Bab 22: Chapter 21

I left the pocket dimension with Bebe, Grandpa Doehring and Sartius whose body was fully healed tail and all now. I decided to bring them along as none of them had reached the Saint realm just yet and thus could not make the most out of the pocket dimension. Besides, I had the Pearls of Wisdom with me now so they won't lose out on much even if they break through soon. Grandpa Doehring and Sartius were still around the 8th rank in strength while Bebe was firmly in the 9th rank now.

I also had the few young magical beasts that I had picked up while I was travelling through the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts and it will not be good if I continue to keep them in stasis like Pokémon in Bill's PC. I carefully placed them in a large chest with air holes that Grandpa Doehring offered to carry.

With everyone ready, I cast the 9th rank Windshadow spell on Grandpa Doehring and Sartius while Bebe and I could fly by ourselves. The four of us then began to race through the skies towards the Imperial capital of the O'Brian Empire, Channe. We had set off early in the morning and we arrived at the outskirts of the city just a little after mid-day where we decided to land and finish the last part of the journey on foot.

Entering the city was easier than expected and even then, neither I nor my companions garnered more than a measured look. This was the capital city of the most militaristic and martial centric empire after all so high-level experts were fairly common. While the onlookers made way for us and gave us looks of admiration, none but the really young children openly gawked at us as we made our way to our destination.

We arrived before the manor I had bought after asking a few locals for directions and I saw that there was a high-quality carriage that had stopped before the property and its occupants were disembarking. I didn't recognize any of the five people that got off but by seeing the friendly greeting they exchanged with the manor guards, I assumed them to be friends of the residents.

I quickly made my way over to one of the gate keepers and asked for my family members to be informed about my arrival while introducing myself- "Pardon me but could you please inform my little brother Wharton and Uncle Hillman that Linley Baruch has come?"

There was a moment of silence as the gate guards and the group of visitors stared at me in shock. The guard that had questioned me first was the one to recover first as he said- "Please allow me to escort you inside. Mark, quickly go inside and notify everyone that Master Linley has come home." He immediately takes a call and also orders another guard to rush ahead and notify the household of the good news.

I chuckle a bit as I am led inside the estate and I see that the other five guests were also tagging along on the side. I decided to formally introduce myself to them and try to make conversation with them, they all looked like they had many questions for me. They also seemed to be high ranked nobles judging by their attire and I could sense that the two adults were powerful magi, more importantly they seemed friendly with my family that was staying here so I saw no need to create a bad impression as soon as I got here.

"Are you really, the Big Lug's, I mean Wharton's elder brother Linley?" The vivacious young noble girl asked me. She looked about 15, around the same age as Wharton should be and I already had a few guesses as to who she might be from her manner of speech.

"I am indeed Linley Baruch. Pardon me my lady but… are you perchance Princess Nina O'Brian, 7th princess of the O'Brian Empire?" I ask after once again confirming my identity. I decide to just ask about her own identity bluntly as I saw no reason to beat around the bush.

"P-Princess?!" That seemed to be the wrong thing to ask though as the guard that was escorting me nearly tripped and fell in shock after I asked for girl's identity. Looking back to the girl in question, I saw that she was cutely pouting in anger as if I had said something wrong.

"Uuuh, why would you bring that up here right now? And how do you already know about that, have we met before?" She asks as if I have somehow greatly wronged her.

"I am sorry if I have displeased the Princess in some manner. As for how I knew who you were, honestly, I just guessed based on some information I had and you just confirmed it right now." I try to calmly pacify her but she continued to pout.

Just as we were about to continue our conversation some more, we all heard the sound of many rushed footfalls heading our way in a hurry. I had already noticed that nearly all the residents of the house had dropped whatever they were doing and rushed towards the gates when they were informed about my arrival. I guess the fastest ones were about to finally reach us, well any further conversation with the princess and her group would have to wait for later I suppose.

Wharton, Hillman and many of the other residents of the manor immediately rushed to the front gates after the guard reported that someone claiming to be Linley had arrived. They were all very excited for the meeting and contrary to expectations, their enthusiasm had not declined one bit over the past year but had instead increased.

Wharton, Keane, Jenne, Clair, Teresa and Hillman who were leading the charge completely forget themselves and even lost track of Nina and her group who were beside me. They didn't seem to be slowing down either as they loudly called out to me, multiple- ""Big bro""s and ""Linley""s were heard as they tried to tackle me all at once.

"Oh dear!" I mutter as I make some preparations to ensure I do not get tackled and dog piled into the ground. I quickly raise a hand to cast a variation of the Earth style Super Gravity spell using my understanding of the Laws of Earth to bring the charging mob under control. A normal Super Gravity Field just increases gravitational force towards the ground in a set area, but due to the transmigrator's understanding of science as well as my own understanding of the Laws I knew that Gravity is an intrinsic force exerted by any mass. All I did was create a cluster of high energy earth essence behind the charging mob, the gravitational pull exerted by that cluster was as strong as a spell of the 8th rank and pulled everyone towards it so as they were not prepared for it in the slightest.

While this was a useful trick, it could only be used to suppress those below Saint rank and it would only inconvenience Saints at best. It was a far cry from the Divine Ability of the Amethyst Godbeasts that I was trying to replicate, that skill was just way too OP according to what I remembered as the force it could apply was great enough to suppress most Deities, it also had a spiritual attack component and it made it very easy for the users to alter the direction of the force as well as the intensity. All in all, this method of mine was a downright insult to that but I had only just begun working on it and even then, it was more than enough for what I needed right now.

"Ow, was that really necessary Big Brother? I just wanted to greet you; it has been so long since I have seen you." My little brother Wharton calls out to me in a pitiful manner as he tries to extricate himself from the tangle of piled up bodies.

"That was amazing Big Brother! Can you teach me how to do that as well?" Keane asks excitedly as he also tries to get up.

"Big Brother Linley is a meanie! You just got here and you are already bullying us." Clair calls out pitifully while her sister Teresa and Jenne just nod along.

"Now I know that we may have gotten a little over excited for a moment there Linley but could you let us go now? You also seem to have dragged some of our other guests into this as well." Hillman asks politely while pointing towards the two senior magi doing their best to hold on to Princess Nina and her friends so they also don't get pulled by my gravity spell. Honestly though, Hillman looked very happy to see me and try as he might, he could not hide his awe at my display of strength. He already thought himself to be pretty strong physically and recently he had also deepened his understanding of magic so he was in awe at how easily I had neutralised their charge just now.

"Hahaha, sorry about that, I haven't really gotten full control of this spell just yet. I hope you won't take offence Princess Nina?" I ask the VIP while I dispel the gravity spell. Nina just pouted and turned her head away from me in anger as I had once again revealed her identity so casually.

The senior male magus who I assumed to be part of the Princess's guard spoke up to clear the air though- "It is quite alright Lord Linley, no harm done. Though I must say that your reputation still doesn't do you justice, now that I have seen some of your skill in person, I have no doubts that you are indeed the most talented Magus genius in the entire continent. If you could kindly indulge an old man's curiosity, Lord Linley, could you perhaps tell me what rank you are at now?"

"Now that would be telling, I hope you would not pry too much into my affairs Sir…? I'm sorry but it seems we have not been properly introduced so I don't know how I should address you?" I ask the man.

"Hahaha, how rude of me, I am Wallace Talon, Wind style arch magus of the 9th rank and teacher of young Caylan Darryl here. I truly am sorry about earlier Master Linley; I just got a little too curious just then." Wallace introduces himself at last. He shares a quick glance with his fellow arch magus Paige to keep her eyes open so that they may be able to better gauge Linley's strength.

Both the arch magi were sure that the strength of the recent gravity spell was equivalent to an 8th rank spell but the ease with which it was cast as well as the unique modified nature of the spell itself caused them to be unable to accurately determine Linley's rank from just that. Either way, it looked as though this Linley had at least reached the peak of 8th rank or even possibly the same 9th rank as themselves and that strength was worthy of respect. All the more considering the extremely young age of this mage, if anyone were to tell the two of them that this under 20 possible 9th rank mage could not break through to the Saint level then they would curse them to hell.

Eventually I got acquainted with the rest of Princess Nina's entourage starting with the other arch mage- Paige, the son of the Left Premiere- Caylan and Nina's attendant- Lucy. Needless to say, they properly introduced themselves this time along with their backgrounds, they saw no further need to hide it since I had already called out the Princess herself who had the most sensitive identity in the group. Looking at the shocked faces of my friends and family when Nina's background was revealed was truly amusing indeed.

"Let us not dally here for much longer. Linley coming to join us here is a momentous occasion and we must celebrate with a feast today. You and yours are most welcome to join us for the celebration Princess." Kelly takes charge at that point and urges everyone inside.

Nina's group decide to accept the offer despite the two old arch magi being slightly upset over me not coming clean with my power rank when asked. They were still wary about pushing the inhabitants of this estate too far as they were not clear on the full power we had in reserve and thus opted to keep the status quo.

"Wow, you are really incredible Big Bro. You must be really strong by now if you were able to subdue such strong magical beasts. I'm sure little Bebe must be just as jealous as he is in awe of the strength of your Armoured Razorback Wyrm and World Bear." Wharton carelessly mouths off as we were enjoying refreshments in the formal parlour.

He got what was coming to him when Bebe sped up to him in a blur and knocked him off his feet in one smooth tail sweep. The little guy was still not satisfied though as he was waving his tiny claws at Wharton in a threatening manner while letting out numerous squeaky curses in his native tongue. That little display had all of us laughing, both at Whartons shocked expression from having his ar*e handed to him and Bebe's adorable threats.

"Hahaha, I'd watch what I say little brother. Bebe might not look all that grand and menacing but as of right now, he is still the strongest of my contracted magical beasts and by a considerable margin at that." I tell him to which Bebe haughtily looks down on Wharton with his little claws folded in front and head held high.

"Wow, really. I remember little Bebe being really strong back when I first met but to think he was so strong. Good, that's the way Bebe, let them know that strength is not all about looking big and intimidating." Jenne says while thinking back to when they first met, Clair and Teresa nod from the side in agreement. The three girls then walk up to the little mouse to rub his furry little head. Bebe seems to really enjoy being pampered by them and easily jumps into her arms when offered. The rest of us just look on as Bebe gets pampered by the three girls.

"Haha, you really need to work on your strength though Wharton. To think you were so easily knocked off your feet by a little mouse, hahaha." Gates mocks Wharton for his pitiful display while my little brother's face goes red with embarrassment.

I decide to intervene before things get really heated up- "Sigh, alright quit it you lot. I really am serious though, don't be fooled by his appearance, Bebe is really strong. I doubt you lot would be able to do anything to him even if you all were to work together right now."

"Ha, as if. I know rodent type magical beasts can be dangerous but that is only when there is a large hoard of them, besides, this one looks to be a Black Shadowmouse. While his earlier speed was impressive, I doubt it would be beyond our capability." Vincent's son, Trey adds.

"Oh? In that case let us put it to the test. There is still some time before the food for the banquet will be ready and it will also serve as a good measure of your current strength. Show me how far you all have come in the years we have been apart. I'll even sweeten the deal, the ones who perform the best will get a special prize from me." I offer while gesturing towards the chest that Grandpa Doehring had set down.

"I have been meaning to ask Linley but what is in that chest?" Hillman asks me curiously.

"That is a little surprise I've brought for all of you. Sadly, only four of you would be able to get it though so I urge you all to do your best to impress me." I say as I lead the way to the open training area out in the back.

Everyone soon rushes out eager to show their progress over the past few years while Nina's group once again tags along to watch the show. Nobody stops them and since they were polite enough to not ask to be included in the test itself, even I don't bother forbidding them from just spectating.

"So, how are we going to do this? Who wants to go first?" Vincent asks as he stretches his limbs. I just look at him in confusion for a bit as I don't think they are taking Bebe that seriously even now.

"All of you together face off against Bebe. Don't hold anything back, those of you who can transform, I suggest you powerup now. Oh and Bebe? Try to keep the damage to superficial flesh wounds only." I answer casually. None of them bothers to take my advice and a good number of them even scoff at my words.

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you later. Now that you are ready… Begin!" I call out while watching from the sides along with Sartius, Grandpa Doehring, Housekeeper Hiri and Nina's group.

What followed next was a near complete massacre. Bebe first targeted the most arrogant people of the lot like the Armand brothers and the Hyde twins who had not even bothered to draw their weapons forget about taking my advice to transform. I was happy to see that Wharton at least was more on guard now with his heavy sword at the ready, upon seeing the big muscle for brains being toyed with he decided to go all out and transform to give a proper showing. While my little brother was nowhere near a match for Bebe right now, I was still pleased with his display as he showed off his grasp of the second stage of battle techniques as well as the ingenuity of also using his magic skills to good use whenever possible.

Overall, I was quite pleased by what I was seeing. Bebe was still beating the crap out of all of them and they were losing badly but I could confidently say that if they were to face opponents of similar rank, they would be able to hold their own easily. The kids like Wharton, Jenne and all were around peak 5th to early 6th rank as warriors and early to late 4th rank as magi. Most of the older ones were around the same level in terms of magus ranks, the Armand clan members being the notable exception due to their late start. The Armands made up for their less than average magic prowess with much greater warrior strength in their age group as the adults all seemed to be around the 8th rank as warriors.

Still, raw strength and power did not really translate well to actual combat capability. If your control and technique were subpar, you would never be able to call yourself an expert and it could clearly be seen here. By now all those capable of transforming and powering up had done so but they were still finding it hard to deal with Bebe. Bebe also felt as though he had shown off his might enough and made everyone take him more seriously, he had greatly reduced his speed and ferocity now and was fighting more to test the capability of the others.

The performance of the Armands were still below the rest but I chalked that up to their short time training according to my methods. The next group of people that were that were slightly better were some of the close confidantes and family guards of our clans as they did not have the sheer raw potential of the legendary warrior clans. Next were people like Aunt Kelly and some of the seniors of the Hyde clan, they were not really invested in any combat-oriented training until I encouraged them a few years ago so it was understandable. The ones that were really excelling in this test though were those seniors that already had plenty of training and experience as well as the kids like my little brother who were training diligently as per my methods from the beginning.

I was especially proud of Wharton though as he was really starting to shine and draw out his full potential. He seemed to already have some grasp on the second stage of battle techniques even if it didn't look like he had fully mastered it. Still, that combined with his fully transformed Dragonblood warrior state, 4th rank magic and a good head to make the most of his abilities, I was confident that he could punch 1 rank above his actual power level with ease. Looks like I don't have to worry about him wasting his potential, I was confident that he could show the same results as canon Linley provided, he continues to train diligently.

The biggest surprise was none other than Hillman himself, I knew he was regarded highly back in Wushan town and he was a talented warrior and teacher but here and now, he had fully unleashed his potential. He had broken through the natural barrier for body refinement and trained all the way to 7th rank warrior without depending on Qi techniques even though he did not have a special constitution. Further advancement after obtaining a good Battle Qi technique was very easy for him.

He had also diligently trained in magic and the more esoteric techniques I had passed on; he had fully mastered the 2nd stage battle techniques and was already knocking on the doors of stage 3 or the impose level. His experience and battle tactics also enabled him to work well in a team with the three girls Jenne, Clair and Teresa that were also giving a good showing.

The four of them were doing surprisingly well as they had teamed up to try and box Bebe in while also watching each other's backs. While Wharton and Keane showed great progress, their combat awareness and teamwork was quite lacking, Keane especially as the kid did not seem to care all too much if his attacks hit friendlies or his target. I was making mental notes on all of this to better understand what each of them will need to work on going forward.

"Alright, that's enough!" I called a stop to the whole chaotic battle around half an hour after they started. Everyone looked badly beat-up, except for Bebe who didn't even look winded. The little guy almost seemed disappointed that his fun was over so soon but the looks of awe that everyone were directing at him now more than made up for it.

"That…" Wallace, Paige and the rest of Nina's gang were completely speechless by that display of strength. Just as they had hidden their true identities from the residents of this estate, my people here had hidden the true extent of their power. While they already had a few speculations on our heritage due to our clan names, they had no evidence to prove it to be true. Now, they not only confirmed we were truly the descendants of the 4 Supreme Warriors but had also seen with their own eyes that there were quite a few members among who were capable of calling forth the legendary powers.

"Great, it's finally over. How did we do, Big Bro? Now what is that prize that you told you had for us?" Keane excitedly jumps around. He looked to still be full of energy even after that intense fight.

"Urgh, the boundless energy of youth. Still, you better watch yourself brat, once I catch my breath a bit, I will make sure to give you a good lesson for all those attacks you sent my way. How many times have we told you to be more mindful of your surroundings when fighting?" Vincent groans.

"What? It's not my fault you people constantly get in my way." Keane complains as if he was the one who was wronged.

"Keane! What have I told you about being polite to others?" his mother, Kelly, admonishes him in a strict tone. While she loved her two children greatly and was very proud of their growth, she was still very strict when it came to discipline. While her son was very young before, she still remembered the struggles of the past before they had met Linley and taken under his wing.

She knew that despite all the power and riches they now had, it all meant nothing before the true power houses of the world. Even the Jacques clan that she had once served which had a real Saint level member maintained a certain level of humility and caution. While there would always be some careless younger generation that thought they were better than all the rest, the seniors ruled with level headedness that could even be called ruthless at times as they punished family members who made trouble for the clan. She was still trying to earnestly instil that same discipline and awareness of the bigger picture to her children but it looked like she still had a ways to go with her son.

"They're right Keane, you need to be more aware of your surroundings and your teamwork needs a lot of work." I chastise him and also give him some pointers. I then continue to give out advice to everyone else as well like telling Wharton to also work more on his teamwork as well as footwork. The Armands and Vincent and his sons needed to improve their spiritual power and overall control and so on.

"Now, the ones that I felt performed the best and showed the most progress are- Uncle Hillman, Jenne, Clair and Teresa. Congratulations all of you, you have shown great strength all around and I am I am really proud of you. Continue working hard and I am sure you will reach even greater heights. This is your prize- first off, for you Uncle Hillman…" I say as I open the chest that Grandpa Doehring had set down and pull out the Electrobolt Panther cub before handing it to him.

"This, is that the cub of the famed Electrobolt Panther?! Linley, this is too much, I cannot accept this. Why not give it to your little brother?" Hillman tries to turn me down but I am not ready to hear it.

"Nonsense Uncle Hillman, you have more than earned the right and I will help you form a contract with this cub. While this cub has great potential, it is only that for now, potential. Without putting in some work to train the little one, it may take centuries for it to realise even a portion of its full power. Who better to speed up the process and train him quickly than the one who has taken charge and trained all of us here? Besides, I am confident that Wharton is more than capable of finding a suitable magical beast partner of his own in the future." I tell him and Wharton also agrees to that as he helps me convince Hillman.

After some more convincing, Wharton and I finally talk him into accepting his reward and I quickly give the three girls their prizes as well. Jenne got the Glacial Snow Lion cub and the Illusion Flame Fox kits were claimed by Clair and Teresa. The three girls were overjoyed with their prize, more than the chance to form contracts with high potential magical beasts, they were more taken by their cuteness.

"No fair! I also want a powerful magical beast companion. Tch, if only I could also transform into a true Dragonblood warrior, I could have gotten much stronger and performed better on the test." Keane whines.

"Don't be like that Keane. Raw power is not everything, your sister also has the same limitations as you but she was simply better at fully utilising all of her strengths and was also smart enough to work as part of a group when she realised that the power of a single person would not be enough." I chastise him with a flick to the forehead before continuing- "Though on the matter of some of you not being able to transform yet, I may have a solution to that."

"Truly Linley? You have found the solution to help us?" Kelly asks in surprise. She knew exactly how difficult it was for members of her clan to fully awaken their legacy.

Out of all the 4 Supreme warriors, the Dragonblood warriors were considered as the strongest, they were the most balanced in terms of strength as the other three over specialized in one aspect or the other. Just as the other three had incredible advantages in a single aspect be it overwhelming speed, mystical regeneration or strength and vitality, their weaknesses were just as glaring. The natural order once again sought to balance out this disparity by making the awakening conditions for us to be very difficult. Normally it was a matter of being innately born with the requirements which was literally a one in tens of thousands chance, the conditions for drinking fresh blood of high-class dragons just made it very difficult for the rest.

In contrast the other three clans only had to put in more effort when training in the initial phase before they were able to fully awaken their legacies. For the Tigerstriped warriors, the condition was a strong flexible body. For the Undying warriors, above average strength and vitality of the physical body. For the Violetflame warriors, it was surprisingly the need for high spiritual energy that held them back from fully manifesting the strength of their mystical fires and in turn using said fires to temper their physical bodies.

"Yes, I have found a way for all three of you to awaken your legacies. Let's leave that aside for later in the day when we have more time to go over it in private." I tell her.

"Can you transform too then Linley? Have you reached the Saint level in that case? The transformations do have a strength boosting ability after all, given what I knew about your physical strength a few years ago, I feel that you should at least be in the Saint level as a warrior after transforming now." Uncle Hillman makes an educated guess

"That is indeed the case Uncle Hillman." I casually reply while partially transforming and showing off my black scale covered arm. I decide to reveal a tiny bit of my power now, the two senior magi accompanying Nina were sniffing around a little too much for my tastes and no doubt the higherups of the empire were much the same. I reasoned that by revealing at least early Saint level power would be enough to get us some more breathing room. Very few people will try to get aggressive with me and if some of them still try, I still have a lot of hidden cards I have not revealed that will let me deal with them.

"You've reached the Saint level already?!" Princess Nina loudly asks in wonder.

"Why yes, I believe I just said that. Though I am only a warrior Saint and I owe my quick progress to my lineage." I confirm politely.

"Still, that is incredible. I must say though that while we did suspect the residents of this estate to be related to the four supreme warriors, we never knew there were actually so many gifted members among you. It truly has been ages since anyone with actual power to back up those legends has shown up." Wallace exclaims in awe. Both he and Paige were now all the more relieved at convincing the Emperor to take a much softer approach with these people over a year ago.

"Well, I guess I can understand your surprise. I have taken numerous steps to keep these secrets under wraps. There were some… issues before and there were certain parties that were trying to actively harm us so I had taken the decision to lay low till we had enough strength." I reply.

"That was very wise of you Lord Linley. I can see that your clan will grow to attain great heights under your leadership. Strength is not the only thing required in life after all and I know from experience that there are plenty of people who do not exercise their minds as well." Paige adds her own inputs.

"Yes, yes, Big Brother Linley is awesome. Can you really help with our own transformations, is that Armoured Razorback Wyrm going to help?" Keane starts shooting his mouth off excitedly.

"Keane!" His mother reprimands him once again before he reveals even more sensitive family secrets in front of strangers like Nina's group.

"Listen to your mother Keane." I tell him with a chuckle while also thinking to add some more lessons on common sense for the brat in the future. We all decided to return indoors as the food for the banquet should be ready by now and conversations continued.

I personally oversaw a light training session afterwards much to the enthusiasm of everyone present. Nina's group were also very happy to still be included, it was not everyday you could say you got some guidance from a Saint level combatant after all. I also used this time to get a better understanding of the routine of everyone here so I could help optimize their training.

Nina's group left soon after and Keane could not seem to hold his excitement in for much longer and immediately began pestering me to help him awaken as a Dragonblood warrior. I eventually gave in and gathered Aunt Kelly, Jenne and the annoying brat into a large private room so we could get this over with. Only those closest to us and more specifically, those of the Baruch clan accompanied us so other than the participants and myself it was only Wharton, Hillman, Hiri and Lambert (The old caretaker of Kelly and her kids).

"It will be alright Kelly. It may hurt at first but bear with it and it will all be over soon. The power you will gain afterwards will definitely be worth it." Hillman reassures her and I couldn't help but notice that he seemed to be quite close to her.

"What are you saying Hillman? People might misunderstand!" Kelly exclaims in embarrassment at Hillman's words that could be misinterpreted as an innuendo.

"Ah… I am sorry Kelly. It's just that I remember seeing the first time Wharton transformed so… I was just trying to warn you to be prepared in advance." He also gets embarrassed upon realising how his words might have sounded to others.

Hmm, looks like there is something developing between Hillman and Kelly. I had good impressions of both of them so far so I didn't mind in the slightest if they wanted to pursue a much more intimate relationship. Both were currently unattached to any partners currently for various reasons and I had no intentions to get between them as some meddling control freak of a clan head. Still, I thought it best to speak to them both in private later so they are clear about my own thoughts and they don't do anything stupid by assuming things.

"Alright you three, I have plenty of Blueheart Grass so each of you take three handfuls. You don't really need that much but trust me, having a little extra will help deal with the pain a bit. Now, I have some blood from three different types of Saint level dragons and as you have seen in my case, the type of dragon can influence your transformation in the end. It may even affect your physical abilities and elemental affinities so choose wisely." I tell them and explain a bit about the three different dragons from whom I had harvested the blood.

"What would you advise Linley? They all seem great." Kelly asks me cautiously. She really looked up to me and valued my input a lot so she decided to ask for my opinion which I was only too happy to give.

"Well, the main thing you need to focus on is maximising your gains in terms of elemental affinities as that is what will help increasing your future gains." I begin explaining as I go about double checking the formations I had placed in the room.

The room we were in was originally supposed to be a ballroom and was located close to the centre of the manor but I decided to remodel it into a formations room. The size and location of the room made it perfect for setting up large complex formations and I had already taken the time to setup numerous enchantments within. The special soul mutation/potential enhancing formation being the first one I installed. I thought it best to include that while the three were awakening their lineage as it would be hitting two birds with one stone and make their absorption of the more subtle properties of the dragon blood like their elemental attributes better.

In the end, they decided to take my advice on selecting the type of dragon blood that I felt would give them the most benefits based on what I had learned of their fighting styles and personality so far. Besides, with this they would also each gain an affinity for four attributes which I had found was the sweet spot for optimal gains.

Each of them would no doubt be able to enhance their Water affinities as that was the innate element of our progenitor, the Azure Dragon. Keane also had an affinity for Fire and Destruction and now Lightning would be added to that thanks to the Thunder Lizard's blood. Kelly only had a little affinity for the Life attribute in addition with her Water attribute but now she should get some Wind and Lightning affinity as well from the Silver Dragon Sylvia's blood. Jenne already had good affinities for Water, Life and Light attributes before and the addition of Selene's Lightning attribute should give her a good strong offensive capability.

They still hesitated a bit before actually drinking the offered dragon blood but eventually they all downed it and I activated the formations in the room to help them along. Soon they began to scream and struggle in pain as the effects of the first transformation kicked in along with the effects of the Soul mutation procedure. Thankfully the spiritual pressure of the latter knocked them unconscious much sooner than the rapid transformation and the strengthening of their awakening ensured that there was no danger to their lives. I still carefully monitored the proceedings from the control formation cluster though. I only let up when the transformation had let up and their mental state had also seemingly stabilised enough.

"So, you and Aunt Kelly huh? Well, I guess some congratulations are in order." I take to teasing Uncle Hillman after the procedure had ended and we had set up the three to rest in comfort on the side.

"Wha… it's not like… it is not proper for me to pursue such a relation with the members of the clan I serve." Uncle Hillman, ever the honourable man tries put his duty to my family before his own desires. That more than anything once again confirmed for me that my trust in him was not misplaced, besides I had already considered him family before and now I had a good opportunity to formally tie him to my clan.

"Nonsense, I have long considered you family Uncle Hillman and I am more than happy to make that connection official. Both you and Aunt Kelly are alone and do not have any partners so if you both want to take this further, I say you go for it. I don't want to get in between your happiness and don't you even for one moment use some excuse as being a subordinate of my clan to run from this. In fact, as head of the Baruch clan I give you my blessings whole heartedly." I tell him seriously.

"Tch, really… Linley… you don't have… Thank you Linley." He finally relents and despite his embarrassment and flushed face, I can see he has made up his mind to have a private talk with Aunt Kelly later.

"Don't mention it Uncle Hillman. Just don't forget to invite me for the wedding." I tease him some more with a grin.

"Cough, now really." Hillman coughs and splutters for a bit before he regains his bearings while Wharton and Hiri laugh in the background. He then tries to turn the table on me in a bid to change the topic of conversation as well as tease me in return as payback- "Well, what about yourself Linley, you are not that young anymore, is there a special someone in your life?"

"As a matter of fact, there is someone. I may have neglected to inform you but I am already engaged to a wonderful girl." I tell him.

"WHAT?! This… this is wonderful news. Tell me more about this girl Linley." Uncle Hillman asks in surprise that quickly turns to happiness and we make small talk as I share some of the details with him, Hiri and my little brother. All of them were really happy for me and congratulated me.

Soon the new Dragonblood warriors of our clan regained their consciousness and I asked them to take a couple of days to better adjust to the changes they had experienced. Over the next couple of weeks, I had everyone who had shown considerable potential undergo the Soul mutation procedure as well as swearing them all to secrecy. I had exacting demands of being below 6th rank as a mage and at least three elemental affinities, I encouraged everyone to broaden their foundations a bit before digging a little deeper in that manner and it gave good results.

Wharton had shown remarkable progress on the path of Fire, Destruction, Water and at my urging, started developing his meagre Earth affinity as well. Hillman also began to study Earth and Destruction essences in addition to his already high achievements in Life and Water attributes. The twins Clair and Teresa were prodigies in Fire and Life attributes and with my help they started progressing well in Wind and Death attributes as well as they showed considerable talent for them.

Most of the others were largely muscle heads so other than one particular elemental affinity, they only showed compatibility with the Edicts of Destruction and thus did not meet my set requirements. The people like the Armand brothers, Uncle Vincent and his sons had pleaded with me numerous times but I flat out told them that unless they developed their spiritual power and affinities some more, they will not be able to get the same benefits.

Overall, both the training load and efficiency picked up for everyone after I joined up with them. My inclusion resolved many issues such as the residents no longer needing to hide so much and only training in secret. With my current strength, there were no longer many that dared to spy on us, those who still tried got a very polite telling off from me… a very polite one indeed.

The other thing was that there was very little feedback I could give them before as I could not risk any information getting intercepted over long distance messages. Everyone here was still mostly using the outdated material I had given them years ago. Not to mention that they did not have access to more of my most recent training aides like gravity manipulating formations, healing formations, natural essence concentration enhancing formations, etc. Naturally, all the combatants saw a period of rapid progress thanks to my help.

Things were looking good as we did not need to fear outsiders trying to throw their weight around us any longer, the fact that I had reached the Saint level was enough of a deterrent to most. Still, there were some parties that still did not get the message it seems as I got a visit from some foreign ambassadors of the Radiant Church on my doorstep a week into my return.

Being the snivelling cowards that only knew to act behind your back, they could not force me to return to their little cult. It also helped that the ambassador did not have all that much in the way of combat power, the church as a whole had very little influence in the heart of the O'Brian empire.

Taking advantage of this as well as to rid myself of the annoying nuisance the ambassador was starting to become, I arranged for the old coot to have a little accident around a week after he came to my place. I also took the chance to pilfer his mind for as much detail about the Church's network on this side of the mountain range was. Needless to say, as the one in charge of the area around the imperial capital, he knew quite a bit. All that information was mine now though and I had a few new targets that I could attack. Hopefully I will obtain enough information to eventually be able to deal a significant blow to the foundations of those hypocrites.

Other than that, the next year saw rapid all-round progress for everyone under my guidance and all the ones serious in continuing to enhance their combat power finally met the basic requirements I had set for them to obtain the full benefits of what I had to offer. Even Nina's group that still continued to visit saw considerable growth, though I still kept the best things from them. They could hardly try to strong arm someone of my current power to bow down to their whims so I had no reservations to deny certain knowledge directly to their faces by saying they were family secrets.

I also made good progress in that time, my understanding of all the Laws and Edicts naturally saw immense gains. Thanks to my high affinity in all the essences, I could almost always find some inspiration to study some aspect of the Laws. It also helped that I was still in the beginning stages of my cultivation and there was a lot for me to learn so I worked to comprehend every little bit I figured out and assimilate it into the bigger picture of the whole that was the grand cosmos of existence.

I also took to creating new artifacts and formations whenever inspiration struck or even just another sculpture; I had quite a nice personal gallery at this point that everyone seemed to like a lot. As for my other advancements, I created a Gravity/resistance chamber to better temper the body. Not only did it increase gravity, but it could also increase resistance to movement that made people feel like they were moving under the pressure of a large amount of water. I also made a wonderfully relaxing hot-spring bath that could also rejuvenate and heal anyone who steps in for a good soak.

For personal implements, I fashioned quality weapons for all the combatants according to their preferences and also made a new personal weapon for myself. I was really inspired by the blades I made for Delia so using that as a base, I created a new type of weapon for myself as well. It consisted of a round case that looked like one of those old CD Walkmans, it housed 108 extremely thin disks that looked like sheet music designs composed of string and condensed into the disk like sheets. I could control them to fly out of the case to act as deadly flying projectiles that could slice through just about anything with my spiritual power. I could also have them vibrate to create some really beautiful music that could also just as easily be used in combat. All in all, I was very happy with my latest creation that I took to calling- "Death Notes".

The others were not that excited however as I was able to easily wipe the floor with them in all the spars even before the upgrade. While everyone saw great improvements under my guidance, they were very far from actually being able to challenge me. Still, I got a good sparring partner in Bebe after he finally broke through to the Saint level as well a couple of months ago.

There were still some other minor issues caused due to my presence, like the ones still enrolled in the O'Brian Warrior Academy starting to ditch classes. The education and training provided by the O'Brian Warrior Academy was no longer worth all that much compared to being personally trained by me. In the end, everyone just stopped attending all together. Though some feathers of the Empire's higher ups were ruffled, they could not do much as they really did not have anything better to offer. Forget about the Wargod himself, even other warrior Saints would not bother to take the time to instruct others like I was doing for my people.

Princess Nina was especially upset by this turn of events at first though as her close friends had withdrawn from school. She felt better after I told her that they were still welcome to train with us and she took full advantage of that as her group now made daily visits to our estate to train instead of the prior weekly visits. I had honestly thought that this could cause some kind of political tensions between our group and the rulers of the empire but nothing came of it in the end. I had at least expected the two Arch magi- Wallace and Paige- to be more reserved but after a few months, they were almost begging me to take them on as my disciples.

I still remember that day; I was giving my eager students a more thorough lesson on the importance of dual training in both magi and warrior methods. I had decided to give them a small demonstration on what can be achieved beyond the 3rd stage of battle techniques i.e., the realm of Laws. Sadly, there were still one too many muscle heads among my students so I thought to show them something really flashy that will get this lesson through their thick skulls.

"Really, if today's lesson does not make you lot understand the importance of dual training both the body and spirit, I don't know what will. Now, as a point of reference, let's get a better idea of what is possible using only the strength of a 9th rank warrior and mage respectively. Barker, Paige, if you please, attack your targets with your all, aim for maximum damage." I tell them while pointing to two boulders I had setup for the demo.

Barker transformed into his Undying warrior state and was now strong enough to go toe to toe with even peak 9th rank warriors in terms of pure strength. With a loud cry, he swung his great battle axe at the boulder. He had attained 2nd stage battle technique level under my painfully strict guidance so even though it looked like a casual gentle swing of the axe, the entire boulder was blown to bits on contact and the ground it rested on also had a deep gouge. All in all, it was an impressive show.

Paige took a little longer as spells of the 9th rank had quite the lengthy chants, eventually she completed the chant for the single target fire style spell- Inferno Lance- and launched it at her target. A highly condensed lance of super-heated flames shot out at incredible speeds and caused a huge explosion as soon as it impacted the boulder. The damage of this attack was even more impressive than Barker's attack as in addition to the fire damage, the explosion dealt more area damage than an axe swing despite being a single target attack spell. She even gave Barker a smug look of superiority at having dealt more damage to her target than him.

"Now now, there is no need to look that smug. While it is true that the damage a mage can deal in a single strike is always greater than a warrior of the same rank, they often times take longer preparation times due to the long spell chants. A seasoned warrior could attack nearly a dozen times while a mage prepares a single powerful attack. There is also the limitation of the number of spells a mage can perform continuously, even Saint level magi cannot perform more than a dozen forbidden level spells back-to-back. Their power might be unmatched to most warrior Saints but if they are careful enough and just harass the magi, warriors can exhaust them completely before going in for the kill or even just flee." I start explaining.

"Magi are renowned as army killers but that is not always the case. I speak from experience when I say that there are ways around it. Take the example of the attack of the Magical beast horde on Apocalypse Day, despite both the Holy Union and Dark Alliance having plenty of magi and them being accompanied by warrior units, their fatality rate was slightly worse than the warriors themselves. The primary reason for this is that magi are often targeted by focus fire of enemies on the battlefield to limit their powerful single casting of attacks. With their limited stamina and slow attacks, they remain sitting ducks when taken by surprise or vastly outnumbered." I finish explaining the major weakness in only relying on magic.

"Now, coming on to warriors, as Barker just demonstrated, most of them are close range fighters and if you are able to keep them at a distance, you will be safe from them. The power of their attacks is also weaker compared to attack spells of the same rank and there is little to no area of effect damage to speak of. Even if they use bows and arrows, the damage they can inflict is just not all that much, not to mention the skill required to wield those weapons." I continue.

"In short, both paths have their own merits and demerits individually but for a dual practitioner, they can supplement and combine the advantages of both paths with a bit of effort thus removing the weaknesses. If you still don't understand what I mean by combining the two paths, let me give you a small practical demonstration." I say as I take in a deep breath and turn to another boulder.

I use my understanding of the combined Essence of Fire, Heat, Flame body and Explosion Laws while letting out the breath as a roar and the end result was quite terrifying. An intense beam of super-heated white flames was released from my mouth and completely vapourised my target along with anything in my attack's path for over 100 meters.

"If your understanding of the natural essences is high enough and you have the necessary spiritual and physical power to control their might, every punch, kick and even breath can be turned into an attack capable of terrifying might. The issues of attack power, range and frequency will no longer be such a glaring weakness. This is the true way forward, you might reach the Saint level after a few more decades if you continue on your old path but that will be your limit, there is no particular distinction between magi and warriors beyond the Saint realm after all." I say as my fists also ignite in those terrifying white flames and I do a couple of mock punches in the air that even distort the space around it.

Looking at all the gaping mouths hitting the ground I decide to go a little further to really let the lesson sink in. The flames on my hands extend into whips over a dozen meters long each that I skilfully handle before letting them burst apart into tens of tiny flaming sparrows with a final crack. Each of the tiny birds then fly off to strike the empty areas I had designated and deal more damage than Paige's initial attack.

"That. Was. Incredible. You'll teach me how to do all that, right, rightrightrightright?" The hyper active Keane was the first one to recover and he soon starts pestering me. He also had a decent affinity for fire so he was very eager to learn these techniques and more himself.

"In time, Keane, in time. Still, I must warn you all though that both mind and body have to be sufficiently strong to be able to do any of this. Without a strong mind or spirit, you will not be able to call on the natural essences like I just did and the techniques will just fail. The consequences of not having a strong body on the other hand are much worse as the body is the primary vessel which will be channelling all that power. Even if you have the spirit to control the power, you can fatally injure yourself if your body is not strong enough to withstand that power flowing through you so be warned against trying these techniques before your bodies reach peak of 8th rank." I warn them seriously.

That very night after the lessons for the day were over, Paige and Wallace sought me out for a private meeting. They both told me that they wished to become my disciples and to show this was not in any way linked to some plot of the empire, they had officially requested to retire from their posts. While the empire had helped nurture them, they had already repaid more than enough over many decades of service so while the officials of the empire were put out, they could not say much. All the more since the two had forgone the right to any retirement benefits in their mad rush, the empire had no ground to stand on.

This new stunt by the two over eager Arch Magi gave me another headache and while I could just dismiss their request as I didn't owe them anything, I decided to take a gamble to see if I could nurture them into Saint level experts later. I also had them agree to two centuries of service to my faction should they break through to the Saint realm under my guidance.

Still, the ones most troubled by this new development were Princess Nina and Caylan, the now former students of the Arch magi. Well, they were still getting some lessons from me as a gesture of goodwill towards the empire so it was all fine. Besides, this will improve any chances Wharton has with courting Nina in the future, I can already see my little brother shooting glances her way when he thinks no one is noticing. There was also Caylan, I had a little impression of him from the Transmigrator's memories but those like my own current ones painted him in a good light and it would benefit me in the long run to maintain friendly relations with him.

Now after a full year of my return here, I was planning for an outing into Magical beast territory as a practical test and learning experience for those under my tutelage. It would be a first for the youngsters my brother's age but I knew that they were strong enough to handle it. My gang back at the Ernst Institute were also about the same age when we first went to the Mountain Range of Magical beasts as a group after all.

Now, the only issue was finalising on the location, both the Mountain Range of Magical beasts to the west and Dark Forest to the east were nearly equidistant from Channe and both had ridiculously powerful rulers I did not want to cross currently. The Mountain Range the Setting Sun in the south was just too far for travel on foot and there was also the need to cross other human territories that were not exactly friendly with the O'Brian Empire so it was ruled out.

"What are you thinking about with such a serious expression big bro?" Bebe asks me after he flew into my study where I was planning.

"Nothing much Bebe. I was just wondering where to go for a little training exercise, I naturally want to set a challenging test for them to gain experience but I also don't want it to become impossible for them. While I care for my family and friends, I don't want to constantly hold their hands either so I am hesitating over planning a trip to either the Dark Forest or the Mountain Range of Magical beasts due to the Deity level experts that call it home." I share my worries with him.

"What?! Is that it, why didn't you ask me for help before big bro? Leave it to me, I will go and ask Grandpa Beirut if it is alright for us to make a little hunting trip around his forest. I'm sure he will tell the other Saints under him to not bully our group and also warn the really large rodent beast hordes to not eat them." Bebe offers.

"While I appreciate your offer Bebe, I really do not want to impose on Lord Beirut, he has helped me out enough as is and I'd rather not bother him needlessly." I tell him.

"Nonsense big bro. I'm sure he wouldn't mind; besides, I've been meaning to make a visit there recently. Grandpa told me back then that he would tell me who killed my parents once I reached the Saint realm, well, I am a Saint now so it's time he fulfilled his promise." Bebe confidently said while patting his chest in a cute manner.

"Alright Bebe, I can see that there is no stopping you. But just remember, if Lord Beirut seems at all hesitant to let us train there, you will not insist further." I finally relent but also tell him not to pester Beirut with this matter. Soon Bebe was off as he flew West at blinding speed.