Standard Knight Examination (II)

Li Xin was standing off to the side, full of curiosity. Nalan Shu wasn’t just Haoyue Hall’s master, but also a genuine Earth Knight, the 5th step of the vocation. In the Temple Alliance, people that could match him were not plentiful. If a simple letter could make him so reverent, there ought to be an explanation.

While she thought about that, Nalan Shu, who had already read the letter, nodded towards Long Haochen, and said, “Come with me.”

As he said that, he headed outside.

Long Haochen followed Nalan Shu to the third floor, accompanied by Li Xin, who was full of curiosity.

Haoyue Hall’s first floor was the main reception. The second floor was the one where all kinds of affairs were handled, and the third floor was known as the place where examinations took place. All the knights who belonged to Haoyue Hall lived in a dwelling place in the area behind the Hall.

The third floor had a dome at the top of the hall of the first building. As he entered, Long Haochen felt a kind of discouraging atmosphere. The third floor was an extremely broad hall that was approximately five meters high, and was without any decorations. On the surrounding walls, there were some symbols and lines, forming a faint brilliant array.

Nalan Shu, who continued to advance, arrived at that examination hall before he stopped. A soft blue light was sent out from his right hand and, from the ground surface, a stone pillar had immediately risen up. It was pitch-black, and the nature of its material was hard to identify.

Nalan Shu faced Long Haochen and said, “Do you know for what purpose your teacher told you to come here?”

Long Haochen shook his head. “Teacher said that you would tell me.”

Nalan Shu nodded: “Senior Xingyu wanted you to undergo the Standard Knight Examination. Let’s start now. Hit this black stone with your full force, from whichever side you want.”

Hearing the words “Standard Knight Examination,” Li Xin, who was off to the side, thought she had misheard him.

How old was Long Haochen? Eleven or twelve years old, at most? She, herself, was called Haoyue Hall’s greatest genius, and it was when she was thirteen years old that she passed the Standard Knight Examination. Nalan Shu didn’t seem like he was joking, and hearing his tone, she realized something.

Could Long Haochen’s teacher be even above Hall Master Nalan? Could he be a 6th step Radiant Knight? Heavens! Radiant Knights could be called the elites of the Temple Alliance! Why would he have his disciple go to Haoyue Hall to undergo the examination‽

As Li Xin had her heart filled with uncertainty, Long Haochen had already gotten himself prepared.

Long Haochen removed one of his refined-iron swords, flashing a black color, from its sheath. The moment he gripped that sword, his temperament suddenly seemed to have undergone an incredible change.

From that originally shy-looking child, a stern atmosphere suddenly appeared. His gaze became firm and inflexible as his whole body gave a feeling close to a steady rock and was sending out a powerful intent. Where had his characteristics of a ten-year-old child gone?

A step forward, and a cut: this attack consisted of the two most basic movements for a knight.

A *Ping!* sound echoed, the refined-iron sword ruthlessly hit the black stone block.

With a *Buzz!* sound, a gentle shining blue mist was coming from the surrounding walls of the Hall and on the black block of stone, a number appeared.

“107”

A spiritual energy of the 107th level! Nalan Shu and Li Xin both, at that instant, couldn’t help opening their eyes wide. A spiritual energy level of 100 meant the 2nd step of the vocation. So even though the 107th spiritual energy level only corresponded to the 1st rank of the 2nd step, it was still the 2nd step! However, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Long Haochen had not used any skill to improve his body’s capabilities. It was only a pure cut!

It wasn’t just them, Long Haochen was also shocked. My spiritual energy has already reached the 107th level?

The last time he was in Odin hall, his spiritual energy was only at the 25th level. It was the first time he had tested it since then, but he didn’t imagine that there would be such a result. A Standard Knight… I have, unexpectedly, already become a Standard Knight!

An excited feeling ran through his whole body. In that instant, Long Haochen felt that all of his efforts over the past year had just gotten rewarded.

Xingyu enabled a little child to grow, within a single year, from the 25th spiritual energy level to over the 100th level, breaking through to the 2nd step of the vocation. Even though it couldn’t be spoken of as a unique case in Shengmo Dalu, it could nonetheless be described as a miracle!

Long Haochen made undeniably great efforts by himself, but it was also because of the assassin from the Assassin Temple, and that Xingyu allowed him to soak in the hot springs, that brought incredible benefits to his body channels. Without soaking in the hot springs, how could Long Haochen possibly continue such a strict training regime? A single coma would have been enough to force him to rest for a long time!

In a single year, his body’s foundations had already become solid.

Nalan Shu’s look gradually recovered. The gaze with which he looked at Long Haochen underwent an incredible change, as if he was seeing a rare treasure. His plump face revealed a somewhat flattering expression. “Your name is Long Haochen, right? How old are you this year?”1

Long Haochen answered without even thinking, “Ten years old.”

Nalan Shu and Li Xin took a deep breath once more. A 10-year-old Standard Knight‽ The word ‘genius’ couldn’t even be used to describe him, it should be called a talent that’s even greater than genius!

“Hall Master Nalan, I passed the examination, right?” asked Long Haochen.

Nalan Shu replied, “It looks like it. According to the procedure, you only need a spiritual energy level of 100 to pass to the 2nd step, but your teacher said, in the letter, that you ought to challenge a Genuine Knight2 in battle, and stand this knight’s attacks for fifteen minutes or else it won’t be considered passing the examination.”

In regards to that demand, Nalan Shu believed that that condition was too harsh. Even a 5th rank Genuine Knight may not be capable of withstanding a Genuine Knight’s attacks for a quarter of an hour, let alone a youth like Long Haochen, who had just entered the Standard Knight step.

“Okay, then please assign someone to this task.” Long Haochen said that as he unsheathed his second refined-iron sword.

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it!” Li Xin didn’t show the least bit of hesitation as she advanced. Her charming eyes, small and pretty, couldn’t hide her overflowing curiosity. A ten-year-old Standard Knight, what kind of concept was that? She absolutely had to test that little knight’s fighting capabilities.

Nalan Shu gave a look to Li Xin and nodded his head. “Take care!”

Li Xin smiled. “Rest easy Uncle Nalan, I am not willing to injure him, he has just become my little brother, after all.”

As she said that, Li Xin also took out the two swords from her back. Compared to Long Haochen’s, her pair of swords looked more magnificent. On each sword’s body, a golden brightness was sent out. Each sword’s length was just over 1.06 meters long,3 and a strong sacred atmosphere was issued by the engraved symbol.

Li Xin, holding her two swords, looked at Long Haochen. She was secretly surprised because, as he gripped his weapons, his temperament clearly changed from his past appearance of a shy youth. His current appearance looked rather fierce and, unexpectedly, the pressure he sent out faintly affected her.

Nalan Shu moved back a few steps, and said in a low voice, “Start!”

By acting as the referee, he had confidence that he wouldn’t let them injure each other.

“Elder Sister, take care.”

*[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her

*[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao

*[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique

*[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall

*[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake

*[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill

*[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel

*[Noodles]: made of wheat

*[Rice Noodles]: made of rice

*[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet

*[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me

*[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes

*[12.47 to 13.07]: don't ask me about the tree sap