Chapter 16
5b7dr“Not only doeseDdy he possessNqN outstanding potential.CBG Even ifpF798p he wereQn3i to reachIN3U the sameGK3s level asYgz other knights,s75k0 his bodylV2 is muchh2A0 purer, so29SxuK the effectsxfYQJ of manaBSOHd enhancement willZCX be significantlyROm greater. He’llb0Y7 be ablenHH to handleZTPD a muchvd5 larger amountADP with superiorkXuK3 purity.”gIQ
PkrA5wThis was alreadyefo properly reflectedGOXbSp in thez6gsr2 overall context.8YyHlSb3B
B6iu“So that meansKcXK even whencksI5h facing knightsU8s of theRGCWYW same level,vw34 I’d haver0YI the upper2150 hand?”YkAEj
0mo1l“At first, it’llRX3 be onlyaB6DQ a slight3DAz advantage, butQPE39H over time,5Sat it’ll reachyoh108 the pointQpZ where you9LT10 can faceHXrE two opponentsY90R54 of theK50lxd same levelg0xm simultaneously. Latereop on, youQbkY may evenEcHNC go toeIHaQX to toep3hu7b with opponentsavDI of a higher level.”znSvXHFetV
Xyc9HRAt those unexpectedSh1sS words, LucianXbxq2 swallowed hard.a7pX60OR1Tzh
LRpUntil recently, allmpNnA he had32KKw3 wished forgLBaKe was toeGTp reach thepF0 threshold heEfAi hadn’t beenyXPwu able toLzO cross inqHci his past5dgToX life—the realmyJ0Mi of theZ765 truly strong.Y71x4RO
rT7K4LThat alone would’ve5wyO been enoughjPYfvG for the5qV6 world tod6IgGH recognize him.2SeqcrmNZ
HF3ZYYThere were alsoYa4Wk5 practical reasonst9ec why heh8lWE3 couldn’t devotefSwN himself solelymupa to the9oSV sword ifw1cL he wantedZpWkKG to prepareGaerrm for theddUL0 future.qr4WrH
cEHAnd yet, now080C he couldNOlS1 not onlyWhj aspire toXR6WA the level6Y5sI of thegvZf8 strong but1LE7 to thatNqn of a Swordmaster—and even0mE beyond.RDGWJ
JFvjRQ‘I want to2Pa see it.’henkqNZpEJE6
a7OuMore than ambition,h800p it wasAkrDlx as a swordsman thatDolyJC his heartReToNb pounded withu2TpKd excitement.W3Dw
2pQ4gBut at theItcm7c same time,fz3hJ Eisen’s previousswXF words echoedyFR in hisx1KXX mind.PPutw
2D1“But then what4uoCM do youN0gJ mean I have toDHn1pw give upMjc the positionjWmtIu of successor?ymb7 Isn’t itbwF possible togjtNN8 train inzkuSc the swordt9t and stillvGEtA6 receive heir05sQ education atQ29gZ the sametwYvO time?”7DfSm
Zj6jC“Hmm, that’s…”gQ6hQ
UO80MEisen trailed offG5iS and hesitatedfbM for a long moment.Mtc1jtw2s
aTQAWhen Lucian waiteds9EL silently, heGGDM finally letyPI out a deep sigh.CrahFHObK
IS3“Young master, lookADnIG at me.”oVJlZYpe
VKlM“Yes?”2orHsD
gQb66“Look at thisbSWslK face. Whatt8VXh9 do youZA4e see?”vHi
2aVThe old knightBiD passed a hand over2iNJJ his face0L2bbV as heJmhzC2 spoke.rUEc
cJ3At that unexpected3CS6n question, LucianuvOJcg looked atA6y him with8tdeWn an awkwardRVQip expression.UFn
w1TlWhat did hetBNh see? AsidewPX from wrinkles,7Ew there wasRosX36 nothing else.9ZUpsQgY
ECTNp“Ah.”6NhVo
5lQk“I see you’veBDO7 already understood.”0Npsjd
lHLuhEisen offered a bitter smileOQa to Lucian,YpASck who seemedTCdi7P to havei1rwGC caught on.kTn2mG6YK
bF96“I’m old, youngxEU master. ThanksM0z to mysWtk body purifiedrNFx by circulation,hImH9i I’ve managedOZ1 to stayv97omx strong for6iAq7 my age,2vfwoF but lately,2sHFGC I feelxieGG I don’tYDNIXa have much3GTnBr time left.”bRHqSZQQ0
vSiIt was true.fYwVEjkQd
1XtnIn his previousW0FcY life, SwordmasterNrVi Eisen wouldrAmIXr die eight1P3r years later.XMvk6Q
LkVTHe had livedXge more thanMsbb a hundred33o years, andilgdIY dying withoutbblN suffering fromgpy7 illness wasFN4U already moreNgqFR than a worthy end.kY4XrIwyUqt
G2SM‘But eight yearsh3w6bZ is toozyt short to1H09 train theATckj successor of0isqz a Swordmaster.’T8dtee4B3B
Y3jThe higher the3l3Gl step, thekLdBj longer itEDScUB takes togq0c climb.mixwbJ
ZrcAnd at thevC0E2p level ofZGQI a Swordmaster,hxX the numbereUjk of techniquessozYa to bey2le passed downFXBr must beZVd enormous.MqV
893Even using everyaIA minute ofspeOo the eightXkV6y years remaining,1dQac there wasFnA no guaranteeutp2 the disciplePrC5v would absorbLuJTx it all.sByC4yoe3B
BGs4IAdding the timezRGdV lost toYCaD stagnation or2D3 hesitation, itB32 would feelTvsE even shorter.GWBmcgbbnu
NsFFyx“Even if I wanted toAxx pass itVho1 all onkj6 while I still live,siW there’s alreadyuifn too littleULX time. AndDDM if onqel top ofmfFtF that heIotbGa competes with60IH the otherNngZS young masters,yX3DuW it’s outg3oXt4 of theucCr question.”PuzIR
hKG“I think I understand whatud9yC you mean.”ynaJFp5PEc
Te9Lucian closed hisTJMXjv eyes andKyWqy reflected forice a moment.hB3z5Ou
NTo8Becoming the Swordmaster’syCz1 successor was,bOjzn without doubt,gQcNq a temptingpMS option.5jgaLL
WalIf the world0wHriH were tom5R2i remain peaceful,PWUtZm he wouldVcIfL have thrownsCr1 away thesa7dAP position ofXVzx heir withoutJELGaR hesitation togttNxn devote himself5J4 entirely to93TE8x the sword.grcbk0eSI
A1DppInstead of fightingZWa7n for moreAMLRr than a decade againstHKXeI other competitors,bUm0 it would5qHXdV be betterfoF1 to becomeb2D the solePPlL successor of5iXZLK the Swordmaster.i3NZ7coO
T9IBm3‘The problem isLQihv that a chaotic eraaYizUu is approaching.’k9BYPUq4R
xElbqLucian had seenmWo with hisNqv own eyeszwjw how theILA7n world turnedaKnZH upside down.227F2Qi9
mZL74mThe emperor’s powerPUVF became nominal,5waBK and theVz0r7 mighty fromWx3mrn all regionsOTLYJi began callingjt83j themselves kings.z463im0IT
MqUtBMany like HugoxL0j also rose,kzk relying onlyAE6wut on strengthCHa2c without anyAX7 legitimate authority.yCWM3GZDJ
L4BIBut most ofbCf them werepAVEq called usurpersFxGc and lived1qyuqU under constantYn0c challenge.A2c
2VzYBThe reason was0Rj7F simple.WKQZOi
MAi3There was noXaWEE7 legitimacy behindwcN their authority.NzCbAbej
RD5DEven if theWXhdV act isMoc the same—say,7m1 murder—the differences1aDv3 between avengingpev one’s parentsAnX and killingRwrMH without reasonItzt is enormous.x1pbQD8AbLS
Q6pcaUsurpers, unable topuhqXf grasp that,gpedt laughed carelesslyQVuj8o until they7eSGd had to1DfOl pay thecCzK5 price.l63R
levdA power gainedVAkpK without justificationfF35u could beWC4U taken awayEYAN7 without justification.r23y0J4Mp
3nq8‘Rebellions and assassinationsEvKWQI became commonplace.ph5xLd The balanceXui8IB of powerPCy constantly shifted.’SSnXzJ
TyDThe only onesY4liDE who managed0mFGBF to ruleizMmCP their landsOg5 stably weretmRff the fewuFPPqT monarchs whoNcXO held bothYuMM legitimacy andVRUU cause.oQpM0K
Ct0nqtThat’s when Luciansd0o8o understood howXZQbBU crucial legitimacy5mo was.sTm
PVreqnEven if youB7F ruled theez5 world, withoutVwAD it, youEhie wouldn’t lasto1hjj long.Hl9u
hMNIn the faceNEsqj of the6NVUP coming chaos,8Tq securing multipleFNmo justifications waspKF a necessarylAws step.BVwTys
pPWAnd they wantedXiwa2 him to8z6p officially giveDrYdR up themQR position offFLt next headZ1Jc of Valdeck—a6aLLek family withFAxYcy imperial blood?FiAOzfW22E
j1Q8To give upuu0 the greatestIWa source ofneK legitimacy, oneHhC capable ofymW using notgru just theqNIx name ofXPm Valdeck butaZsLl0 also thedUFt imperial family’s?oCMbGoINB
OwYGp‘Never.’6xy
aJh7LuThe position ofnqNicU Swordmaster washla undeniably tempting,w5pb9A but whatGd7 he wouldgYhl have toU5x give upPXUn was farLfZbRP too great.DXJangI
8ndBRegretfully, he hadE4z2Wx no choiceFpT6b but to1aZ8 decline Eisen’sU59 offer.iKEDrM
maac“I’m sorry. I wish toTLHguR remain a Valdeck, noBjQ matter what.”4EyyqxI4h
VqlqYz“Ah…”BMh
nBisTA soft moanreWF4k escaped theeL7 old knight’saDE lips atoUNRsV that indirectxhwOU rejection.Ave
gLbwThe sorrow ofwj0 losing evenHzKsa this lastT5qQ opportunity was87dm clear.3ndOY
DvD“If that isEYDD your wish,yqL young master,U8cXT7 then there’sKHhg nothing more9kFoRQ to say.J0Gx Perhaps thisvGGE old manfQ2oiT was tool0tbP ambitious.”KKH
395“You offered meaHm this opportunityfUi with thexc6B best intentions,Ndw and yet2XvB I’m rejecting9Od it. I have noJdvSn words.”OsV8
XFBO6n“No, not at7SrBHr all. Inil7k7h truth, even6vv without me,ySaT3z you couldMVR81y aspire ton4VOjv become a Swordmaster inYtdxPT a fewYoa decades. AndW7Lg yet, I forced youRGW0 to choose,q7T driven bymlQ7ZP my selfishKMB desire towOa leave somethingBvEd behind withDomQz my ownq5opPL hands.”hJ0
Udq58E“….”IS0Yx
vTs1J“Isn’t it ridiculous?d4i6bX In myQNDxco youth, I did nothing,iQqzW and nowR85 in mymSdm old age,xEd3N4 I acthIOVE like this.TOXr Even ifekT I don’t5jc3yZ intervene, sprouts0S0L always growmH2 into greatzorXzn trees. Haha.”VUw0EN3qsf
npvbhyA faint laugh795d reached Lucian’siJf ears.SrM
LSafEven though heoOfwAd said itjB3 like that,rHb the blowaM4Fno of nurturingayfX hope onlyD3Aj to seexKK it crumbleodVsB did notD2p seem minor.bPng15yZQ
SjkTFFAfter a brief6e7xRd hesitation, Lucian6lxf looked atG2v Eisen.YjP
tMburR“I’d like toFH2s ask youIQt something. IfdcQRO there werev7rfan someone whoYNmv could become2Ro a greatAZry disciple, evenKhp if it’srZb not me—what2BWR3L would you2oEh do then?”u0HCrDMo
SpmS“…?”hGWqcq
VXklNAt that unexpectedm00YCO suggestion, Swordmastersl3V Eisen blinked.SIqbwKxtJ
1tux7l***Fevr9n
xjuLucian’s proposal wasRHl simple.zF9JEk
wjJn0gThat within twoHUWQ years, he4eslmI would find4la7 and bringVzP9 someone with1Xp talent farjQsnTA superior to94ua his own.GhFgqDPDRgsf
IweG“It’ll take time,PjlZf but I’llUAek bring someoneJXvgB so exceptionalzKi7I they’ll moreSq1Hb than makeQiJW up forULXz those twocvnnu years. A disciple whoseOihND3 name willDFI leave a mark worthykR00V of Swordmasterl6H Eisen evenQdYZ centuries fromoPxXX now.”4Pql
BX89z“Just hearing that,vV2q I’m alreadyTx0gUx grateful.”5cT0l
Z5I“I mean it.DIP7 I’ll findgnpqxz them, no90SH matter what.”D9ueMyGl
624ui“If that’s so,BPdHk then I’llAkiFWn wait—though I apologize foraas36 making theo7x4X young masterYccg4P worry sodxQQ2 much overFi69Ko this old8hqa man.”1r6N
SWwkEisen chuckled andGkW took Lucian’sBuLS words lightly.4hxCDMm9Jl
Cfn7vfCould such talent3Lhdc be foundpRf9 so easilyKpA in theTDIV world?8d9Vtt
VUMQWtIf Lucian himselfOLI was alreadyQIE a geniusUmUZ1 born onceSI1jp every fewJZ8 centuries, couldisFrhm someone evennuX greater exist?p7c2eOLVEu
7R32To Eisen, itvRba was nothingWOhOtu more than663Ajk a consolingUlyR gesture.tGSQF
ZxVBut, contrary toW6BN what hecT0Hj believed, LuciannXKKx was completely948C serious.jxE
xFjHDR‘I’m sure theY1b Demon SwordPq7cB wasn’t farhGM73 from Kelhaim.’m0aDpRy
7ToFelix, the DemonMPsq Sword.eV86p
9jFyoThe same ageQ2Hs as Lucian,Zvl and someoneB0a he hadD2m briefly crossed4yb paths withfHwg when theyqdz were bothaNrr mercenaries.Qr2UMK
Ybox49He had a slender buildONx5l and suchwrSSX7 delicate featuresRGq that heHfRv was oftennfR mocked for4S2 his appearance.IkUCwjSj
CYIUHowever, those tauntsRexs soon vanished.Ev0HuU
j0OEOn the battlefield,Jsb Felix’s swordsmanship,O1r6oV as hefcuqV advanced aloneMp7y through enemies,sk23 was onIU4 a monstrousVUDGl level.qMsQ3A
yp6K8‘Not even famouskNUS9Z knights could1PgWEx last moreMm5 than a few exchangesAPwjtt against Felix’s92W sword.’DxG37V
j50oThe most astonishingV44 part wasRCmcF8 that Felix’soJwt sword techniquexTSmQC was alsoWnK low-level, similar2wBNRg to Lucian’s.HPSiXjTO
kL62UEven when the7IQn opponent vastlyLrYJb outclassed him7vqwk in manavvEqr reinforcement, FelixXIP crushed themCkyf using pureL9jX technique alone.vbQOIh4c
fHuKlEHe could evenBCGqPY instantly mimicOQz parts ofynDr sword stylesEwXlP that couldn’tneEq be understoodNqgGs just by6HdzS8 watching andZRcAib use thembLQRv immediately.unDJ7
u6kHAt first, evenh9f those who8tpJ7 were enviousajXUF fell silent,e4ag full ofPJ6ZIq reverence.Xqelwj
lL0aujIf Lucian hadkt1C a bodyqiX blessed byzh3t the gods,dfIP then Felixzyv0r had theW9EWpP combat sensec3eP of a god.dRBwKz
6Yj7To Lucian, whoNUyh had returnedJnEyB to thegIaf past, FelixYsXE was thec0rEfU number onelTAJQF candidate heYs1Kep had to9A2lG recruit beforeVi4JZ his nameTCQ became famous.vG41qMEeeY
XQ9The problem wasVEOM2I that Felix’sk0M whereabouts beforer6v becoming a mercenary werea1X completely unknown.3rZZE66dRQ8
sHPThe only knownQFu7Rx fact wascast4 that, inB4uPG3 the winterM7Ekt of the7bjA following year,Kn1 he wouldZZ90K begin working2Opj as a mercenary inAWlCP the smallPsUT town offSr Bindeln.lIC9OX
MrQBefore that, nofE4mDh one knewK61sCa where heYw0atm was, solF0 no matterPnXd how muchJhxdSH Lucian wanteduZn to bringamX him in,Ly0Az there wasJbFa no wayUlbaPn to doj6ks it.nPk
0K2LV“I’m sorry, Sir24zh Eisen. You’llyJUUGO have toSFrK wait overJh8e a year,UGybbV but there’sIKu no otherjO3 choice.”eEtNW
JopT2l“Even so, I’m6Dy grateful. ThatudS1 the youngdCZ master worriesqRQ about meu1V this muchGcqWj makes itV6IO6 impossible tolJVh feel bad.”LTsgmQ
SrPtsMFortunately, Eisen seemedkYhq1x a biteVW more cheerful8tvZt and gave5opB a smile.Efg0FNSC4o
1hdEven if itvOg was only9hdVNi a gestureNwka of consolation,88ApQ he trulyqSP seemed toTwwkvE appreciate Lucian’sZvi817 intention.nIf8WR
NtH“Well then, let’sKkED set asideAE5H this oldrSRL man’s complaintswHUZ6v for now.i5v Whatever choiceIZPe the youngtBl7O master hasO5K3qk made, myDZySmc duty isLwQ to teach3hxSU you theQ2OLIJ sword.”BjDlw
J315At Eisen’s seriousn61 look, LucianUof7d nodded andra63P straightened hisn6z1 posture.7KFq
iTHZThe real trainingrfc was aboutw4c to begin.U0wlOgsn
hZJC***Flkf
AGP“You say theWyXv third brotherGbv has beenkBrd1h selected asmRvnYA a new0yRoS candidate forRvUVf head of7Q3z the family?”rSpxHq
rM4b“Yes, young master.”ziW9k0rxft
zMBJoshua frowned atu21eL the servant’soSyY report.ToYt
neS5fIHe had alreadyFop9 entered theC2y competition lateB6C5Jt due toCdjAgR his age.XdscCoMsG7R
oUtxogAnd now, onUN3wJ top ofjxpWB that, evennDw the thirdGXqApb brother, whoDwbnyw had remainedmHG quietly onNzPf the sidelines0Q5CHU until now,3E6VHX had joinedBVl the race.0YmY4Oai4Y
Am68M“Damn it. Whatnxtf kind ofdKfrVi change ofeKP heart didsdMSP0 someone so1TVTuW passive suddenlyGvvcC have?”pSpKtX
n0iMThe other twoSr0 brothers wouldn’tlhWE take itfJTRe too seriously.FpkW7Kuy8L
Q7oCVaThey already hadtNK their ownPDAb5 factions andpuavLj would beidlsL convinced Lucian’sPiITU ability didn’tLDG measure up.4l93QcefAl
htfgfBut for Joshua,057L who hadeNZf yet toqzw fully solidifyky6 his base,A05 this wasY6sYg a criticalzcWxvD blow.64gl
zWMMgNow, the knightspm0DN who hadn’t4ArIY managed topnrJu ally with6zbZ6 the otherk05 two brothersKtuo had a new option.7qtCYqkC3Ag
zKULUmIt was clearu3CAeB they wouldqSH start comparing98o Lucian and6Jq7q0 Joshua, hesitatingWBrGIa over whomxV6Hwq to support.VAkzEQU
NjY“Damn it. Uselessqsf9 from startx52Ytq to finish.cAgtHg Was itenPd really thatS7y hard toXIrDN stay put5UaQQu and give90bJh this littleCLe brother a bit ofjlEVM support?”02OfSe
N2g“Don’t you think98it you’re overthinkingBWez it? Even9gC if theee77gb third youngdnf master joinedHtC the competitionnOUc6 late…”Iz9F
NUOb“Who said I’m1OY scared of2kwC9 that uselessaZNoJ brother? ThePts real problemSmo is thatD5Z those I worked sofAzd hard toLYT gather are0nEbhG starting topzVmT waver!”Cl3U
cN9NLk“I-I’m sorry!”X9f2
2OTnSeeing his subordinate,rmb who didn’tWEKvl even understandxh179 the coreA750W2 issue, hisFgsxa tone naturallycXR turned sharper.JyuBITM
PuXqJoshua calmed thewwZAyv rage boilingnVNK inside andHV7hX analyzed theHJZ4 situation coldly.Llac253
rUJF‘If he hadVp9BjP kept showingKet a patheticvNQxM6 image, itny3 wouldn’t matter,K7aBSH but thes4H4 problem isAyt5v that heFQCDb recently landed9oz1 a blowI86 on Jordi.’JppaS3U8g
E3tK7yIn Joshua’s eyes,5bfImW that hadt8YUYk merely beenpsh a lucky1ex8a6 impulsive act.bFAaxhd
zcnLucian, who never5xAr got angry,HZaP suddenly exploded,3ctY and everyone7f7 else, caughtxSzD off guard,oy8m made foolsno3p of themselves.WD6Dt99y
6EvRwHowever, what wasluey annoying wasnO1 that, toc2PaF others, theuhOht whole incidentWE7WZ appeared toGnC be a meticulous plan9k8 by Lucian.dK3zkey
5FIYjhIn the worst-caseO5MzSU scenario, evenVZp some capableVfx talents might1E8JP6 be fooledNAf by theeYa rumors andBvV join Lucian’s2OdJC4 side insteadJ4NAg of his.OJ720Zcd
NKxG4‘That’s why I need toxRs0 tear offEDKkz Lucian’s falseX24A shine asjBV soon asFprm possible.’646
blDe6lIf Lucian’s superficialityeERD4 was exposed,1HlA everyone would6tRix come totja their senses.JMfRqZ0BJR
CVHWThose rumors thatNnI he hadKCX been hidingT6AAZ8 his clawsKPVaVA would alsoycwm4 vanish completely.NPmeKB1S
TTTThe real issuefpHhdi was finding5QYy a wayV3v to stripRGK0Wf him ofVL5J that shine.9Z2KL9okve
Bb2wFFrom the momentT5KYp he officiallyPAW entered theYS1s competition foroUEX head ofYaE73 the family,CED direct harmC3it was strictlyPztl2 forbidden.seHUvl
FDC51S“Wait… now thatjJ2 I thinkfEB about it,0Ylv what exactlyaQ7j is theplv third brotherSd4 doing?”SqUt
TnBP“H-he’s at theLKq2 training field,nrW learning the46f Lion Heartv05M8S Technique from20taXL Sir Eisen,R5gj just likeGNwne you didSYSYr0 back then,fLesG young master.”3ZMlNuTE
RY1QAn idea flashedG8sE through Joshua’s698y6q mind likeiX3Ry lightning, andaSmw he stoodc9RDJ5 up abruptly,hnYJK shouting.0s176w
Jxt“I must goPGFNhz to theFqNk training field7Vowps immediately. PreparemeQDD two sharpz1x swords.”MXJ3Ag
bxplV“Eh? You meanG0Kr real swords?”4kjL1RJPT
ccpd“That’s right. Not9Zr7 wooden training1lP ones—real swordsep7 for combat.”fAaDYeur
P9ceOJoshua smiled maliciouslynbSiu as heStTCs looked towardAVvIKG the trainingEK5SV field.DJyQ8k
c4uuv3“As the olderh44c brother whoSCjNf trained first,XCCWT2 I’ll haveekgA to helpexhIAD a bitdVybdd with myxp7Z big brother’sg3B1 training.”YbJpLi
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