Valerian's massive frame cast a shadow over the corpse-filled battlefield as he flew toward Oswald and Hemingway.

The young dragon had never been in a fight before. Now, in his first ever proper battle, he was up against two Rank 2 Magi who were significantly stronger than him.

Yet, he did not back down. For he knew of the grave consequences if he did.

All his life, he had been protected by Adam.

But today, it was Valerian's turn to protect him.

With a resolute roar, he flapped his wings even harder and sped toward the two Magi. He brandished his claws and prepared to strike his enemies.

Although Oswald and Hemingway had decided to join the fray out of their sheer greed, not for a single moment did they let their guards down.

They could sense that the dragon's strength was equivalent to that of a mere Rank 1 Magus. However, they were still highly vigilant against this mythical beast.

"Stay on guard," Hemingway muttered solemnly as he prepared to cast spells.

"Aim to immobilize the beast," Oswald replied. His eyes then narrowed. "If not, kill it!"

Within a few moments, Valerian had already arrived before the pair. His eyes gleamed with a murderous light as he swiped his razor-sharp claws at Oswald.

The Patriarch of the Gracie Family weaved hand signs at great speeds and pressed his palms to the ground. Following that, an extremely thick earthen wall was erected before him that blocked the dragon's attack.

Valerian roared and exerted even more strength, destroying the wall before him into rubble. He was about to follow up with another claw strike when suddenly he noticed Hemingway charging with a sword in hand from behind.

The young dragon growled and menacingly swiped his tail at him.

Hemingway sneered and held his sword to the side, aiming to block the attack. But when the attack landed, his eyes widened in surprise.

BAM!

The strength behind Valerian's tail swipe was so great that it instantly shattered Hemingway's sword, which was a magical artifact, and caused him to miserably fly off into the distance and smash against a couple of buildings.

At the same time, Oswald cast another spell and waved his hand in an upward motion.

Following that, the ground rumbled and a dozen metallic spikes emerged from underneath and stabbed toward the young dragon.

However, none of them managed to deeply pierce through Valerian's firm scales.

Seeing this, Oswald's eyes narrowed and he hurriedly retreated in the direction where Hemingway had blasted off.

Valerian didn't follow after them. Instead, he vigilantly held his ground. He lowered his head and noticed that a small amount of blood was leaking out from the area where the spikes had touched him.

His heart sank when he realized that a simple spell from a Rank 2 Magus had already managed to injure him. This wasn't surprising, however.

While he was warily eyeing Oswald, Hemingway emerged from the debris and dusted his robes. He glanced at the young dragon with an excited look, "As expected of a legendary beast!"

It seemed that he wasn't hurt in the least. He then looked at Oswald and grinned, "It looks like it will take a great deal to incapacitate it."

He paused for a moment before adding, "Shall we just kill it?"

Oswald had a solemn expression on his face. He glanced at the dragon's underside which was dripping blood.

Then, he turned his head and looked at Adam who was still kneeling down undisturbedly. His eyes narrowed when he sensed a great change taking place within the youth.

Now, things had gotten to such a point that he no longer cared about the repercussions of the Soulmark Retribution technique.

The allure of the infinite possibilities that a dragonor its corpseprovided far overweighed the threat a Rank 3 could pose to him.

Oswald turned his gaze back toward Valerian, thinking to himself, I am certain that I can easily advance to Mana Vortex Rank if I transfuse the dragon's blood onto myself.

At that point, I would no longer have to fear the gnome!

His eyes blazed with brilliance when he thought of another possibility, And if I am to consume the heart of the dragon

When he thought of this, the next moment he had already come to a decision.

"Kill the dragon and the boy!"

Then, he and Hemingway jointly cast spells, combined them, and unleashed them on Valerian.

The ground beneath them was instantly covered in a layer of ice. Before the young dragon could even react, the ice had covered his limbs and bound him to the ground.

Valerian's heart was gripped by fear when he realized he could not move. But the next moment, he felt something and immediately raised his head in alarm.

His pupils constricted when he saw countless blades rain down on him with unmatched killing intent.

Before he knew it, he was already drowned in the flurry of blades.

Amidst the sea of corpses, Adam sat in a kneeling position, his body drenched in blood and littered with ghastly injuries.

A large vortex of mana swirled around him with him at the epicenter. Mana from the five fundamental elements was extracted from the surroundings and pulled inside his body.

In the midst of flesh and blood, the youth had actually managed to enter a state of mindfulness!

The mana from the five elements entered his body, fused together, and flowed through his mana channels.

Adam had already completed the purification process when he was battling the corrupted beasts earlier. He had expended his mana reserves, but at the same time, he had also managed to expel all the remaining impurities within his body.

Now all that remained was to advance!

As pure mana flooded through his mana channels and coalesced at the center of his stomach, the youth recalled the memories of the experts he had absorbed till now.

Magic is about living in harmony with the world and the mana that permeates it.

Focus on the harmonious flow of mana.

I must attune myself to the natural order of the world.

A beautiful metamorphosis started to take place as Adam's aura changed. It became calm and gentle, completely one with the world around him.

The Way of effortless action, he thought. Let things happen the way they happen.

Stop acting against the natural current of life.

The air around him pulsed with energy as a large amount of mana was pulled from the environment around him and sucked inside his body.

At this point, Adam had stopped guiding the mana. He let it take its natural course.

I must act in harmony with the Way and allow things to happen naturally.

Accept the natural order of the world.

Understand my place within it.

Adam knew it. He was only a step away from crossing the threshold, but he felt like something was missing.

He recalled the dream he had before he left for this mission. He asked himself, What is my Way of Magic?

Adam thought about his constant struggles from before he became a Magus to all the way until now. He thought about all the pain and suffering he had to endure all his life and make it to where he was today.

Slowly, he began to understand.

I see

Yet, he felt like something was still missing.

He thought deeply about the turning point in his life that set him down the path he was on. Finally, realization dawned on him and his lips curled up into a faint smile.

I understand now.

He softly muttered under his breath, "When I let go of who I am, I will become who I might be."

On the other side of the battlefield, when the dust settled, Valerian could be seen lying down on the ground with dozens of sharp blades pierced deep into his body.

He was motionelessly lying in a puddle of his own blood. His breathing became ragged as he desperately tried to inhale mouthfuls of air. He was at the end of his rope.

Oswald and Hemingway stood before him with solemn expressions, their gazes fixated on Adam in the distance.

"To think that he would try to advance amidst all this carnage," Hemingway couldn't help but mutter in admiration. "But it is futile."

"Once this dragon is dead, the familiar bond between it and the boy will be severed," Oswald stated coldly. "Let's see if he can still break through."

The following moment, his eyes flashed with a murderous glint as he conjured a sharp blade and viciously thrust it toward Valerian's head.

However!

Right at that instant, Adam opened his eyes, a bright flower pattern shining with an otherwordly light across his black pupils.

His lips parted and he coldly whispered, "Blossom."

The next moment...

A field of white lotuses bloomed!