meng Lei’s features.
Chapter 140: The Secret of Deification, The Saint Domain’s Limits
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“The Dragon God Tower is the divine weapon protecting our Dragon God Empire. Legend goes that it’s the supreme divine weapon that His Holiness, the great Dragon God, forged for the Dragon God Empire after he had deified.”
The Fighting Dragon Academy president explained smilingly, “The Dragon God Tower is sited inside Dragon God Academy. It has a total of 100 levels, and each level is an independent half-plane of existence.”
“A half-plane?”
“Yes, a half-plane!
“The magic elements in these half-planes are extremely rich and dense, and even the laws of nature inside are much clearer than the outside world. You can achieve more with less by cultivating inside these half-planes. They are excellent cultivation spots.
“This has led to hordes of people desiring to enter the Dragon God Tower to cultivate. Unfortunately, only those below 30 years of age and stronger than eighth-grade are qualified to enter.”
President Fred continued the topic and said, “Therefore, there aren’t actually many that are truly qualified to enter. There’s also something else. The higher you go in the Dragon God Tower, the richer the magic elements and the clearer the laws of nature become!”
A look of longing appeared in President Fred’s eyes as he added, “It’s said that the Dragon God Tower’s 100th level even contains the secret to deification!”
“The secret to deification?” A huge jolt went through Meng Lei.
“It’s just a legend. No one knows for sure.”
President Fred nodded affirmatively. “After all, ever since the Dragon God Tower’s appearance over 40,000 years ago, there has never been anyone that has successfully ascended to the 100th level yet.
“Therefore, the legend’s credibility is still unverified as of today. However, the occasional oracles that His Holiness the Dragon God had imparted have hinted at it before!”
At the mention of the Dragon God Tower’s 100th level, longing and regret surfaced in all six academy presidents’ eyes. They were beings that had already reached the ranks of Saint Domains, and there were very few things in this world that could still pose an allure to them.
Deification was the only thing that they dreamed of, as well as what they were currently painstakingly pursuing.
Alas, they didn’t meet the requirements, so they couldn’t enter the Dragon God Tower. With that, they naturally wouldn’t be able to know the secrets of the 100th level, either.
“Many geniuses emerge in the empire every generation, and there are many great talents out there. Has no one ever successfully ascended to the Dragon God Tower’s 100th level all these years?” a frowning Meng Lei asked, puzzlement in his eyes.
“You’ve never been to the Dragon God Tower, so you’re naturally unaware of its fearsomeness.”
The Fighting Dragon Academy president went on with a wry smile. “I’ve mentioned it previously, but every level of Dragon God Tower is a half-plane where magic elements are rich, and the laws of nature are clear. While it’s certainly an excellent cultivation sanctum, it’s even more beneficial to the native beings inside them.
“These native beings live inside the half-planes all year round. After being nourished by the magic elements and laws of nature, they have become terrifyingly strong. The rate at which they produce strong experts is much higher than what it’s like in Heaven’s Vault Continent, where we are.
“Moreover, the half-planes’ natives are extremely xenophobic. Outlanders are easily attacked inside.
“Should they enter recklessly despite lacking sufficient strength, even surviving would become a problem, let alone cultivation.
“For innumerable years, just how many geniuses have perished inside the Dragon God Tower? How many great talents and mutants have been buried within? The memories are as fresh and vivid as if it had only happened yesterday!”
One of the academy presidents sighed emotionally. “When I had entered the Dragon God Tower back then, if it hadn’t been for my good fortune, I would have died inside, too. The under-30 requirement is too demanding!”
Another academy president sighed and said, “Geniuses and talents of this age are only elementary-level Saint Domains at best. With that level of strength, they can only persevere as far as the 50th level at the most.”
“Elementary-level Saint Domains can only persevere as far as the 50th level?” Meng Lei was astounded. “How strong must one be to reach the 100th level, then?”
President Fred replied, “The limits of Saint Domain!”
“The limits of Saint Domain?”
Meng Lei was stunned by his answer.
“Yes, the limits of Saint Domain.” President Fred explained, “The reason why the half-planes are only half-planes is that they weren’t fully nurtured, leading to the laws of nature becoming flawed and incomplete. In other words, complete laws of nature do not exist in the half-planes! Do you know what this means?”
Meng Lei shook his head.
“This means that the strongest that the native beings can go is the limits of Saint Domain. It’s impossible for them to surpass this range!”
President Fred smiled and added, “You should be aware that upon stepping into the Saint Domain realm, one’s strength correlates fully with their comprehension of the laws of nature.
“The deeper their comprehension of the laws of nature, the stronger they will be. When a Saint Domain fully comprehends a type of laws of nature, they’ll naturally step into the half-deity level.
“However, because complete laws of nature do not exist in half-planes, the native beings will never be able to produce half-deities. Saint Domain limits-level is the highest they can achieve!”
“I see, so that’s how it is.”
Realization dawned upon Meng Lei. After reflecting on it for a long while, he asked, “In that case, as long as one can attain Saint Domain limits-level before they turn 30 years old, there’ll be hope for them to enter the Dragon God Tower’s 100th level?”
“Yes, that’s right?”
All six acad
emy presidents nodded in response. Then, all of them shook their heads and added, “But it’s too difficult. There’s no way anyone can achieve that at all!”
Saint Domain limits-level!
What was Saint Domain limits-level?
If achieving full comprehension of a type of laws of nature made one a half-deity, then the Saint Domain limits-level was an existence that possessed almost limitless comprehension of a type of laws of nature. They were truly only a step short of fully comprehending a type of laws of nature.
Thinking of achieving Saint Domain limits-level before 30 years old?
Dream on!
“Comprehending the laws of nature is a process that requires an accumulation of effort over a long passage of time. One may not improve in the slightest, even over a period of several hundred or a thousand years.
“30 years is but just the amount of time for one to take a nap. Yet they still dream of fully comprehending a type of laws of nature? No way!”
“Alright. I was too ignorant.” Meng Lei nodded slowly.
“You’ve only just stepped into the Saint Domain realm, and you’re even a genius, too. Understandably, you wouldn’t know the difficulties involved in comprehending laws of nature.”
The six academy presidents laughed and added, “When you’ve fully immersed yourself in the ocean that is the laws of nature, you’ll come to understand the difficulties involved!”
Meng Lei nodded slowly in response. Then, he asked curiously, “Presidents, all of you must have entered the Dragon God Tower before, right? What’s the highest level that you’ve reached?”
Upon his question, all six academy presidents exchanged looks. They had differing expressions on their faces—some were smug, some were embarrassed, and some were awkward.
What’s going on?
At the sight of this, Meng Lei’s curiosity grew even stronger. However, the Floating Beast they were on suddenly jerked unexpectedly at this moment. It stared right at the space in front and emitted several low roars, its countenance extremely on guard.
“Huh?”
Just as bewilderment filled everyone, they heard the beast tamer. “Oh no! Man-Vulture bandits have appeared ahead! All passengers, please take precautions!”
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