Unless they could defeat Duke Vidia the way they defeated the Fifth Legion's chief mage, no one would dare send troops into Vidia's territory.
However, unlike the Fifth Legion's chief mage, Duke Vidia had been a Sanctuary-level powerhouse for over three hundred years.
His strength was far beyond the chief mage of the Fifth Legion, who had only recently broken into Sanctuary.
At least, in Locke's eyes, Vidia's territory was extremely safe for the time being.
After sending a letter home through the local guild, Locke rented a quiet courtyard and began focused training.
Each day, his schedule was full.
He replaced sleep with meditation to recover his spirit force.
Once his spirit force was restored, he would enter the Heaven-Man Unity state to perceive the mysteries of the Mist Illusion law, enhancing his spirit power.
After consuming a large portion of his spirit force, he would study magic incantations.
As a fan of the Coiling Dragon universe, Locke had a far deeper and more systematic understanding of its cultivation system than most people of this era.
Therefore, his training was far more targeted than those who knew nothing.
At seven, Locke had been discovered to have an affinity for water magic and entered the Frost Snow Empire's magic academy.
Upon becoming a Level-1 water mage, the first spell he encountered was Water Mist Technique, a basic Level-1 magic.
Over time, Locke invested most of his mental energy into analyzing magical incantations, in addition to refining mana through meditation.
After all, spells were crafted by deities through deconstructing the mysteries of the laws, essentially forming embryonic fragments of law.
Each spell could be seen as a glimpse into a specific law within a particular magic discipline.
At sixteen, Locke fully analyzed the Water Mist Technique, gaining his first insight into the Mist Illusion law.
After several years of studying similar spells, he successfully grasped a fragment of the Mist Illusion law and developed techniques such as Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel.
It was precisely because of this understanding that Locke was able to raise his spirit force from Level-5 to the peak of Level-6 in just three years.
Now, Locke was studying an advanced form of Water Mist Technique: Level-3 magic, Illusion Maze.
Unlike Water Mist, which merely obscures an enemy's vision, Illusion Maze also disrupts their sense of direction.
A person trapped within it could, if unlucky, endlessly wander in circles within the spell's area until starvation.
Thanks to his grasp of the Illusionary Fog law, Locke's study of Illusion Maze proceeded smoothly.
Almost every day, he could sense his progress.
This feeling fascinated Locke.
Finally, after four months, during one session of Heaven-Man Unity, Locke's spirit force underwent a qualitative change, breaking through to Level-7.
At Level-7, the most striking change was his ability, in Heaven-Man Unity, to sense the fragments of law he had comprehended with greater clarity.
Moreover, he could vaguely perceive the broader expanse of the law from these fragments.
With exceptional comprehension, he could use this fragment as a foundation to grasp even greater mysteries.
After reaching Level-7 spirit force, Locke made further progress in analyzing Illusion Maze.
Within two months, he fully mastered the spell, uncovering more fragments of the Mist Illusion law.
With this understanding, Locke felt that when invoking Heaven-Man Unity to channel Heaven-Earth Force, the amplification of his power had doubled.
For example, if he had possessed this level of insight during his battle with the Level-7 Light Temple knight, killing him would have been effortless.
A single Water Dragon Roar would have sufficed.
During the two months spent mastering the Mist Illusion fragments in Illusion Maze, Locke also fully liquefied his mana.
At twenty-four years old, Locke had successfully advanced to a Level-7 Grand Mage.
Upon emerging from seclusion, Locke inquired about the Fifth Legion. It had still not been reconstituted.
According to Frost Snow Empire regulations, a defeated legion that was not reformed within a year was considered abandoned by the empire.
At that point, soldiers faced two choices:
Join one of the remaining four legions, continuing to fight for the empire and earning merit to gain cultivation resources.Remain independent, training as a wanderer.
Even independent mages could be drafted during emergencies.
Seven months had passed since the Fifth Legion's defeat. Only three more months were needed to confirm the legion would not be reformed.
Reforming a legion, especially one numbered by the empire, required preparation time.
Unlike nobles' private armies, these legions defended the empire against Light Temple incursions and could even launch counterattacks to expel the Light Temple from the Wakanda dimension.
To avoid breaking the law and becoming a wanted criminal, Locke remained in Vidia's territory for three months.
Once he confirmed no news of the Fifth Legion's reformation, Locke stored away the badge representing his position as a legion-attached mage and vacated his residence.
From that moment, he was free.
Although, as an independent mage, Locke would no longer have access to the empire's cultivation resources.
But at his current strength, he needed nothing more.
With the law fragments he had mastered, Locke could directly ascend to Sanctuary upon reaching the peak of Level-9.
Resources were no longer the limiting factor.
What he needed was time.
With enough time to cultivate, Locke would undoubtedly reach Sanctuary and enjoy an endless lifespan.
Moreover, this would not take long.
(End of Chapter 7)