Chapter 15
YE67“Receiving instruction fromFefx0 a Swordmasteri98j is anO1dr honor forN9Sfv me. ThoughkCUO I am574dB lacking, I will dosi0CBU my utmost,GVK so I humbly asktBIz you toUqWp guide meE9R2 well.”WEJ
8RElDOLucian bowed hisujR4Na head toUTu1K6 Eisen withyqxi96 the deepestQ0v reverence possible.bzd At thatF8a attitude, theD4FaW old knightHFi3 waved hisAiP hands uncomfortably.ua0jmP
97RoBL“There’s no needHlW9q to bexw8 so stiff.a4S Even ifbkPp they call08V me Swordmaster,rHnAq I’m nothing1Bmd more than2RBv6 an oldSW6Krn man whoseD9j death isJ7Gm already scheduled.qjEYq Besides, youngMekf master, you’red1L now a candidate for5eMNf heir—how canRVRyg7 you bow1DSd your headeIg61 so easily?”XQdgeGr
sPIYUNot even atBMu the old6BF knight’s modestyyTz could LucianOCS9O relax.IOe
Y19EXiThe title ofpbe Swordmaster couldbF8 only beqWBz earned byVjZ a superhuman8W4sp who, afterGkfj6 reaching theUOFD limit ofxuhMw circulation and03so7 achieving awakening,CWTlSr had takenHl6 their sword37c technique tooHVw the absolutef14Q8 extreme.pSSfoh
AzXT7Looking through the09lkV long historyYqku5 of thecFim Empire, there51LE had onlygiw been oneWGW time whenb2ekG two SwordmastersvIEF existed simultaneously.kiZ5L8
eLbXNAnd even then,6X4ZVT it washVKy7 just a few yearso2xz before thekg0kg previous oneoQGN died ofc3E4gC old age,nKNL9 showing howaWg6KO rare it2KUOW was forzfKb even oneDnffV to emerge5Rqeu per generation.aH12E1TbclM
O7xFor Lucian, who23i had devotedZuS5Ke himself toyid2Sb the swordvGo like a madman invvff6 his pastUCWMi8 life, that1JM weight wasnwpsz impossible todEaTq ignore.RdvVvp
8AD“I cannot disgrace121TSC the nameS7ti4F of Housev2l Valdeck, butuf9VA how couldFsXLR3 I treat5wlFVl lightly a knight whoUPgj has reachedVB4 the levelsFC of SwordmastertDLS just becauseBBn0 he isDVNBvA a vassal?VWr Regardless ofOxG status, SirA7f6 Eisen iscsPKB someone whofl2v deserves theLOrO reverence ofq6hh all knights.”GQP0cmod
c3H8“Heh heh.”m0bpq
mhlmpiWhen Lucian spokeLM7 again withTo7yu complete sincerity,YbuWq a differentHPKes light passedmvVYGb through Eisen’sbrl eyes.JFH
FrVThe other youngnnN6b lords hadbZ93Q9 also shown4neze great reverenceRXG toward him.GXLPlbS8
xOjS58But that had0hzuv been, to7CZT a degree,h6V2 the reverenceCS2x of candidates4qeVya to theLOG0D4 great house’sDncS succession.920r
LKSBThe name ofPxk a SwordmasterZQGW had theewKF power toGMwys completely shift21gU the structuredqyG of succession.U7YVBV
AjYtIn contrast, Lucian’sJ37QNR reverence was9msVmT much closerVM8 to pureiaLP admiration fromMVpd37 one knighthv5n to another.V1g4QPflA
l8wIr‘How curious… sonsghdiu of noble5ivWy families usuallypLPF see strength4LTdEO only asz3q a toolNBR for theirMgq own use.’GD7o0LPJk
1QG3WIt was natural.LBaDhI
t0AYoung men whoYvQ had grownEirge up inZJhIa a peacefulfzYZwN world, surroundedWFbjJ1 by mediocrevTPJ8 knights anduo7 countless armies.QXgoKbL
MM6cATo them, a warrior whofDi could faceLNvio a hundredFwfAke men seemed7rDVcH like nothing6Xl more thanTTy an exaggerationBmR from a story, orfajw at best,H6W someone whoQKLO could bevvHNz overwhelmed byqaULG sheer numbers.dS7k46szUsK
q4YEmHowever, the attitudeIdg of theVGxp third youngQVwE master seemedQHA like someoneq7ZowZ who hadnY4kyd personally walkedwGoo the pathoret3N of theOUTS9 sword.Ty8qj
kaqD— I thoughtpEDY he washMQYoo a lostvhmN cause, butINbIB upon takingFDAtu a secondrW0m6 look, hetyIbP turned outMa74lH to beMuKOtC someone trulyKAr remarkable. WasrlEg it hisPjNtx incredible talent?iumLG More thangKW that, ityb3dc was hisVOtkt mindset thatGU6H surprised me.N5uvJg You’ll understandUbce when youHfKzNz see itXS0 for yourself.TnmqdSpHF6C
2oRniKEisen recalled theETo8Tb words thegyEKbJ duke haduSg spoken beforeWSpq sending himOJ63Z here.cvu4
zSohz1Now he seemeddi1z to understand,O8myTl at least4pfEnk partially, what1gdLmk he hadPyhpz meant.IB2gz
IrhVb3But he couldn’t3qk4xu treat Lucianlxuw8 specially justaxr2 for showing8foP6w a differentWSvcL reaction.rj2F5
nY8lkFor now, heLny25 planned toWqS4 assess hisWIKPh ability throughQMVg5M the same5VX training asIdK5F the otherVAx young lords.3DFvTm3H7
DWLe3O“Very well. If8LKt you insist1BOl like that,fTT continuing to1kPgtE refuse yourK6mV respect wouldWa9 also beskR rude. Do86PeGY what makesr85E you mostyb7y comfortable, young91emwD master.”KUW
Y2B“Thank you forl1O your understanding.”R7iNLGx
TrK“Then let’s beginya2c training immediately.4pu Run aroundhaL the trainingMWQ field.”NRuWpm
1GSfU2“Yes.”Dz5op7
V6dPwLucian responded instantly3H62 and beganMTYtlN running aroundlgFU1 the field.NmbowxYQ
4sQvXHe didn’t aske3Su why, norZSh5gm did herLV show theGxXHpT slightest hesitation.vvTXq0OBeKVw
ADA8That indifferent attitude6zO left Eisen—the29m1Q one whofJY gave thexX8 order—perplexed instead.CeIvFHDrS
YsYOQ“W-wait a moment,WXsRsO young master.”GOACCqv
dtxP0“Yes? Is somethingZ5T wrong?”hhj4Cp
EkChtu“Don’t you haveDwShs9 any questions?C9RSs For example,NGGj why I’mu2s telling youGBXY to run,pHyNNj how long0JILBm you’re supposedWp3 to doNPUqAd it, oraWtQ what theIguIi purpose ofpXcB this trainingT2b2 is?”sEw
ZzK“I am curious,YBlT yes, butJDw I assumeopeNOc you orderedCGGy it becauseSaCyjA you considerypGD it necessaryfwnJMO for me,UEHZW right? IfUho1S you don’t7PbmCA explain itP2bP in detail,P19lz I’m sureDkggK you have4kjOyR your reasons.OSvUFM As the0oux one receivingWRn instruction, I only followCN5x46 my master’s9B1CG words.”BhP
icQBefore he finishedyz8 speaking, LucianRErSi started runningEC6Hi again.e4k
cLuP2cAt that sight,IG6 a drypPTKX laugh escaped602Xz Eisen’s lips.BFFXg11
gPhgSaying it wasBBWe easy, but8M9u6B could anyoneD3MW really act7hEuTA like thatXJvTp so naturally?tPQqVKcH
nvjH3hAs human beings,mict we tendJ38p9a to avoiddQBbnH effort thataTE seems pointless.bTHcCv4Hq
73Vj4QAnd if oneBJ5DIW is a noble, evenM7w more so—evaluatingbtr gains andhcqe losses is7T1 as naturalA24U as breathing.hxFoyzb
Uj3bvYet this youngjQZYFx man wasoMKm running withoutNdG hesitation, withoutCcoh0x questioning a thing.pJsgDj
iCDz5M‘The third youngeRwcr master isTnVRDX definitely different,vNoH your excellency.’FCSjDZojU
exTIn the eyesAge of the2Ye6A Sword Saintmw7 Eisen, a sense ofwem6f expectation arose.rTd4q3bw3
HIcZ5Perhaps, for thesDwsJ first time,87M he could07L teach a true knight—noti9t just a young noble.nVbaGnekl
pL73f3***2lar
T1h4Lucian continued silently4IPUI running throughPbo the widewgC grounds ofb6Wxj2 the trainingCE5 field.7nnSE
LU1In truth, hisJcM response toDod2Hr Eisen wasCfZ mixed withdnOda a bitkuylz of a lie.OuZK
sRoRAUIt wasn’t justOQISYg blind faith1I7a that madelbt9 him obeyM6V without question—heLHFI also knewsdt9l6 the purposePMIFgM behind thisYQRc test.5IvD
Bv7b9‘To someone whotB0t knows nothing,GOaj1 this mayJ9up look likekdSA simple physicalS3iZ3 exercise, but4up in reality,rlRag6 it’s a way toovUl1f assess theOK6i disciple fromY88rL multiple angles.’WSHIQKHYuK
64dEObserving how obedientusMwqZ he isxM225 even without5lQ79h being toldSiHUis to practiceHWEY swordsmanship.hybJ
P2ngBSeeing how farmcRF his staminaHnj3B lasts beforeFdNS formal training.4z0YwSjV
uJItuMeasuring how longndR he’ll keepDlw running without2z6 stopping ifiVvd not given6n1 the orderDfrgJm to stop.7WAg3Zpdq
OBfCWith this simplePEk6k run, onert0X could assess8Mx4bf character, physicallLz condition, anddlfXZf tenacity.sX4T6
yBdNPractically everything neededMKex9 to judgelXohj whether someone2wkV deserved toNnb68p be a disciple—except pure4kLw6 talent.XxNOmN
LzKKKd‘Well, when talentlN63uz is lacking,35Q they usuallyolQ eliminate you6KO based onUkQ0N character orjCJ tenacity. ThoughnD3H being theHXEqw duke’s son,T1fD they’ll teach7Qz you anyway.’Z3gCbq
v85A bitter smile8qw rose onzot Lucian’s lips.VTN0jxWUi
Sa4CPower really didtq0 grant privileges.n3F84pWSg
UA9SAs a master,T4a one wouldFK9 have toERtC teach disciplesHcY0 they didn’t2YE even want.y2qodUyC
b54VQFBut from anothereS2g angle, thisZHr was alsoeQ88h an opportunityju6 to earnv8vK points withkxn7 a Swordc2P7 Saint.232g4
22nNo matter howeEGva good a noble youth’sd11mMG character orb37gd perseverance, theirGgfJw level before7bef a SwordUU4DJG Saint wasQeaMGU predictable.War
dwOYQLucian, in that3OgC regard, couldVZTII stand far1AWVu above the3jp4 rest.YSSe
JFsBsh‘My character isuaj already proven—thenq1af what’s leftttb is tenacity.wQBbA No choice.4PP I’ll haves3wU to bracegen myself forGpk a fewC3uHr days offeMPa illness.’c8L
mBaThough his bodyWO2 had recovered,MRmnay it was4dW7d still lackingNUnqa in training.kVIGjB
qwC5sHe’d likely bearqNJU exhausted soon,oANw so ifypEm he wantedDQv to leavendMwz a deepGtevi impression, he’dUy2K have toA3UG run like98BwjE his lifeIWOkrT depended onkwxe7 it.W8SzP
bbcFortunately, this wasn’tpy7jR just anyz9rV noble family—itMpCu was theFlJq ducal houseL3u1K of Valdeck.zdeNLJ
RRN4NYEven if hee5iVr0 collapsed fromtWZI lack ofjw5j air, they’dg56H surely haveUlD some medicinecXht to revivemKkQ him.bXp3a
LrrJWith that resolve,fVnj Lucian duggYG into theWn5h ground and2jdyU increased hiszTM0 pace.7hltnu
IihFAnd one hourY4yG3P passed.RHZ
MfSo6“….”B4ZEZ
uGo2Ou“….”nEOF
3AHV3MTap, tap.oxih
9z7hYtThe sound ofwKGo1 Lucian’s footstepsqNA continued toDv7QTv echo throughoutTPyTL the training1NHZ field.hkrJoS
MK7p1His breathing didn’tYMAS grow heavy,QtaU nor diddLamQ his legsKSzOs slow down.WwWhdQz72p
DfeSwordmaster Eisen openeduQs08K his eyesJ1Y in astonishmentSr5 at a result hecoNi never couldaW7 have imagined.rgs8MG1R
iEyyBut the most1Gz surprised ofM5B all wasJR84v Lucian himself.GnpNb8C7OW9
fZrp‘What…? Why amyqfsp I notg09 getting tired?’9Sw1Nxo
e5gA7According to hisTaxy calculations, heYgh89 should’ve collapsedCT9 long ago.N4dNOKEBz
p7EGAnd even ifhzz7ze he hadn’tTAGJ4 fainted, atMnqU5i the veryRCP01 least hisRjVLof speed shouldhwp have slowedYc5Do or hisLAYw breathing shouldkVwvyW have becomehSrKjg labored.p71P4C
js9dLNThat would haveE0Be been normalQn8fCN for anyJ1S0hj human beingnord who wasn’tycpkW a superhuman.HU4tIvDz8
TE1dYet, for someQxwR reason, Lucian’sUZUd body didn’tB9AY show a single signRZ69n of fatigue.Fkmwu7c0CyB
LCydad“Young master, arefQ0 you alljAlj right?”DkLjwL
DInTH“Well… for someGejx reason, I think I am.”qO8ma
hvRJjFaced with Eisen’skDjPmk bewildered question,e3sG5 Lucian repliedU8zn with anFLw equally stunnedla6z9 expression.mD55X
jlTThen he ranmDo7Yi for anotherMrfvCN thirty minutes,wura yet hisYqZ body remainedVNM full ofgBiU energy.4np
VOIngRealizing Lucian’s physicalF6qyh condition, EisenCkiWi1 let outcnp6 a bittergjMkmP smile.NYxIK
AzqIVC“I’m afraid there’skIWID no pointSTH in continuing.OUamMq Stop andeL3 come hereRaHAd4 for a moment, please.”QGajiOgYTZ
iWDVjX“Yes.”tE1va
LE7SWJust as herYmTuK said, whenFjx Lucian approached,f64x8S Eisen tookTIJt4 his wrist.SloUlVg
K7nYOiThen he placed9GTdm his handWCHlR over thecMDJ bluish veins.MuhpTI5Q
n7G“I’ll check theuIhfIl condition of5gkG the thirdgEvvb young master’sKMedm body. EvenmE4X if youwnzKG feel somethingcH1b strange, dopbP6w not move.”4pD2Mlve9K
gBpQMAs soon asutR Lucian nodded,ksK a coolVKLbX energy infiltratedVpJ4vg his bodyYiM through his7gTF wrist.Plh7iQ
GAGgAt the unfamiliarArw sensation, LucianGOQSQr involuntarily shivered.CKlez2jJK2G
tCNCf‘He’s using hisFny own magicalGMxbO energy as3cb4Yi a sensebueE to exploreSWObgf the insideV0X4L of another’sAW8 body?’WH1
4ckAxyHe couldn’t helpwTgid but beGQGx amazed.T5Ua
f1tsDProjecting magical energy12M outside theixMQRO body was5XY already extremelyfDzquy difficult, yetgYS he handledYFks it withQf6g incredible finesse.BtW01HztTvkJ
E5nDMoreover, as ituFo coursed throughhjZOw his body,BqXcU aside fromLtjWG0 a faintlyUT2Bt strange feeling,sbi there wereskU no serious5y3k anomalies.Hrd
a4lXUndoubtedly, Eisen hady9Iq harmonized thel3g nature ofzGyPZ his energyi3v4Er with Lucian’sn9Ps4 to theA8aLh utmost, minimizingHK3 any sideToyxI effects.mJL
RA4CVOnce again, Lucian0JFtu3 realized howHXoXK truly highSWZ9S the levelHnUTs of a Swordmaster was.dQz7aSAOcF
cFMKM“This is…!”l0beBj
zlXIEisen’s eyes, whichMks0 had beenwCB exploring hisoYi body forkVDbj1 a while,0OGkG trembled visibly.XtplCf
drlMoments later, he2uh5o withdrew hisU7yboP energy and9sjl looked LucianDsytHi directly inqdQw the eyesycRF as heJ4lEsF asked.RjoBrP
rm0m05“Young master, mayLhh1 I ask4Um a fewGLdWLN questions? HavebSP0p you practiced72UG3 circulation onfpAUu your ownrWmC recently?”xgLS
BSOW“Yes, I have.”CQPZJwOpLx
LzYLucian responded withouthLeA hesitation.XdV4Uc
DEzThe previous ownercL6Mh of this0C3dx body hadUcN9 already learned4eMmBe circulation, soao6R it wasn’tdsb strange thatPPM he couldl3EH perform it.6KZ5Elp
8HiKRZUnlike sword techniques,nBQ it didn’tluLHH require extremePrVJMv physical trainingzZXB and couldponSU be easilyemP4 learned ifste someone helped8VDD externally.HYq
NIKBgrEisen knew thatow2ENO too, soguoW he dismissedLVt the first1wzkyC answer withoutb7pdG much thought.cBz76k7dGB
TvDKvThe real questionFl77 came next.lU8EfkIswOq
6vT4“Then, during circulation,g5kuO have youzhMU ever feltdee anything blocked—pressureiVYMT9 or pain?”q6l2iIRV9rP
V8T“No.”3hk
45CH2“Not even a sensation ofwx7YP0 something gettingKHUh stuck?”watOW
JZPDt“Not at all.CNZM It flowed7E7A smoothly, likeWQe a waterwheel.”mdL8Tq6c5
WM2jX“Ha… Ha ha.Lt4 Hahaha!”tbqr5
6I5aaCountless emotions flickeredrYbv across Eisen’sjF7iu face.ciBQu
lyyFFDisbelief, joy, regret,1oy relief, doubt.SnsLUxgr
fmUAnd beyond those,Aqsf complex, indescribable0y3 emotions.O7Ii
AisWnLucian couldn’t fully2XT understand hisyOjh state ofHQUJd mind either,tgy03 but hemelh had a rough ideag95Bq of the6LE reason.2ivro
BHDbY‘He realized that319UT the energyFCcB pathways are8C3uAd already completely4tp open.’l10ei
ZdaCome to thinkINoZg of it,gmeK4 maybe theCkKIfN reason he7ASf hadn’t gottenzMjA tired earlierKo7QY was alsoIuuL related tokTvNP this body.kJwJRe6O
TbXmqFSince Lucian hadbVt never achievedEgdC greatness as2mQMQ a swordsmankUV in hisnDj past life,VYNl he couldxtigYO only makeZTrF a roughIR15 guess.l2jccb
lCkBut Eisen wasfl0nUN a Swordmaster—a9GL level countableMlrq on oneypKL hand inU1IM the historyR5f of theCLr continent.qI5x
SHMyXFPerhaps he hadx5o discovered somethingupzsVc far deeperH1yT about Lucian’s6lvS body.lpm
LODr‘I’d like to6my ask, but…’XswwWK9
kXtJIt would beQdnzru strange forasx2 the thirdsaN4Ml young master—whoz59d2 couldn’t evena7IWS properly masterExRLRP one swordgwF technique—to point06W out suchiGgo complex details5RKT precisely.Nsg437
qtVRather than raise8tbib unnecessary suspicion,MdIJu it wasTIc3qD better toS2W stay quieti6vn until it1nm was explainedkppJyq to him3uDrw directly.bC8Pq
IAxAfter a longWzdl silence, EisenZ9g let out5L3xvP a sigh.kkzGKQNjIvl
UoUPH9“I see, I understand.”ZW3G
m4Z6“Is there somethingHsdm strange aboutBPMGC my body?”79zSETCNF
HW8“No, quite the6EwcQ0 opposite. The0fk14N third youngket7Y master’s bodytPB is moreIeEM suited thanrM0m8d anyone’s towgIB learn theo9lb9 Lion Heart6U9s4 Sword.”SN0Tl
tO0DM“Huh? What doee2 you meanVQQ by that…?”TwzS7gKIe4hV
7LE“Third young master.”vSOsyKuTV3
bwLoGEisen erased allcUX trace ofcNG a smileyRqEVe from his4qfTE face and4yi spoke in8eRtPO a seriousdlEUx tone.DOD
VDGo23“Rather than aiminggxuV6e for the55Sd position ofy1lp heir toXFDfh House Valdeck,qKI have youaKdxFa considered aimingWBPuv to become1xPBT the nextIwN Swordmaster?”vDvhq
tqPB7“…!?”vNf
poti***pu5qm
i6MLucian was sob6PZi shocked heuSpmWW couldn’t respond10UcWu for a moment.rhY
wwxGive up the5BrNOd position ofHvZobR heir toJLu become theqhot next Swordmaster?qHGh7LC
NUiMC7Seeing Lucian’s confusion,GuHDT Eisen continuedorfJ9V explaining inxEeF8n a calmoP2fU voice.MwU7k
JdAB“The third youngnAk8 master mayTe1I have brushedNlD6NF off theVwz fact thatDDIE22 his circulationroA has no9e4gfm blockages, but70mtf in truth,Tcg that isixpQlG an immenseKy6 blessing.”tz4j79
6QlodCirculation is theQUbp7l process byqSri which thehEeM human body—fulltye7w of impurities—iskJm slowly purified.OLFhPH9B
5OdEven if repeatedHTWa daily without2azNh fail, thekxWe process ofnS8OGI opening andEEwqkN widening blockedHrH energy pathwaysFkA4w is endlesslywyCHow long.2OeHIA
IVmSo long, intrt9 fact, thatIMz even startingEzJo in adolescence,zU7Vl6 it’s saidSPfAl one doesn’tY7T reach theIlK end untilNMmgIb after middle2Ga age.kSj
rlzAnd that’s only2Nh if pairedOdqPe6 with strengtheningQbp magical energy92DfK through swordgJM2 techniques.M0UL5
qrYIf you neglectudqT your trainingoNQ even slightlyyyjCS or loserX49i4 focus, theTyn pathways remainjdB blocked untilpv007 the dayP1LL you die.zQTEiFx
LawZ“But in yourkqMp case, thirdhqJZI young master,okf all theL54NWi pathways arewjchli open fromwAk the start.WkoJwY Do youPH2d understand whatiBHGU that means?”QWsff1m4
NLQc“Does it meanRifCB that I’m0vz several decadeszAc ahead ofeDlaQ other swordsmenSKl from birth?”l6NeWdlK
43D“It’s more thaniyV9 that.”UeV
MR76f“Huh? Then whatoC0o else doespXQ it imply?”nZLVRMB
MHSLucian asked withnaz complete sincerity.YyuZKqUnTF
z82No matter howw1rZUf much hez62E thought abouteuBo3i it, heQeZp couldn’t imaginePHi a greaterOZBnO effect thanGk4he6 that.yWPlR
zve25Even if itRbIsW were somethingFtcC extraordinary, atEHUCA most itV9jxwB would meanbvir the pillsLX5bKm he tookROqPB would havegiU several timesIEubK0 the usualq1BfT effect.Pbps
1l5Faced with Lucian’sMHZ confused expression,l4YN Eisen spoke3W6hXG in a trembling voice.7eicdmV
l2E2“From the momentxFv all the57aAg pathways are6fp open, theNFP body isqu4qEs already fullyEPp purified. There’sKX2g no higherM3NE level thanoucl that. However,ThYcs in your6nI case, thebpi effects ofGz5 circulation are5V8 still progressing,vkKR0u even if5oumhL only slightly.NOjiKU That meansdeUw there’s stillP93 room toP9u1iX go beyond.”YyJ1EpH
CWwS0k“…!”Y64
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