Knight Holy Mountain (II)

As he spoke, Ye Hua's gaze unexpectedly grew exceedingly gentle.

"Haochen, do you know what my Innate Internal Spiritual Power is?" Ye Hua asked. At this moment, not a trace of coldness could be heard in his voice.

Long Haochen shook his head.

Ye Hua said, "My Innate Internal Spiritual Power is only nine."

"Ah?" Only nine? Long Haochen clearly remembered his father saying that if one's Innate Internal Spiritual Power did not exceed ten, it would be very difficult to break through the Third Order profession and enter the Fourth Order.

Ye Hua smiled, but his smile looked even uglier than crying.

"Yes, only nine. While that thief of Heaven gave me a clever mind, it also gave me such trash talent. Though I racked my brains and devised countless secret cultivation methods, in the end, I could only stop at the level of a Sky Knight. I'm afraid I'll never touch the level of a Radiant Knight in this lifetime."

"When I was fifteen, I completed my External Spiritual Power training and became a knight. At that time, I was full of ambition, and everyone called me a genius. But the day Sacred Awakening was completed was like a bolt from the blue to me. Innate Internal Spiritual Power of nine—trash among trash. The teacher who had once valued me so highly was no longer willing to teach me any abilities. He did not even tell me where Knight Holy Mountain was. How unwilling I was at fifteen! I refused to believe it. I refused to believe that low Innate Internal Spiritual Power meant I could not become a powerful knight. I was truly unwilling. I believed that through my own efforts, I could certainly break through myself and shatter Heaven's restraints."

"So, relying on my own two legs, I walked to the Knight Temple and demanded my rights from the Temple. Afterward, still relying on my own two legs, I walked to Knight Holy Mountain and entered it. Every knight under the age of twenty could remain there for no more than one month. If they failed to find their destined bond within that month, the Temple token would automatically teleport them out of Knight Holy Mountain."

"Day after day, I searched. Day after day, I sought bitterly. Every time I saw a Magic Beast, even a weak Magic Beast of only the Second or Third Order, I was willing to communicate with it. Yet even those weak little creatures looked down on me."

"Time passed, day by day. At last, the month was up, and I was about to be teleported away. I was truly unwilling. Truly, deeply unwilling! I threw back my head and howled at the sky, weeping bitter tears in my rage. I knew that if I were teleported out just like that, then I would truly be nothing but trash, without even the slightest chance of becoming a powerful knight."

"Then, I met it. It heard my cries and descended from the sky, landing on my shoulder. It seemed to understand the pain in my heart. From then on, it became my only family, my best companion. I would willingly use my life to protect it. It is like my own brother."

As he said this, tears actually flowed from the eyes of the always icy Ye Hua. The Mountain Shaking Eagle slowly turned its head as well, looking gently at him, as though comforting him.

Ye Hua lightly patted its back. "Don't worry, old friend. I'm fine."

"Haochen, I'm an orphan. In this world, I have never experienced true familial love. The old me never believed in such intangible things as fate. Not until I met it—met this good brother of mine—did I understand that fate truly exists. It let me feel the existence of family. It constantly encouraged me to strive through all sorts of methods. I spent twenty years going from trash to gradually breaking through to the level of a Sky Knight. Along the way, I endured the trials of countless bottlenecks. A talented child like you could never understand such feelings."

"After saying so much, there is only one thing Teacher wants to tell you. Once you have your own companion, you must treat it well. Truly regard it as your own family. Fate may come only once in a lifetime. You must seize it tightly and protect it well. Otherwise, once it falls, you will surely bear lifelong regret."

Listening to Ye Hua's emotional account, Long Haochen's fists gradually clenched without him noticing. He was filled with respect for both his teacher and the Mountain Shaking Eagle beneath them.

He had indeed put in no small amount of effort, but compared to his teacher's, what did it amount to? If he possessed only the same talent as his teacher, could he struggle for decades as though a single day toward a goal that was nearly impossible to achieve?

"Teacher, rest assured. I understand. I will use my life to protect my companion, and my heart to communicate with it."

Ye Hua nodded slightly. "Though that dead fatso Nalan won't let me ask, Haochen, I truly want to know what your Innate Internal Spiritual Power is. It determines the target you should seek when choosing a mount. The stronger the Magic Beast, the prouder it is. I have never been able to see through your talent. Perhaps this time at Knight Holy Mountain, you really can bring Teacher a huge surprise."

"Teacher, I..." Long Haochen looked at Ye Hua with some hesitation. Long Xingyu had told him that the number of his Innate Internal Spiritual Power was an extremely important secret. But before this teacher of his, this teacher whom others called Shura but whose heart burned so fiercely, who possessed such unwavering persistence—should he really continue to hide it?

Ye Hua waved his hand and sighed softly. "Forget it. This is your personal privacy. Even that dead fatso Nalan doesn't know, does he? No need to tell me. It'll save me from being stimulated."

"Teacher, I'll tell you." The words nearly blurted from Long Haochen's mouth. He valued emotions most deeply, and in that instant, the loneliness in Ye Hua's eyes stabbed painfully into his heart.

"Hm?" Ye Hua's eyes lit up, his gaze fixed intensely on him.

Long Haochen took a deep breath. "Teacher, for more than two years, you have strictly taught me all kinds of knowledge and skills concerning Guardian Knights. Though you are very strict, and even used beatings and scolding to force me, I know that everything you have done was for my own good. Even when I trained with Father, his guidance in many areas was not as direct or effective as yours. Without you, I would not have made the progress I have today. I heard Temple Head Nalan say that I am your only personal disciple. You have also taught me, without holding anything back, every insight you have researched over the years. How could Haochen fail to appreciate kindness? In Haochen's heart, you are both teacher and father. To others, my secret will forever remain a secret. But to you, I am merely telling my secret to my father."

Looking at Long Haochen, the muscles on Ye Hua's face twitched slightly. He slowly turned his head away, not letting him see the glimmering moisture that had appeared in his eyes. He never could have imagined that this gifted disciple of his—usually quiet and reserved, never resisting any harsh training, obedient like a beautiful little kitten—would say such words. Beneath that seemingly frail exterior, he appeared to possess a powerful heart.

Several strange notes left Long Haochen's mouth. Immediately afterward, a layer of pale golden light enveloped both him and Ye Hua.

Spiritual Light Shield, a Third Order Guardian Knight defensive skill. It could block skill-based detection and isolate part of the sound. Single-target defense. With Long Haochen's current spiritual power cultivation level, he could barely cast Spiritual Light Shield to envelop both himself and his teacher.