A year and a half. Just a year and a half, and Leo Ashford was hard to recognize.
He would turn twelve soon. The soft cheeks of his childhood now looked firm and strong. The weak, sweet look was gone. Now he looked healthy and powerful.
His body was still slim and balanced. His shoulders had grown broad. And his face? Still completely flawless.
*Mira, what is wrong with you? He’s your little brother! Eight whole years younger than you! He’s a kid!*
She scolded herself silently. Mira was known as a girl with a strong, steady heart. But she really, truly liked Leo.
The reason was simple. She was the youngest in her family and had always wished for a little brother. She hadn’t spent much time with Leo. Even so, in her heart, she already thought of him as her own.
"Oh wow, little brother! I remember clearly, your eyes weren’t like this! They were deep blue. How did they turn golden?"
Leo snapped back to himself and scratched his head.
"Father had me go through a Sacred Awakening. After that, my eyes became like this."
Mira was stunned.
"A Sacred Awakening changes eye color? I’ve never heard of that! Wait... are you saying you’ve already gone through a Sacred Awakening? That means your Spiritual Energy has passed 200! Quick, tell your big sister, how much did your natural Spiritual Energy grow?"
Leo shook his head.
"Big sister, I’m not trying to trick you. The truth is, Father told me not to tell anyone."
For a moment, Mira froze. Then, like lightning had flashed in her mind, she covered her mouth and whispered.
"Heavens... a third-stage knight under twelve!"
Then she grabbed Leo’s hand.
"Come on, I’ll take you to Uncle Rowan. When he sees how far you’ve come, he’ll lose his mind!"
"And who’s going to make me lose my mind?"
A teasing voice came from behind them. Leo and Mira turned around. Rowan Voss had just come down the stairs.
When he saw Leo, he was startled. But the next moment, he put on a serious face. He walked up to Leo, looked him up and down, and asked without any detour.
"That day... that day, was that your master who..."
Leo was surprised at first. Then he understood what Rowan was asking about. He nodded proudly.
Rowan took a deep breath. A fire of admiration lit up in his eyes.
"I knew it! I knew it!"
Mira had no idea what was going on.
"Uncle Rowan, what are you two whispering about?"
Rowan instantly put on a stern face.
"Why haven’t you gone to train yet? You’re a seventh-rank knight. Before you break through to the Vanguard Knight level, whether you can enter the Alliance Magical Beast Hunt trials depends on how you do in these selections."
Mira stuck out her tongue and looked at Leo.
"Little brother, I’m going to train first. Dinner tonight is on me! I’ll treat you to an amazing meal. Hehe!"
The moment she finished, she turned and ran.
Rowan shook his head with a helpless smile. There was affection in his voice.
"That girl... she’s almost twenty, and still so mischievous! In ordinary families, girls are married by this age."
Then he turned to Leo.
"Leo, come with me."
Leo followed him up to his office on the second floor. The moment the door closed, Rowan couldn’t hold in his excitement.
"The Throne of Ruin and Reckoning! Leo, do you have any idea how big that sudden attack by the Demons was? And with just one move from your master, their five armies ran away from the Alliance border! He’s your master, isn’t he? Could I get a chance to meet Senior Corvin?"
Leo shook his head.
"Hall Master Rowan, he’s already gone. This is for you."
He took out the letter his father had left and held it out to Rowan.
Rowan couldn’t wait. He opened it right away. As he read, shock spread over his face. He kept looking at the letter, then at Leo in disbelief.
"You... you’re really Senior Corvin’s son? But why would he let you learn Guardian Knight skills here? That’s not the Retribution Knight path! Senior Corvin is the number one Retribution Knight of the Temple Alliance!"
Leo answered in a calm voice.
"Hall Master Rowan, Father didn’t want me to say everything. So whatever isn’t written in his letter, I can’t tell you."
Rowan took a deep breath and carefully put the letter aside.
"Alright. Whatever his reasons, I can’t ignore Senior Corvin’s instructions. From today, you are a true member of Moonhaven Hall. I’ll give everything I have to teach you. In his letter, Senior Corvin clearly wrote that he wants you to join the Alliance Magical Beast Hunt trials."
"Yes, I’ll follow your guidance."
Leo straightened his back and gave Rowan the basic knight’s salute.
Rowan patted his shoulders.
"From now on, call me Uncle Rowan, just like Mimi does. To tell you the truth, the knight skills I can give you are quite incomplete in my eyes. But I’m sure that very soon you’ll become the greatest pride of our Moonhaven Hall. Come, I’ve arranged your living quarters nearby."
"Thank you, Uncle Rowan."
Moonhaven Hall spread across a huge area. What Leo could see was only a part of it. There was a big area behind the hall as well.
The whole hall was divided into three main sections. In one of them, knights rested. There was also a public training ground, where they practiced and learned the knowledge and skills of the Knight Hall.
Every three years, in the middle of Moonhaven City, a batch of Knight Squires from villages and small towns came to Moonhaven Hall for their test. Those who became Standard Knights could stay there to study and practice.
If they crossed the third stage within five years, they became true members of both Moonhaven Hall and the Knight Hall.
And if they couldn’t? Then only two paths remained. Join the army, or find some other work in the Knight Temple.
In truth, what Leo had seen was only the outer structure of Moonhaven Hall. The real Moonhaven Hall was hidden behind it. A hundred knights and two thousand Standard Knights lived there.
Rowan explained that besides what could be seen from outside, the hall also had one Earth Knight and seven Vanguard Knights. Anyone who reached the Vanguard Knight stage would sooner or later go to the Knight Temple to start a new journey.
Different ranks meant different living conditions. Standard Knights had to share a room with three others. But every true knight got their own room.
Rowan placed Leo’s room right next to Mira’s. After the meal, he told Leo to rest for the rest of the day. From tomorrow, he’d return to training.
Anyone who reached the third stage was respected everywhere, no matter which temple they came from. Because in war, they were the main force against the Demons.
Leo’s room was in a three-story building made for true knights. It was a full suite. It had a bedroom, a quiet meditation room for training, and a separate bathroom.
In the meditation room was a simple magic circle, surrounded by light-element magical crystals. Inside the room, the light element was much stronger than outside. So training there gave him extra help.
Leo wasn’t affected by the luxurious arrangements at all. He took out his clothes from the Spatial Ring, tidied himself up, went straight into the meditation room, and started training.
Time passed without him noticing. The whole afternoon slipped away. Just before night fell, there was a clear but light knock at the door.
"Who is it?"
Leo came out of his deep training.
"Little brother, it’s me."
He opened the door. Mira stood there.
She wasn’t wearing light armor anymore. She wore a white dress instead. She looked like she had just bathed. Her pink hair, hanging to her shoulders, was still a little wet.
Her manner wasn’t as heroic as before. She looked much gentler now.
"Come with me. Uncle Rowan said I should take you to test your Spiritual Energy. But before we go, let’s have a nice welcome dinner."
Leo nodded and followed her. But as he walked, his hand slipped into his pocket and touched his father’s letter.
*Within half a month, your Spiritual Energy may drop.*
If the test came tonight, what number would the pillar show?