916 gold coins!
Constitution at 126 points!
His spiritual power had also grown by varying degrees!
And magic!
In addition to the original Fireball Technique, Thorn Vine, and Water Bubble Technique, he had gained new spells: the earth-type Earth-Shaking Technique, the wind-type Wind Blade, and the fire-type Burning Hand!
Although they were all level-one spells, they had greatly expanded Meng Lei's magical arsenal!
The only depressing part was that his mana reserves were still pitifully low—he could only cast about ten fireballs or ten wind blades before running dry.
To solve this problem, Meng Lei had secretly tried meditation techniques several times, but every attempt ended in failure.
The magical elements between heaven and earth?
They didn't exist for him!
He couldn't sense a single thing!
After multiple failed attempts, Meng Lei felt deeply puzzled. While chatting with Allison, he specifically asked about it and eventually came to one conclusion: he had no magical talent!
That's right!
He had none!
Only people with magical talent could sense the magical elements in the air.
If you couldn't sense them, you simply didn't have the talent.
The result left Meng Lei extremely disappointed. He had secretly hoped he would be like the protagonists in those web novels—terrifying cultivation talent, mastering anything instantly, photographic memory, twice the result with half the effort, one day of training equal to ten years for others…
It turned out he had been overthinking it.
"So… from now on, I can only increase my mana by picking up drops?"
Meng Lei felt a little dejected. Even his enthusiasm for stealing kills had faded. Picking up drops? How many could he actually get?
Boom—
A massive creature crashed to the ground, its enormous body convulsing violently. It was clearly on its last breath. Bobby, Milo, Yale, and the others clapped their hands together. Their teamwork had been flawless this time—they had successfully slain the Blazing Flame Boar!
"Ding! Detected a dropped item. Would you like to pick it up?"
"Pick it up!"
"Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the level-one spell Fire Ring Technique!"
"Another spell…"
Meng Lei sighed. "Without mana, what's the point of having so many spells?"
"Little Meng Lei, why do you look so down?"
Allison walked over with her magic staff, looking slightly surprised. In her memory, Meng Lei was usually full of energy and always eager to steal kills.
Why did he seem so listless today?
"Allison, if someone doesn't have magical talent, can they never become a mage?" Meng Lei asked, unwilling to give up.
"Of course not! Without magical talent, you can't become a mage!" Allison answered matter-of-factly. "Just like Bobby and the other two. They all come from good families, but they still can't become mages—precisely because they lack the talent!"
"Magical talent is a huge barrier. Countless people are shut out of the doors of magic forever." The burly axe-wielding Bobby raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong, little Meng Lei? You want to become a mage too?"
"Bobby, that's a stupid question. Who doesn't want to become a mage?" Milo teased with a laugh.
Yale nodded slightly in agreement. On the Sky Dome Continent, so many people dreamed of becoming mages, but without the talent, it was nothing but a fantasy!
Meng Lei forced a bitter smile and said nothing more.
"Let's go. Keep moving!"
"Little Meng Lei, the next magical beast's head is yours. Don't forget to take it!"
"Brother Meng Lei, just let it go. You're naturally strong—you were born to cultivate battle qi. Become a warrior like me. Magic isn't for you!"
"Hahaha, exactly…"
The group chatted and laughed as they set off again. After several days of traveling together, the four had gradually lowered their guard around Meng Lei. Their relationship had become much warmer and more familiar; they could even joke around now.
With Bobby and the others comforting him, Meng Lei's mood slowly improved. They had walked a few more kilometers when a heaven-shaking roar suddenly exploded from the sky!
ROAR—
The terrifying sound wave spread out like a nuclear explosion, making everyone's ears ring and their faces twist in pain.
"What's going on?"
"Did a high-level magical beast wander to the outer edge of the forest?"
Everyone was shocked and terrified. A roar this terrifying could only come from a high-level magical beast. With their current strength, running into one would mean certain death!
"Look at the sky!" Bobby suddenly shouted.
The others looked up and froze in horror, as if they had seen ghosts.
Far off in the sky, a colossal beast over a hundred meters long was hovering in mid-air. It had the body of a dragon, the wings of an eagle, and the head of a lion!
Long pointed ears, sharp claws like ox horns, its entire body covered in dazzling golden scales. It looked ferocious and terrifyingly massive!
The most shocking part was that the giant beast wasn't flapping its wings, yet it remained suspended in the air, flying freely—completely different from ordinary flying magical beasts. Its identity was obvious!
"Is that… the legendary Saint Domain Magical Beast—the Golden Flame Dragon Lion Griffon?" Allison's teeth chattered as she trembled and spoke.
Bobby, Milo, and Yale were also shaking, their eyes filled with terror.
"Dragon body, eagle wings, lion head, soaring through the sky without flapping its wings!" Bobby swallowed hard. "That has to be the Saint Domain Magical Beast—the Golden Flame Dragon Lion Griffon!"
"Dragon God above! Shouldn't Saint Domain magical beasts stay in the central region of the Magical Beast Forest? Why is it here?" Milo found it unbelievable.
"A… Saint Domain magical beast? Oh my god!"
Meng Lei stared fixedly at the gigantic creature in the sky, his breathing growing rapid. He had been on the Sky Dome Continent for quite some time now. Especially these past few days traveling with Allison's group, he had learned many secrets about this world.
For example, the ranking of strength!
Whether warriors, mages, other races, or magical beasts, strength was divided from level one to level nine—level one being the weakest, level nine the strongest.
A level-one warrior had greatly increased strength and agile speed.
A level-nine warrior could move like lightning and kill from a distance.
And above level nine was the legendary realm—the Saint Domain!
The Saint Domain was ethereal and mythical, the stuff of legends. Those who reached it could control the heavens and earth, soar freely through the sky, possess infinite lifespan, and wield world-destroying power…
The Saint Domain!
It stood at the very pinnacle of the power pyramid on the Sky Dome Continent—a strategic existence as powerful as a nuclear bomb!
And the Golden Flame Dragon Lion Griffon, as a Saint Domain magical beast, was a king among magical beasts. This bizarre creature that combined dragon, lion, and eagle bloodlines carried the blood of a true dragon. Even among Saint Domain magical beasts, it was one of the strongest!
"Look over there!" Yale suddenly widened his eyes and pointed toward the horizon.
Meng Lei quickly turned his head and froze.
Floating in front of the colossal Golden Flame Dragon Lion Griffon were two "tiny figures"—tiny only in comparison to the massive beast.
In reality, they were normal-sized humans!
It was an old man and a young girl.
The old man wore a purple mage robe. His face was rosy and kindly. The girl beside him was about sixteen or seventeen, with bright, beautiful eyes and a lively gaze like an elf.
The fierce wind howled through the sky, yet a layer of purple protective shield surrounded the old man and the girl. Lightning snakes danced across the shield. No matter how violently the wind raged, it couldn't shake them in the slightest!
"Hu… humans?" Allison and the others stood with their mouths wide open, completely stunned.
Human warriors and mages could only fly through the air like birds once they reached the Saint Domain!
(Of course, wind-type mages were an exception.)
The old man and the young girl stood proudly in the void, surrounded by a crackling lightning shield. They were undoubtedly Saint Domain thunder mages!
"Insignificant humans, you dare provoke the great Carlos? What is your intention?"