Swallowing the Stars: Starting with Panlong

Chapter 7: Drinkwater

It was a seemingly ordinary morning.

The people of Wushan Town had just finished their morning exercises and were preparing to go home. In the courtyard of Baruch Manor, Hillman was leading the children in their routine Qi-gathering training. The autumn sun was warm but not scorching, and a gentle breeze blew from the direction of Fenlai City, carrying the scent of ripe wheat from the fields.

However, a disaster was about to strike.

"What is that?!"

Tom was the first to notice something was wrong. He pointed to the eastern sky, his voice filled with terror.

Everyone looked up—

Not far to the east, two or three hundred meters above the ground, a black dragon, at least a hundred meters long, coiled and spun in mid-air. The dragon's eyes, like giant cartwheels, gleamed with a chilling light; its massive body was covered in black scales that reflected a cold, menacing glint; and its enormous, fleshy wings, which together stretched for a hundred meters, were powerfully flapping, each flap creating a gust of wind.

Warcraft - Black Dragon!

"What happened?" Lin Lei's eyes widened, his voice trembling slightly.

Lin Yun also raised his head, his pupils suddenly contracting.

Atop the black dragon head that spirals through the air, a grey-robed man stands proudly. The wind howls, his robes fluttering wildly, yet he stands ramrod straight, as steady as a rock in the gale. His gaze is fixed on a middle-aged man in green standing in mid-air ahead—the green-robed man carries a long sword on his back, his robes billowing in the wind, his imposing presence no less than that of the grey-robed man.

Standing atop a black dragon, suspended in mid-air!

"A Saint-level expert!" Hillman's face turned deathly pale, his voice trembling. "Everyone, get inside immediately! Quickly!"

Before the children could react, Hillman had already snatched the two youngest children, one in each arm, like an eagle grabbing chicks, and was running towards the main house. The other children then realized what was happening and scattered in screams.

Lin Yun did not run away.

He stood there, looking up at the battle in the sky, a complex and indescribable emotion surging within him.

He knew what was going on.

In the original novel "Panlong," two Saint-level powerhouses fought a fierce battle in the sky above Wushan Town, triggering a cataclysmic disaster. This disaster became the catalyst for Linley to obtain the Panlong Ring—he was struck by falling rocks, and his blood seeped into the ring, awakening the slumbering Delin Corvort.

And right now, Walton—Linley and Lin Yun’s three-year-old younger brother—is still next to the ancestral home!

"Big Brother!" Lin Yun turned his head sharply, "Walton!"

Lin Lei's expression changed as well. He almost instinctively rushed towards the ancestral home, with Lin Yun following closely behind.

In the sky, the battle between the two Saint-level experts had entered a fierce stage. The gray-robed man was surrounded by a bright earthy yellow light, and huge rocks appeared out of thin air; the green-robed man was enveloped in a blue whirlwind, moving at a speed that was almost impossible to see with the naked eye.

"Boom—Boom—Boom—"

Countless boulders appeared out of thin air, each the size of a house, crashing down in all directions with destructive force. The earth trembled, hills collapsed, and the entire town of Wushan trembled in fear amidst the clash of Saint-level experts.

One of the boulders, as large as a carriage, hurtled toward the Baruch Manor.

"Walton!" Linley rushed into the ancestral home like a madman, only to find Walton standing at the door, staring blankly at the terrifying scene in the sky, completely unaware that danger was about to strike.

The boulder was about to fall in an instant!

Lin Yun saw it clearly from behind, and his heart almost jumped out of his throat.

Just as the boulder was about to hit Walton, Linley lunged forward, using all his strength to tackle Walton to the ground, instinctively shielding his brother with his body and shielding him with his back against the boulder.

Gravel rained down.

A fist-sized piece of gravel struck Linley on the back of the head, and blood gushed out instantly. Then, several more pieces of gravel struck his back and shoulders, causing him to groan in pain. But he held onto Walton tightly, remaining motionless.

The largest boulder flew past the manor wall and crashed into the open ground beside it with a deafening roar. The earth trembled violently, and the dust billowed up, obscuring the sky.

Lin Yun rushed over and dragged Linley and Walton out of the rubble. Walton was terrified and cried loudly, but he was not injured; Linley, however, had a large gash on the back of his head, and blood was flowing down his neck and into the black ring he was wearing on his chest.

Blood seeped into the ring.

The black ring began to glow slightly.

Three days later, Lin Lei's injuries had almost fully healed.

Looking at Lin Lei, who had suddenly become somewhat eccentric over the past three days—sometimes talking to himself, sometimes lost in thought, and sometimes showing an expression of sudden realization—Lin Yun understood exactly what had happened.

Delin Corwhart has awakened.

However, he wasn't in a hurry to ask; he trusted Linley. Given their brotherly bond, Linley would surely tell him.

Over the course of those three days, Delin Corvault told Linley many things, in fits and starts—about his own origins, about magic, and about the secrets of this world.

Delin is a Saint-level Archmage of the Puang Empire, trapped within the Panlong Ring for some reason and slumbering for thousands of years. He excels in earth magic and is one of the most powerful mages in the history of the Puang Empire. Now, he is willing to teach Linley magic.

At Lin Lei's request, he was also willing to teach Lin Yun. In fact, even if Lin Lei hadn't asked him, he would have done so—with his peak Saint-level soul realm, he could see Lin Yun's incredibly powerful spiritual energy at a glance. He just didn't know about Lin Yun's elemental affinity.

Sure enough, one afternoon, Lin Lei mysteriously called Lin Yun into his room.

"Lin Yun, would you like to learn magic?"

"Of course I want to learn," Lin Yun replied, though a wave of emotion stirred within him. "But isn't the magic test still six months away?"

"Lin Yun, I have a secret to tell you." Lin Lei looked at him seriously and lowered his voice, "You can't tell anyone this secret, not even your father and the others."

"Okay, I will definitely not tell anyone." Seeing Lin Lei's seriousness, Lin Yun knew exactly what would happen next and was filled with anticipation.

Afterwards, Lin Lei told Lin Yun the whole story—the Holy Soul in the Panlong Ring, Delin Corvort's identity, and his promise to teach them magic.

However, Delin Corvort is currently in a spirit state and cannot communicate directly with Lin Yun. He can only communicate through Lin Lei, the owner of the Panlong Ring.

"Lin Yun, sit cross-legged first, and I will teach you how to enter a meditative state." After Lin Lei finished speaking, he conveyed to Lin Yun exactly what Delin Kowert had taught him over the past two days.

What really discouraged Lin Lei was that it took him over half an hour, and only with Delin Kowert's guidance, to enter a meditative state the first time. But looking at Lin Yun before him…

Something feels off.

After Lin Yun closed his eyes, his breathing became even and long within minutes, and he sank into a deep tranquility. That state was even more stable and natural than when Lin Lei entered meditation.

Delin Kowald, who was observing from the sidelines, was also pleasantly surprised. The child had entered a meditative state in just a few minutes—his talent was indeed more astonishing than he had imagined.

He didn't intentionally try to influence the concentration of elements in the surrounding area; he wanted to see just how Lin Yun's elemental affinity was.

At this moment, Lin Yun had completely entered a meditative state.

Then, he "saw" it.

Countless points of light floated in the surrounding space, densely packed, numbering in the thousands—yellow, red, blue, cyan, purple, and even black and white. They drifted like fireflies, some still, some slowly rotating, and others flitting about like playful children.

Are these the elements of heaven and earth?

But why are there so many colors? Could it be that he, like Linley, can cultivate multiple elemental laws?

"Lin Yun, how is it? Can you feel it?" Lin Lei, who was standing to the side, asked anxiously when he saw that Lin Yun hadn't spoken.

"Big brother, I can feel it!" Lin Yun opened his eyes, his eyes filled with excitement. "So many, many points of light of all colors, densely packed, thousands upon thousands. There are yellow, red, blue, cyan, purple, and even black and white. There are so many, they're everywhere!"

"Are there really that many colors?" Linley asked, puzzled. "Why do I only see yellow?"

Unbeknownst to him, when he was testing, Delin Coward had channeled a large amount of terrestrial elements around him, which is why he did not sense any elemental light points from other systems.

However, Delin Corwhart, standing to the side, had a blank expression.

In a meditative state, one can perceive seven colored elemental light points—what does this represent?

Earth, fire, water, wind, thunder, light, and darkness—all seven elements are compatible!

"Have I encountered a freak?" Delin Corvort muttered to himself. "He can sense all seven elements... Could I possibly have the potential to train a seventh-element mage?"

He had lived for thousands of years and seen countless geniuses, but a mage who was proficient in all seven elements—he had never even heard of one!

"Big brother, what did Grandpa Delin say? How is my talent?" Although Lin Yun guessed that his talent should be pretty good, he still hoped to get Delin Kowert's approval.

"Linley, tell your brother." Delin Corvault came to his senses and transmitted his voice to Linley, "His elemental affinity is excellent. He has a good affinity for each of the seven magic systems. As for his mental strength, there's no need to test it—he's a freak. In over five thousand years, I've never seen anyone with such strong mental strength before even starting to cultivate."

Linley took a deep breath and relayed Delin's words to Lin Yun verbatim: "Lin Yun, Grandpa Delin said that your elemental affinity is excellent. You have an affinity for all seven magical elements—earth, fire, water, wind, lightning, light, and darkness. You have a good affinity for each of them."

He paused, his eyes filled with shock: "Most importantly, your mental strength is incredibly powerful. Grandpa Delin said that your current mental strength is almost at the level of a fourth-level mage!"

Lin Lei himself could hardly believe this conclusion.

Although he didn't know much about magic, under the tutelage of Delin Corvort these past few days, he was no longer the magic novice he once was. He knew that geniuses who could cultivate two magic systems simultaneously were already extremely rare; those who could cultivate three magic systems simultaneously were few and far between in the entire history of the Yulan Continent.

Lin Yun, on the other hand, belongs to the Seventh Bureau.

Moreover, even before he had officially begun his cultivation, his mental strength had already reached the level of a fourth-level mage—meaning that Lin Yun's starting point on the path of magic was already an end point that countless people could not reach in their entire lives.

"This...how is this possible?" Lin Lei murmured, both happy for his brother and unable to help but feel a little envious.

Delin's voice echoed in his mind, carrying the same confusion: "I don't know either. Logically speaking, a human soul cannot bear the affinity of so many elements. But your brother's soul... is very special."

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts: "His soul is stronger than that of an eight-year-old child. In fact, it's not like that of an adult. That strength wasn't acquired through cultivation, but rather... innate. It's as if his soul has undergone some kind of tempering, becoming ten or even a hundred times more resilient than that of an ordinary person."

Lin Yun breathed a sigh of relief upon learning the result.

He knew his mental strength was undoubtedly formidable—he had lived three lives: in his first life, he was a top student on Earth, where twenty-five years of study and reflection forged a mature mind; in his second life, he was Lin Yun in the world of Swallowed Star, where six years of apocalyptic survival made his will even more resilient; and in his third life, he was the second son of the Baruch family in the world of Panlong, where eight years of growth provided him with new experiences. The memories and experiences of these three lives, the accumulation of his soul across three lifetimes, coupled with the tempering by the small cauldron, made his mental strength far surpass that of ordinary people.

However, in the world of Panlong, spiritual power alone is not enough—one must also have a high affinity for elements. Otherwise, if one cannot even sense the elements, how can one refine magical power?

Now, with his affinity for all seven elements and his extraordinary mental strength, Lin Yun could imagine that his path of magic would be a road to the heavens!

"Lin Lei, Lin Yun".

Delin's voice drifted from the ring. Although Lin Yun couldn't hear it, Lin Lei immediately relayed it.

"Grandpa Delin said that starting today, he will systematically teach us magic." Linley's eyes lit up. "Meditation is the foundation of magic training, and also the most important part. Only with strong enough mental power can one sense and refine more magical elements."

"So what should we do?" Lin Yun asked.

Linley listened intently for a while, then said, "Grandpa Delin said you did a very good job meditating today. From now on, meditate once in the morning and once in the evening, for at least half an hour each time. The longer you meditate, the faster your mental strength will grow."

"As for me..." Linley gave a wry smile, "Grandpa Delin said that I need to learn how to enter a stable meditative state before I can begin formal training."

Delin's voice rang out again, and Linley continued, "He also said that magical training is not something that can be accomplished overnight. You need patience and perseverance. No matter how talented you are, it's all for nothing if you don't work hard."

Lin Yun nodded seriously.

He understood this better than anyone else. Talent determines the ceiling, effort determines the floor—this principle applies to every world.

"And also," Linley's expression turned serious, "Grandpa Delin said that we must never tell anyone about his existence, or about us learning magic. Not even Father."

"I know," Lin Yun said.

For powerful cultivators of necromancy, the souls of the Holy Realm are an immense temptation. If this news were to leak out, not only would Delin be in danger, but the entire Baruch family would face annihilation.

"When will we officially begin learning magic?" Lin Yun asked.

Lin Lei listened intently for a while longer, then smiled and said, "Tomorrow."

Late at night.

Lin Yun lay on the bed with his eyes closed, but he couldn't fall asleep.

His consciousness swayed gently between the two worlds. His body in the Swallowing Star world was currently fast asleep in a low-rent apartment in Yangzhou City—he had to go to school tomorrow, and although he felt it was a waste of time, he would still go so as not to disappoint his grandfather.

In the world of Panlong, Delin's arrival signifies the official start of his magical journey.

With his talent in seven magical elements, the personal instruction of a Saint-level Archmage, and the advantage of cultivating in both realms simultaneously, his starting point was higher than anyone else's.

But a high starting point does not guarantee a high ending point.

He knew that in the future of the Panlong world, countless powerful enemies awaited him—first and foremost was the Church of Light, the force that had killed his mother. And in the future of the Swallowed Star world, there were even more powerful cosmic civilizations, golden-horned behemoths, and even cosmic lords who could destroy galaxies at will.

He needs to become stronger.

Become stronger than anyone else.

Lin Yun opened his eyes, looked at the moonlight outside the window, and couldn't help but feel a great sense of anticipation.

At the age of eight, with two worlds existing side by side, the path of magic begins.