Kessel’s advice left Leo a little sad.
But the moment he stepped into the mist, he felt it.
The Inner Spiritual Energy circling his Spiritual Stove had sped up. A lot. Without even meditating, his energy was spinning faster than ever.
*Okay. This place is cheating.*
"What’s your name?"
A deep, heavy voice rolled out of nowhere.
Leo froze.
His mind was sharper here than ever. Sharp enough that he could tell this person had gotten close without a single warning.
Not a sound. Not a breath. Nothing.
*Who sneaks up on a Skyborne Knight?*
---
"Sorren Draike. Hall Master of Solenne City Hall. I’ve brought my son, Kaelan Draike, to choose his partner mount at the Sacred Mountain."
A shadow flickered. Sorren and his son, who had been following them the whole way, appeared beside Leo and Kessel.
Out of the pale golden mist, an old man’s shape slowly appeared. His body looked like it was made of the mist itself. Even his breathing blended into it.
His back was hunched. Under his armor he wore plain brown clothes. He was almost bald, with just a few white hairs left.
His brow wrinkles were deep enough to trap a mosquito. His yellow eyes were perfectly pure.
He looked like a man on his last day of life. Like one strong gust of wind could blow him away.
"Kessel from Moonhaven Branch Hall. I’ve brought my student, Leo Ashford, to choose his partner mount at the Sacred Mountain."
Kessel’s voice was ice cold as always. Even here, his old habits didn’t change.
---
The old man walked slowly toward them.
When Leo saw him clearly, he gasped.
The old man had only one hand. His left arm was gone. His right eye was blind.
A huge scar ran across his face, from under his chin all the way over his head. It looked like his skull had once been split open.
Then Leo noticed something else.
His master, the man who always looked like a block of ice, had respect in his eyes. He was slowly bowing to this old man. Sorren was bowing too.
Leo didn’t waste a second. He quickly showed his own respect.
Kaelan bowed just like his father, but dislike was written all over his face.
Since childhood, he had been the pride and joy of the Hall Master of Solenne City. Everyone, whether from the Knight Temple or Solenne City, treated him with gentleness and respect.
He really didn’t want to bow to a crippled old man on the edge of death.
---
The old man’s gaze passed over the four of them. Then he spoke in a heavy voice.
"Take out your certificates."
"Yes." Sorren and Kessel said together.
Sorren moved one step faster and handed over his scroll. Kessel gave him a cold look, then held out his own.
The old man looked at Sorren’s scroll first and nodded.
Then he looked at Kessel’s. And in the next moment, he couldn’t help himself. His eyes started measuring Leo from head to toe.
Leo had a vague idea that this scroll held everything since he joined Moonhaven Branch Hall. His age. His training record.
The moment the old man’s eyes landed on him, Leo felt a heavy pressure over his whole body. It felt like a huge power had stepped inside him.
The old man looked at him once more, waved his hand, and said, "You. Come here."
---
Sorren gave his son a shove and shot him a meaningful look.
Kaelan hurried one step forward and put on a respectful face.
The old man lifted his hand and placed it on Kaelan’s shoulder.
Kaelan’s whole body trembled. He tried to squirm away.
But the moment that dry, old-looking hand touched his shoulder, he froze. He couldn’t even move.
A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.
He could clearly feel it. That hand was as heavy as a mountain. It felt like he was disappearing into a place he’d never come back from.
"Hm. Eighteen. You have my approval. You may enter."
That sentence was for Sorren.
---
The old man flipped his hand. A long black token appeared between his fingers. He placed it in Kaelan’s hand.
"This Rank Token will change color depending on the rank of the Magical Beast you meet."
"The weakest beast in the Knights’ Sacred Mountain is second rank. Its color is red. After that come the other colors: yellow, green, dark green, blue, purple, white, and silver. The ninth rank is the highest here."
"If you see a glowing gold, it means you’ve met a violent beast. Stay as far from it as you can, unless you feel a bond between you."
"If a bond doesn’t begin, keep searching until you find your match."
"The time limit is thirty days. You have thirty days to find a Magical Beast worthy of you."
"And when this token shines with pure golden light, twenty seconds later you will be sent out of the mountain. Is everything clear?"
"Yes." Kaelan answered.
Then the scroll in the old man’s hand suddenly turned to ash. He sent out a gray energy that settled over the black token in Kaelan’s hand.
The token flashed once, brightly, then went back to normal.
---
"Thank you so much, Senior."
Sorren bowed deeply to the old man and walked toward the mountain.
Kaelan didn’t slack either. Before stepping into the mist, he shot Leo a look. Then he vanished inside.
*That look,* Leo thought. *That wasn’t a "good luck" look.*
The old man turned to Leo and beckoned.
"Come, little friend. Let this old man look at you a little closer. I want to see whether you can really surprise someone as old as me."
"Yes."
Leo glanced at his master. Then he walked over with slow steps and stood respectfully in front of the old man.
Just like before, the old man put his hand on Leo’s shoulder.
This time, a warm feeling spread through him right away.
Leo didn’t move. He just stood quietly.
---
A few moments later, the old man’s eye went wide. He pulled his hand back and stared at Leo’s face again.
"Moonhaven Branch Hall," he murmured.
"This humble one is at your service." Kessel stepped forward twice and saluted respectfully.
The old man turned and looked at Kessel.
"Where did you find such a strange little creature? He isn’t even thirteen yet, and he’s already a Vanguard Knight!"
"On top of that, his Spiritual Energy is above 1,000. That’s ten years earlier than that little Corvin, whose natural gift is nothing next to this boy’s."
"This is real talent! Send my report of approval to the Temple executives. Let him keep training at the Temple directly."
Kessel’s face went pale.
He never expected the old man to take such a liking to Leo. A thought flashed through his mind.
*Looks like a talent like this won’t show up again in a hundred years.*
"Senior, it’s not that the boy doesn’t want to. It’s just that in half a year, the Alliance Magical Beast Hunt trials are coming, a huge competition. And this boy is fully confident his training has no gaps."
The old man thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Fine. This old man won’t interfere in your affairs. I’ll leave you alone."
"Child, did you listen carefully to what I just said?"
"I heard it clearly." Leo answered respectfully.
---
The old man nodded.
"Then you may go. But since you crossed the Vanguard Knight stage before the age of twenty, you may get one more special right."
"If thirty days pass and you still haven’t found a mount worthy of you, you can go to the top of the Sacred Mountain and call a Magical Beast from another place to be your mount."
"But if it comes to that, it means we left everything to luck."
"That beast will surely be right for you. But whether it will be strong or weak, who knows. It could even turn out to be a first-rank Magical Beast."
"So during these thirty days of searching, you must try your very best. Understand?"
"Understood, Elder." Leo said.
He took the black token, felt it grow warm in his palm, and stepped into the golden mist.
Behind him, the old man watched him go with his one good eye.
And for half a second, the token flickered. Just a faint flash of pure gold, there and gone.
Leo didn’t see it.
But the old man did.