Another very important point is that the role of Nine Hells Gate is not just about martial arts for Leon's current situation.
It is also equivalent to a "Mythical Equipment," greatly enhancing General Leon's combat power in "marital life."
Moreover, this Mythical Equipment can stack up to nine layers of passive effects. Right now, just stacking one layer has already made that mother dragon tremble and say, "Next time, for sure."
If he were to stack all the passive effects to the max, what kind of effect would that have? Leon didn't even dare to imagine.
At least in this regard, his master didn't trick him. Instead, he gave his beloved disciple a huge help.
Knowing that his disciple was in enemy territory and likely not living comfortably, the master provided him with a cheat code, allowing Leon to once again become the chosen one of this era.
Brilliant, truly brilliant.
After unlocking the first gate, Leon immediately continued his research on Nine Hells Gate.
[The first gate, once opened, remains permanently 'open.' The subsequent eight gates must be actively unlocked during battle.]
[Each gate that is opened represents a leap in strength, but also brings greater physical strain on the practitioner.]
[At the same time, the newly obtained temporary power allows the use of different martial techniques.]
[For example, the technique corresponding to the first gate is called 'Body Purification,' which is a passive technique. It expels all impurities from the practitioner's body, making it as pure as that of a newborn baby.]
Leon carefully analyzed the content in the book at a steady pace.
"So, according to this book's concept, as one ages, the body accumulates more and more impurities. That's why the first gate must be opened to cleanse the body."
"This also means that the younger a person is, the easier it is to practice this martial art. And dragon hatchlings can start learning magic at the age of seven or eight... This technique really is well-suited for dragons."
"Daddy."
"Hmm... Huh? Little Light, when did you get here?"
Leon was so deep in thought that he didn't notice when Little Light had appeared beside him.
She sat there obediently, her small pink tail swaying behind her. She tilted her little head up, gazing at Leon with a serious expression.
Leon looked at his daughter. There were tiny beads of sweat on her delicate nose, and her breathing was slightly heavy.
He turned his head to glance at the back entrance of the sanctuary.
Right now, Little Light could walk, but she couldn't go too far. From the sanctuary to the training grounds was a long journey for her.
"I just got here~ Daddy was talking to himself so seriously, so I didn't disturb you."
'So, baby, you heard everything Daddy just said, didn't you?'
Leon quickly replayed his own words in his mind, ensuring that he hadn't said anything that would expose his human identity.
He picked Little Light up into his arms, "Why didn't you go play with Sister Luna?"
"Sister Luna is still sleeping."
Oh, right. It was seven in the morning. Luna's usual sleeping time.
If Noah were home, Luna would wake up early, eager to spend time playing games with her rarely-at-home big sister.
Sister-complexes were like that. They would even sacrifice sleep just to play with their beloved sister.
But since Little Light was still too young to play many games together, for Luna, sleeping was the more cost-effective option.
"Daddy, what book were you reading?", Little Light leaned against her father's chest, her eyes landing on Nine Hells Gate resting on his lap.
She stretched out her tiny hands, signaling for her father to let her take a look.
Leon handed the book over, supporting its back cover with his palm, while Little Light used her small hands to eagerly flip through the pages.
"Little Light, do you want Daddy to teach you how to read?", By his calculations, it was about time to start teaching his daughter literacy.
"No need, Daddy. I already recognize most of the words here."
Little Light pointed at a line in the book and read it out loud, one word at a time: "'The seventh gate is called Awakening, and its corresponding martial technique is Dusk's Protection.' Daddy, did I read it correctly?"
The pink-haired dragon girl lifted her head with an expression begging for praise.
Leon was amazed at his daughter's literacy. He was sure that neither he nor Rossweise had ever taught her. When had she learned?
The proud father pinched his daughter's cheek, not hesitating to praise her, "Mhm, you got it all right. Little Light is amazing!"
"Yay~", The pink-haired dragon girl happily wagged her tail.
"Who taught you how to read? Was it Sister Luna?"
Little Light blinked her big, beautiful eyes and replied, "Sort of..."
"Sort of?"
"Yes. While Sister Luna was practicing literacy, I secretly watched from the side. And after watching for a while... I just learned it."
Hearing this, the experienced General Leon couldn't help but take a deep breath.
He and the Silver Dragon Queen had three daughters—
The eldest was a genius among geniuses, grasping knowledge in an instant, never needing extra guidance.
The second daughter was also incredibly talented, though she followed a more laid-back, go-with-the-flow approach. But you can't call her lazy because she had already learned everything she needed before taking it easy.
And as for the youngest daughter, Aurora... she was on another level entirely.
She had developed a learning method even her father hadn't anticipated—
Stealing knowledge.
No wonder she could speak fluently just half a month after being born but held back for over two months just to enjoy watching her parents bicker.
Even her way of learning was unique.
The sound of flipping pages snapped Leon out of his thoughts.
He looked down and saw Little Light rapidly flipping through the ancient text, spending only about seven or eight seconds per page.
At this reading speed... there was no way she could fully grasp the content, right?
But for a child, even if she could recognize the words, she wouldn't understand their deeper meaning.
In simple terms, she was just looking at it for fun.
Leon didn't say anything about it.
If she wanted to look, she could look. Just let her do as she pleased.
"Daddy."
After flipping through the book for a while, Little Light suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?"
"Here you go."
Little Light closed the book and placed it back into Leon's hands.
Leon chuckled, patting her little head, "Was the content boring?"
Most children liked fables or simple stories.
When Luna was about a year old, she would pester Leon to read her baby dragon educational stories. Let alone a four-month-old like Little Light.
But unexpectedly, Little Light shook her head, "The content was quite interesting. It describes a very magical martial art. It's just that, for me right now, these techniques aren't very meaningful. So I'm just getting a general understanding."
She relaxed in her father's warm, firm embrace, gazing at the azure sky as she spoke softly, "In my opinion, knowledge beyond one's current ability isn't completely unnecessary. Instead, it should first be grasped in a broad and shallow way to facilitate future learning."
"This is a learning method I came up with when I was bored. It might have a lot of flaws, but I'll refine it through practice until it becomes the most suitable method for me."
"Daddy, do you think my approach is right?"
For a child who still sweated from just walking a few steps, she spoke about learning with remarkable insight.
Even Noah had initially followed Leon's lead and guidance when studying. Many of her good habits were instilled by him.
But Little Light, with no one to guide her, had not only secretly learned to read but also developed such forward-thinking learning strategies on her own.
'Baby, you don't seem like you were born just four months ago.'
'It's almost as if you reincarnated with your past life's memories!'
Leon pinched his little daughter's chubby cheeks, "Little Light, don't you think it's a bit too early to be thinking about these things?"
Little Light shook her head, "What is early, and what is late, Daddy?"
She raised her small hand toward the sky, spreading her five tiny fingers. Sunlight filtered through the gaps, casting a glow on her tender face.
Her pink eyes reflected the soft light, like dazzling gemstones.
"I don't have the talents of Sister Noah or Sister Luna, and I don't think I will be a very hardworking person in the future. But at an age where I can think, I will still take the initiative to think."
Listening to Little Light's words, Leon vaguely realized that he could no longer talk to his little daughter with the attitude of treating a child.
She was not an ordinary dragon girl.
Joking about reincarnating with memories was just a joke, but Little Light's level of maturity was indeed beyond all her peers.
She might not match Noah in talent, but she had her own advantage, thinking independently and proactively.
While surprised at his little daughter's abilities, Leon couldn't help but sigh. Mixed-blood dragon girls were truly strong, each with their own strengths.
Maybe... when he had time, he should discuss with Rossweise about having two more kids?
See if they could draw an even more powerful SSR.
As expected, drawing cards was an obsession engraved in human bones—
Shaking his head to clear away the messy thoughts, Leon looked at Little Light.
"There's no need to rush to plan your future, Little Light. You have plenty of time."
"Time... doesn't depend on how much I have, but on how I use it."
Leon raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Even though Little Light is impressive, you definitely didn't come up with that sentence yourself, did you?"
Little Light tilted her head up and gave her dad an adorable smile, "I read it in a book! Little Light thinks it's super cool!"
———
In the afternoon, Leon asked Luna to take Little Light for literacy practice.
Luna was very excited, saying that she could finally experience what it was like to be a teacher.
But Leon had his doubts—given Little Light's level of understanding when it came to learning, it was hard to say who would actually be teaching whom.
Still, he didn't interfere too much with his daughters at this stage. Before formally diving into the ocean of knowledge, they needed to find their own oars first.
Respecting a child's choices had to start from an early age—Leon deeply understood this principle.
After settling his daughters, Leon originally planned to find Rossweise to discuss matters regarding the Nine Gates Hell.
After all, the ancient book was written by that so-called Claudia Poseidon of the Sea Dragon Clan. Some of its contents might be better understood by Rossweise, who was also of the Dragon Clan, than by Leon himself.
But Anna told him that Her Majesty had gone to inspect the border and wouldn't be back until evening.
'Alright, alright, Mother Dragon. Now you're going out without even telling me? This life is getting unbearable.'
'Just wait until you get back—I'll find an excuse to argue with you! You just wait!'
Leon grumbled in his heart for a bit, then headed to the training grounds by himself.
Even without Rossweise, he could still figure out the things in the Nine Gates Hell.
Sitting cross-legged on the grassy field of the training grounds, the warm afternoon breeze ruffled Leon's black bangs and flipped the pages of the ancient book in his hands, producing soft rustling sounds.
When absorbing new knowledge, Leon could always immerse himself completely. That was the main reason he learned things so quickly.
And of course, when a person focused entirely on one thing, they would always lose track of time.
Unknowingly, it was already dusk.
Only then did Leon put down the ancient book, stretch out his arms, and lazily stretch while sitting on the ground.
Looking up at the sunset in the sky, Leon squinted slightly, "It's almost evening... That Mother Dragon should be back by now."
Muttering to himself, he was about to get up and head back.
But the sound of footsteps behind him made him sit back down again.
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