The Main Account's a Lost Cause—Time to Train the Alt!

A figure darted through the dim Owl Ant Nest.

Long Haoyu's movements grew ever more agile, and No Edge's gleam constantly flashed through the nest.

Wave after wave of Owl Ants died beneath No Edge's blade, but his body had also gained even more bite wounds from practicing the rudiments of those Knight Skills.

A full half hour passed. Long Haoyu propped himself up with No Edge, fine beads of sweat covering his forehead.

After such prolonged physical exertion, his body was nearly at its limit.

Yet after practicing the Knight Skills for so long, he could only barely use their rudimentary forms.

According to the system's training plan, he would not begin cultivating Internal Spiritual Power until his External Spiritual Power reached 100 points.

So although he possessed 100 innate points of Internal Spiritual Power, he had not mastered any method to cultivate it.

It was like having a mountain of treasure but not yet possessing the key to unlock it.

"This training plan of the system is rather similar to the original plan of that cheap old man of mine."

"Looks like, in this Owl Ant Nest, I can only focus on raising my External Spiritual Power first."

He had rested long enough. Long Haoyu once again began attacking the Owl Ant swarm.

First, set a small goal: cultivate his External Spiritual Power to 100 points.

Then, he would not need to wait for Long Xingyu to teach him how to cultivate Internal Spiritual Power a year later. He could get a head start instead.

Outside the Owl Ant Nest.

Long Xingyu silently counted the time.

Another half hour had passed since he had pulled Long Haochen out of the Owl Ant Nest.

At precisely that moment, he moved aside the huge boulder blocking the entrance to the Owl Ant Nest.

Just as he was about to check on Long Haoyu's condition inside, Long Haoyu had already leaped out of the nest.

"Time's up?"

Long Haoyu had his eyes closed. After staying in a dark environment for so long, he needed time to adjust.

Long Xingyu watched Long Haoyu with his eyes closed and heard that casual remark. Then he noticed that Long Haoyu's body was covered in bite wounds no fewer than Long Haochen's.

Even as a Divine Seal Knight, his pupils could not help but contract slightly. Was this child's resilience really so formidable?

"Training must be done in moderation. Go recover in the Medicinal Hot Spring Pool first. Then it will be time for us to head home. Your mother is getting worried waiting for you," Long Xingyu said deeply.

"Thanks."

Long Haoyu answered coldly. He still did not open his eyes and followed the route he had memorized toward the Medicinal Hot Spring Pool.

Long Xingyu stared at Long Haoyu's retreating back, examining the wounds on his body. "This really was unexpected. It seems the approach of a divine weapon falling from the heavens isn't reliable."

"Could it be that, between these two children, I can only raise Haochen properly? With Haoyu's hostility toward me, this won't be easy."

Looking back over the years, which of the weak Knights in the Knight Temple had not admired him?

He could say with confidence that if he offered to guide someone in cultivation, those youngsters who had only recently become Attendant Knights would be overjoyed beyond measure.

But with Long Haoyu, he had not sensed even the slightest bit of joy.

"Perhaps I was too hasty. If I hadn't observed them in secret that night, or if I hadn't let the two boys learn that I was their father..."

"Perhaps if I had kept that identity hidden and revealed it as a surprise when the time was right, this boy wouldn't have had such an attitude?"

Mulling over these matters, Long Xingyu followed Long Haoyu to the wooden cabin containing the Medicinal Hot Spring Pool.

Long Haoyu soaked his entire body in the medicinal pool. Long Haochen had already awakened from his initial fainting spell.

Seeing that Long Haoyu had even more injuries than himself, Long Haochen watched as the medicinal water stung his wounds, yet Long Haoyu did not make so much as a sound.

Admiration filled Long Haochen's eyes, and his gaze became even more resolute. Big Brother has always been working hard to shoulder this family. I have to work even harder too!

After soaking for about an hour, Long Haoyu's wounds began to scab over as the medicinal properties of the Medicinal Hot Spring Pool repaired the damage to his body.

With the day's training over, and since they had already acknowledged one another, Long Xingyu led the two brothers home.

Bai Yue was preparing dinner at home. When she saw the brothers return and saw the wounds on their bodies, tears began streaming uncontrollably down her face.

Holding the two brothers tightly in her arms, Bai Yue said through tears, "Yuyu, Chenchen, you must be hurting terribly, aren't you?"

"Come back to the room with Mama. Mama will put some medicine on you."

Long Haoyu greedily breathed in his mother's scent and replied in a muffled voice, "Mom, Haochen and I are fine."

At that, Long Haoyu paused slightly, pulled himself free from Bai Yue's embrace, and cast a sidelong glance at Long Xingyu.

"We said it before. We want to become powerful Knights. We want to protect you."

Long Xingyu nearly failed to catch his breath. How could he not hear the implication behind Long Haoyu's words?

I may not be a qualified husband, but was there really any need to mock me like this?

Then he saw Long Haochen's obedient appearance, so utterly different from Long Haoyu's reaction.

A faint sorrow rose in Long Xingyu's heart, along with an inexplicable urge to abandon the ruined main account and devote himself entirely to training the alt.

They were two children who had grown up together. How could the difference between them be so enormous?

"Yue, I've already had them soak in a medicinal bath. These injuries are nothing."

"If they want to become powerful Knights, these are things they must face," Long Xingyu said in a deep voice, suppressing the frustration in his heart.

Bai Yue did not care what Long Xingyu said. Her heart was entirely focused on the two brothers, and her tears still would not stop.

In the original timeline, Long Haochen had concealed his condition when he returned, so Bai Yue had not noticed anything amiss.

But in this timeline, Long Xingyu had brought the two brothers home directly. Their injuries could not be hidden from Bai Yue's eyes.

Training or not, Bai Yue only knew that her heart ached terribly right now.

"Yue, I hope you can understand me," Long Xingyu spoke again.

Bai Yue gave a soft sound of acknowledgment. Though her heart ached for them, she truly did not blame Long Xingyu. Only after crying for a while did she lead Long Haoyu and Long Haochen to the table.

Unlike Long Haoyu, who only prepared three portions whenever he cooked, Bai Yue had prepared four.

After sitting down, Long Haoyu informed his mother and immediately began shoveling food into his mouth. Long Haochen, meanwhile, held his chopsticks out to Long Xingyu.

"Dad, eat quickly!"

"You worked hard guiding our cultivation!"

Long Xingyu accepted the chopsticks, deeply comforted. He gave Long Haochen an approving glance and gently patted his shoulder. The family gathered around the simple table and ate together.

At that moment, an idea quietly took shape in his heart.

A slight, subtle change began to appear in the training that would continue as usual the next day.