35 Time Isn’t Measured by How Much You Have
(3K words)
Regardless of anything else, Master would never scam his own student—Leon was dead sure about that.
So even though he had no clue where Master dug up this Dragon Race-written “Nine Gates of Hell,” it didn’t stop Leon from practicing.
After all, he still hadn’t found a solution to his issue of being unable to harness magic. Therefore, learning a brand-new, powerful martial art became imperative.
Moreover, an important point was that the utility of the Nine Gates of Hell wasn’t just about martial arts for Leon’s current predicament.
It also served as a sort of “mythical equipment,” greatly boosting General Leon’s effectiveness in “couples’ activities.”
And the best part? This mythical equipment could stack up to nine layers of passive abilities! Just having a single layer made that Mother Dragon shiver and say, “I’ll definitely do better next time.”
He couldn’t even imagine the effects if all layers were stacked. At least in this aspect, Master hadn’t let him down but instead helped his beloved apprentice immensely.
Knowing that his disciple was in the enemy camp and presumably not living the sweet life, Master decided to grant Leon a cheat code—turning him back into the favored child of the game.
Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant.
After unlocking the first gate, Leon wasted no time diving deeper into studying the Nine Gates of Hell.
“The first gate remains in the ‘opened’ state indefinitely, while the remaining eight need to be activated by the practitioner during combat.”
“Each gate unlocked signifies a leap in power, but it also brings a greater physical burden.”
“Moreover, with newly gained power, different martial arts techniques can be deployed.”
“For example, the technique corresponding to the first gate is named ‘Body Tempering,’ a passive skill that eradicates all impurities from the practitioner’s body, making it as pure as a newborn baby.”
Leon perused the book’s contents, analyzing it with a casual demeanor, “So, this book implies that as one ages, impurities in the body accumulate. That’s why you need to unlock the first gate to cleanse those impurities.”
“That means younger individuals will find it easier to practice this martial art. And since Dragon Race younglings can start learning magic around ages seven or eight… It’s truly perfect for dragons!”
“Dad.”
“Hmm… Huh?! Little Light, when did you get here?”
Lost in thought, Leon hadn’t even noticed when Little Light popped up beside him.
She obediently sat there, her pink little tail swaying behind her, attentively gazing up at Leon with a serious expression.
Leon looked back at his daughter, noticing beads of sweat on her delicate nose and her slightly heavy breathing.
He glanced at the back door of the Holy Temple.
The little munchkin could walk now, but still couldn’t venture too far; the trek from the temple to the practice yard was a long haul for Little Light.
“I just got here~ I saw Dad talking to himself, looking super serious, so I didn’t want to interrupt.”
Meaning she heard everything Dad just said, right?
Leon quickly mentally rewinded to replay everything he had rambled on about—there shouldn’t be anything revealing his human identity.
He scooped Little Light into his arms. “Why aren’t you playing with Moon?”
“She’s still sleeping.”
Oh, right! It’s seven in the morning—definitely Moon’s nap time.
If Noia were home, Moon would wake up early to squeeze in some playtime with her rare-day-off sister—
Sister complex in full swing! Would even sacrifice sleep just to play with her sister.
“Dad, what book were you reading just now?”
Little Light nestled in her dad’s arms, her gaze fixed on the “Nine Gates of Hell” resting on his lap.
She reached out her tiny hand, signaling for Dad to let her see the book.
Leon handed it over, propping the back with his palm, while Little Light enthusiastically flipped through the pages with her small hands.
“Little Light, how about I teach you to read?” Now felt like the right time for a literacy lesson.
“No need, Dad. I roughly understand the words on this page…”
Pointing to a line in the book, she clearly read, “‘The seventh gate is named ‘Awakening,’ and its corresponding martial technique is ‘Twilight Blessing.’” Did I read it right, Dad?”
The pink-haired dragon girl looked up at him with a face begging for praise.
Leon was amazed at his little daughter’s reading skills. He and Roswiser had never taught her. When on earth did she learn?
He pinched her chubby cheek, generously praising her, “Yep, that’s right! Little Light is awesome!”
“Yay~” The pink-haired dragon girl wagged her tail in delight.
“So who taught you how to read? Moon?”
Little Light blinked her enchanting big eyes and replied, “Kinda…”
“Kinda?”
“Yep, when Moon practiced reading, I peeked over and… learned a bit by watching.”
Hearing this, the well-read General Leon couldn’t help but gasp in disbelief.
Here he was, a father with three daughters—
The eldest was a genius among geniuses, effortlessly grasping any knowledge in no time flat; no need for further explanation.
The second daughter, however, while gifted, approached learning casually and with a laid-back attitude, but it wouldn’t be fair to say she was lazy; she learned everything necessary before slacking off.
And compared to the diligent eldest and the balanced second, the youngest, Aurora, took the cake for being heavyweight.
She had pioneered a most unexpected method of learning that even her father couldn’t fathom:
Stealing knowledge!
No surprise she could talk just half a month after birth, yet had the emotional intelligence to hold back from speaking, waiting two whole months just to watch Mom and Dad bicker.
Even her methods of learning were far from traditional!
The sound of pages turning snapped Leon from his thoughts.
He looked down to see Little Light flipping through the ancient tome at lightning speed, each page barely getting a glance for seven or eight seconds.
With that reading speed… there was no way she’d grasp the content!
But considering her age, even if she recognized the words, she probably wouldn’t understand their meaning.
In short, just observing the commotion.
Leon didn’t say anything about it.
If the kid wanted to peruse, let her be—just spoil her.
“Dad.”
After rummaging for a bit, Little Light suddenly spoke.
“Hmm?”
“Here you go.”
Little Light closed the ancient book and placed it back in Leon’s hands.
Leon smiled, ruffling her little head, “Wasn’t the content pretty boring?”
Kids usually preferred fairy tales and such.
When Moon was a bit over a year old, she would pester Leon to read her baby dragon wisdom stories—not to mention four-month-old Little Light.
However, surprisingly, Little Light shook her head, “The content is quite interesting; it’s a fascinating sort of martial art. Just, for me right now, these techniques don’t have much significance, so I’m just getting a general idea.”
Little Light cozily snuggled in her dad’s warm embrace, gazing at the azure sky as she spoke dreamily, “From my perspective, knowledge that exceeds one’s ability isn’t entirely unnecessary to learn; it’s essential to grasp the basics first, so future learning becomes easier.”
“This method of learning is something I thought of during my boring moments. It might have many flaws, but I’ll gradually refine it with practice until it becomes the most suitable learning approach for me.”
“Dad, do you think Little Light’s approach is correct?”
At an age where walking a few steps had her sweating, she spoke eloquently about learning.
Even Noia initially learned by following Leon’s guidance; many of her good habits sprouted from him.
But Little Light was doing just fine on her own, recognizing so many words without any guidance, and her foresight was impressively proactive.
Sweetheart, you don’t seem like you were just born four months ago!
It’s as if you’re borrowing memories from your past life!
Is Daddy here playing around with a revolving reincarnation or something?
Leon pinched his daughter’s adorable cheeks, “Don’t you think it’s a bit early to be pondering these things?”
Little Light shook her head, “What’s early and what’s late, Dad?”
She raised her tiny hand toward the sky, spreading her fingers wide, sunlight streaming through the gaps and casting a glow on her tender face.
Her pink eyes reflected soft light, sparkling like precious gems.
“I might not have the talent of Noia and Moon, and don’t think I’ll be a particularly hardworking person in the future, but even when I can think, I want to be proactive.”
Listening to Little Light’s words, Leon began to realize he couldn’t engage with his little girl using a typical child’s mindset anymore.
She wasn’t just any ordinary dragon girl.
Talking about reincarnation was just a joke, but the maturity of Little Light’s thoughts genuinely surpassed all her peers.
In talent, she might not match Noia, but her advantage lies in her proactive and independent thinking.
As Leon marveled at his daughter’s abilities, he couldn’t help but sigh in admiration—this half-bl**d dragon girl truly was remarkable; everyone had their strengths.
So… how about discussing things with Roswiser and trying for two more kids?
Let’s see if we can draw a more awesome SSR.
Indeed, card drawing is an obsession etched into human bones—
Shaking his head to dispel the chaotic thoughts, Leon turned to Little Light.
“There’s no rush to plan your future, Little Light. You have plenty of time.”
“Time… isn’t measured by how much I have, but rather how I choose to use it.”
Leon raised an eyebrow and chuckled, “Though you’re impressive, that line can’t possibly be your original thought, right?”
Little Light looked up at her dad, flashing an adorable smile. “I found it in a book! I think it’s super cool!”
