Duke

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was already the next day.

Early in the morning, after breakfast, Leian prepared to head to the palace for his appointment. When he stepped out of the courtyard gate, he discovered that the royal family had already arranged a luxuriously decorated carriage to await him.

Though it was only a small gesture, Leian truly felt their sincerity.

The carriage traveled onward and soon arrived at the palace gates. Leian had assumed he would need to get out and continue on foot, but the carriage passed straight through the gatehouse and did not stop until it reached a courtyard.

"Lord Leian, please disembark!"

The attendant's voice came from outside the carriage at just the right moment.

Leian stepped down as instructed, then followed the attendant deeper into the palace.

The palace grounds covered an immense area, and security grew tighter the farther in they went. There was a sentry every five steps and a guard post every ten. Along the way, Leian saw that even the lowest-ranking guard knights were Level Six warriors, while quite a few powerful experts were hidden in the shadows.

However, Leian paid little attention to those guards. Most of the time, he was admiring the palace architecture. Before long, the two stopped before an ancient yet elegant study.

"Your Majesty, Lord Leian has arrived."

Rather than having Leian wait outside, the attendant immediately announced him in a loud voice.

"Oh? Quickly, quickly, let Mister Leian come in."

The emperor's delighted voice immediately came from within the study.

Leian smiled faintly and walked forward with a composed expression. Passing through the doors, he immediately saw a burly, imposing middle-aged man.

This man was the current emperor!

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Leian gave a slight bow. He knew little about the emperor of the empire, only that his name was Joyce, that he had inherited the throne more than a century ago, and that he was also a Level Eight warrior.

"Mister Leian, no need for such formality. I have long heard of your great reputation. Now that I see you in person, you are even younger than I imagined."

Joyce did not put on the airs of an emperor. A smile remained on his face throughout, and after saying this, he asked curiously:

"Forgive my boldness, but I heard that Mister Leian reached the realm of a Level Nine warrior at the age of thirty. Might you have any insights you could share with me?"

Although warrior cultivation followed broadly similar paths, everyone had their own little secrets. Normally, asking such a direct question would have been quite rude, but Joyce was the emperor of a nation and spoke with the manner of someone seeking instruction, so it did not seem especially abrupt.

Moreover, combined with his strength as a Level Eight warrior, it was easy for him to give off the admirable impression of an emperor who still did not neglect diligent cultivation.

And among those who truly cultivated hard, such an image was very likely to earn goodwill.

Clearly, Emperor Joyce had long since investigated Leian's history thoroughly and had even used it to infer part of Leian's character.

Leian, however, did not think that deeply about it. In his view, since the Byron royal family had a Saint Realm ancestor, warrior cultivation should not hold any secrets for them. Joyce was probably asking merely to flatter him and earn some goodwill.

With that in mind, Leian cooperatively replied:

"Your Majesty is too kind. Your Majesty should know my background. In many matters, my understanding is likely far less comprehensive than yours.

"Still, since Your Majesty is interested, Leian is willing to speak about it. I hope it may be of some use to Your Majesty's cultivation."

After saying that, Leian organized his thoughts, then calmly began explaining the three realms of warrior cultivation.

Of course, Leian also knew that knowledge such as the three realms was probably no secret to a family with a Saint Realm inheritance.

Therefore, as he spoke, Leian also appropriately mentioned some of his own cultivation methods, such as alternating between heavy and light sword techniques, as well as the progressive comprehension of the realm of momentum, and so on.

At first, Joyce had only pretended to listen with interest. Yet when Leian began sharing this valuable knowledge, his entire body involuntarily trembled, and his eyes immediately lit up.

Once Leian had finished, Joyce grabbed his arm and sincerely praised him:

"Mister Leian truly deserves the title of genius. I have benefited immensely from your words today!"

Leian smiled and accepted Joyce's praise without the slightest hesitation.

However, at that moment, a voice suddenly came from behind an ornate screen at the back of the study.

"From what Mister Leian said, have you already comprehended the realm of momentum?"

As the words fell, a middle-aged man dressed in fitted warrior attire walked out from behind the screen. Behind him stood a gray-haired old man wearing silver robes.

From their clothing alone, it was clear that the former was a warrior, while the latter was a mage.

Leian was not the least bit surprised by the sudden appearance of the two men. With his command of Worldly Momentum, he had sensed them hiding behind the screen the moment he entered the study. He simply had not exposed them.

Joyce, on the other hand, was worried that Leian might misunderstand, so he took the initiative to explain, "These two are my personal guards: Mister Tailun, a Level Nine warrior, and Mister Vincent, a Grand Magister."

Upon hearing this, Leian nodded to the two as a greeting. Then, with an unconcerned smile, he said:

"After several years of hard cultivation, I did indeed fully comprehend Worldly Momentum not long ago."

"Oh?"

Tailun raised his thick brows, seeming somewhat unconvinced. His gaze swept over Leian, and then he laughed loudly.

"Hearing Mister Leian say that, Tailun's hands are truly itching. Would Mister Leian dare to spar with me?"

Would he dare?

Leian secretly shook his head and laughed. He had thought this would be an ordinary meeting, yet someone always seemed eager to become his stepping stone.

Since that was the case, he could not blame Leian for showing no mercy.

With that thought, he flipped his right hand, and the black longsword he usually used instantly appeared in his grasp.

Since he was visiting the palace, he had not carried his sword on his back. But to be safe, he had not left it at home either; he had placed it in his Interspatial Ring.

With his current status and strength, he no longer had to worry about others coveting it.

"Come."

At that moment, Leian held his longsword at an angle, his tone utterly calm.

"Here?"

Tailun froze. Though the study was not small, it was absolutely incapable of accommodating a battle between two Level Nine warriors.

Leian's tone remained just as calm. "This is enough. Don't worry, there won't be much of a disturbance."

"You?"

Tailun's eyes widened. At this point, how could he fail to see that Leian did not take him seriously at all?

Thinking of this, he no longer cared whether he damaged Emperor Joyce's study. Without another word, he drew the saber from his back and slashed at Leian.

Screech! Screech!

The saber's radiance surged as it tore through the air with boundless force, cleaving directly toward Leian amid a piercing howl.

The moment Tailun attacked, Leian saw through his realm. He had merely begun to grasp the mysteries of Heavy as Light.

One move was enough to defeat someone like him!

As that thought passed through his mind, he casually thrust out his sword.

Yet this simple thrust completely filled Tailun's vision. At that instant, Tailun felt as though the surrounding space had been utterly locked down.

Clang!

Before Tailun could react, the dark sword tip had already pierced through his momentum and struck the blade of his saber.

At once, Tailun felt an overwhelming force pour into his chest like a river rushing backward, irresistible and unstoppable. Then his entire body was sent flying backward against his will.

Bang!

With a deafening crash, Tailun's body smashed four or five huge cracks into the wall at the back of the study.

"Cough, cough..."

Amid the billowing dust, Tailun propped himself up with his saber and slowly climbed to his feet. At that moment, there was no longer even a trace of arrogance in the way he looked at Leian.

Leian did not remain in the palace for long. After defeating Tailun with a single sword strike, he took his leave and departed.

Soon after he stepped into his own small courtyard, Joyce's rewards arrived right behind him.

When Joyce learned from Tailun that Leian only needed to accumulate enough battle qi to enter the Saint Realm, he did not hesitate to grant him the highest honors:

Leian was named a duke of the empire!

At the same time, he was granted a ducal residence in the eastern district of the imperial capital, an estate in the eastern outskirts of the capital, as well as the corresponding maids and guards.

Originally, because he now had a younger brother and sister, Leian had planned to buy a larger house. Now, there was no need.

Leian did not refuse Joyce's rewards and accepted them all. That very afternoon, he moved into the estate in the eastern outskirts.

It was a vast estate spanning tens of thousands of square meters. Aside from ample rooms, it also had a proper training ground, completely meeting Leian's expectations.

Meanwhile, Leian's personal information spread throughout the empire in the shortest possible time through the empire's official gazette. As time passed, it gradually spread across the entire Youquan Continent.

[Born a commoner and reaching Level Nine at thirty—what an inspiring story!]

Everyone who knew of Leian felt admiration for him and took him as an example and a goal.

For a time, Leian's fame blazed across the entire Youquan Continent like the midday sun.