Take Life and Death Lightly, Fight If Unconvinced

(The previous chapter was slightly revised. Thank you for your understanding.)

Long Xingyu went numb.

What he had feared most was Long Haoyu suddenly asking what kind of Knight he was. Knowing Long Haoyu, he was fully capable of doing something like that.

Combined with that theory about how letting teammates fall into danger was worse than going home to raise pigs, Long Xingyu had even been worried about losing face because of it.

But he had never imagined that the honest and obedient Long Haochen—the child he considered the most well-behaved—would actually be the one to ask.

Neither of these brothers was easy to worry about!

"Your father is a Retribution Knight, so most of what I know are Holy Arts of the Retribution Knight. Once you become true Knights, what I can teach you will also be Retribution Knight abilities."

Long Xingyu gave a light cough and answered with feigned solemnity.

Long Haochen's eyes lit up. His blood had already been stirred by Long Haoyu's earlier theory, and he blurted out, "Then Dad must be a great Retribution Knight!"

"Yes, you could say that!"

Long Xingyu was hoisted onto a pedestal. With his hands clasped behind his back, he strode past the two brothers.

His tiger-like eyes were imposing, his expression stern and unsmiling.

The excitement in Long Haochen's eyes became even brighter, and an agitated flush showed clearly on his young face.

Seeing that his little brother was about to be completely fooled, Long Haoyu lightly patted his shoulder. "Haochen!"

"Huh? What is it, Brother?" Long Haochen asked in confusion.

Long Haoyu delivered the finishing blow. "Haochen, you've misunderstood the difference between greatness and strength."

After a pause, Long Haoyu continued, "You can say he is a powerful Retribution Knight, but you cannot say he is a great Knight."

"Mom has suffered a lot these past years. You've seen it too. He may be powerful, but he is not great at all!"

Long Xingyu: "..."

Long Haoyu's words once again left him speechless. Even his stern, unsmiling face showed the faintest signs of cracking.

Long Haochen fell into thought, his little brows furrowed as he muttered over and over, "Great... powerful... great... powerful..."

The words had been completely unintentional, but to Long Xingyu's ears, they dealt tons of critical damage.

I'm tired. Just destroy me already!

Long Xingyu's State of Mind was in turmoil. It took him quite a while to get his emotions under control.

"Whether one is great or powerful is something you will encounter in the future."

"For now, let us return to the heart of the matter—to the knowledge of Retribution Knights and Guardian Knights."

"Haoyu, since you approve of this theory and aspire to become a Retribution Knight, how do you intend to become a qualified Retribution Knight?"

Long Xingyu ended the topic that had made his mood explode. His authoritative gaze fell on Long Haoyu, slightly improving his image in Long Haochen's eyes.

Long Haoyu said nothing. He removed No Edge from his back, his fingers gently brushing over the jagged, dog-chewed notches along its blade.

No Edge had already slain countless Owl Ants in the Owl Ant Nest, yet there was not a trace of Owl Ant remains left on its edge.

The hand-catching notches scraped against his fingertips.

"Take life and death lightly, fight if unconvinced!"

"With the heavy sword in my hand, I will cut down every enemy blocking my path."

"Whether I can become a qualified Retribution Knight, the heavy sword in my hand will eventually give me the answer!"

Every word Long Haoyu spoke rang like metal.

He pressed hard against one of No Edge's notches with his finger.

Blood seeped from the wound on his fingertip, sliding down No Edge's blade and dripping onto the ground.

Long Xingyu's pupils contracted slightly. Seeing Long Haoyu's actions, even with all his maturity and composure, he could not help drawing a sharp breath in his heart.

This child's mentality is terrifying!

"If you take even life and death lightly, how will you protect yourself?"

"What teammates need is a comrade-in-arms, a sharp blade—not a reckless fool who only knows how to throw his life away!"

Long Xingyu barked out a reprimand, feeling that Long Haoyu's way of thinking was incomparably dangerous.

After serving as a Retribution Knight for so many years, he had never encountered one like this.

Treating his own life and death as irrelevant—wouldn't that clearly bring even more trouble to his teammates?

"If one does not take life and death lightly, one can never become the sharpest blade!"

"If you worry about life and death, then when facing a powerful opponent, you will be afraid to fight from the bottom of your heart. You will never be a qualified Retribution Knight."

Long Haoyu continued answering, feeling a trace of disdain toward Long Xingyu's question. He himself had been that kind of person, yet he was picking at flaws like this now.

He remembered clearly that ten years ago, when his mother Bai Yue had been taken back by his bargain-bin grandfather, this bargain-bin father of his had fought his grandfather.

He refused to believe that Long Xingyu had truly considered life and death back then. Hadn't he also taken life and death lightly and fought if unconvinced?

Long Xingyu was rendered speechless. His tightly furrowed brow slowly relaxed. "Since you possess such resolve, let me test whether you truly have it!"

"Don't worry. I won't use any Spirit Energy. I'll still use a Bamboo Sword, just as I did the night before last. As long as you can make me lose my grip on the Bamboo Sword while I attack, you win."

Perhaps worried about Long Haoyu's unconventional personality, worried that Long Haoyu simply would not give a damn about him, Long Xingyu added, "I know you are dissatisfied with me, but I have also resolved to make it up to the three of you."

"If you can defeat me, then during your future training, whatever your mother says, I will do. No arguments!"

Long Xingyu understood Long Haoyu very well. He also knew exactly where Long Haoyu's weakness lay. With one sentence, he blocked every possibility of Long Haoyu refusing.

When Bai Yue heard Long Xingyu say this, she helplessly shook her head and shot him an irritated glare.

He was already such an adult, yet he was still competing with a child like this. Where had his former maturity and steadiness gone?

Long Xingyu acted as though he had not seen Bai Yue's gaze, but he noticed Long Haochen's eyes gradually widening.

Long Haochen's eyes were clearly filled with anticipation. It seemed that he himself wanted to try, and he was very tempted by Long Xingyu's condition.

The moment Long Xingyu caught that look, his heart skipped a beat. These two brothers truly were both troublemakers!

Long Haoyu said nothing. Seeing that Long Xingyu had actually used a provocation tactic on him, a faint smile appeared on his face.

He turned and walked into the courtyard, gripping No Edge's hilt tightly with both hands as he prepared for Long Xingyu's test. Silence spoke louder than words.

In truth, even without that provocation, he would have agreed to the test. The Knight Skills he had explored from Shadow Space urgently needed real combat experience.

After an afternoon of tempering in the Owl Ant Nest, although he still had no Internal Spiritual Power, he could already imitate the form of every Knight Skill he should have.

Sparring with a genuine top-tier Knight like Long Xingyu would obviously speed up his progress far more quickly.

Real combat was always the fastest path to improving one's strength—without exception!

Long Xingyu, his bargain-bin father, happened to make a fine tool.