Chapter 490 You should take a rest

Dragons soar.

The supreme dragon-type magical beast, the sub-dragon.

Other high, mid, and low-level dragon-type magical beasts.

Along with dragon-type beasts, they form the lineage of dragons and related creatures.

Flying dragons are the pinnacle of power in this world, standing at the top of the food chain, with few creatures able to threaten their existence; sub-dragons are legendary, often described but never truly seen; dragon beasts are rare but do exist, and Liszt's land bird, Loki, is a low-level dragon beast.

Loki's bloodline evolution is incomplete, and perhaps it will eventually become a mid-level dragon beast.

Dragon-type beasts typically live in groups, such as the Sapphire Duchy's blue-blooded steeds, Liszt's black-blooded horses, and his dragon milk cows.

In short, the gem-like phoenix feather doesn't prove the phoenix's existence.

After showing it to his family, he quickly stored the phoenix feather in the gem space. To him, it's a priceless treasure, and he couldn't be too careful. He even chose not to study the phoenix feather at Tulip Castle, waiting until after the New Year to return to his territory and study it slowly.

This year's New Year celebration was quite lively.

Family members exchanged simple gifts like food and clothes, nothing extravagant. Penelope gave her usual carefully tended potted plants, but Liszt found no spirit bug-infested pots on her balcony.

Those two spirit bugs are incredibly rare.

...

"I read your 'Liszt's Earth Notes,' and its cultivation insights are clear and enlightening," the Earl spoke with Liszt in the study.

Liszt began visiting the study more frequently.

Much of the time was spent in awkward chit-chat, and tonight was no different. After some awkward small talk, they shifted to discussing cultivation.

Liszt replied, "I didn't expect it to be so inspiring."

"I've been wondering how you became a sky knight so quickly, which defies my understanding of cultivation. But through your notes and talks with Liszt and Lytton, I finally understand."

"Oh, father, what reason did you understand?"

"Your understanding of cultivation is profound, even surpassing mine as a sword saint. Many times we think that cultivation talent is reflected in bloodline, but in fact, it's not. A person's perspective and understanding can also determine talent."

Then, the Earl summarized his findings in a long speech, ultimately concluding that Liszt is smart and avoids detours in cultivation.

It was hard for the Earl to find reasons for him.

Liszt, of course, would not be ungrateful, so he nodded and said, "Yes, father, my bloodline is the same as yours and my brother's, and my talent is not much better. But I think more about cultivation, and this thinking has helped me open the door to a new world of cultivation."

"So I think we need to communicate more in the future. I have a lot of experience in sky knight cultivation, and you have a keen understanding of cultivation. Our exchanges will greatly benefit both of us, and perhaps in a few years, I can become a complete sky knight."

"I also hope to help you achieve completion soon."

"So, have you figured anything out in your recent sky knight cultivation?" the Earl asked.

Liszt replied, "I'm still adjusting to the new adaptation of my body to the magic potion, and at the same time, I'm exploring the secrets of high-level mana cultivation."

"If you don't understand anything, feel free to ask me."

"I will."

"Spend more time reading the 'Sword Saint's Notes' your grandfather gifted you. I often borrow it from Levis to read, and it indeed offers many valuable insights."

"In fact, I have already memorized the 'Sword Saint's Notes'."

The earl awkwardly fell silent: "Hmm..."

Liszt continued to show off: "I love reading, and I have an excellent memory. In fact, I have also memorized the 'Red Sun Rising Fire Burning' manual. I believe it's better to keep essential knowledge in your head rather than in books, ready to be accessed whenever needed."

"Hmm..."

"I don't like magicians; they’re always causing destruction, but I admire their pursuit of truth. I also think it's a great way for them to share knowledge through magical texts. The best way to understand something is to record and study it."

"Hmm..."

"I do the same. I study the interaction between magic potions and mana, how potions interact with the body, effective training methods, and even new mana techniques. I believe that if predecessors could create mana techniques, I certainly can too."

"You plan to create a mana technique?" the earl exclaimed.

"Father, it makes perfect sense."

Liszt leisurely took a sip of milk: "Potions can be customized to fit individual body types, so why can't mana techniques be tailored to suit individual fighting styles? Everyone's fighting style is different, and so are their bodies. The old mana techniques might not work perfectly for me."

The earl sat in his seat, holding a glass of red wine, sipping continuously.

Liszt was still rambling on. Now that he was a Sky Knight, it was rare to have this kind of conversation with the earl, who was also a Sky Knight, and he naturally wanted to make the most of it: "At the Earth Knight stage, I was focused on advancing to the Sky Knight level, so I didn't have time to create a mana technique. Now that I have become a Sky Knight, it’s time to think carefully and create a mana technique that suits me."

This was the truth.

Previously, he was weak and lacked a sense of security, so he relied heavily on potions to train.

Now that he has become a Sky Knight, and even the dragon he’ll ride in the future is almost within reach, naturally, there is no need to rush, and he can train with more patience.

He was ready to continue his long speech.

The earl suddenly interrupted: "It’s late, Liszt, it's time to go back and rest. Don't forget today is the New Year, take it easy and don't always think about training. I fully support your ideas and hope you can make greater breakthroughs... I am proud of you, my son."

Although somewhat disappointed, Liszt still got up to say goodbye.

Leaving the earl alone in the study, in a somber mood. He filled a glass of red wine and downed it in one go.

...

Returning to his room to rest.

But Liszt couldn't sleep, partly because he was waiting for the mystery reward from the smoke task to be issued after midnight; partly because the phoenix feather was always tempting him, making him eager to take it out and examine it.

The fiery red feather, about the length from the middle finger to the wrist, had a slight curl and a translucent glow.

It was a primary feather.

The large feathers that cover a bird’s body, including flight feathers and tail feathers, are all primary feathers. The structure of a primary feather includes the quill, rachis, barbs, and vane, and this phoenix feather has all these structures. However, its barbs are not smooth, with many tiny crystal protrusions.

The vane is also thick, with similar crystal-like structural protrusions.

"It doesn't look like a real feather at all, more like some kind of fossilized feather. Was it really grown on a phoenix?" Liszt began to recall the knowledge he had read about phoenixes.

The Asian dragon phoenix is different from the phoenix in Chinese legends.

It is more similar to the Western legendary phoenix, essentially a fire-attribute magical beast.

Its pronunciation and meaning in Serpent Tongue are also unrelated to the phoenix, but Liszt habitually compares it to a phoenix because its Serpent Tongue meaning is "the big bird born in flames."