After Isha's visit, a week passed without any sign of the legendary grandmother.
Leon wondered if the old Dragon King had gotten lost on her way to her granddaughters' home.
Rossweise explained that dragons sharing the same bloodline and power could vaguely sense each other's locations, so getting lost was impossible.
The queen then asked, "Why have you been mentioning my grandmother so much lately? Are you anxious to meet the parents?"
General Leon waved his hand dismissively. "I just want to see what kind of dragon could produce such a strange mother dragon as you."
Rossweise could not be bothered to argue with him.
The couple waited day after day for the grandmother's visit.
Meanwhile, they continued sending scouts to gather information on the territory of the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan.
If the situation there stabilized even slightly, they would immediately set out to find Constantine's trusted confidant.
Of course, Leon did not idle away his time while waiting.
He began studying the "martial arts manual" his master had given him during their intelligence exchange a few days ago.
The Gate of Nine Hells.
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Leon sat cross-legged in the backyard practice field, with pastries Muen had just brought him placed beside him.
The little dragon girl had wanted to play with her dad, but when she saw him earnestly studying a book she could not understand, she left the pastries behind and obediently ran off to play with the maids.
As his daughter grew more sensible day by day, General Leon felt doubly gratified.
He lowered his head and opened the first page of The Gate of Nine Hells. The preface contained the author's inspiration and the historical background of the technique's creation.
"Legend says Hell has nine layers, each representing different sins of humanity. For these sins, the guardians of Hell administer different physical punishments."
"Only sinners who endure the nine layers of Hell's trials and complete their redemption have a chance to pass through the deepest layer, returning to the mortal realm or… even reaching Heaven."
"Those who successfully traverse the nine layers of Hell are reborn from the nirvana fire. Relying solely on their physical bodies, they can become invincible, undefeated…"
Reading the preface, Leon curled his lips. "The title is intimidating, and the introduction is even more so. In short, mastering this technique allows one to surpass human limits in physical strength, even without magic."
The ancestors who created various magics, illusions, or body techniques always liked to leave mythical legends in their prefaces to showcase how amazing their techniques were.
What was more frustrating was that this narrative style was still highly praised by mainstream society. People enjoyed and eagerly analyzed the myths concocted by ancestors, with some even deriving religions and beliefs from them.
The Dragon Slayer Academy had even opened a separate major dedicated to studying the myths and legends left in magical scriptures.
Leon had taken this major during his academic years and graduated with full marks. The professor in charge had been so impressed he begged Leon to stay at the academy to help decipher more myths, explore the mysteries of human history, and salvage forgotten treasures from the river of time.
Leon had said, "Uncle, are you kidding? I chose this major just to learn more types of magic. As for those allegories and myths… I just wrote a few comments offhand."
"Writing a few thoughts casually" — "Graduated with full marks."
If Rebecca had been in the same class as the captain back then, she might have realized sooner that he was a tough guy who could bluff his way through anything.
After the preface, Leon flipped to the table of contents.
Just as when he taught Noah, he first reviewed the contents. Knowledge he had already mastered was marked in green; uncertain knowledge in yellow; completely unknown knowledge in red.
This learning method might not work for others, but for geniuses like Leon and Noah, it was highly efficient.
After scanning the table of contents, he flipped to a page in the middle section.
The last line on the page read:
"At this point, your physical strength should meet the following standards (meeting any one is sufficient):
– Being able to maintain steady breathing for over twelve hours despite severe, near-fatal injuries;
–Matching the speed of a Dragon King in human form;
–Significantly enhanced self-healing ability compared to before practicing the Body Technique;
–Able to fight continuously for over five hours."
Looking at these reference standards, Leon pursed his lips and shook his head. "Meeting any one is enough? Then I should… meet all of them, right?"
Three years ago, when Victor pierced Leon's heart and he was imprisoned by the Silver Dragon Clan, he had persisted for far more than twelve hours. Though not in peak condition, he had sparred with Rossweise and matched her speed, despite her reputation as the fastest among the Silver Dragons. As for self-healing, during the days when he and Rossweise clashed constantly, as long as she let him rest for a few days, he could make her regret it the next time they sparred.
As for the last point, fighting continuously for over five hours—General Leon was certainly qualified to speak on that.
Whether it was slaying dragons or riding them, he could engage in combat for over five hours straight.
The former was taught well by the instructors at the Dragon Slayer Academy;
The latter was taught well by Professor Melkvey.
In short, Cosmodeous was a good student!
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"Meeting these standards, I can officially begin practicing the Gate of Nine Hells."
Leon turned to the next page, which detailed the gates.
"The body technique 'Gate of Nine Hells' divides the human body into nine stages, represented by different 'gates.'"
"The first gate, the Ironbone Gate—wait, what gate?!"
Leon thought he had misread. He put down the book, rubbed his eyes, and looked again.
Sure enough, he had not misread.
...
...
"Caw~~ Caw~~"
Two crows flew overhead, their cries perfectly capturing Leon's current state of mind.
No, seriously? The preface was all about Hell and Heaven, so grand and majestic.
Why did it suddenly become so... literal when it got to the actual technique?
"Ironbone Gate?" Leon muttered to himself. "Well, I suppose it makes sense - forging bones strong as iron would be the foundation of body cultivation.""Ironbone Gate?" Leon muttered to himself. "Well, I suppose it makes sense - forging bones strong as iron would be the foundation of body cultivation."
Though the name was less mystical than he expected, the practicality of it appealed to his military mindset. Strengthening the skeletal structure first would create a stable framework for all subsequent training.Though the name was less mystical than he expected, the practicality of it appealed to his military mindset. Strengthening the skeletal structure first would create a stable framework for all subsequent training.
Shaking his head, he continued reading, curious what the other eight gates would be called.Shaking his head, he continued reading, curious what the other eight gates would be called.
"No wonder it's from my master. Even the secret scrolls he risked his life to find are this abstract."
Leon took two deep breaths, adjusted his mindset, and continued reading.
Fortunately, the names of the later gates were quite normal, without any strange puns, which relieved him.
But when he saw the name of the final gate, his fingers paused slightly. His eyes fixed on those two simple words as he murmured, "Death Gate."
Leon's pupils trembled. "Sounds like a move where you harm the enemy by hurting yourself…"
Shaking his head, he refocused. He could not reach the final gate yet; he had to master the first eight gates first.
"So, the method to unlock the first gate is…"
Leon continued flipping until he found the corresponding content.
"To unlock the first gate, one must rely on external force, preferably from someone trustworthy and possessing the strength of a Dragon King…"
"Hiss… Dragon King… Dragon King…"
He muttered to himself, and a name naturally came to his lips.
"Rossweise?!"