Supernatural Civilization

The time for prayer was only half an hour. When the church bells rang, it signaled the end of the prayers, and the worshippers gradually began to leave.

Mei Xue, her face full of anxiety, grabbed Merlin and led him toward a small door inside the church. Before long, they arrived at the church courtyard, where Merlin saw more than twenty people of various ages practicing swordsmanship under the guidance of a middle-aged man.

Mei Xue nervously stepped forward and said softly to the middle-aged man, "Lord Pero..."

The middle-aged man before them was Swordsman Pero. He was around thirty, dressed in silver light armor and holding a broadsword four fingers wide. His eyes gleamed sharply, and he carried an imposing air.

Swordsman Pero glanced at Mei Xue and Merlin, then said flatly, "Return to your places..."

Seeing that Swordsman Pero had not punished them, Mei Xue was delighted. She hurriedly pulled Merlin along and quickly slipped into the crowd.

Merlin had only just entered the group and was still at a loss over where to stand when he saw a red-haired boy near the back waving at him.

"Merlin, hurry over here."

The red-haired boy called out to Merlin with exaggerated winks and nods.

Merlin hesitated for a moment. Some memories involving the red-haired boy seemed to surface in his mind, so he strode over to the boy's side.

"Heh, Merlin, you were late again today. Look at Swordsman Pero's expression—it's awful. You're in for it later."

The red-haired boy grinned with undisguised glee.

Merlin frowned. It was not that he cared about Swordsman Pero's punishment; he was struggling to recall memories of the red-haired boy. Fortunately, although part of his memory was missing, his impression of the red-haired boy was clearly deep. As he tried hard to remember, the memories gradually returned.

The red-haired boy was called Anson. He was Merlin's best friend and the son of a baron. Unlike Merlin, however, he was not the baron's heir. He had two older brothers above him.

Beside him, Anson chattered endlessly into Merlin's ear. Merlin was immersed in his memories and did not clearly hear what Anson was saying.

Just then, Swordsman Pero's gaze swept over them. Anson, who had been talking nonstop only moments ago, stiffened and immediately fell silent.

Swordsman Pero then shifted his gaze and pointed toward the weapon rack nearby. It was piled with all kinds of weapons—broadswords, shields, daggers, sabers, battle axes, and more.

"Merlin, Anson, carry that iron shield to the center and set it down."

Swordsman Pero's voice rang out. Anson's expression changed at once, and he said to Merlin with a bitter smile, "We're done for. You were late today, and I got dragged into it too..."

Complaints aside, Anson quickly got up and went with Merlin to the weapon rack, preparing to move a black iron shield lying on the ground.

Though the shield was not large, it was extraordinarily heavy. Merlin and Anson had to use all their strength just to barely lift it. Merlin could not understand it. Who could possibly raise such a heavy shield? If it could not be raised, what use was it?

Merlin and Anson were panting from exhaustion by the time they finally carried the shield to the center and leaned it against a huge boulder. They then stood respectfully to one side, awaiting Swordsman Pero's instructions.

But Swordsman Pero did not even look at Merlin and Anson. Instead, he addressed the others. "You have trained for so long already. Today, we will test your strength. Anyone who believes he can break this shield with his bare hands may come up and try."

Merlin's expression changed slightly. He and Anson had just exhausted themselves merely moving the shield, which showed how tough it was. To break it with flesh and blood—would that not be asking for trouble?

In his view, Swordsman Pero's purpose was perhaps simply to test these people's courage.

"Teacher, I'll give it a try first."

A burly man soon stood up and spoke to Swordsman Pero.

Swordsman Pero nodded. "Good. Kadoron, you go first."

Seeing the burly man, Anson muttered under his breath, "Kadoron again. That guy always acts so smug. Just because he's Swordsman Pero's disciple, he gets to show off everywhere..."

Kadoron strode up to the shield, took a deep breath, clenched his fist, and began gathering his strength.

Bang.

Kadoron suddenly threw a punch, smashing it into the iron shield. The punch was incredibly fast, and it was clear that Kadoron had used all his strength. More strangely, a faint white glow seemed to flicker around his fist.

The tremendous boom lingered for a long time. The iron shield did not break; there was not even a mark on it. Swordsman Pero shook his head and said flatly, "Kadoron, do not rely solely on brute force. Remember, the power of the elements is the strongest. You must use your heart to guide elemental power. That is the greatest strength of an Elemental Swordsman!"

Kadoron looked dissatisfied as well. He bowed to Swordsman Pero, then returned to his seat.

"Heh, Kadoron may have some talent, but becoming an Elemental Swordsman won't be so easy."

Anson laughed maliciously at Kadoron's failure. Merlin, though outwardly calm, was shaken to his core.

Even from where he stood, Merlin could feel the fierce gust kicked up by Kadoron's punch. The force behind it was terrifyingly powerful. To Merlin, it was simply not a strength an ordinary person could possess.

But that was not what shocked Merlin most. What stunned him even more was that after Kadoron's powerful punch struck the hard shield, his hand was completely unharmed—not injured in the slightest. This had already surpassed Merlin's understanding.

"Who else wants to try?"

Swordsman Pero's gaze swept across the crowd once more.

"Lord Pero, I'll give it a try."

A familiar voice rang out. Merlin narrowed his eyes slightly. The one who had spoken was actually his younger sister, Mei Xue.

Swordsman Pero nodded. "Good, Mei Xue. You try as well."

Mei Xue then walked up to the shield. She even winked playfully at Merlin before taking a deep breath. Her well-developed chest rose and fell impressively, making Anson stare wide-eyed.

Bang.

With a tremendous crash, Mei Xue unleashed power not the least bit inferior to Kadoron's. This time, Merlin watched closely and saw a faint, faint flicker of fire on her hand.

The firelight was very faint, like a tiny flame, flashing on and off as it covered Mei Xue's fist. Like Kadoron, the petite-looking Mei Xue had not injured her hand at all, as though she had not struck a hard iron shield.

Yet Merlin, who had moved the shield himself, knew clearly that with such tremendous weight, it had to be genuine cast iron.

Why don't I have the slightest memory of this? Mei Xue actually had such immense strength. Was she even human?

Merlin felt that some extremely important memories must have been lost from his mind.

"Is there anyone else who wishes to try?"

Swordsman Pero asked again, but this time no one came forward. Swordsman Pero slowly rose and walked to the shield. His voice suddenly became impassioned. "Watch carefully. The true essence of an Elemental Swordsman lies in the elements. Elemental power is incomparable. Only by guiding the elements with your heart can you unleash incomparable strength!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Swordsman Pero suddenly clenched his right fist. In an instant, a mass of flames erupted directly from his hand, seemingly enveloping his entire arm.

Crack.

Swordsman Pero slammed down with one punch. The hard iron shield split into several pieces like a wooden plank, scattering across the ground as scrap metal. Even the huge boulder behind it was shattered by the tremendous force, leaving it covered in dense cracks.

"This... this was supernatural power?"

Merlin was dumbfounded, his mind utterly blank. Everything before him had surpassed his understanding. A human body could actually release flames, and the power of Swordsman Pero's punch was comparable to a small bomb.

Merlin had originally believed that he had transmigrated into a world with an incredibly backward civilization. But now, it seemed that was not the case at all. Swordsman Pero's punch had clearly proven that this world possessed a supernatural civilization!