Yano landed a successful strike and was about to pursue, but Karn, relying on superb riding skill, had already adjusted his posture in an instant, guiding his lizard mount to nimbly leap back and steadily open a safe distance.
He stared at Yano deeply;
the surprise and astonishment in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by a calmness sharpened by having learned a lesson.
The watching Cave-dweller Knights were even more astonished than Karn himself and began whispering among themselves.
“To have driven back Captain Karn, this gentleman really hasn’t changed class yet?”
“Maybe he already passed some strength-related trial a while ago.”
“What do you think?” Chen Yu asked Nilly.
Nilly curled her lips and stretched lazily, saying, “Not yet. Getting my little secret recipe isn’t that easy.”
As she said, Karn, who had taken that heavy downward strike from Yano, still showed no flushed face or labored breathing;
his respiration remained eerily steady.
If one drew close to his chest to listen, one would even find his heartbeat slow and rhythmically strong, as if his whole body were still in stable slumber;
the fierce clash moments ago had not truly awakened him.
“Those who truly pass the Knight Trial are those who, amid high-pressure confrontations, can still maintain surging combat spirit and unyielding will. The more danger one faces, the more one must give everything, and under extreme pressure complete the trial to elevate one’s life.”
“If you are to genuinely pass this trial, then I will no longer hold back. I must fight with everything I have. I hope you are prepared to meet the true challenge.”
“Under my assault, unleash all your strength and potential, and forge them into an instinct of unyielding resolve.”
Yano was taken aback for a moment, then his gaze sharpened. He nodded, “I understand. Come at me, Instructor Karn.”
“Heh, Mr. Yano, you flatter me.” Karn gave a light laugh, then all expression on his face quickly gathered and calmed.
Though he merely stood there motionless, he projected an intense oppressive aura, like the quiet before a storm.
Boss is entering phase two!
The next instant, Karn’s eyes ignited as if set aflame, suddenly bursting with light.
[Eye of Insight]
Alarm rose in Yano’s chest just as he prepared to defend, but Karn’s figure flickered, as if melting into the seam between light and shadow, like two wavering candle remnants. With incredible speed he appeared beside Yano and thrust his spear.
So fast!
Yano was startled and could not block in time. His combat instinct outran deliberate thought, and he activated Petrification.
The moment before the spear touched skin, a gray-white hue at last covered his arm, and with a metallic clang the spear was repelled by rock-hard skin.
[Slash]
Without thinking, relying on muscle memory, Yano swung his broadsword with force at that shadow.
Clang!
The broadsword indeed struck the target but was firmly held by Karn’s blue Enchanted Round Shield.
Stranger still, the shield’s surface was wrapped in a curious repelling force field that deflected most of the sword’s impact like a slippery eel, cleverly diverting the bulk of his power.
Then Karn unleashed a furious onslaught like wind and rain;
the spear became countless sharp points, raining down on Yano’s vital areas.
Yano was almost reduced to passively taking blows. If not for his Petrification skin providing strong defense, his body would already be riddled with bleeding holes.
Karn then changed his earlier dueling style, riding his lizard mount into close-quarters slaughter with Yano.
Those eyes that could glow in the dark seemed to see through every defensive flaw and power habit of Yano’s, giving him almost no chance to catch his breath or counterattack.
Even the occasional instinctive counter Yano threw was preemptively and precisely blocked by Karn’s Enchanted Round Shield.
So Yano abandoned any notion of blocking or dodging and relied purely on his Petrification skin to absorb damage. His arm muscles bulged as he swung his broadsword, beginning an all-out, frenzied counterattack.
For a time, on the training ground two lizard mounts raced and collided at high speed.
The heavy broadsword reflected a hot glow in the torchlight and crashed against the blue Enchanted Round Shield—representing reason and calm—sending off dazzling magical sparks and harsh metallic rings with every clash.
What alarmed Yano, however, was that under such intense exchange his strength began to show signs of decline;
his arms tingled with fatigue and his breathing grew ragged.
Yet Karn glimpsed between the crossing flames and shadows, still calm-faced, his breath steady and long as ever, like a monster that did not know exhaustion, terrifyingly enduring.
Outside the arena, Nilly poked the Gelatinous species in her arms and said with smug enjoyment at seeing him flounder, “See? I told you this would be good entertainment.”
“The scariest thing about Cave-dweller Knights is their constitution and endurance. They can adapt quickly to harsh environments and run continuously for ten days and nights without wearing out.”
“This level of combat is probably not even a warm-up for Karn. This kid is in for a beating.”
On the training ground, where firelight and shadow braided together, the two riders on lizards darted like silhouettes crossing the boundary between day and night, repeatedly attacking, tangling, and colliding.
Yano forced another mighty broadsword swing, briefly pushing Karn back from a tricky thrust, but he began to gasp for breath, sweat beading finely across his forehead.
This high-intensity confrontation was draining his stamina. He felt his sword arm trembling slightly.
But this was not the weak tremor of collapse;
rather, it felt like his body had been fully activated, entering an ecstatic state where long-dormant muscles woke up, every fiber eager to fight.
“Again!”
Not discouraged, Yano felt his fighting spirit surge even stronger.
Karn remained silent, but the fighting intent in his eyes burned purer and hotter.
He performed an action that surprised everyone—he casually tossed his spear onto the ground, rode his lizard mount in a swift arc, skimmed the edge of the armory rack, and casually scooped up a heavier, heavy cavalry lance.
[Charge]
He crouched low, pressing forward with unstoppable momentum, controlling his mount like a gust of earth-hugging wind, and launched a charge at Yano.
Clang!!!
The heavy lance collided with the broadsword.
The lance was parried and scraped across Yano’s cheek with a grating sound;
metal sparks flew and briefly illuminated the fervent battle in his eyes.
After several fierce exchanges, the thunderous clashes of broadsword and lance rang like rolling war drums across the training ground.
Yano sank entirely into the pure thrill and stress of battle: the more he fought, the wilder the power that surged within him, his aura rising step by step like a slumbering lion finally roused.
It’s back!
That familiar sensation had returned!
The faint duskiness and steadiness carved by life from the middle-aged man rapidly peeled away, replaced by the fierce vigor of youth.
The surging aura even made his short hair stir without wind, lifting slightly.
He felt as if a blazing fire burned in his chest, but that fire still lacked strength, far from enough!
Facing Karn’s renewed charge, Yano glared with furious eyes and without thought raised his broadsword. The weapon seemed to sense its owner’s boiling war spirit and began to emit a piercing hum, its wavering silhouette forming a faint protective veil.
[Sword Hum]
The Sword Scripture explained only the most essential sword techniques, focusing on body forging and martial strengthening. Through experience, Yano had honed it into a combat art unseen by ordinary warriors.
A brand-new skill!
Karn lowered himself further;
his body, the heavy lance, and the lizard mount under his hips seemed to fuse into one, transforming into an unstoppable, razor-sharp gale charging at Yano.
At the moment the broadsword and lance met, he glimpsed the broadsword’s blurred heavy shadow. Before he could think, a completely different kind of force transmitted through the lance into his arm.
This force, unlike the previous brute power, felt like high-frequency vibrating needles in contact—extremely piercing.
Bang!!!
To everyone’s astonishment, the lance’s charging momentum abruptly stopped, shaken upward directly by the broadsword, nearly flying from Karn’s grip.
Yano could no longer contain the blazing fire inside him. Skin flushed and hot from surging qi and blood, he raised his broadsword high;
the blade hummed again as he cleaved down toward Karn.
[Sword Hum]
Karn’s expression changed noticeably. In haste he could only twist the heavy lance across his front to barely brace against the blow.
Clang!!!
The metallic ring sounded almost tangible, whipping dust from the ground.
The lizard mount beneath Karn let out a low wail;
its limbs could no longer hold and it collapsed to the ground.
“Flame?”
Seeing Yano’s skin glowing like a branding iron, Karn did not frown at being at a disadvantage;
instead, joy flared in his eyes.
“Hahaha, still not enough, nowhere near enough. Are you trying to tickle me?!”
He suddenly used his arms to exert force, wrenching the broadsword off the lance and sweeping the heavy lance in a horizontal arc to try and shove Yano back.
“Again!”
Yano’s fighting intent burned like a tangible flame. The broadsword’s blurred shadow steadily clarified until the blade could be seen;
the previously chaotic force had been twisted into a single power that interlaced with the lance.
Karn felt a torrent of force hit like a flood, his arm numb, chest tight. Both he and his mount were forced back several staggering steps.
He had to rely again on the Cave-dweller Knights’ agility, maneuvering the struggling lizard mount back into movement.
Yano rode after him without letting up;
his pursuit accelerated, the coordination between man and mount reaching an unprecedented synchronization. Their motion sliced the air like a gale sweeping the battlefield.
And in Chen Yu’s eyes, a wavering, struggling light-shadow suddenly appeared on Yano, then gradually took shape and clarified.
—
Reputation Title: Sword Knight
Acquisition Conditions: Humanoid creatures must undergo a thousand sword swings of forging and a hundred falls from horse polishing. In a formal duel held on the Knight Training ground, witnessed by instructors or the Knight Captain, they must pass the trial of glory through skilled horsemanship, fierce swordsmanship, and pure strength.
Title Effects:
Note: This is the resonance of steel and honor—a testament that iron, tempered by trials, becomes an edge. Born on the training ground and elevated upon the blade, it is the orthodox path of the knight.
—
Clang!
Their clashes continued, but the force coming from the broadsword now seemed transformed, becoming unstoppable.
Karn felt his arm shudder violently, a stabbing numbness racing to his shoulder blades, and he could no longer hold the heavy lance.
The lance flew out and crashed heavily onto the packed earth some distance away with a dull boom.
That dull sound rang like a bell marking the end, declaring the conclusion of this fierce duel.
A knight who has lost his weapon, in some traditional sense, has already been defeated.
Karn’s face still showed astonishment;
he seemed unable to react immediately.
Around the edge of the training ground, the Cave-dweller Knights who had been whispering were now eerily silent, all eyes fixed on the figure standing in the ring—sword in hand, steam rising from his body.
After several seconds, Karn came to his senses. He dismounted and, stepping with steady gait, walked to Yano and performed the Knight’s Salute.
“Mr. Yano, I lost this duel.”
“I lose honorably and wholeheartedly.”
Yano looked at Karn bowing to him. The fervent battle spirit that had raged within him ebbed quickly, the boiling blood gradually cooling, reason regaining the high ground.
He stared at his still tightly gripped broadsword, a puzzled expression on his face.
Huh?
He… won?
He had defeated a formal knight.
Why does it feel like a joke?
Nilly walked over and examined him again. “I didn’t expect you to actually win.”
Then she poked the Gelatinous species in her arms. “This little guy must be gloating right now, secretly mocking Auntie’s poor eye for talent. Right? That’s what you’re thinking.”
Chen Yu said, “Only childish rascals would gloat. Come on, hand over your little secret recipe.”