Leo quickly waved his hand and pulled out his Daybright Aegis. His master had taught him that a knight must stay alert every moment.
The giant shadow was slowly coming down. It was now only ten zhang above the ground. And it was no ordinary thing. It was a flying Magical Beast.
It was far more magnificent than the Iron Wall’s Stonefeather Roc. It had a divine, horse-like build, about six meters tall. Its whole body glowed with a soft golden light.
A dragon’s head, a bird’s body. Long five-colored feathers on its head and tail. When it landed, it slowly folded its wings and lifted its head. How beautiful it was!
A seventh-rank Magical Beast, the Wyrmwing Condor! Leo recognized it at a glance.
The Wyrmwing Condor was a light-element flying beast. For knights, light-element war mounts were the most precious, because they multiplied their fighting power many times over.
Two people jumped down from the Condor’s back. A middle-aged man and a young man with him. They had just landed, so they hadn’t noticed Leo yet.
"Well, well! Look who it is! Elder Brother Kessel! It’s been so long!"
When they saw the Iron Wall, they froze for a moment. Then smiles bloomed on their faces and they walked forward.
The Iron Wall stood there as cold as ever. He didn’t even think it worth greeting them.
The middle-aged man wore golden armor, and a holy aura poured out of it. No weapon, no helmet. His long golden hair fell loose behind him.
He looked a little shorter than the Iron Wall. His face looked a little feminine, especially his charming eyes, which made it seem like he thought very highly of himself.
The young man next to him looked quite a lot like Leo. About 17 or 18 years old, very tall. And pride was written all over his face.
The middle-aged man stepped forward with a smile. "What’s wrong? Elder Brother Kessel doesn’t recognize me? Sure, it’s been only six or seven years since we met, but we grew up together. I saw this Stonefeather Roc from far away. It may only be a sixth-rank Magical Beast, but its breed is very rare. So I knew it had to be yours."
The Iron Wall answered in a cold voice, "Sorren Draike, you’re just as arrogant as ever."
Sorren’s face changed for a moment. The young man beside him shouted in anger, "What did you just say?!"
"Quiet!" Sorren gave a light smile. His face was back to normal. "Kessel, Master misses you a lot, you know? It’s been ages since you left Solenne City, and not once did you come back to see him. One day as a master, a lifetime as a father. Did you forget that?!"
The Iron Wall’s face turned even colder. "I don’t need you to teach me that. Let’s go."
With that, he didn’t even look at Sorren. He took Leo’s hand, and the two of them set off toward the Knights’ Sacred Mountain.
Watching them go, the young man couldn’t help asking, "Father, who is that? How can he be so rude?"
Sorren said carelessly, "He’s nothing but trash. Looks like he’s brought that boy to the Knights’ Sacred Mountain to get him a mount. After you enter the mountain, if you get the chance, make things a little hard for him."
The young man nodded eagerly. "I’ll show him what real strength is. Once he’s been humiliated, let’s see which Magical Beast has the guts to go near him."
Sorren’s eyes narrowed. A sharp gleam rose in them, because old memories had begun to flash before his eyes.
...
"Elder Brother Kessel, you’re about to become a knight. How are you raising your Spiritual Energy so fast? Is there a secret? Teach me too, won’t you?"
"Trust your own hard work and practice with dedication. There is no shortcut."
"Hmph! I’m sure Master played favorites and taught you some special training. Otherwise, how could you become a knight when you’re only three years older than me?"
*Smack!*
"How dare you hit me? How dare you..."
"So I hit you, so what? If you dare tell Master, I’ll break every bone you have. Then the Hall Master of Solenne City won’t be interested in you anymore. Get lost. I never want to see your face again."
That year, Sorren was twelve and Kessel was fifteen.
...
"Kaelan, if you get the chance, go ahead and make this little boy’s life miserable." Sorren laughed coldly and strode ahead.
Pride rose on Kaelan’s hollow face. "Make his life miserable? Isn’t that a bit cruel? Well, never mind. I like the idea." A cruel smile stretched across his face.
Kessel kept walking in silence. His face was as cold as before. But Leo knew him very well. He could feel that his master’s heart wasn’t calm at all right now.
"Master, is that man your enemy?" Leo asked quietly.
Kessel glanced at him.
"We used to be from the same place. Solenne City, the city next to the Temple Alliance headquarters, the biggest city in the Alliance. My master was a Temple Warden. He had the Argent Vanguard Armor. I joined Solenne Chief Hall at thirteen, and by fifteen I had crossed the third stage. People called me the greatest talent Solenne City had seen in the last hundred years. I was my master’s direct student.
"But after taking one step into heaven, I stepped into hell. When it was found that my innate Spiritual Energy was only nine, I went from a gifted person to a useless one in their eyes.
"I trained for two more years in Solenne City with everything I had, but my Spiritual Energy grew very slowly. In the end, my master kicked me out of the main hall of Solenne City. Sorren Draike was among those who drove me out.
"And the one who made fun of me the most, who taunted me again and again, calling me worthless trash, was him."
With that, Kessel went completely silent. It was as if what he’d said had nothing to do with him. But his steps suddenly quickened. He was using his Spiritual Energy to speed up, as if an arrow was chasing him from behind.
Leo couldn’t help clenching his fists. He swore he would wash away this insult to his master.
Kessel had told the story very simply. But Leo could imagine how much his master had suffered in those days. And the first person to start it all was Sorren Draike.
He turned his head to look at Sorren and his son. They were about a third of a kilometer away. Leo’s golden eyes shone brightly even from far off.
Fifty kilometers meant nothing to them. An hour later, Leo and Kessel had reached the foot of the Knights’ Sacred Mountain.
As they got closer, the aura of light element grew deeper. Mist full of light element was rising from behind. The mountain peak was faintly visible, rising high into the sky. It was clear that the Knights’ Sacred Mountain wasn’t a single mountain, but a whole mountain range. As they got near, the mist scattered, so the view wasn’t as clear as one might think.
Walking slowly through that softly glowing mist, Leo was amazed. The mist was filled with very pure light element. Once inside, the light element was at least five times stronger than outside, and it held no impurities.
"Feel it. The light element here is far stronger than outside. In truth, the Knights’ Sacred Mountain is itself one giant magic array, spread across the entire mountain range. This light essence also comes from that same array.
"If knights like us trained here, the effect would be doubled. But of course, that’s not possible. As long as this light essence stays here, the violent nature of the Magical Beasts living here stays suppressed. That’s why no knight is allowed to train in the Knights’ Sacred Mountain. Any elder guarding this place won’t allow it.
"Otherwise, the balance of the light element magic array would break, and there would be a danger of the Magical Beasts here rebelling.
"Once you enter the mountain, the self-rotation of your innate Spiritual Energy won’t work. And to be clear, meditating to speed up your training is forbidden here too."
As he finished speaking, the mist ahead thinned, and the outline of an old stone gate appeared. Beside it, an old man sat motionless, as if he had been waiting there for a hundred years.