Goodbye Lancelot

The night was long.

But Serenity Hassan's heart could not find peace.

All because of the scene before her—

Li Ye was leading a horse, while the Ansari Family sat on the black horse, barely daring to breathe.

This absurd scene had been going on for hours, ever since they left the stone forest.

"Oh! I see them—"

Li Ye raised his palm to his brow, gazing into the distance. A long line stretched across the desolate wilderness, led by a knight in purple armor with a fluttering cape.

It was Lancelot, the Knight of the Round Table, who had separated from Gawain!

Li Ye didn't know where Gawain and the others had gone, but he could try his luck on the way to the Holy City.

Clearly, his luck was excellent today.

He happened to meet Lancelot, who was stationed with refugees.

"Miss Serenity, I hope you won't speak much later. Be a little quiet."

A few minutes later—

"Lord Lancelot! What a coincidence!"

Li Ye greeted him like an old friend he hadn't seen in years.

"And who is this beautiful lady?—" Lancelot glanced at Li Ye, his new colleague, then his gaze locked onto Serenity Hassan.

He immediately detected the Servant Spirit reaction on Serenity Hassan.

Serenity Hassan was tense all over, afraid to move, not just because of the pressure from Lancelot, but also due to the presence of dozens of refugees.

"This is Miss Serenity, she's a Heroic Spirit like you, Lord Lancelot."

"By the way, Lord Lancelot, are you taking them to the Holy City or somewhere else? Not everyone was chosen for the Holy Selection, right?"

Li Ye's gaze swept over the group of resting refugees, his tone casual.

Lancelot frowned, unable to understand the knight before him.

A being who became the Lion King's knight before the Lion King summoned the Knights of the Round Table; a living person, not a Heroic Spirit, possessing the King's Dragon Blood.

These factors combined to form Li Ye's identity.

"Lord Lancelot, you don't need to look at me like that. It's your right to deal with the rejected. I just want to let this family settle here for a while."

Li Ye helped the exhausted Ansari Family off the horse. "Of course, please check if they are qualified to participate in the Holy Selection."

Upon hearing this, Lancelot shook his head. "None of them are qualified for the Holy Selection."

Li Ye looked regretful. "What a shame. Then they can only join the ranks of the rejected."

After settling the Ansari Family, Li Ye turned to Serenity Hassan not far away. "Miss Serenity, what do you think?"

Not only the Ansari Family, but dozens of refugees present had now become hostages.

This was one of the two types of leverage Li Ye had anticipated: using the safety of the refugees to make Serenity Hassan compromise was an open and aboveboard stratagem.

If he had encountered Gawain, the situation might not have been so smooth, and conflict would have been unavoidable.

Moreover, his relationship with Serenity Hassan and the Old Man of the Mountain Order behind her would have certainly deteriorated.

Seeing that Serenity Hassan did not respond to him, Li Ye said no more and continued to converse with Lancelot.

After some conversation, Li Ye finally revealed his purpose.

"Lord Lancelot, could you offer some guidance?"

Li Ye drew his sword, his eyes burning with intensity.

"It would be my pleasure!"

Clang!

Lancelot, understanding Li Ye's intention, strode forward and drew his sword.

!

By the time Li Ye reacted, he had already been sent flying by Lancelot's sword!

Whoosh—

Li Ye, flying backward, slid across the ground for more than ten meters, kicking up gravel all the way.

Is this the strongest Knight of the Round Table?!

Li Ye felt his arms go numb, as if he had been hit head-on by a speeding truck!

Even a casual strike from Lancelot was something he couldn't withstand!

"Lord Li Ye, you carry the King's Dragon Blood, but you have far from tapped into its potential."

Lancelot pointed out Li Ye's shortcomings with a single, accurate remark.

Ever since Li Ye fully activated his Dragon Blood, the aura of his dragon lineage had become increasingly apparent.

"And Lord Li Ye, your sword is too weak—"

Lancelot could tell that Li Ye's own martial arts were very weak, relying solely on his physical condition to support his combat.

"That's why I want to learn martial arts from Lord Lancelot. As a knight of the king, wouldn't it be laughable to be too weak—"

Li Ye gripped his sword and charged forward again!

Clang!

The sword edges met, emitting a crisp ringing sound.

Crack!

A crack rapidly spread across Li Ye's battle-worn greatsword—

Seeing this, Li Ye's gaze swept over Lancelot's greatsword: 'Holy Sword—Rhongomyniad'

Both are treasured swords entrusted to humans by the Lady of the Lake, their toughness able to rival the Sword of Promised Victory!

After just a moment of contact, Li Ye's blade was close to shattering!

As Lancelot applied a little more force, the sword in Li Ye's hand snapped!

"It's not over yet!" Li Ye, holding his broken sword, charged at Lancelot once more!

The result was obvious—

This sparring match concluded with Li Ye's clean and swift defeat.

"As expected of the strongest Knight of the Round Table, Lord Lancelot."

Li Ye believed that martial arts were about self-refinement and the accumulation of skills. In these aspects, Lancelot was the strongest he had ever seen!

Even the Lion King couldn't compare!

"You flatter me. It seems Lord Li Ye has a firm will, and I am happy to teach you."

After the sparring, Lancelot could see Li Ye's pure attitude.

He was willing to undergo training to live up to the name of a knight.

After further conversation, Li Ye and Lancelot confirmed that he would formally begin learning swordsmanship after the first Holy Selection.

"Lord Li Ye, are you leaving with this young lady?" Lancelot sheathed his sword, seeing that Li Ye had made up his mind, and asked.

"Of course, I have a date with Miss Serenity. I hope Lord Lancelot will keep it a secret—"

Dawn had arrived.

After bidding farewell to Lancelot, Li Ye, who had stayed up all night, finally saw a different landscape.

The mountains stretched endlessly, a desolate scene.

"Should we head towards East Village from here? Miss Serenity, should we detour around?"

Li Ye, riding a black horse, shook his head. He just wanted to meet the First Generation quickly; other matters could wait.

Besides, Serenity Hassan wouldn't bring him into the village at such a risk.

"Or perhaps Miss Serenity is still unwilling to take me to see the First Generation?"

"That Lord..." Serenity Hassan didn't know what to say.

She had suffered quite a bit on the way. Li Ye's conditions were too unreasonable, yet those refugees were in Lancelot's hands, leaving Serenity Hassan in a difficult position.

Did she really have to take Li Ye to the Temple of Azrael?

Just as Serenity Hassan was troubled.

"!"

A whistling sound cut through the air, and Li Ye's eyes flickered.

Clang!

"Throwing knives, another Hassan?" Li Ye glanced at the incoming objects, several slender daggers, and then looked at Serenity Hassan: "Miss Serenity, please have your colleague come out. You can speak directly if there's a problem. These won't kill me."

Hassan's stealth techniques were too superb; Li Ye couldn't find Hassan while he was hidden.

"Esteemed Serenity, and who is this esteemed guest?"

A low voice sounded, and Li Ye looked in the direction of the sound, seeing a tall figure emerge from the shadows in the distance.

The tall figure was hidden entirely within a cloak, the only distinctive feature being a skeletal mask similar to Serenity Hassan's.

Before he could speak, Li Ye had already deduced the true identity based on his memory.

His true name was—

Old Man of the Mountain—Cursed Arm Hassan!