Early the next morning.
An extremely excited Huo Yuhao got up early, shouldered his bundle, and prepared to leave Imperial Dragon Pass.
In all his years on the Holy Demon Continent, he had only learned about the regions beyond Imperial Dragon Pass through books. Now that he could see them with his own eyes, he was quite happy.
But Yang Haoyu arrived not long after Huo Yuhao got up.
He looked at the excited expression on Huo Yuhao's face and concealed the trace of reluctance in his eyes.
A young eagle could only grow by soaring on its own. If Huo Yuhao remained trapped in Imperial Dragon Pass, his future would be ruined.
Yang Haoyu sighed inwardly, composed himself, and smiled at Huo Yuhao.
"Yuhao, for this long journey, Grandpa has prepared two gifts for you."
"Gifts?"
Huo Yuhao was curious.
He knew Yang Haoyu was no ordinary man. Given his standing, anything he could offer would be extremely precious.
"That's right!"
Yang Haoyu nodded. A flash of spiritual light appeared in his hand, and two differently shaped rings materialized in it.
One was silver-white, and the other was dark gold.
The silver-white ring was set with a transparent crystal the size of a grain of rice. It was smooth all over, with no unnecessary ornamentation.
The dark-gold ring was different. It was engraved with intricate patterns, as though some complex magic array had been compressed into that tiny space.
The moment Huo Yuhao saw the two rings, his eyes fixed on them.
As a top-tier Soul Engineer in his previous life, he had the discerning eye to tell at a glance that neither ring was ordinary.
The silver-white ring gave off faint spatial fluctuations, like a storage ring.
The other was even more precious. He couldn't tell what it did at first glance, only that it was extraordinary.
Just then, Yang Haoyu held up the two rings and began to explain.
"Yuhao, this is a storage ring. It has one cubic meter of space inside, enough for you to use on this trip. You only need to bind it to yourself with a drop of blood."
Huo Yuhao took the ring. It was cool to the touch and felt very light.
He bit his fingertip and squeezed out a drop of blood onto the ring.
The instant the blood seeped into the transparent crystal, he felt an extremely faint spiritual connection form between him and the ring.
Through his spiritual power, he could clearly "see" its interior. Just as Yang Haoyu had said, it contained one cubic meter of space.
"As for this second one..."
Yang Haoyu picked up the dark-gold ring, his tone becoming a little more solemn.
"This is the Inheritance Ring. The senior members of the Six Great Temples who have made outstanding contributions to humanity all have one. In the Knight Temple, only the temple master, the deputy temple masters, and a few Divine Seal Knights possess them.
"Mine was passed down to me when I took over as chief elder."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao looked up at Yang Haoyu in surprise.
He hadn't expected Yang Haoyu to give him something so precious.
"Sealed inside the Inheritance Ring are the inheritances of advanced skills collected by the Knight Temple over generations."
Yang Haoyu placed the ring in Huo Yuhao's palm and continued, "From the fifth to the ninth tier, it contains all kinds of combat techniques, secret arts, and domain skills that knights can learn.
"But with your current strength at the fourth tier, you can only unlock the outermost layer and learn skills up to roughly the fifth tier.
"Once your strength reaches the right level, the seals in the ring will naturally loosen, and you'll be able to learn more."
Huo Yuhao held the dark-gold ring, feeling the faint fluctuations of Spiritual Energy coming from the array engraved on it.
He understood the value of this ring better than anyone.
Every advanced skill inheritance of the Knight Temple was a priceless treasure.
By giving him this, Yang Haoyu had shown that his status in the Knight Temple was no longer merely that of the "chief elder's adopted grandson."
"Grandpa..."
"Yuhao, don't thank me yet."
Yang Haoyu waved a hand, interrupting him. "The ring is yours, but there's a condition. You may only learn the skills inside after reaching the corresponding tier. You're not allowed to learn skills above your tier.
"Your Spiritual Energy has risen too quickly. If you learn skills above your tier as well, your foundation is bound to suffer."
Huo Yuhao nodded solemnly. "Thank you for the reminder, Grandpa."
Yang Haoyu looked at him and fell silent for a while.
Then he stood, walked over to Huo Yuhao, and patted him on the shoulder.
He used a little more force than usual, his palm warm and firm.
"Be careful on the road. Long Xingyu has a bad temper, but he's not a bad person. If he says anything harsh, don't take it to heart."
"Mm."
"If you run into danger, run. Don't try to act tough. You're only seven and a half; there's no shame in being unable to beat someone."
"Mm."
"Once you reach the Holy City, find the Knight Temple's contact point and give them my name. They'll make arrangements for you."
"Mm."
Yang Haoyu studied him carefully for a while longer, then turned and walked toward the door.
"Let's go. Long Xingyu is waiting at the city gate."
Huo Yuhao put on the two rings, slipping the storage ring onto his left index finger and the Inheritance Ring onto his right.
Neither ring was large, but they still looked a little loose on his seven-and-a-half-year-old fingers.
He clenched his fists. The rings pressed against his knuckles, their icy touch reassuring him.
Then he put his luggage into the storage ring and followed Yang Haoyu out of the room.
The ever-burning lamps in the corridor receded one by one. Walking behind Yang Haoyu and looking at the old man's upright back, Huo Yuhao suddenly felt that this corridor he had walked for seven years was much shorter than usual today.
They passed through the tunnels inside the mountain, past the training ground and the library, and finally emerged through a heavy stone door.
When they reached the surface, wind and snow rushed into their faces.
Atop the walls by Imperial Dragon Pass's northern gate, wind and snow filled the sky.
Huo Yuhao pulled his cloak tighter and narrowed his eyes at the sight ahead.
A tall figure stood in the shadow of the gate passage. Dark-gold light armor gleamed coldly amid the wind and snow, while a deep-black cloak whipped noisily in the wind.
This was none other than the newly appointed Divine Seal Knight-Long Xingyu.
Hearing their footsteps, he turned his head.
His gaze rested on Yang Haoyu for a moment before falling on Huo Yuhao, lingering briefly on the Inheritance Ring on his hand.
His gaze was indifferent and expressionless, as though he were looking at something of no consequence.
"Uncle Yang, you're here."
Yang Haoyu nodded, then glanced down at Huo Yuhao.
He said nothing more, merely giving Huo Yuhao a gentle push on the shoulder.
Huo Yuhao walked forward and stopped in front of Long Xingyu.
The difference in their heights was enormous. At seven and a half, Huo Yuhao only reached Long Xingyu's waist and had to tilt his head back to see his face.
"Uncle Long."
Long Xingyu did not respond to the form of address. He turned and walked out through the city gate.
"Keep up."
Huo Yuhao glanced back. Yang Haoyu stood beneath the gate passage, a thin layer of snow on his white hair.
The old man nodded to him, then turned and walked back into the mountain.
The stone door closed, and Yang Haoyu disappeared from view.
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, turned, and followed Long Xingyu.
Beyond Imperial Dragon Pass, wind and snow stretched to the horizon.
The two mounted fine horses with a trace of magical beast blood and headed straight south.