Taylor sat in the courtyard, watching Leiluo leave, and complained to Lynn.
"Before, the boss was always going on about Senior Nina this and Senior Nina that. Now, not long after the news of her death came back, he's already fallen for someone else."
Lynn smiled at Taylor's complaint, then said meaningfully, "I remember that Senior Xili and the late Senior Nina seemed to come from the same family. I think they were both from the direct line, though Senior Nina was a bit more talented than Senior Xili."
"She's dead. Why are you bringing that up?" Taylor asked, looking baffled.
Looking at the simple-minded Taylor, Lynn smiled helplessly. "Never mind. Just pretend I didn't say anything. When you have time, you should visit Old John more often."
If Lynn remembered correctly, Old John had also been born a commoner. Now an old man with no children, he was most often accompanied by Taylor, whom he frequently called over.
At Lynn's reminder, Taylor couldn't help muttering, "I don't want to see Old John. He lectures me all day long and tells me not to spend too much time with you guys, Lynn. He says the children of nobles are scheming, but you're not even a noble."
As Lynn listened to Taylor's muttering, a strange glint flickered in his eyes.
"Old John's sharp as a tack. He must have noticed something." Lynn didn't dwell on it. At most, Old John suspected Lynn was keeping a few secrets; he couldn't possibly uncover anything that crossed Lynn's bottom line.
Without another thought, Lynn returned to his arduous cultivation.
Several months earlier, in the main hall of the Church of Light's Starfire City branch.
Before the enormous statue of the God of Light, Cardinal Dialuo knelt on the floor with a group of black-robed priests, praying. His face was full of devotion as his lips moved, seemingly reciting a prayer.
"Your Eminence, we've received word from the academy." A black-robed priest hurried into the hall.
Cardinal Dialuo's expression remained unchanged. He rose from the floor only after finishing his prayer.
"Speak. What is it?"
"According to our informants at the Dragon Knight Warrior Academy, after several months of testing, we've confirmed that Xiao Yan, Albert's disciple, has left the academy."
"Xiao Yan?" Dialuo searched his memory for the somewhat familiar name.
"The disciple Albert took in a few years ago?" The cardinal rubbed his temples, finally recalling what he knew about Xiao Yan.
"Yes." The black-robed priest answered respectfully.
"More than half a year ago, one of my subordinates organized a group of students to challenge him. There were several fourth- and fifth-level warriors among them, but Xiao Yan defeated them all with ease. He's quite powerful—at least a fifth-level warrior!"
"Fifth-level warrior... A fifth-level warrior." Dialuo rubbed his temples, a cold glint gathering in his eyes. "How old is he now?"
"He was twelve when we tested him. He's just turned thirteen."
"A genius!" Dialuo's expression grew grave as a terrifying killing intent filled the hall.
"A fifth-level warrior at twelve, with the potential to reach the Saint Domain. I can't believe that old Albert actually found such a promising talent!"
"But there's one thing he absolutely shouldn't have done: stand against the Church of Light!"
"Carry out my orders. Have every branch in the Starfire Kingdom search its jurisdiction, one by one. If Xiao Yan is found, kill him on the spot."
"Also, send word to headquarters. Have them assign people to thoroughly search the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Sunset Forest, Raging Grasslands, Aurora Desert, and other places where magical beasts gather. Tear the ground apart if you have to—we must eliminate this Saint Domain prospect."
"Yes!"
On the Azeron Continent, in the Holy Alliance's Rose Principality, in Rose City—the headquarters of the Church of Light in the Holy City.
After reading the information sent from the Starfire Kingdom, Pope of Light Abraham's face showed a trace of displeasure. "That Dialuo is useless. He can't even deal with a mere fifth-level warrior."
"Someone, order every Church of Light branch to investigate in secret. If they discover Xiao Yan's exact location, report it immediately."
"Then send several teams of special executors to the Zhongyuan Empire and the Roland Empire. Focus on searching Sunset Forest and the Wild Plains."
Pope of Light Abraham hadn't chosen to send more people to other regions, because he believed that as long as this boy named Xiao Yan wasn't stupid, he wouldn't leave the territories of the Zhongyuan Empire and the Roland Empire.
Panshi Town was an ordinary little town on the Zhongyuan Empire's southern border, fifty miles from Sunset Forest.
The sun rose, its warm light spilling over the maple leaves lining the roads. Many adults were already up and working, while children played and laughed in the alleys. The town was peaceful and serene.
Suddenly, thick clouds of dust billowed along the road outside town, accompanied by the thunder of hooves. More than twenty knights in silver-white armor, each carrying a seven-zhang-long spear, charged into town.
The lead knight was a tall, blond, middle-aged man. A vicious scar marked the corner of his eye, and his expression was stern, his gaze sharp.
Leonard swept his eyes over the townspeople and shouted, "Listen up, residents of this town! We're the Order of Light Knights, sent by the Church of Light. We've come by order of the Pope to find heretics in hiding."
"I ask, you answer!" Leonard continued before the residents could react.
"Have any outsiders come to Panshi Town recently?"
His question caused a stir among the crowd. After a long pause, the townspeople put forward a white-haired old man. He walked forward unsteadily and said, "Sir Knight, Panshi Town is only fifty miles from Sunset Forest. So many people come and go that it's impossible for us to keep track of all the outsiders."
Leonard frowned as he listened to the old man's explanation. He hadn't expected even investigating a small town to be so troublesome.
After thinking for a while and coming up with no better solution, Leonard simply waved his hand and ordered his knights to spread out and search every house.
Leonard turned to the old man. "Organize everyone and have them gather in the open space beside town. Don't try anything clever. We'll search the houses too. If I find out you're hiding anyone, I'll consider it a provocation against the Church of Light, whether or not the person you're hiding is our target. You'll become enemies of the Church."
"Y-yes." The old man nodded quickly, then hurried off to organize the residents.
Under the watch of several knights, the residents gathered anxiously in a tight cluster in the open space. The other twenty or so knights spread out at Leonard's command, like hungry wolves.
The knights kicked down doors and rummaged through the houses, searching for anyone who might be hiding. Everywhere they went, they left a trail of utter chaos!
The watching residents were both frightened and furious. In an inconspicuous corner of the crowd, Xiao Yan—his appearance changed and his assumed name now Yang Guo—wore the same look of fear and anxiety as everyone else, blending in perfectly.
"A seventh-level warrior, two sixth-level warriors, and twenty fifth-level warriors..."
"The Church of Light really does act quickly. Two days ago, they sent a team of special executors into Sunset Forest to drive out the people there for trials. Then they sent knights to search the surrounding towns. If I couldn't change my appearance and aura with my clone, I might really have fallen into your trap."
Before you continue