Chapter 35: Time Isn’t About How Much You Have

Regardless of everything else, Master would definitely never harm him – Leon firmly believed this.
So even though he didn’t know where Master had gotten this dragon-authored “Nine Hell Gates” from, it wouldn’t stop Leon from practicing it.
Because he still hadn’t found a way to solve his inability to concentrate magical power, being able to practice a powerful new martial art had become a necessity.
One particularly important point was that the Nine Hell Gates wasn’t just about physical techniques for Leon’s current situation. It also served as a “mythical equipment” that greatly enhanced General Leon’s performance in “married life.”
Moreover, this mythical equipment could stack nine layers of passive effects. With just one layer stacked, it already made that dragoness nervously say “next time for sure.” Leon didn’t dare imagine what effect it would have once all passive layers were stacked.
At least from this perspective, his master hadn’t deceived him, but rather had done his disciple a huge favor. Knowing his disciple was living in enemy territory and probably not having the most comfortable life, the master gave him this power-up, making Leon once again the protagonist of this era.
Brilliant, truly brilliant.
After opening the first gate, Leon immediately began studying the Nine Hell Gates further.
“Only the first gate remains permanently ‘open’ after activation. The remaining eight gates need to be opened by the practitioner during combat.”
“Opening each gate represents a leap in power but also places a greater physical burden on the practitioner.”
“Additionally, these temporarily gained new powers enable different physical techniques.”
“For example, the technique matching the first gate is called ‘Body Tempering,’ a passive skill that purges all impurities from the practitioner’s body, making it as pure as a newborn baby’s.”
Leon analyzed the book’s contents methodically:
“So according to this book’s concept, impurities accumulate in the body as one ages, which is why the first gate is needed to cleanse them.”
“This means younger people would have an easier time practicing this technique. And dragon cubs can start learning magic from age seven or eight… This truly is a technique well-suited for dragons.”
“Papa.”
“Hmm… eh?! Little Light, when did you get here?”
Leon had been so absorbed in thought that he hadn’t noticed when Little Light appeared beside him.
She sat there obediently, her pink tail swaying behind her, looking up at Leon with a serious expression.
Leon looked back at his daughter, noticing beads of sweat on her delicate nose and her somewhat heavy breathing.
He glanced back at the temple’s rear door. Though the little one could walk now, she couldn’t go too far. The distance from the temple to the practice grounds was quite a journey for Little Light at her current age.
“I just got here~ I saw Papa talking to himself and looking very serious, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”
So you mean you heard what Papa was saying just now, sweetheart?
Leon quickly replayed in his mind what he had been muttering, confirming there wasn’t anything that would reveal his human identity.
Leon picked Little Light up into his arms. “Why aren’t you playing with Sister Muen?”
“Sister Muen is still sleeping.”
Ah, it was seven in the morning – indeed Muen’s sleeping time.
If Noia were home, Muen would wake up early to make the most of her time playing games with her sister who rarely came home on holidays—
That’s how sister-cons are; they’ll even sacrifice sleep time to play with their beloved sister.
But since Little Light was too young for many games, for Muen, sleeping offered better value.
“Papa, what book were you reading just now?”
Little Light leaned against her father’s chest, her gaze falling on the “Nine Hell Gates” beside his leg.
She reached out her small hand, gesturing for her father to let her see the book.
Leon handed it over, supporting the back with his palm while Little Light used both her tiny hands to earnestly turn the pages.
“Little Light, would you like Papa to teach you how to read?” It seemed about time to start teaching his daughter literacy.
“No need, Papa. The characters here… I think I recognize most of them.”
Little Light pointed at a line in the book and read carefully: “‘The seventh gate is named ‘Awakening,’ and its corresponding physical technique is ‘Twilight’s Protection.’ Did I read that right, Papa?”
The pink-haired dragon girl looked up with an expression seeking praise.
Leon was surprised by his youngest daughter’s literacy skills. He remembered that neither he nor Rosvitha had taught her, so when did she learn?
The doting father pinched his daughter’s cheeks, generously offering praise: “Yes, you read it all correctly. Little Light is amazing!”
“Yay~” The pink-haired dragon girl happily wagged her tail.
“Then who taught Little Light to read? Sister Muen?”
Little Light blinked her beautiful big eyes and replied, “Sort of…”
“Sort of?”
“Yes, when Sister Muen was doing her reading practice, Little Light was secretly watching from the side, and after watching for a while… I just learned it.”
Hearing this, even the worldly General Leon couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.
Of his three daughters with the Silver Dragon Queen—
The eldest was a genius among geniuses, a top student among top students, grasping any knowledge instantly without need for explanation;
The second daughter was also exceptionally gifted, taking a casual and zen approach to learning, though you couldn’t call her lazy since she only started slacking after mastering everything she needed to learn;
But compared to her eldest sister’s ‘diligent studying’ and second sister’s ‘work-life balance,’ their youngest daughter Aurora was rather extraordinary.
She had pioneered a learning method that even her father hadn’t anticipated:
Secret learning!
As expected of the ultimate emotionally intelligent prankster who could speak just half a month after birth but held her tongue for over two months just to watch her parents bicker.
Even her learning method was unusual.
The sound of turning pages interrupted Leon’s thoughts.
Looking down, he saw Little Light quickly flipping through the ancient text, spending only about seven or eight seconds on each page.
At this reading speed… she couldn’t possibly be reading all the content, right?
But for a child, even if they could recognize the characters, they probably wouldn’t understand their meaning.
Simply put, she was just looking for fun.
Leon didn’t say anything about this.
Let the child read however she wants, just spoil her.
“Papa.”
After flipping through for a while, Little Light suddenly spoke.
“Hmm?”
“Here, I’m giving it back.”
Little Light closed the ancient text and placed it back in Leon’s hands.
Leon smiled and patted her little head. “Was the content too boring?”
Young children probably prefer fairy tales and such.
When Muen was just over a year old, she would pester Leon to read her dragon cub enlightenment stories, let alone four-month-old Little Light.
However, unexpectedly, Little Light shook her head, “The content was quite interesting, it’s a fascinating type of physical technique. But for me right now, these techniques don’t have much meaning, so I’m just getting a general understanding.”
Little Light contentedly leaned against her father’s firm, warm embrace, gazing at the azure sky as she spoke leisurely,
“In my view, knowledge beyond one’s current abilities isn’t completely unnecessary to learn, but rather should be understood broadly and superficially first, to make future learning easier.”
“This is a learning method I thought of when I was bored by myself. There might be many flaws, but I’ll gradually perfect it through practice until it becomes the most suitable learning method for me.”
“Papa, do you think Little Light’s approach is correct?”
At an age where walking a few steps would make her sweat profusely, yet she could speak so eloquently about learning methods.
Even Noia initially just followed Leon’s guidance and thinking in her studies – many of her good habits were cultivated by Leon.
But Little Light, without any guidance, not only learned so many characters through “secret learning,” but could also think so far ahead, truly planning for the future.
Sweetheart, how do you seem nothing like a four-month-old baby?
It’s like you haven’t completely forgotten your previous life!
Playing at reincarnation with memories intact with your old man, are we?
Leon pinched his youngest daughter’s chubby cheeks, “Doesn’t Little Light think it’s too early to be thinking about these things?”
Little Light shook her head, “What is early, and what is late, Papa?”
She raised her small hand toward the sky, spreading her short five fingers as sunlight filtered through the gaps, falling on her tender face.
Her pink eyes reflected the gentle light, like brilliant jewels.
“I don’t have the talent of Sister Noia and Sister Muen, and I don’t think I’ll be a very hardworking person in the future, but while I’m at an age where I can think, I’ll actively think.”
Listening to Little Light’s words, Leon vaguely realized that he probably couldn’t treat his youngest daughter with the attitude of dealing with a normal child anymore.
She wasn’t an ordinary dragon girl.
The joke about reincarnating with memories was just that – a joke, but Little Light’s mental maturity truly exceeded all her peers.
In terms of talent, she might not match Noia, but she had her own advantage – active and independent thinking.
While amazed at his youngest daughter’s abilities, Leon couldn’t help but marvel at how strong these mixed-blood dragon girls were, each with their own strengths.
Maybe… he should discuss with Rosvitha about trying for two more?
See if they could pull an even more amazing SSR.
Indeed, the gacha impulse is carved into human bones—
Shaking his head to clear away these random thoughts, Leon looked at Little Light,
“There’s no need to rush to plan your future, Little Light. You have plenty of time.”
“Time… isn’t about how much I have, but how I use it.”
Leon raised an eyebrow and chuckled, “Though Little Light is very clever, that line definitely wasn’t thought up by you, right?”
Little Light tilted her head up, showing her father an adorable smile, “I saw it in a book. Little Light thinks this line is super cool!”