Ryan's consciousness sank into his storage space, his gaze falling upon the transparent miniature sword floating within. It was the manifested form of the Magic Sword Domain Inheritance.

  When he touched it lightly with his mind, a torrent of vast information surged into his consciousness. Countless fragments of knowledge related to the Sword Domain, from spell theory to rune engraving techniques and combat experience, unfolded within his mind.

  In the next instant, the image of the street before his eyes twisted and dissolved, transforming into an expansive magical training ground.

  At its center stood a phantom identical to himself, holding a longsword condensed entirely from mana. The phantom began to practice the basic stances of the Sword Domain.

  Its movements were sometimes fluid, sometimes hesitant. Whenever it hit a bottleneck, it froze in place, surrounded by shifting magical energy as if simulating the most efficient path again and again.

  The practice appeared to last several hours, but in reality, only three seconds passed. This was the unique consciousness acceleration effect granted by the Magic Sword Domain Inheritance.

  "Mentor? Are you all right?" Derrick's voice pulled Ryan back to reality.

  The boy looked at the suddenly dazed Ryan, his face filled with worry. At the same time, he keenly sensed that something about Ryan had changed completely.

  The previously gentle aura around him had turned razor-sharp, as if countless invisible magical blades surrounded his body. Derrick instinctively took a half step back.

  Meanwhile, on the road outside the town, Evelyn suddenly stopped in her tracks, a flicker of surprise flashing through her eyes.

  She turned her head toward the depths of the town and murmured,"That's a Magic Sword Domain Inheritance fluctuation?"

  As a former Grand Magus, she was extremely sensitive to such energy. The sharpness of that aura, though faint, was unmistakably pure it could only belong to someone who had just mastered the Magic Sword Domain Inheritance.

  However, she did not linger. On the vast continent of magic, there were plenty of mages capable of forming a Sword Domain. As long as that person was not her enemy, it had nothing to do with her.

  Increasing her pace, Evelyn raced toward the royal capital. For her, reaching it as quickly as possible was all that mattered now.

  Ryan came back to himself and glanced at Derrick, who had stepped aside. A faint smile curved his lips."I'm fine. I just received a magic inheritance. Follow me we'll head to the forest outside town. I'll start teaching you some basic magic techniques."

  With that, he took the lead, striding toward the outskirts. After inheriting the Sword Domain, his strength had risen yet again.

  On the way, Ryan activated his Grimoire interface to check his current status:

  【Name: Ryan】

  【Magic Rank: First-tier Journeyman Mage】

  【Mastered Spell: Chaosforge Arcana,......】

  【Held Items: Wind-type Swift Magic Scroll, Magic Tiger's Blood, Random Magic Weapon Borrowing Card, Beginner Bone Strengthening Pill, Perpetual Magic Kettle, longsword,......】

  【Magic Origin Value: 2817】

  【Overall Evaluation: Possesses basic combat capability】

  The refinement of the Magic Tiger's Blood will cause too much disturbance. I'll need a secluded place, Ryan thought to himself.

  The forest's depths were surrounded by natural mana interference fields, capable of blocking external detection while amplifying magical absorption. It was the perfect place for refinement.

  He turned to Derrick, who was curiously glancing around, and asked,"Derrick, you've been in this town for quite a while. Do you know exactly where we are right now? Is there a shorter route to reach the royal capital?"

  "Mentor, I heard from the merchant caravans in town that this area belongs to the southern territory of the Eryndor Empire." Derrick looked up at Ryan, who was a head taller than him, and answered seriously.

  Though he had been wandering in town for a long time, he had occasionally heard bits and pieces of information about the outside world from passing travelers.

  "Eryndor Empire?" Ryan raised an eyebrow, searching his memory for anything about this Empire.

  "Mentor, have you heard of this Empire?" Derrick asked curiously. He had assumed that a high-level mage like Ryan would know all the major Empires on the continent.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  "No." Ryan shook his head and continued walking toward the forest without slowing his pace.

  Ryan asked,"By the way, Derrick, do you know which well-known magic schools exist around here?"

  Derrick extended his fingers and began counting carefully."I know two! The most famous are the Void Spire and the Lunar Sanctum."

  He paused midair, frowning in thought. After a long while, he scratched his head awkwardly and admitted,"I don't remember any others."

  "Void Spire and Lunar Sanctum, huh? So it's those two." Ryan nodded.

  "Oh, and one more important thing," Ryan suddenly stopped and turned to Derrick."Do you know if there are any magic teleportation arrays within the Eryndor Empire? Not the ordinary short-range ones I mean those that can teleport across regions."

  Derrick immediately shook his head."No idea."

  Ryan replied softly, not surprised. High-tier teleportation arrays were typically controlled by powerful magical organizations, far beyond the reach of ordinary people. It was natural that Derrick didn't know.

  It seemed that he would have to wait until they reached the capital and inquire at the Magic Council about the teleportation array.

  Ten days passed in the blink of an eye. Ryan and Derrick had ventured deep into the forest.

  During these ten days, Ryan had been teaching Derrick the basics of magic sensing and meditation, while also hunting low-tier magical creatures and collecting magical materials.

  Now, the two were crouched in a dense thicket, eyes fixed on an open clearing ahead.

  There, a magic lion prowled its crimson fur shimmered faintly with shadow magic, and its scarlet eyes swept the surroundings warily.

  "Mentor, that's a magic lion equivalent to a Third-tier Adept Mage, right?" Derrick's voice trembled slightly.

  He could clearly feel the overwhelming magical pressure radiating from the creature, far stronger than any Magic Apprentice he had ever met in town.

  Ryan patted Derrick's shoulder and said calmly,"That's right, Derrick. It's your turn."

  "Mentor, what did you just say?" Derrick thought he must have misheard. He turned abruptly to Ryan, his mouth twitching."Even if you want to get rid of me, you don't have to send me to my death! There's no way I can beat that thing!"

  "You're already a Fifth-tier Magic Apprentice," Ryan said, his eyes filled with quiet expectation."And remember you're a genius with the Light Element magic affinity."

  "A genius should have the courage to challenge opponents above their level. You can't back down just because of a temporary gap in power."

  He wasn't sending Derrick to die; this battle was meant to awaken Derrick's latent Light Element potential.

  Light magic naturally countered shadow energy. As long as Derrick managed to activate it during the fight, even if he couldn't defeat the magic lion, he would still have a chance to escape unharmed.

  "But I'm only a Fifth-tier Magic Apprentice! That's way too big a gap!" Derrick's voice rose involuntarily, full of fear and frustration.

  He truly couldn't understand why his Mentor would make him face such a powerful monster.

  Yet before his words even faded, the magic lion suddenly stirred. Its scarlet eyes locked directly onto the thicket, tail lifting slightly as the shadow energy around it began to surge violently.

  Clearly, Derrick's voice had drawn its attention.

  Ryan looked at the beast now staring their way, then at the panic-stricken Derrick beside him, and a playful smile curved at his lips.

  Derrick's heart tightened. Without thinking, he leapt up and bolted deeper into the bushes at full speed.

  Ryan was much faster than Derrick, almost becoming a blur the moment Derrick turned around, leaping onto a sturdy oak tree nearby.

  "Mentor! You're setting me up!" Derrick shouted angrily, but when he turned,

  the massive magic lion, its body as large as a small hill, had already closed in behind him within ten meters. Its crimson eyes fixed firmly on him, the shadow magic swirling around its fur growing increasingly wild.

  The lion let out a sudden roar, and the sound waves infused with shadow magic acted like invisible hands, instantly flinging Derrick into the air.

  The boy slammed against a magical oak tree with a thud, letting out a muffled groan, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

  Ryan leaned on a branch, swinging his legs in the air, laughing heartily:"Derrick, this is just the beginning. Don't be so quick to give up!"

  He deliberately held back, wanting to see if Derrick could awaken his innate Light Element magic talent under extreme danger. Only a life-or-death test could make him truly grow.

  Derrick got up, wiped the blood from his mouth, and, facing the advancing lion, suddenly summoned courage and shouted:

  "You stupid lion! My Mentor is watching from that tree! The moment he moves, he can defeat you in an instant!"

  He thought this would scare the lion, but it only paused, its eyes glinting even more ferociously.

  "Don't be foolish. It can't understand human language, and it certainly won't comprehend your threats," Ryan said, plucking an acorn from the tree and tossing it in his hand."Right now, it only sees you as prey. Unless you show it a strength to fear, it won't back down."

  Derrick froze, and before he could react, the lion leapt forward, infused with wild shadow magic, lunging at him.

  Derrick ran toward the oak tree, shouting:"Mentor! Save me!"

  If Evelyn were here, she might have sighed at the similarity between this mentor-apprentice duo's style both clever in ways that could make one laugh and cry at the same time.

  Ryan flicked his finger, and the acorn in his hand shot out like a bullet, hitting the lion precisely in the eye.

  The lion roared in pain, halting its attack, and temporarily retreated to the side.

  Derrick felt relieved, thinking Ryan would continue to intervene.

  But Ryan leaned back on the branch, arms crossed, and said slowly:"I only helped you this once. From now on, unless you're about to die, I won't intervene. To become a competent mage, you must learn to face danger yourself."

  Derrick's smile froze. He looked at the watchful lion and then up at Ryan on the tree, realizing that his Mentor truly intended to make him fight alone.

  He gritted his teeth and drew his longsword from his waist, the low-level magical longsword Ryan had exchanged from the Grimoire shop a few days ago for 500 Magic Origin Value.

  Ryan nodded with satisfaction. His remaining Magic Origin Value, after purchasing daily supplies and magical potions, was 2325, enough to give Derrick a proper magical weapon.

  "Come on, you stupid lion! I have the magical longsword my Mentor gave me, and you don't!" Derrick gripped the sword, took a deep breath, and charged at the lion.

  Though afraid, he knew this was the path to his growth.

  The lion hesitated at Ryan in the tree but did not want to give up its prey. Seeing Derrick rush forward, it roared and raised a massive paw infused with shadow magic, swiping at him.

  Derrick remembered the basic movements Ryan had taught him over the past few days. Though still clumsy, he barely dodged the lion's attack.

  However, the shadow magic radiating from the lion's claw still left a few shallow scratches on his arm, sending a sharp sting through him.