The Mysterious New Instructor (3)

"...Teacher, do you think that little girl will be alright?" Long Haochen could not help asking after he finished.

Xingyu shook his head. "She'll be fine. She and that man in white should be together. They both belong to the Assassin Temple."

"The Assassin Temple?" Long Haochen's eyes brimmed with curiosity.

Xingyu took hold of the hand wearing the ring and muttered to himself, "Could this be a spatial ring?" As he spoke, his finger seemed to flash suddenly. When his fingertip touched the Forget-me-not ring, a circle of pale blue light immediately rippled outward.

A flicker of surprise passed through Xingyu's eyes. He said to Long Haochen, "You're quite lucky. This should have been left for you by that little girl. It's worth a great deal. Forget-me-not? That little girl is rather interesting."

Long Haochen scratched his head, his pretty little face still full of confusion. He did not really understand what his teacher meant.

"Teacher, do you know what method that man in white used to make those vicious-looking bad men disappear?"

Xingyu smiled faintly. "Because he killed them, then used the Assassin Temple's exclusive Thousand Strikes Spirit Furnace to grind them into powder. After that, he burned them into ashes with the blue flames that came with the Thousand Strikes Spirit Furnace, leaving not the slightest trace behind. The increase in spiritual energy within your body was also the Thousand Strikes Spirit Furnace's doing. He helped you clear your twelve primary meridians and burned away the impurities within them. It could be said that he completely transformed your body. This is no small favor. You must remember it. If you ever have the chance in the future, you must repay him. You cannot owe such a debt of gratitude, unless..."

He did not continue with what came after "unless," and Long Haochen did not pay it any mind. In Teacher Xingyu's words, he had found something that interested him even more.

"Teacher, what is the Thousand Strikes Spirit Furnace you mentioned? Is it those white lights?"

Xingyu nodded. "You could say that. Simply put, a spirit furnace is a furnace of spiritual energy, but it can take on countless forms. Every kind of spirit furnace is a unique existence. You are not yet at the stage where you need to learn about spirit furnaces. I can only tell you this: spirit furnaces are rare. A person who possesses one may not necessarily become powerful, but a person without one will certainly be unable to stand at the pinnacle."

"Oh." After hearing that, a few more strands of longing arose in Long Haochen's heart. If he could have a spirit furnace someday too, what would it be like? Looking at the Forget-me-not ring in his hand, he could not help thinking of that little girl again.

Xingyu said, "I've already had Balza notify your family. You will be allowed to return home once a week. The rest of the time, you must live here and cultivate with me."

Long Haochen was startled and asked somewhat anxiously, "Teacher, will I still be given Essence Replenishing Liquid?"

Xingyu nodded. "I will give it to you before each time you go home. If you perform well, I may even give you several better medicines, ones that will greatly benefit anyone's body. On the other hand, if you cannot fulfill my requirements during cultivation, I will drive you down the mountain. Then you will no longer be an Attendant Knight of the Knight Temple, much less receive Essence Replenishing Liquid. Do you understand?"

As Xingyu spoke those words, a profound look flashed through his eyes, even carrying a faint trace of guilt. But he concealed it well, and Long Haochen could not see it at all.

Upon hearing Xingyu's words, little Haochen immediately nodded again and again, his eyes filled with determination and persistence. For Mother's health, he had to work hard and properly complete the cultivation Teacher taught him. Besides, Teacher was teaching him for his own good!

Xingyu nodded in satisfaction. "Starting today, I will teach you all kinds of knowledge every morning, and guide your cultivation in the afternoons and evenings. You must remember every bit of knowledge I teach you. If you forget even the slightest thing, I'll deduct a week's worth of your Essence Replenishing Liquid." He clearly knew where Long Haochen's weak point lay. Just that simple warning was enough to make the little fellow nod repeatedly in fright.

Xingyu said, "Tell me what you know about the Holy Temple Alliance."

Long Haochen said, "Instructor Balza taught us that the Holy Temple Alliance is an alliance formed by the Knight Temple, Warrior Temple, Assassin Temple, Mage Temple, Priest Temple, and Soul Temple. The Six Great Temples join hands to protect the last territory of us humans."

Xingyu nodded. "What you said is correct, but that is only the most basic explanation. In the ancient era thirteen thousand years ago, we humans gradually gained control of the Holy Demon Continent from the primordial races, and those primordial races gradually declined. After that, dozens of human nations appeared across the continent one after another. They ruled the continent and made us humans the masters of the Holy Demon Continent. Every nation worked hard to develop agriculture and industry, teaching people knowledge. During that time, humanity developed at its fastest pace. People lived and worked in peace, and the continent flourished."

"After peace had endured for too long, war began to emerge. The original dozens of nations continuously annexed one another through warfare, gradually forming a three-legged standoff between three great nations. None of the three great nations dared act rashly, maintaining a balanced situation that lasted for thousands of years. We call those seven thousand years humanity's Age of Glory."

"Until six thousand years ago, when the Age of Glory was destroyed by the arrival of the Devil Race." At this point, heartfelt hatred and revulsion showed in Xingyu's eyes.

"The sun and moon appeared together, and nine stars aligned in a row. A huge spatial rift, as though it had cleaved the sky apart, appeared in the air above the eastern part of the continent. Seventy-Two Demon God Pillars descended from the heavens, bringing an evil aura like a plague."

"During the first hundred days after the Seventy-Two Demon God Pillars descended, every living creature—whether wild beast, Magic Beast, or human—would undergo an enormous mutation the instant it came into contact with the aura emanating from those seventy-two Demon God Pillars. They mutated into creatures of the Devil Race and obeyed the commands of the Demon God whose pillar was nearby. In merely one hundred days, the Seventy-Two Demon God Pillars added several million soldiers to the Devil Race. Fortunately, the evil aura released by the Demon God Pillars only lasted for those hundred days. Otherwise, humanity would likely have already been wiped out."

Long Haochen was only a youth. At his age, he could not yet feel much responsibility. Listening to Xingyu's account was like listening to a story. Still, he had not forgotten Xingyu's earlier threat. As he listened, he etched every word firmly into his heart.

"Each of the seventy-two Demon God Pillars was guarded by a true demon. They called themselves the Seventy-Two Pillar Demon Gods. Ranked according to their strength, they led the infected armies of the Devil Race in launching devastating attacks against humanity. From the day the seventy-two Demon God Pillars descended, humanity entered the Dark Age. And it has continued until now."

"After six thousand years of mutual slaughter, all human nations have been destroyed. Although we amassed enormous wealth and power during the Age of Glory, we remained at a disadvantage against the powerful Devil Race and even came close to true annihilation. It was not until the Six Great Temples, formed independently by humanity's experts, appeared three thousand years ago that we barely managed to stabilize our footing and halt the Devil Race's advance. But even then, our Holy Temple Alliance occupied less than one-fourth of the continent."

At this point, Xingyu's voice clearly grew impassioned, and dazzling brilliance shone from his eyes. "Therefore, the first lesson I will teach you today is to make you remember the pain and humiliation the Devil Race has brought upon us. As a knight, we must protect our homeland, protect our loved ones, and protect humanity. These words you recite every day are not empty nonsense. Only by possessing sufficient strength can we protect the people we must protect."