Knight Holy Mountain (I)

Night Asura was dressed differently from usual today. A suit of silver light armor covered his entire body. Besides the shield he normally used when training Long Haochen, he also had a heavy sword strapped to his back. He tossed Long Haochen a travel pack and told him to store it in the Forget-me-not Ring.

Long Haochen's outfit was even simpler. He did not even wear armor, carrying only a sword and shield—the Shield of Radiance Li Xin had given him.

"Teacher, aren't we going to the Knight Holy Mountain?" Long Haochen asked in confusion as he watched his teacher lead him back, seemingly toward the rear of the Haoyue Branch Temple.

"Just follow me," Night Asura said indifferently.

Long Haochen was the only one who could ask him such a question. Had it been anyone else, they would probably have been cursed bloody.

They entered the training grounds. The knights' training had not yet begun, and most were probably having breakfast in the dining hall, leaving the grounds unusually quiet.

Night Asura stopped. He raised his right hand, his joined fingers slicing through the air like a sword. Pale golden light gathered, forming golden runes that pulsed and danced in the air.

Long Haochen had seen this gesture before. Li Xin had used it back then—wasn't this the method for summoning a mount? Could it be that his teacher had also become a knight before the age of twenty and visited the Knight Holy Mountain?

Golden light surged upward, streak after streak shining brilliantly as they formed a golden gate of light. Accompanied by a long cry, a figure emerged from the radiance.

When Long Haochen saw it clearly, his eyes widened. He had trained under Ye Hua for two years, yet this was the first time he had seen Ye Hua's mount.

It was a large bird entirely pale yellow in color. It stepped out from the golden light, standing more than two and a half meters tall. The yellow feathers covering its body formed strange circular patterns, and its head was somewhat round as well. Its body was exceptionally robust, with a faint layer of earthy yellow light seeping from it.

When he had trained with his father, Long Xingyu had taught him all kinds of knowledge in addition to training him every day, including, naturally, the identification of Demon Beasts.

After his brief shock, Long Haochen recognized it. This was a rare earth-element flying Demon Beast called a Mountain Shaking Eagle, a Sixth-level Demon Beast.

Generally speaking, most flying Demon Beasts were wind-element types, though the other elements had their own as well. Earth-element ones, however, were the rarest. This Sixth-level Mountain Shaking Eagle might not have been particularly fast in flight, but its carrying capacity and defensive strength were beyond compare among flying Demon Beasts of the same level.

"Teacher, so you're a Sky Knight." Long Haochen spoke with a hint of envy.

Among Fifth Order knights, only those with flying Demon Beast mounts could be called Sky Knights. The rest were Earth Knights. Without question, at the same rank, Sky Knights were naturally stronger.

A rare gentleness appeared in Ye Hua's eyes. The Mountain Shaking Eagle lowered its large head and let him stroke it twice before spreading its enormous wings, each spanning more than five meters, and crouching slightly.

Ye Hua grabbed Long Haochen and rose into the air, landing on the Mountain Shaking Eagle's back. Before Long Haochen could react, a fierce wind sprang up. The Mountain Shaking Eagle ran a few steps, beat its giant wings forcefully, and carried the two of them into the sky.

This was Long Haochen's first time riding a flying Demon Beast, and he immediately grew nervous, instinctively clutching the feathers on the Mountain Shaking Eagle's back.

The scenery below rapidly shrank away. Before long, the Mountain Shaking Eagle had carried them high into the air.

A layer of pale yellow Earth Element spread from the Mountain Shaking Eagle's body, enveloping Long Haochen and Ye Hua and shielding them from the howling wind. Its wings continued beating as it flew into the distance.

Long Haochen knew that a bonded Demon Beast mount was connected to its master's heart and mind. This Mountain Shaking Eagle naturally knew where it needed to go.

Soon, Bright Moon City gradually shrank beneath them. The Mountain Shaking Eagle kept climbing until it reached nearly a thousand meters in altitude, only then leveling into steady flight. Seated upon its broad back, they found it astonishingly stable.

Long Haochen was not yet fourteen. This was the first time he had experienced such a wondrous sight. The Mountain Shaking Eagle was clearly an adult Demon Beast—flying felt truly marvelous! If he could obtain a Demon Beast like this during his visit to the Knight Holy Mountain, that would be wonderful too!

Ye Hua said blandly, "Envious?"

Long Haochen nodded without trying to hide it.

"You have the chance as well," Ye Hua said. "Now I'll tell you what you need to pay attention to when searching for a Demon Beast partner in the Knight Holy Mountain. Remember it well."

"Yes."

Ye Hua said, "The Knight Holy Mountain is a wondrous place founded by the ancestors of our Knight Temple. Built upon a foundation of mountain ranges, it was only completed after the efforts of several generations. To be precise, the Knight Holy Mountain itself is an enormous magic array. Within the boundaries of the holy mountain, Demon Beasts of any rank will feel an affinity toward humans, while their own power will be suppressed."

"The longer a Demon Beast has lived in the Knight Holy Mountain, the more spiritually aware it becomes. When humans enter the holy mountain, anyone under twenty years old who possesses spiritual energy above two hundred, a sacred Light Attribute, and a token of our Knight Temple will naturally gain the affinity of these Demon Beasts."

"You must remember that what you seek there is a partner who will accompany you for the rest of your life, not merely a mount. It will be your most loyal friend. Unless you die, it will surely remain by your side for life. It may even be more dependable than your future spouse."

"Searching for a mount in the Knight Holy Mountain depends heavily on luck. If fate is upon you, perhaps the very first step you take into the holy mountain will lead you to a suitable partner. If fate is not, then even if you remain there for ten years or a hundred, no Demon Beast will pay you any heed. Therefore, after entering the Knight Holy Mountain, it is, in a sense, a process of seeking fate."

Hearing this, Long Haochen asked, "Teacher, then how do I seek this fate?"

Ye Hua sighed softly and gently stroked the Mountain Shaking Eagle's feathers beneath him. "Everyone's destined affinity is different. When I encountered the Mountain Shaking Eagle back then, it was only a little over a foot tall. The first time I saw it, I felt an intense sense of closeness in my heart. It naturally walked up to me, flew into the air, and landed on my shoulder. With the temple token, I easily completed the Equal Contract with it. It has accompanied me for more than thirty years now. So after entering the holy mountain, you must never force anything. Let everything follow its natural course. When you encounter the fate that belongs to you, it will naturally become a support for your entire life."

"Most Demon Beasts in the Knight Holy Mountain will not attack humans, but some have violent tempers. When you enter their territory, they will warn you. When you encounter such Demon Beasts, the temple token will display it as well. Do not lightly attempt to enter their territory. If it believes you are fated, it will naturally come looking for you. Such Demon Beasts are often among the stronger existences in the holy mountain."

Long Haochen carefully committed each of Ye Hua's instructions to memory, not daring to be the slightest bit careless. A partner—Teacher was right. Soon, I'll have my own mount partner. But what kind of mount will mine be?

"Teacher, does finding a mount in the holy mountain have anything to do with my own talent?" Long Haochen asked curiously.

Ye Hua nodded. "Of course it does. Put simply, a mount's recognition of you is equivalent to recognizing your talent. The stronger the Demon Beast, the higher its requirements for its partner. Speaking of which, I was truly very lucky back then."