Chapter 539: Three-Year Term

After feeling the legendary power for a moment, Lei En finally shed the Titan Power Armor.

Since it was still early, he handled nearly a month's worth of official duties in his office, then spent half a day touring the Ge La Mo Gen territory, teleported at noon to the Augustus Principality, and spent the entire afternoon and evening swiftly traversing all seven cities of the principality.

Late at night, Lei En teleported to the Royal Capital Jin Si Lan.

Ai Mili Si was still busy in the Dragon Hall; upon seeing Lei En return she was overjoyed, hurriedly set aside her duties and took him to see their son. Lei Kes was already asleep, the little fellow less than two months old, spending the whole day either sleeping or eating, and had grown a bit.

Lei En sat beside the small bed, watching his son sleeping soundly, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

It wasn't until Ai Mili Si came over in pajamas that she pulled him away.

A night of fierce battle.

The next morning at dawn, Lei En rose radiant, meditated, and after finishing, cradled the newly nursed Lei Kes and strolled through the garden of Red Dragon Fortress, a faint smile on his face.

The Scale-Command Blood Guard and the maids discovered that the queen, who usually rose early and diligently governed, was actually staying in bed today.

Not until the sun was three rods high did the queen finally leave her bedroom.

Lei En's Voice of All Things heard the various whispers of the people in Red Dragon Fortress; at first he listened with interest and a hint of pride, but as the rumors grew more absurd, the corners of his mouth twitched.

At noon at the dining table, he was even glared at by Ai Mili Si, clearly she had also heard.

"This is what you asked for," Lei En shrugged.

Ai Mili Si's ears flushed instantly; she wanted to retort, but after glancing at the surrounding Scale-Command Blood Guard, she kept her queenly dignity and pretended not to hear.

With a beauty before him, a sight to feast the eyes, Lei En raised an eyebrow and let out a light laugh.

After Lei Kes's nap, he teleported back to Ge La Mo Gen, listened to Fa Bi An's report on arranging the Sunwalkers, then teleported to Weizelan and entered his own tower.

Sitting down to contemplate for a while, Lei En sent a magical message:

"Sparrow hawk, come up here for a moment."

The sparrow hawk is a small, agile, swift, and highly intelligent raptor; it was Si Pai Luo Huo Ke's childhood nickname on his home island of Heron Trace Archipelago. When he was a shepherd boy, his companions called him that, and he grew accustomed to it; Si Pai Luo Huo Ke is the grand name given by the Wizard who brought him to Weizelan.

Si Pai Luo Huo Ke is a shapeshifting wizard; his first Main Soul is a mutated Ice‑Wind sparrow hawk, which after transformation flies at extreme speed and possesses affinity for both ice and wind, making his strength quite impressive.

After learning this, Lei En also began calling him sparrow hawk.

A few breaths later, Si Pai Luo Huo Ke teleported to the top floor of the tower, bowing: "Teacher, did you summon me?"

He had just turned eighteen, his stature had grown slightly, still slender, with a hint of youthful green on his face, faintly recalling the shepherd boy he once was; the difference now was that his eyes shone with the brilliance of wisdom, exuding a subtle aura of soul energy.

A fifth‑rank shapeshifting wizard is no small figure even in the Empire.

Moreover, he hails from Weizelan Fu Kong Cheng and is Lei En's student; merely by that status in the Empire few dare to provoke him, and his displayed potential is boundless.

However, Lei En summoned him not for cultivation guidance, but for another reason.

"Hmm, come over and sit," Lei En said, his expression casual.

He has never put up a front with his students; first, it stems from habits of his past life, feeling it unnecessary, second, the age gap between teacher and student is small—Dalama and Jialu are even older than him.

Si Pai Luo Huo Ke also knew this, but his respect for the teacher remained unchanged; after bowing again and thanking, he sat down, a little more relaxed.

If the teacher summons him alone, it must be something serious.

Sure enough, Lei En asked, "How have your recent advances in alchemy been? Any insights?"

Si Pai Luo Huo Ke thought the teacher was testing him, and hurriedly replied, "Teacher, these past days I've been researching a new magic elixir, which I named 'Frenzy Speed Elixir', crafted by adding Ice‑thorn grass, Storm‑vine stalks, and several other herbs to the base of the 'Frenzy Beast‑Blood Elixir'."

When alchemy was mentioned, he instantly became animated, speaking incessantly.

Lei En listened with a smile, paying close attention.

"When a transcendent drinks the Frenzy Speed Elixir, their strength doubles; although it doesn't reach the berserk state of a true 'Frenzy Beast‑Blood Elixir', its side effects are far milder," Si Pai Luo Huo Ke said, his face flushing slightly, "The biggest selling point of the Frenzy Speed Elixir is its speed boost, equivalent to a double‑ring Acceleration Technique."

"It combines strength amplification and acceleration; one bottle's effect equals two, and after my refinement the cost drops to about fifty Gold Shield, guaranteed to be popular."

"Teacher!"

Si Pai Luo Huo Ke looked at Lei En, like a child presenting a treasure to an elder, "Once the Frenzy Speed Elixir is successfully researched, it will surely become one of Weizelan's best‑selling magic elixirs."

"Very good!"

Lei En clapped his hands in praise.

The Frenzy Speed Elixir indeed impressed him, promising huge gains for the tower, and he also understood Si Pai Luo Huo Ke's thinking.

His student's talent in alchemy was truly a once‑in‑a‑millennium sight.

"Sparrow hawk, how much can you research to produce the Frenzy Speed Elixir?" Lei En asked.

"Forty percent!"

Si Pai Luo Huo Ke answered confidently, then corrected himself: "Fifty percent! If the teacher can supply enough materials and recruit fifteen alchemy apprentices as assistants, the total investment would be two hundred thousand Gold Shield; I have a fifty‑percent chance of delivering the finished Frenzy Speed Elixir to the teacher within two years."

Lei En nodded.

Researching magic elixirs is much like a pharmaceutical company's new‑drug development in his past life: it requires ample manpower, massive funding, and still may not reach market success.

A fifty‑percent confidence is already a very high probability.

Lei En hesitated hardly, calmly saying, "I'll give you four hundred thousand Gold Shield, and you decide the number of alchemy apprentice slots; recruit as many as you wish, but before they enter the tower they must pass my approval."

"Whether the magic elixir succeeds or not, I won't take this money back, but I won't invest more either."

"If the Frenzy Speed Elixir is produced, you may take ten percent of future sales revenue, limited to ten years, or you may opt for a lump‑sum buyout."

Lei En finished speaking and waited for Si Pai Luo Huo Ke's decision.

Offering the inventor only ten percent of profits for ten years seems harsh, but without Lei En's strong backing, Si Pai Luo Huo Ke could not succeed.

The four hundred thousand Gold Shield investment is effectively earmarked for Si Pai Luo Huo Ke; he may use it as he wishes.

Si Pai Luo Huo Ke's breathing suddenly grew heavy.

For someone born in poverty, both the four hundred thousand Gold Shield fund and the future massive profits are wealth he once could only dream of.

Seeing his conflicted expression, Lei En smiled, "You can wait for the elixir's outcome before deciding."

"Alright, Teacher!" Si Pai Luo Huo Ke exhaled relief, then brimmed with excitement, eager to return immediately to continue his research.

After his emotions settled, Lei En asked again, "If you went to the Alchemy Association now, could you pass the Alchemy Master's trial?"

"Um…"

Spairorhok scratched his head shyly and said, "Teacher, I'm afraid I can't. The Alchemy Master's test involves too many aspects—demon drugs, forging, enchanting, inscriptions, materials, and so on, and apart from demon drugs my experience in the other branches is insufficient; maybe I could try after ten years."

"Alright." Lei En also felt he was too impatient.

The Empire Alchemy Association has fewer than a hundred Alchemy Masters, each a legendary spellcaster or notable figure whose name shakes a region, with an average age over two hundred.

Spairorhok daring to try to become an Alchemy Master before thirty shows his world‑shaking talent.

Lei En hesitated, thinking his own student would be more reliable, found a suitable alchemist, and said, "I called you up today because I want to give you a task."

"What's the matter, teacher?" Spairorhok straightened his back.

"On this outing I acquired a batch of precious material; take it back and study it, see what kind of demon drug you can forge or how to use it for the best effect," Lei En said while producing a whole piece of a sun‑spotted viper's flesh and blood.

The piece weighed several hundred pounds, a small segment cut cleanly from a wound, including scales, skin, flesh and bone.

As soon as Lei En set it on the table, golden blood seeped out.

Spairorhok's gaze was instantly drawn; at a glance he saw it was a small part cut from a huge monster, and after stepping forward and examining it closely, he realized it was a material he had never seen before.

"Teacher, what is this?"

He looked puzzled, touched a drop of golden snake blood with his fingertip, rubbed it between two fingers—extremely viscous, like gelatin—and habitually infused his soul force to probe its nature.

Instantly his soul force was repelled, and a chilling aura burst forth.

The inexperienced boy's face turned pale with shock, he stepped back hurriedly and stammered, "Divine… this… is this divine blood?"

His eyes bulged, and a ridiculous thought flashed through his mind—did the teacher kill a god?

Seeing his panic, Lei En laughed and explained, "It's just a divine creature, not even a demigod; its divinity is only a bit stronger, so how could it be divine blood? You don't really think I could kill a god, do you?"

"So it's only a divine creature," Spairorhok said, still quite frightened.

He thought to himself that the teacher always creates miracles; if one day he really produced divine blood, he wouldn't be surprised.

"How about it, Que Ying?" Lei En asked again, "What demon drug can you forge with it?"

"Teacher, the corpse of a divine creature is one of the world's most precious alchemical materials," Spairorhok's eyes lit up, then he sighed helplessly, "With my alchemy I probably can't handle such fine material; giving it to me would be wasteful. It would be safer to give it to Chairman Dalan Deng, who is the most brilliant Alchemy Master in our Fu Kong Cheng."

He said so, but Lei En's soul‑eye saw that he was actually a bit reluctant.

"I need someone I truly trust to handle the material," Lei En said calmly, "Chairman Dalan Deng isn't my student, and if the news leaks it could cause trouble."

The allure of divine creatures extends beyond legends to even Holy Soul Wizards.

If the news spreads, who knows how many would watch in secret, possibly bringing trouble to Weizelan's Fu Kong Cheng.

The teacher's mind is now focused on uncovering Augulevi Master's fall, a critical period, and he cannot afford any side issues.

"But…" Spairorhok still felt it was improper.

Lei En raised his hand and cut him off, "Que Ying, go ahead and try, don't worry about waste. This batch of divine material is abundant—so much that it would last you years of research."

Seeing Lei En's trust, Spairorhok was moved and silently vowed never to waste the material or disappoint the teacher's expectations. He could tell the monster's corpse must be enormous—perhaps hundreds of thousands of pounds—and the piece before him was only a tiny fragment.

However, with so much material, he feared he couldn't handle it all alone, nor could he give it to the alchemy apprentices.

"You start the research; I'll work with you," Lei En said, seeing his thought, "Reslin is out on business now, but when he returns he'll help you. Also Peralysis, Dala Ma and the others—if you need them, call them, just say it's my request."

"Teacher, I won't disappoint you," Spairorhok said, relieved to hear the teacher would also help.

Lei En produced a dimensional‑space ring and gave it to him, designed for storing flesh and blood.

Spairorhok tucked the ring away and left in high spirits.

He had just taken his first step away when a tall, graceful silhouette teleported before him; the stunning face bore a cool elegance, and upon seeing Lei En smile warmly, it was as if spring arrived, ice melted, flowers bloomed, and the entire tower‑top hall brightened a few degrees.

"Xiliya."

Lei En stepped forward, wrapped his arms around her waist, and laughed, "You actually dared to leave your high tower?"

This rainbow‑scaled dragon mage, after ascending to Mid-stage legend three years ago, has not paused to rest but become even more diligent. Apart from publicly appearing the day she accepted Peralysis, then taking the students onto herself, she has not set foot outside the tower since.

The two forged a soul contract, always aware of each other's condition.

Over these years, Ao Xiliya has immersed herself day and night in cultivation, spending half her time meditating, the other half building spell models and honing casting techniques, sleeping only once every ten days to half a month—a near‑mad, demonic frenzy.

No wizard in the entire Fu Kong Cheng works harder than she does.

This is unlike a naturally lazy dragon; it seems some force behind her is pushing her to train desperately and boost her strength.

Lei En had sought Ao Xiliya many times during this period, but most often was turned away.

Only a handful of times did he manage to get in.

When the door opened, the dragon charged, the matter was brushed aside, and after a couple of words he was driven out, feeling like a mere tool for her release.

If the soul contract weren't still in his mind, Lei En would often forget he has a secret lover.

"I just missed you."

Ao Xiliya's eyes flashed with rainbow‑like light, her hands draped over Lei En's neck, exhaling like an orchid; a single gentle word broke his defenses, and his body reacted instantly.

"Whoa!"

Lei En's heart startled, then he realized she was entering estrus again.

She goes into heat once every three years; the interval is long enough.

"So you really treat me as a tool, huh?" he thought resentfully, then saw a flawless face draw near, a post‑rain freshness breathing at his ear, and that uneasy thought instantly vanished into the clouds.

(End of Chapter)