A Pity He Was Still Too Young

Long Haochen pushed the door open and entered. Half a year had passed, and he had grown from 1.65 meters to 1.7 meters tall. At a glance, he did not look particularly muscular, but his figure was exceptionally slender.

Today, Long Haochen wore a light blue fitted outfit. With black hair, golden eyes, a face like polished jade, crimson lips, gentle brows and eyes, and fair, delicate skin even paler than a woman's, he would surely possess the charm to topple a city with one smile and a kingdom with another if dressed as a woman.

Nalan Shu rose to his feet and smiled. "Haochen, what is it?"

Long Haochen clenched his right fist against his chest and gave a standard knight's salute before replying, "Uncle Nalan, I want to go to the Knight Sacred Mountain to obtain a mount."

Within the Knight Temple, most knights chose fine horses or tamed magical beasts from the wild as mounts, but gifted knights were exceptions.

Anyone who passed the knight examination and became a Third-Tier First-Level Knight before turning twenty was qualified to visit the Knight Sacred Mountain upon recommendation from their local sub-temple and select a mount there.

Although Long Haochen had long since broken through to become a Knight, he had not hurried to the Knight Sacred Mountain. The stronger his cultivation, the greater his chances of obtaining a more powerful mount, which was why he had delayed until now.

"Oh? How much spiritual energy do you have now?"

"Uncle Nalan, I tested it yesterday. My current spiritual energy is 1,014."

Nalan Shu had already grown numb to Long Haochen's miraculous cultivation progress. In the blink of an eye, Long Haochen had been at the Hao Yue Sub-Temple for more than eight months. In those brief eight months, at less than thirteen years old, Long Haochen had successfully advanced from an Eighth-Level Knight to a Fourth-Level Grand Knight. If word got out, it would likely shock the entire Temple Alliance.

There was only a little over a year left until the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament. Nalan Shu had a feeling that, at this rate, Long Haochen might break through to the Fifth Tier before the tournament began.

"I've been rather busy lately and can't spare the time. If you don't mind, let Ye Hua accompany you."

If Nalan Shu had not mentioned Ye Hua, Long Haochen might have nearly forgotten about him.

"Alright, Uncle Nalan."

After returning to the Monastic Quarters, Long Haochen took a quick bath. Dressed in a bathrobe, he was about to enter the meditation room to cultivate when there came a knock at the door.

"Haochen, it's me!"

The door opened, and Li Xin immediately saw Long Haochen's handsome appearance after bathing. A faint fragrance wafted from him, making her tremble slightly.

Without the slightest restraint, Li Xin walked up to Long Haochen and touched his damp hair.

"I heard you're going to the Knight Sacred Mountain tomorrow to obtain a mount, so I came to see you."

Long Haochen's handsome face reddened. "Sis, sit down for a while. I'll go change first."

Li Xin subconsciously looked down at Long Haochen's lower body. Under her fiery gaze, Long Haochen suddenly felt as if she had seen right through him and hurriedly fled into the room.

Li Xin let out a giggle and muttered, "What a pity. Still too small."

Long Haochen changed quickly and found Li Xin lying leisurely on the sofa, drinking a beverage.

Li Xin sighed softly. "Ah, just look at that handsome face of yours. Who knows how many lovesick girls you'll attract in the future."

"Sis, what exactly did you come here for?" Long Haochen was speechless.

Li Xin laughed so hard that her body trembled. "Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Let's get down to business. I came to be your free guide and give you a brief introduction to the Knight Sacred Mountain."

"Our Knight Temple raises all kinds of powerful magical beasts on the Knight Sacred Mountain. Our predecessors of the Knight Temple set up a massive magic array there, which greatly benefits the magical beasts' growth. It can also reduce their wildness, making them easier for knights to tame. So, your trip to the Knight Sacred Mountain won't be very dangerous."

"Once you reach the Knight Sacred Mountain, you must first gain a magical beast's approval before you can form a contract with it. Then you can take it away and make it your mount partner."

"I heard there are even Ninth-Level Magical Beasts within the Knight Sacred Mountain. If anyone could have a Ninth-Level Magical Beast as a mount partner, it would practically be like opening a path to becoming a Seventh-Tier Temple Knight."

"It can be said that if you want to become a powerful knight, you must have a powerful mount partner. Every one of the Knight Temple's higher-ups is a powerhouse who came down from the Knight Sacred Mountain, and all of them possess extremely powerful mount partners."

"Haochen, this trip to the Knight Sacred Mountain is an important turning point in your life. Once you get there, you must strive to obtain a powerful mount partner!"

Every word Li Xin spoke was filled with concern for Long Haochen. Warmth rose in his heart as he replied, "Sis, I understand. I'll definitely work hard to obtain a powerful mount partner."

Early the next morning, Long Haochen made some simple preparations before heading to the rear of the Hao Yue Sub-Temple.

Ye Hua stood quietly ahead, still wearing the same stiff zombie-like face as though someone owed him millions. He wore silver light armor, with a shield and a knight's heavy sword strapped to his back.

"Instructor." Long Haochen gave a knight's salute.

"Mm."

Ye Hua answered coldly, then raised his right hand. Holding two fingers together like a sword, he traced several motions through the air. Pale golden light gathered into golden runes that pulsed in the air.

Long Haochen immediately recognized it as the method for summoning a mount partner. Li Xin had used the same method to summon her Rose Unicorn.

Ye Hua had been stuck at the Fifth Tier without advancing, yet he had still become a Knight before twenty and even gone to the Knight Sacred Mountain? It seemed Ye Hua was quite capable after all.

Golden light surged upward, and the dazzling radiance transformed into a beam of golden light. Accompanied by a long beastly cry, a figure emerged from within it.

Long Haochen looked closely and saw that it was a large pale-yellow bird more than 2.5 meters tall. Its yellow feathers formed strange circular patterns, its head was round, and its body was extremely robust. A faint layer of earthen-yellow light shone from its body.

Based on the knowledge Long Xingyu had taught him, Long Haochen immediately recognized the magical beast before him. It was a rare earth-element Sixth-Level flying magical beast, a Mountain-Shaking Vulture, with strength comparable to a human Fifth-Tier profession.

Upon seeing the Mountain-Shaking Vulture, Long Haochen finally remembered that the Fifth-Tier Sky Knight Nalan Shu had mentioned when introducing the Hao Yue Sub-Temple should have been Ye Hua.

After a knight entered the Fifth Tier, if his mount partner was a flying magical beast, he was called a Sky Knight; otherwise, he was an Earth Knight. At the same tier, Sky Knights were somewhat stronger than Earth Knights.

The Mountain-Shaking Vulture lowered its round head. Ye Hua gently stroked it twice, and the Mountain-Shaking Vulture spread its enormous wings, which stretched over five meters wide, before lowering its body slightly.

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