That Was a Good Beating—Bring More of This Kind of Good Thing!

"Mm..."

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Tian slowly woke up.

He abruptly rolled over and sat up from the ground, quickly checking his surroundings.

Only after confirming that both he and Long Haochen were completely unharmed did he finally let out a slow breath of relief.

The next moment, a trace of displeasure arose in Ye Tian's heart for no reason.

"Is everyone from the Assassin Temple crazy? Fine, if you don't want to talk, then don't, but why knock people out over a disagreement? I'll remember this grudge. I'll definitely get it back someday!"

When he grew stronger and met that White-robed Man again, he would smash his head in!

"Mm!"

As he clenched his fist, Ye Tian finally noticed something strange in his hand.

Looking down, he saw that a ring had somehow appeared on his finger.

The Blue Ring gave off a soft, lustrous sheen. A circle of pale golden forget-me-not patterns surrounded it, and a transparent gemstone no larger than a grain of rice was set into it. It felt remarkably smooth to the touch.

"How did this end up in my hand?"

Ye Tian froze, then turned to look at Long Haochen, who was still unconscious, his expression becoming exceedingly strange.

It was like he had made this little brother's future wife disappear.

Still, Ye Tian did not dwell on it too much. When it came to wives, first come, first served. Besides, they were both far too young. Such matters could wait until they grew up!

"Wait, my body..."

Suddenly sensing the changes in his body, Ye Tian immediately realized something.

He focused his thoughts inward, and a notification log flashed before his eyes.

Ding! Long Haochen has been baptized by the power of the Thousand Strikes Spirit Furnace. His aptitude has increased slightly, his External Spiritual Power has risen to twenty-five points, and his strength has advanced to Tier 1, Level 2! Congratulations, Host, you have received double feedback!

Congratulations, Host. Your aptitude has increased moderately, your strength has advanced to Tier 1, Level 6, and your External Spiritual Power has reached sixty-five points!

Ye Tian was instantly overjoyed.

No wonder he felt so much stronger. After being baptized by the Thousand Strikes Spirit Furnace and receiving the feedback, his strength had risen another step.

"What a good man. For the sake of improving my aptitude, I'll go a little easier on you when I get my revenge someday!"

"Mm... Where am I..."

At that moment, Long Haochen also woke from his unconsciousness.

"Brother Tian, what happened just now? I feel like I had a dream."

Long Haochen rubbed his eyes, his expression carrying a faint confusion.

Ye Tian patted his shoulder with a smile. "It wasn't a dream. It was all real. If you don't believe me, look down at your clothes."

Hearing that, Long Haochen subconsciously lowered his head.

The tears all over his clothes proved that everything that had happened was real!

"Brother Tian, where's that little girl?" Long Haochen asked again.

Ye Tian knew what Long Haochen was worried about and gently shook his head. "Don't worry. That girl and the White-robed Man are both from the Assassin Temple, and their status isn't low. They'll be fine."

"Is that so?"

Though he did not quite understand, Long Haochen still nodded lightly.

Ye Tian clearly would not lie to him. Besides, the little girl was merely a passerby. As long as she was safe, that was enough.

"Stop spacing out and hurry home. If we're any later, Aunt Bai Yue will worry."

Ye Tian reached out and patted Long Haochen's head, then picked up the wild vegetables beside them.

"Right, right. Mom will worry."

Long Haochen came back to his senses and hurriedly stood up.

But upon seeing how bedraggled he looked, he immediately went blank. "But what should I do? If I go back like this, Mom will definitely worry."

Ye Tian shrugged with a light laugh. "Then you'll have to figure that out yourself."

"No, Brother Tian..."

The two boys continued chatting as their figures gradually disappeared into the distance.

They left the forest and returned to the town.

A modest courtyard with two wooden houses—that was Ye Tian's home.

Not far from there stood a courtyard with only two thatched huts. That was Long Haochen's home.

The circumstances of their families were similar. Both lived alone with their mothers and were extremely poor. Their mothers earned a living by working at laundries.

The difference was that Long Haochen's father was still alive, while Ye Tian's father had died in a demon attack.

Their once-happy little family had been completely shattered, and he had been raised by his mother.

Fortunately, the two families helped each other, and both Ye Tian and Long Haochen were very sensible. Though their lives were not comfortable, they had still grown up safely.

Ye Tian stopped in front of his own home.

"Haochen, I'm heading back first. Good luck to you!"

Seeing Long Haochen's clothes, which had nearly turned into strips of rags, Ye Tian could not help gloating.

"Brother Tian!" Long Haochen's expression was full of resentment.

Ye Tian shuddered, goosebumps rising all over his body as he hurriedly backed away. "Don't talk like that. I can't handle it. Farewell."

Before Long Haochen could react, Ye Tian quickly pushed open the courtyard gate and entered, casually closing it behind him.

After doing all that, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

Truly worthy of the number one beauty in the world. Too bad he was not into that.

"Mom, I'm back."

Ye Tian gathered his thoughts and called softly into the house.

The wooden door opened, and a woman dressed in plain cloth hurried out, a smile appearing on her face.

"Xiao Tian, you're back. How did today's assessment go?"

Liu Mei pulled Ye Tian into her arms and asked gently.

"Of course I passed." Feeling that soft embrace, Ye Tian was quite uncomfortable. He lightly struggled free. "Mom, I'm not that young anymore. Can you stop treating me like a child?"

Ye Tian raised his head, looking helpless.

"Pfft. All right, all right. My Xiao Tian has grown up!"

Liu Mei smiled beautifully, and her eyes grew even gentler.

She was not especially beautiful, but she had the kind of looks that became more appealing the longer one looked. Combined with the faint exhaustion between her brows, she appeared all the more delicate and vulnerable.

Fortunately, Ye Tian had secretly given his mother Essence Cultivation Liquid to drink, so Liu Mei was still in fairly good health.

"What about little Haochen? Did he pass the assessment?" Liu Mei asked again.

Ye Tian nodded. "Haochen passed too. We came back together."

"That's wonderful. You're a few days older than little Haochen, so you're the older brother. Remember to take good care of him."

Ye Tian did not find his mother's reminder annoying. He simply kept smiling and nodding.

"Don't worry, Mom. I've already become a Knight Attendant. Once I become an Official Knight, I'll make sure you live a good life."

With a smile on her lips, Liu Mei gently stroked Ye Tian's little head. "All right, all right. My Xiao Tian will definitely become a powerful knight someday."

Though she spoke indulgently, a complicated glimmer flashed deep in Liu Mei's eyes.

The demon attack from back then had left a deep shadow in Liu Mei's heart. She did not want her child to become a knight and face such terrifying beings in the future.

However, her child had grown up and had his own ambitions. As his mother, she had no way to stop him.

Besides, even ordinary people still risked being killed by demons. It was better to possess great strength; perhaps only then would he have a chance to survive.

Thus, the only thing Liu Mei could do was silently support him while praying that her child would remain safe and unharmed.