The long night stretched on.
Yet Serenity Hassan's heart could not be calm.
All because of the scene before her—
Li Ye led the horse, while the Ansari Family sat atop the black steed, scarcely daring to breathe.
This absurd scene had continued for several hours, ever since they had left that stone forest.
"Oh! I see them—"
Li Ye raised a hand to his brow and looked into the distance. A long procession stretched across the faraway wilderness, led by a knight in purple armor with a cape billowing behind him.
It was none other than Lancelot, one of the Knights of the Round Table who had split off from Gawain!
Li Ye did not know where Gawain and the others had gone, but he could try his luck on the road to the Holy City.
Clearly, his luck was excellent today.
He had happened upon Lancelot, who was camped here with a group of Refugees.
"Miss Serenity, I hope you won't speak later. Just stay quiet."
A few minutes later—
"Lord Lancelot! What a coincidence!"
Li Ye greeted him as though they were old friends who had known one another for years.
"And this beautiful young lady is?—" Lancelot glanced at Li Ye, his new colleague, before his gaze settled on Serenity Hassan.
He immediately sensed the Spiritual Foundation reaction emanating from her.
Serenity Hassan, meanwhile, had gone stiff all over and did not dare move. It was not merely Lancelot's oppressive presence, but also the dozens of Refugees nearby.
"This is Miss Serenity. She is a Heroic Spirit as well, just like Lord Lancelot."
"By the way, Lord Lancelot, are you taking them to the Holy City, or somewhere else? Not everyone was chosen by the Holy Selection, right?"
Li Ye swept his gaze over the Refugees resting where they stood, his tone casual.
Lancelot frowned slightly. He could not understand what the knight before him was thinking.
He had become a Knight of the Lion King before the Lion King summoned the Knights of the Round Table. He was a living person rather than a Heroic Spirit, and he bore the King's Dragon Blood.
All those factors combined formed Li Ye's identity.
"Lord Lancelot, there is no need to look at me like that. The fate of those who failed selection is yours to decide. I merely want this family to have a place to settle."
Li Ye helped the exhausted Ansari Family down from the horse. "Of course, please see whether they qualify to take part in the Holy Selection."
At that, Lancelot shook his head. "None of them qualify for the Holy Selection."
Li Ye looked regretful. "What a pity. Then they can only join the ranks of those who failed selection."
After settling the Ansari Family down, Li Ye turned to look at Serenity Hassan in the distance. "Miss Serenity, what do you think?"
Not only the Ansari Family, but the dozens of Refugees present had now effectively become hostages.
This was also one of the two forms of persuasion Li Ye had anticipated. Using the Refugees' safety to force Serenity Hassan into compromise was an open and aboveboard scheme.
If he had encountered Gawain, things might not have gone so smoothly, and conflict would have been unavoidable.
Moreover, his relationship with Serenity Hassan and the Old Man of the Mountain Order behind her would inevitably have deteriorated.
Seeing that Serenity Hassan ignored him, Li Ye said no more and continued speaking with Lancelot.
After talking for a while, Li Ye finally stated his purpose.
"Lord Lancelot, could you offer me some guidance?"
Li Ye drew his sword, his eyes burning with eagerness.
"Certainly!"
Clang!
Understanding Li Ye's intent, Lancelot strode forward and drew his sword.
*!*
By the time Li Ye reacted, Lancelot had already sent him flying with a single strike!
Crash—
Li Ye flew backward and skidded across the ground for more than ten meters, scattering shattered stones in his wake.
So this is the strongest Knight of the Round Table?!
Li Ye's arms were numb. It felt as though he had collided head-on with a speeding truck!
Even Lancelot's casual strike was more than he could withstand!
"Lord Li Ye, you bear the King's Dragon Blood, yet you are far from having unearthed its potential."
Lancelot immediately identified Li Ye's weakness.
Ever since Li Ye had fully activated his Dragon Blood, the aura of Dragon Kind around him had become increasingly conspicuous.
"And Lord Li Ye, your sword is too weak—"
Lancelot could tell that Li Ye's martial skill was extremely lacking. He relied solely on his physical abilities to sustain himself in battle.
"That is why I wish to learn martial arts from Lord Lancelot. As the King's knight, being too weak would only invite ridicule—"
Li Ye gripped his sword tightly and charged forward again!
Clang!
The sword edges met, producing a crisp ring.
Crack!
A fracture rapidly spread across Li Ye's weathered greatsword—
Seeing this, Li Ye's gaze swept over the greatsword in Lancelot's hand. The holy sword—Rhongomyniad.
Like the Sword of Promised Victory, it was a sword entrusted to humanity by the fairies of the lake, and its resilience could rival that legendary blade!
After only an instant of contact, Li Ye's sword was already on the verge of collapse!
Lancelot merely exerted a little more force, and the sword in Li Ye's hand snapped in response!
"It isn't over yet!" Li Ye held the broken sword and rushed at Lancelot once more!
The result was obvious—
This spar ended with Li Ye suffering a swift and decisive defeat.
"As expected of the strongest Knight of the Round Table, Lord Lancelot."
Li Ye believed martial skill was the tempering of oneself and the accumulation of technique. In those regards, Lancelot was the strongest person he had seen so far!
Even the Lion King could not compare!
"You flatter me. Lord Li Ye, it seems you possess a resolute will. I would be happy to instruct you."
After their exchange, Lancelot could see that Li Ye's attitude was pure.
He was willing to temper himself so as not to disgrace the title of knight.
After talking further, Li Ye and Lancelot agreed that Li Ye would formally come to learn swordsmanship after the first Holy Selection ended.
"Lord Li Ye, are you leaving with this young lady?" Lancelot sheathed his sword. Seeing that Li Ye had already made up his mind to depart, he asked.
"Of course. Miss Serenity and I have a date. I hope Lord Lancelot will keep it a secret—"
Dawn had arrived.
After bidding Lancelot farewell, Li Ye, who had stayed awake all night, finally saw a different sort of scenery.
Mountain ranges stretched endlessly, barren and desolate.
"Past here should be the Eastern Village, right? Miss Serenity, should we go around it?"
Riding the black horse, Li Ye swayed his head from side to side. He only wanted to meet the First Hassan as soon as possible; everything else could wait.
Besides, Serenity Hassan would not take the risk of bringing him into the village anyway.
"Or is Miss Serenity still unwilling to take me to meet the First Hassan?"
"That person..." Serenity Hassan did not know what to say.
Along the way, she had suffered greatly as well. Li Ye's condition was far too unreasonable, yet the Refugees were in Lancelot's hands, leaving Serenity Hassan at a loss.
Was she truly going to take Li Ye to the Temple of Azrael?
Just as Serenity Hassan was troubled by this—
!
A sharp sound tore through the air, and Li Ye's eyes shifted slightly.
Clang!
"Throwing knives? Another Hassan?" Li Ye glanced at the incoming objects—several slender daggers—then looked at Serenity Hassan. "Miss Serenity, please have your colleague come out. If there is a problem, he can say it directly. Those things cannot kill me anyway."
Hassan's concealment of his presence was far too skillful. In his current state, Li Ye could not find Hassan while he remained hidden.
"Lady Serenity, and who might this gentleman be?"
A deep voice sounded. Following it, Li Ye saw a tall figure emerge from somewhere within the distant shadows.
The towering figure was completely concealed beneath a cloak. The only conspicuous feature was a bone mask similar to Serenity Hassan's.
Before anyone could speak, Li Ye had already deduced his identity from memory.
His true name was—
Old Man of the Mountain—Cursed Arm Hassan!