Changfeng Knight

Inside the room.

On the bed, Zong Ling was half-reclined, leaning against the headboard, while Tong San sat on a stool nearby. Both men looked toward Dongbo Xueying as he ran in from outside.

"Uncle Zong, are you alright?" Dongbo Xueying looked him over carefully. Uncle Zong had already changed into a clean white robe and appeared to have no visible injuries, though his face was deathly pale.

Zong Ling smiled weakly. "The leader of the Curved Blade Alliance is truly formidable. If not for my alchemical inner armor protecting me, I might have truly lost my... cough, cough, cough..." As he spoke, he began to cough violently, quickly grabbing a handkerchief from the side to cover his mouth. The white fabric rapidly turned crimson as blood spread across it.

Dongbo Xueying's heart trembled at the sight. Coughing up blood? Was it an internal injury?

"Uncle Zong." Dongbo Xueying hurried to the bedside.

"It's nothing, I won't die." Zong Ling put down the handkerchief and tossed it into a basin nearby, laughing, "What is a small injury like this? Back when I was adventuring with your parents and Uncle Tong, we suffered far worse than this many times over."

"Xueying, don't you worry. With the constitution of a Six-Armed Snake Demon, this level of injury will heal in a month or two." Tong San was remarkably calm; having walked the edge of life and death in their youth, they were long accustomed to this. "By the way, Zong Ling, how did you get so badly hurt? You took an entire battalion of soldiers with you. Is the leader of the Curved Blade Alliance really that powerful?"

"He is very powerful, even more so than I anticipated. He is truly worthy of being the strongest bandit in the Yishui region," Zong Ling said.

"Who is the leader of the Curved Blade Alliance, and what is his background?" Dongbo Xueying was completely bewildered.

"It is time I told you about these things," Zong Ling said. "After all, the affairs of the Snow Eagle Territory will eventually fall to you."

Zong Ling looked at Dongbo Xueying. "As a lord, you possess control over your territory, but you are also obligated to protect it and all the subjects within it! When bandits invade your land to kill and plunder, you must eradicate them!"

Dongbo Xueying nodded.

"When your parents were here, your mother was a Heaven-rank mage. With a powerful mage's coordination, the army could unleash much greater strength. Furthermore, our Snow Eagle Territory was equipped with a large number of Star-Breaking Crossbows, so no bandits within the Yishui County dared to offend us," Zong Ling explained. "But after your parents were taken away, those bandits were likely watching from the sidelines, as they were very wary of the Star-Breaking Crossbows."

Dongbo Xueying was well aware of the power of his family's Star-Breaking Crossbows; his father had originally equipped them with five hundred of them!

These crossbows alone were worth fifty thousand gold coins! That was enough to purchase the entire Snow Eagle Territory, which was why the Dongbo Clan of Snow Eagle Territory was quite famous throughout Yishui County.

"The taxes in Snow Eagle Territory are low, and the subjects deeply love their lord! Over these years, the people of the territory have lived well, which has made many bandits envious," Zong Ling said. "After your parents were taken, they grew restless, and finally, the strongest bandit group in the entire Yishui County—the Curved Blade Alliance—entered our territory to plunder."

"I received the news and led a battalion of three hundred soldiers, all mounted and armed with Star-Breaking Crossbows, to rush over, but by then, over five hundred civilians had already been killed and their homes looted."

Dongbo Xueying's eyes turned red as he listened.

Over five hundred people dead?

This, this...

Those damned bandits! What had those civilians ever done to provoke them?

"When I arrived, I tracked the bandits' movements. Who would have thought that the leader of the Curved Blade Alliance, that evil man named 'Gai Bin', was hiding alone in the slaughtered village and suddenly launched a sneak attack on me?" Zong Ling sighed. "We were caught off guard, and the three hundred soldiers were in some disarray, so I had to hold him off first."

"The Curved Blade Alliance leader, 'Gai Bin', is a Meteor-rank Knight! I have fought Meteor-rank Knights in the past and could generally hold them off for a while," Zong Ling lamented. "But this Gai Bin's blade technique was far too fast—much faster than a normal Meteor-rank Knight... I suspect he uses some special battle-qi method."

Dongbo Xueying knew this as well.

In terms of strength, among his father, Uncle Tong, and Uncle Zong, Uncle Zong was the strongest. Although he was only a Heaven-rank Knight, he was of the Snake-man royal family! As a Six-Armed Snake Demon, his strength was immense, and in battle, he could attack with all six arms simultaneously. Furthermore, the presence of his snake tail made his movements even more agile and nimble... which was why he could hold his own for a time even when fighting a Meteor-rank Knight above his rank.

"My blade technique is fast, but his was faster. I couldn't block him and was struck by three of his slashes! Fortunately, I had my alchemical inner armor to protect me, so I only suffered some internal injuries. The three hundred soldiers then began firing their Star-Breaking Crossbows, forcing the bandit leader to flee, and he even suffered some minor injuries in the process," Zong Ling sighed. "With his fast blade and fast movement, it's no wonder he has such a fearsome reputation."

Dongbo Xueying felt a lingering fear. Uncle Zong had been struck three times; if his luck had been worse, or if the fight had lasted any longer, he might have lost his life!

"Xueying, you can rest easy."

Tong San's voice was deep and resonant from the side. "In all of Yishui County, there are only four Meteor-rank Knights and one Meteor-rank Grand Mage! Among the bandits, only this Curved Blade Alliance leader is one. Now that he has been injured and has seen the power of the Star-Breaking Crossbows... I estimate he won't dare to take the risk again. Because next time, we will be even better prepared! If the Curved Blade Alliance doesn't dare to attack, other bandits will be even less likely to try."

"Mm." Dongbo Xueying let out a sigh of relief.

"Since this Gai Bin is a Meteor-rank Knight, why would he choose to be a bandit?" Dongbo Xueying asked.

"Hmph." Tong San let out a low snort. "Xueying, there are many powerful experts in this world who prefer to reap without sowing, who love to plunder! It is said that Gai Bin became a bandit simply because he was greedy; he killed a noble to steal their treasure, was exposed, and ended up a wanted man."

Zong Ling added, "He never had a good reputation, but no one had ever caught him in the act! After committing so many evil deeds, he was eventually exposed and became a wanted criminal. However, because he is strong and hides within the Destruction Mountain Range, leading a large group of desperate outlaws... he has been able to act with such arrogance until now. Forget it, this is not something we need to worry about; even if we wanted to, we couldn't do anything about it."

Dongbo Xueying nodded.

He couldn't do anything about it.

Hiding in the Destruction Mountain Range, even the city guards of the empire were unwilling to launch an assault. One must know that the Destruction Mountain Range stretched for over one hundred thousand li, connecting four provinces, and was the largest mountain range in the entire empire, home to countless terrifying Magic Beasts. Many outlaws hid in the Destruction Mountain Range, though naturally, they only stayed in the outermost regions.

The depths of the Destruction Mountain Range were far too dangerous.

I won't worry about them for now. When my strength is sufficient, I will definitely eradicate this tumor, Dongbo Xueying thought to himself.

"By the way, Xueying, have you thought about the matter regarding Changfeng Academy?" Zong Ling suddenly asked.

"Xueying!" Tong San also urged from the side, "Changfeng Academy is the premier academy of the entire Anyang Province and the most powerful force there. It is far stronger than your mother's Moyang Clan! The dean of Changfeng Academy, the 'Changfeng Knight' Chi Qiubai, is the strongest person in the entire province... Your strength and qualifications are more than enough to enter this academy. It is already winter; if you don't sign up now, it will be too late."

"Ten years old is the final cutoff. Once you pass ten, Changfeng Academy will no longer accept you," Zong Ling said, looking at Dongbo Xueying.

Dongbo Xueying fell silent.

He had been thinking about this for a long time.

Changfeng Academy recruited youths under the age of ten! This was because this age was full of potential for cultivation, especially during the period of physical development... it was the most critical moment for a knight's training. Some children developed early and began to grow rapidly at ten, so the academy's decision to set the age limit at ten was not without reason.

Changfeng Academy was the strongest force in Anyang Province! Its dean was the most powerful existence in the entire province!

The students they trained entered as ordinary youths, but those who graduated were at least Heaven-rank Knights! Many were even able to break through to the Meteor-rank. Of course, the entrance examination was very strict, though with Dongbo Xueying's physical condition and spear technique, it would be very easy for him.

"I have thought about it for a long time, and I have made my decision," Dongbo Xueying said.