Chapter 017: Fischer’s Visit

In the following days, Du Fan stayed at the duke’s residence to focus on his cultivation. Fortunately, although the basement had been destroyed, he had previously built a mage tower, which served as a decent place for cultivation. Every time he finished practicing the myriad arts, he would channel all his magic power and combat energy into the multicolored stone on the Holy Radiance Staff. Since both combat energy and magic originated from the same source, there was no conflict. However, as more magic power and combat energy were poured into it, Du Fan felt that what he contributed was insignificant compared to the stone’s capacity.

Out of curiosity, Du Fan became even more dedicated, staying indoors almost every day. After generating magic power and combat energy, he would inject them into the stone to observe its changes. Thankfully, the incident of him and Prince Fischer being attacked had already caused quite a stir. Although some people in the Holy Church wanted to invite Du Fan for blessings, they hesitated to ask. Other ordinary nobles’ invitations were casually rejected by Old Mark. Otherwise, given Du Fan’s current status, he wouldn’t have had such opportunities for cultivation.

Through continuous experimentation, Du Fan discovered that the Holy Radiance Staff only emitted multicolored light when he needed to use magic or combat energy. These lights enhanced the power of both magic and combat skills. At other times, the staff resembled a fine work of art. Additionally, after channeling all his combat energy and magic power into the stone, he would feel extremely exhausted, but during his next session of cultivation, his magic power and combat energy would seem to increase slightly. After several such sessions, Du Fan felt as though he was on the verge of breaking through to level six!

This was naturally good news for Du Fan, though this breakthrough came unexpectedly. After much reflection, he attributed it to the life-or-death battle with Ampere—the only way to truly hone one’s skills was through combat… A skilled third-level warrior might not necessarily lose to a fifth-level warrior in a real fight.

In addition to practicing all kinds of magic, Du Fan also seized the time to study the sacred texts given by Joshua, as well as the wind magic spells sent by Edward. After all, although Du Fan now possessed great strength, he had never had the chance to learn other types of magic. He relied on magic scrolls to win every fight, which wasn’t a sustainable solution in the long run.

After reading them several times, Du Fan realized that both the sacred texts and the wind magic spells could be understood with just a casual glance. The foundation of these spells was still magic power; once memorized, as long as one didn’t mispronounce them when using them, there would be no major problems.

What troubled Du Fan was a set of sword techniques in the sacred texts that could be used in conjunction with the Holy Light Cross Slash. This set of techniques was extremely intricate and powerful, but many of its moves were somewhat sinister and ruthless. It didn’t seem like the kind of martial arts practiced by Temple Knights. He wondered what Anthony was thinking, giving such things to him.

Although it was easy to barely memorize these techniques, martial arts were different from magic. With well-remembered magic spells and precise control of magic power, the power of magic naturally grew stronger. In contrast, martial arts couldn’t unleash their full potential without long-term practice. After all, adapting on the spot was not the same as regular training—it required proficiency in one’s martial arts and combat experience to develop.

After practicing in secret for a few days, Du Fan felt that his strength had improved significantly compared to before. At least in terms of magic, he had memorized dozens of spells. As for martial arts, he had learned Anthony’s set of sword techniques to a mediocre level. Although they might not be very effective in real combat, he still had the Holy Light Cross Slash and Space Tear Slash as backups, so he wasn’t afraid of ordinary warriors. Moreover, being a true dual practitioner of magic and martial arts, martial arts were just part of his overall strength.

Fortunately, during his time in the capital, he would mostly be dealing with social obligations. As long as he was careful when going out, no one would dare to attack him.

Of course, that was just his assumption—only time would tell what the actual situation was.

One day, Du Fan was in his courtyard, asking Lingsound about controlling magic power. Chenchen had never taught him these things. After asking several times and finding that Chenchen had been acting mysteriously lately, Du Fan turned to Lingsound for help.

Ringtone was already an eighth-level shaman priest; on the Roland Continent, she could be considered a grand mage. She naturally had a thorough understanding of matters like mana control and mental command. After listening to her explanations for half an hour, Du Fan gradually gained some insights. His vast amount of mana had already allowed him to hide his weaknesses to a large extent, so he was no longer the novice that the mages in the Mage Guild considered him to be.

As he was listening attentively, footsteps were heard outside the courtyard. Du Fan glanced over and saw it was Old Mark. At that moment, Old Mark held an invitation in his hands, standing outside the courtyard and saying respectfully from afar, “Third Young Master!”

Du Fan, who was in the midst of listening, couldn’t help frowning and said, “Grandpa Mark, didn’t I tell you? No matter what invitations come these days, just find an excuse to decline them.”

Old Mark smiled gently from outside the courtyard and said, “Third Young Master, I think you’ll hardly be able to decline this guest today!”

Du Fan knew Old Mark’s personality. If he said it couldn’t be declined, it likely meant the person’s background was extremely important. So, after giving a few instructions to Ringtone, Du Fan went to the courtyard gate and asked, “Grandpa Mark, who is it?”

Old Mark handed the invitation to Du Fan and said, “Third Young Master, you’ll know once you take a look.”

Du Fan took it and glanced through it briefly before letting out a wry smile. The invitation wasn’t from anyone else but Prince Fisher himself. With his status, not even Old Mark, let alone his own father, would dare to refuse his request.

The invitation read that he regretted having invited Du Fan abruptly earlier, causing him distress, and since the weather was nice today, he invited Du Fan to the royal hunting ground for a hunt as a way to ease his worries…

At the end, it was signed by Austin Fisher, with his handwriting so elegant that it inspired imagination.

As Du Fan read it, he shook his head, knowing that he couldn’t refuse this invitation no matter what. With a wry smile, he said, “That Prince Fisher…”

Old Mark replied calmly, “He’s already waiting outside the duke’s residence.”

Du Fan sighed and said, “Alright… I’ll go change into hunting clothes right away. You go ahead and tell Prince Fisher that I’ll be there soon.”

After Old Mark left, Du Fan went to his room to change into hunting attire. After all, it was a hunting day, and it would be awkward to still wear his robe.

After changing into new clothes, Du Fan had an idea and placed the Holy Radiance Staff back in his storage ring. He waved at Lingsound in the courtyard before stepping outside. Upon reaching the entrance of the duke’s residence, Du Fan realized that Prince Fischer had prepared quite a grand display today. A splendid carriage, just as exquisite as before, was parked at the entrance, flanked by knights in court uniforms—about twenty or thirty in number. Additionally, several court mages rode on horses, protecting the carriage on all sides. At a glance, Du Fan could tell that these courtiers were far stronger than those from before, all being at least level five. Although he couldn’t determine the exact strength of the mages, judging by the number of rings they wore, their power was likely comparable to that of Abraham, if not greater. Moreover, the murderous intent emanating from them was unmistakable, showing that Prince Fischer placed great importance on his own safety. At that moment, Prince Fischer stood at the entrance with his hands behind his back, while Old Mark stood beside him, smiling but unclear about what he was saying. When he saw Du Fan coming out of the residence, Prince Fischer smiled slightly and then said loudly, “Lord Du Fan, I’ve come uninvited once again today. I hope you won’t mind.” Du Fan smiled in return and replied, “What are you saying, Your Highness? I had actually planned to visit you these days, but I was injured a while back and needed some time to recover, which delayed my plans. I never expected you to be so kind as to invite me today. How could I refuse?” With that, they exchanged smiles. Though they both knew the other hadn’t been seriously injured, no one brought it up at such a moment. Hearing Du Fan’s words, Prince Fischer smiled and said, “Then please get in the carriage, Lord Du Fan.” Old Mark’s eyes flickered slightly as if he wanted to say something, but Du Fan glanced at him, shook his head slightly, and then followed Prince Fischer to the carriage. With a smile, he said, “Your Highness Fischer… then I, Du Fan, shall obey respectfully!”