Chapter 11: A Teacher who comes from Hell? (III)
As he was inserting the sword held by his right hand directly into the ground, exerting his back’s strength, the sword in his left hand swept with full force. During this instant, Long Hao Chen felt that his spiritual energy broke into a new boundary. The sword ruthlessly hit the lower part of the scorpion-tailed lizard’s jaw, and although it was on its strengthened state, this attack made it fly backwards and caused its ferocious mouth to close.
At the same time, Long Hao Chen’s whole body jumped on a curved path with the support of the bamboo sword in his right hand that was pushed into the ground, his left leg kicking the scorpion-tailed lizard’s lower jaw upwards.
With two strikes in a row, both linked up extremely well, the scorpion-tailed lizard’s body was unable to keep its balance and rose from the ground because of the kick.
Meanwhile, Long Hao Chen, who still had the support of the bamboo sword pushed into the ground, let go of the sword in his right hand which enabled him to jump back to the ground. The bamboo sword in his left hand took the form of a thin white lightning befalling upwards.
With a Bang sound, the upper part of his body rose towards the lizard-tailed scorpion and its belly was penetrated by the bamboo sword, simultaneously causing its body to fall down.
After a sad and shrill miserable yell, the scorpion-tailed lizard’s tail swept away as a last intent of struggle before its death.
But Long Hao Chen had already expected this possibility and, using his sword smoothly, he directly countered this last attack and jumped aside before pulling out the sword stuck in the ground with his right hand, entering into a defensive posture.
Ping, the scorpion-tailed lizard fell on the ground, its body violently squirmed and repeatedly crying miserably because of the pain of its belly.
Long Hao Chen looked calmly around him and didn’t discover any other magical beast. Then, he found a large tree to lean on; his breathing had become quite heavy.
In a split instant, his whole body was full of sweat. His physical power seemed to be completely depleted.
Since the moment he vanquished the scorpion-tailed lizard, only a few seconds had actually passed; during this instant, at the edge of death, it could be said that his latent potential had been completely stirred up. Especially before he broke through this new level, all of his abilities were used to their utmost limit. His final attack used the only skill that Xing Yu had taught him, pure-white edge. By concentrating momentarily all his spiritual energy at a single point of his sword, it enabled him to attack with 110% of his full-power.
Before Long Hao Chen linked these moves, a certain person hidden in the dark was watching without making a single noise. Even if Long Hao Chen had lost consciousness at the end of the exchange of blows, he could easily get rid of the kind of monster. But in the end, he didn’t make a single mistake. With the two swords he carried, he got rid of the scorpion-tailed lizard. Meanwhile, his spiritual force also broke through the thirtieth level, entering into the third stage of knighthood. It was the reason why Long Hao Chen had felt at this moment a sudden rise in strength.
In any vocation, as the rank grew, the feeling of a breakthrough would become more obvious.
After he pant a few more times, Long Hao Chen noticed that the sky had already begun turning pitch-black and felt that his energy had returned as the scorpion-tailed lizard was still lying on the ground, motionless.
Looking at this dead scorpion-tailed lizard, the nine years-old Long Hao Chen’s eyes revealed a glow, “Teacher, you were right. It is after enduring hardships that one can become a great man. I should not bear resentment towards you. If not for your teachings, I’m afraid I would have become unable to meet Mother again. Teacher, I won’t ever complain again, even secretly in my heart.”
As he said these words, Long Hao Chen turned towards the summit of the mountain, bending respectfully and passed with great care near the lizard-tailed scorpion’s body.
Generally speaking, the most elementary magical beast has a lot more value than any wild beast. Even this kind of low level magical beast was worth at least one gold coin. Long Hao Chen was not willing to waste this.
He looked carefully for a stone and used it to deprive the scorpion-tailed lizard from its hooked tail and used two vines to tie it, with the intent to bring it home.
He didn’t meet any more danger on the road. He went back straight to Odin Town, running towards a shop, explaining that he wanted to sell the corpse of the magical beast that his teacher slain. After he got a gold coin and two silver coins, he finally went home.
It looked as though Bai Yue knew beforehand that her son would come home this day; when Long Hao Chen passed the entrance, he saw the richest dinner he had ever seen at home.
His teacher abided by his promise and brought tasty food to his mother, looking at that, the little Bai Chen couldn’t help feel even more grateful towards Xing Yu.
“Mother, I give this to you.” Long Hao Chen handed to Bai Yue all the money he had as a gift.
Bai Yue was flabbergasted, “Where did you get this money from?”
Because he didn’t want his mother to worry, Long Hao Chen told her a lie out of goodwill: “It is teacher that gave me this money to bring it to you. He said that upon becoming a Knight Squire, I could also receive a salary. This is my first year’s remuneration, but if my improvements are fast, I will perhaps have some more rewards like this.”
Unexpectedly, Bai Yue didn’t persist to ask, she smiled, took the money and said: “Hao Chen, you must listen to your teacher’s words, understood?”
“Yeah.” Long Hao Chen repeatedly nodded.
Bai Yue pursued: “Is practice hard?”
Before he killed the scorpion-tailed lizard, Long Hao Chen would surely have replied differently to this question, after all, the fear of the owl-ants’ crypt was strong in his heart. But at this moment, he shook his head and replied without the slightest hesitation, “Mother, it is not hard at all. Teacher teaches me well, gives me good food to eat every day, and let me soak in hot spring.”
Hearing these words, Bai Yue’s face looked relieved, she stroke her son’s head, “Hurry up to go to eat.”
After having eaten dinner, Long Hao Chen didn’t forget to use the Elementary Training Liquid that he used to boil a wild herb soup for her before going back to his room to sleep, very pleased with himself.
On the morning of the next second day, he returned back to Odin mountain’s road. He didn’t meet any magical beast on the road and quickly head back to the summit of the mountain.
“Teacher, I’m back.” Long Hao Chen excitedly entered to the log cabin.
Xing Yu looked like had been waiting at the same place for long and lightly said: “Before we continue to carry on today’s course, I will give you an examination to see if you forgot what you studied up to now. Tell me about Knight Squires, Standard Knights, as well as the requirements to grow in rank as a knight.”
Long Hao Chen answered without the slightest hesitation: “Knight Squires are graded between the first and the tenth rank. After breaking through the hundredth spiritual energy level, they can be promoted to Standard Knights. Standard Knights are graded the same way: they gain one rank every ten spiritual energy levels and upon breaking through the 200th level, one can take the Genuine Knight examination. The knight examination does not only require spiritual energy, it also requires one to have the ten standards of a knight. After becoming a Genuine Knight, one can be promoted from the first rank after ten spiritual energy levels as well; only upon reaching the 210th spiritual energy level will someone be a second rank Genuine Knight, and after that, each of the eight other ranks are promoted every thirty spiritual energy levels. At the last rank, one can reach the fourth step of the vocation after accumulating fifty more spiritual energy levels and reaching the 500th spiritual level.”
Xing Yu carried his examination: “Why are the spiritual energy requirements to promote to each rank different after becoming a Genuine Knight?”
Long Hao Chen answered: “Because it is only after entering the first step of knighthood that one can be said to be a full-fledged knight, so each rank are merely adapted. You also taught me that regardless of the step: the third step, the fourth step, the fifth step or afterwards, the ranks between the first and the second are always the easiest to pass.”
Xing Yu pursued with a bunch of other questions, that lasted for half an hour, before finishing this examination. Long Hao Chen answered to all of these questions — — correctly, without making the little slightest mistake, because of his astonishing memory.
“Good, you remembered quite clearly, we can now begin today’s course. But beforehand, I have to ask you, do you think that for a knight, the most important is to attack? Or is it to defend?”
