"Boom!" In the midst of his excitement, Ryan suddenly felt a surge of energy flowing into the soles of his feet. This energy quickly traveled to his brain, accompanied by a trace of fire-elemental magic. His depleted mana instantly devoured more than 70% of it. Ryan estimated that in no more than one minute, he would have enough mana to cast a Fireball spell. This, he realized, was the advantage of practicing qigong. He thought to himself: This is just the effect of practicing qigong for one hour. What would happen if I kept it up for two hours? Or for 24 hours non-stop?
Just then, a sharp pain struck his head. Before he could finish his train of thought, he dramatically fainted. The last thing on his mind was the image of a petite girl wielding a large stick—"NiuNiu."
"What's wrong with this boy? A Level 1 mage lasting this long—he must have just become a mage. His heightened excitement caused his nerves to overstrain. Good thing I woke up in time, or the consequences could have been severe." After Ryan fainted, he vaguely saw NiuNiu floating behind him. This was strange, though, because as a grass spirit, NiuNiu should need to flap her wings to fly. Yet, her wings weren't moving, and she was still hovering. Ryan, being completely self-taught, didn't know much about magic principles. Fortunately, his strong comprehension skills and a bit of luck allowed him to accumulate enough mana to reach the coveted status of a mage—a dream pursued by millions.
"Huh! This kid is unusual, isn't he? A Level 1 mage should only be able to cast around 20 Fireball spells at most, but look at all these marks on the rock wall! Could he have some kind of mana-replenishing potion on him?"
NiuNiu waved her hand, and Ryan began to float in the air. But when she noticed the densely packed Fireball marks on the nearby rock wall, her excitement overwhelmed her. After all, mana-replenishing potions were extremely rare and valuable! The spell she was casting broke off mid-chant due to her excitement, and with a loud "thud," poor Ryan fell heavily to the ground again. Still, Ryan didn't wake up. NiuNiu's earlier observation was correct: Ryan had been in a state of prolonged mental excitement. If she hadn't interrupted him in time, his future path of cultivation would have been fraught with even greater challenges.
This is because mental energy is a manifestation of the soul. Overusing mental energy can often damage its very source—the soul itself. Although Ryan's mana reserves were three times greater than normal, his mental energy was only two to three times stronger. The additional Fireballs he cast toward the end had been powered by the overdrive from his heightened mental state. NiuNiu's timely interruption was perfectly executed. If she had acted sooner, the growth in Ryan's mental energy due to his excitement would have been much less. Now, the mental energy increase he achieved would be permanent.
Had she interrupted while Ryan was still subconsciously casting spells, the risk of magical backlash would have been high. However, at the exact moment NiuNiu intervened, Ryan's mental state had shifted toward observing his internal processes. In conclusion, Ryan's luck was truly extraordinary.
"Huh? Why is there nothing at all? And what's with this guy—has he passed out or is he meditating? Could this be the legendary deep meditation?"
NiuNiu, already frazzled, tugged at her sparse green hair until it became an unruly mess. Staring at the completely naked Ryan, she was on the verge of losing her mind. Convinced that Ryan must be hiding some kind of top-tier mana-replenishing potion or some other valuable treasure, she swiftly dragged him back to the cave and stripped him completely. To her utter shock, there was absolutely nothing on him. Moreover, Ryan's sleeping posture was peculiar. When NiuNiu had first checked, he was lying on his back, but the moment she let go, his body automatically reverted to its previous position.
Perplexed, NiuNiu suddenly noticed fire elements converging toward Ryan at a speed perceptible to her mental energy. This discovery left her utterly dumbfounded. After all, meditation is not the same as sleeping; the two are polar opposites. Meditation consumes mental energy to absorb elemental forces, while sleeping restores mental energy. If meditating were as effortless as sleeping, wouldn't everyone in the world be a mage? Mages, after all, are a rarity, appearing only once in millions. How could someone recover mana during sleep just like meditation? It was akin to merging fire and ice—completely irreconcilable.
Left with no other choice, NiuNiu widened her eyes and stared intently at Ryan.
One hour.
The limit for a Level 1 mage's meditation!
Two hours.
The absolute limit for a Level 2 mage!
…
…
Seven hours.
What?! A Level 9 mage could only meditate for seven hours in a day! And that's with a Level 9 mage consuming only one-third of their mental energy during meditation. Even that was extraordinary—Level 9! The pinnacle of worldly magical power! NiuNiu was on the verge of going insane.
"If this guy really is such a freak, then maybe I'll finally get my revenge," NiuNiu muttered, her thoughts drifting back to events from long ago.
At that time, NiuNiu was still just a newly formed egg. She carried the highest lineage of the Diamond Angel bloodline because her father was the leader of the Angelic Clan, ruling over countless planes and also serving as the Supreme God of Light. However, the Divine Realm was not a peaceful and harmonious place. It constantly faced a rival from another powerful dimension of nearly equal strength. Every ten thousand years, each side would alternately send a Supreme God to guard a vast spatial rift that existed between them.
When it was NiuNiu's father's turn—the Supreme God of Light—he was ambushed by an unknown group of incredibly powerful individuals. NiuNiu's father had the strength to escape, but he was carrying NiuNiu, who was still just an egg, safely stored in a very delicate and beautiful pouch. Ultimately, NiuNiu's father chose to detonate his Supreme Divine Artifact to ensure her survival. He tossed her into the time-space rift created by the explosion.
NiuNiu, even as an egg, was already aware of what was happening. However, traversing the rift inflicted damage on her soul. Since then, she had required energy to heal and replenish her strength. This is why Ryan's energy, radiating outwards, attracted her attention while she was still in her egg.
When NiuNiu finally hatched, she started at Level 0, but by consuming her eggshell, her level skyrocketed to Level 7. While this was only a theoretical achievement, there was an added benefit—when she signed the soul contract with Ryan, she unexpectedly absorbed a significant amount of soul fragments. This led to the repair of her damaged soul.
NiuNiu suspected that the Divine Realm was still searching for her and her father. Officially, they were looking for a "lost child," but NiuNiu believed there were traitors within her own clan. Otherwise, how else could anyone have known her father's exact route? Determined to reveal the truth and expose the culprits, NiuNiu decided she needed to train until she was strong enough to return to the Divine Realm.
For now, however, she resolved to keep a low profile. She turned her hair green to blend in, and since her Diamond Angel wings were naturally transparent—identical to those of a grass spirit—this spared her the trouble of coming up with additional disguises.
No matter the species, everyone is born at Level 0. If NiuNiu had been born in the Divine Realm, would there have been any shortage of resources to help her grow stronger? This is precisely why eggs and newborn magical beasts are so easily bonded through contracts.
"Father…" NiuNiu murmured through her tears, thinking of her father, whose fate remained uncertain. The Great Temporal Rift was far different from an ordinary spatial rift. It could transport a person to a distant, unknown place or even send them to the past—its outcomes were entirely unpredictable.
"Don't worry. Daddy's here." Ryan awoke to the sound of NiuNiu crying and calling for her father. He looked around and saw no one else—was she calling him? Remembering how NiuNiu had lost her parents and reflecting on his own childhood, where he lacked affection due to his parents' divorce, Ryan felt an emotional surge. Without thinking, he grabbed NiuNiu and pressed her against his cheek, responding with dramatic tenderness.
"Ah! Pervert! Die!" NiuNiu, lost in her thoughts, suddenly felt herself being grabbed. She turned her head, only to see a face, dark with dirt, moving closer to her delicate body. Her frustration boiled over into an explosive outburst. Her tiny fists pounded at Ryan's face with all her might, muttering angrily, "Take that! Right in the face!"
"Ahhh! Ow, ow, ow!" Ryan had been reflecting on his lonely childhood when, suddenly, the world spun, and everything seemed to change color. Before he knew it, he was lying on the ground. Only then did the sharp pain from NiuNiu's punches register in his brain.
"Let's talk—how did you manage to cast over 100 fireball spells?" NiuNiu asked, feigning indifference to Ryan's pitiful state. After all, she had her own biases. Even as an egg, she had witnessed her father teasing her mother every night, which often led to her mother screaming pitifully for a long time. Thus, from a young age, NiuNiu believed men to be inherently evil, only ever bullying women. (Note: Higher-order angels are gendered! Lower-order angels are still juveniles, meaning they are not yet sexually mature. OK?)
"I'm telling you..." Originally, Ryan didn't intend to respond to NiuNiu. However, her question touched upon a matter he was particularly pleased with. So, despite his swollen cheek, he launched into an enthusiastic explanation. Little did he know, his gesticulations only served to make NiuNiu think, "So annoying!" If Ryan knew this was her impression, he probably wouldn't have said anything even under threat.
"Be honest! What else?" NiuNiu demanded sternly. Truthfully, Ryan's earlier words had already left her impressed. If a mage's magical power exceeded others by more than fivefold, the implications at lower levels weren't that significant. However, at levels like Ninth Rank, Tenth Rank, and even higher realms like Supreme God or God King, the implications were profound. A fleeting thought crossed NiuNiu's mind: "If Father had five times the divine power of others..." The idea sent a shiver down her spine. If that were the case, her father would likely have been the ruler of the Divine Realm.
"Well... I mean, um... I don't really know why," Ryan hedged. His answer deflected the specifics, as the reason behind his unique cultivation ability was something he genuinely didn't understand. Expecting him to explain it would be like asking a Western doctor to elucidate the principles behind traditional Chinese medicine. Concepts like yin-yang and the five elements? Not a chance.
"Fine. Go take care of whatever you need to do," NiuNiu said with a dismissive wave. Ryan wasted no time dashing off to bathe, still covered in soot from last night's fireball practice.
"Hmm... It must be his constitution," NiuNiu murmured to herself. Even after delving into her inherited memories, she couldn't pinpoint the reason behind Ryan's anomaly. Frustrated, she attributed it to his unique physical traits.
"By the way, NiuNiu! Why does it feel like I can sense other types of elements during meditation? I've noticed black, white, purple, green, blue, gold, even some transparent ones, and a few grayish ones!" Ryan shouted from the large wooden tub serving as his makeshift bath.
"What?! An all-attribute physique..." NiuNiu was on the verge of a breakdown. For a mage to ascend beyond the Tenth Rank and reach legendary realms, they must cultivate a second, non-conflicting elemental attribute. To reach the pinnacle—becoming the ruler of the Divine Realm—one must master all elemental attributes. Of course, during battle, such a mage would focus on their most proficient element, with the others serving as support.
"Hmph." Unsure of how Ryan should proceed, NiuNiu brushed off the question.
"NiuNiu! I'm asking you!" Ryan, noticing her reluctance to answer, pressed on relentlessly, seizing the rare opportunity to stump her.
NiuNiu was speechless.
"NiuNiu, what's wrong?"
"NiuNiu? NiuNiu?"
NiuNiu grew visibly irritated.
"Ni... u... Niuuuuu!" Ryan dragged out her name obnoxiously.
"Fine! If you're so capable, train in all the elements! If you can master them all, you'll never hit a bottleneck again. As long as you have enough magic power, you'll ascend naturally!" NiuNiu snapped before flying off in frustration.
What she didn't mention was the downside: training in multiple attributes exponentially increased the amount of magic power needed to advance. For example, if Ryan originally required "1 unit" of magic power to advance to a Level 2 Mage, training in five attributes would require five times that amount. When NiuNiu spoke of "no bottleneck," she referred only to the major milestones, like ascending to the Divine Realm, not the smaller hurdles. Besides, Ryan's ambitions were limited to dominating his world—he'd likely faint if someone mentioned interdimensional supremacy! However, there was an upside: such mastery would make Ryan invincible within the same rank. Even with legendary artifacts, others wouldn't match his power level.
"Bottlenecks... none... So that means I can go straight to Level Ten, the highest level on the continent! Haha! Gold coins in my left hand, beauties in my right! Hahaha!" Ryan's excitement erupted into theatrical monologues, filled with dreams of wealth and women. Poor Ryan had no idea what lay ahead.
"Could this fool actually try to train in all the elements? What if it damages his magical core? Should he switch to being a warrior instead? Hmm, not a bad idea," NiuNiu muttered as she flew toward Harry City, her mind swirling with scattered thoughts. However, she forgot to consider whether her inherited memories, tailored for angels, would even suit Ryan's human physiology.
"What do I do now? Just absorbing a bit of another element feels like my brain's about to explode! If I take in more, won't my head burst?" Ryan, true to form, dived headfirst into the challenge. Yet the moment he absorbed even a hint of another element, his head throbbed like a thunderstorm had erupted inside it. Frustrated, he sat by the fire, contemplating his next move.
"Idiot! Idiot! I've completely embarrassed myself. If you weren't the one to transmigrate, then who else would have?" Ryan stared at the fire for a long moment before springing to his feet in a fit of street-dance-style celebration, alternating between laughter and berating himself. Had he gone mad?