Chapter 159: Challenging a Powerhouse of the Seventh Step (III)
Yang Wenzhao took Long Haochen to walk to the side, going as far as to bow slightly, before performing a salute directed to Long Haochen.
Long Haochen inclined his body, hurriedly going to the side, “Brother Yang, what are you doing?”
Yang Wenzhao bitterly smiled before telling him, “There is something I have to beg of you, that I really want you to promise me.”
Long Haochen started, “What thing?”
Yang Wenzhao said in a low voice, “I beg of you, younger brother Long, help me to look after Ying’er!”
“Eh?” Long Haochen looked at him, somewhat puzzled, and said, “For your previous choice, brother Yang, you seem to have picked Ying’er, though she didn’t agree. Actually, I don’t need brother Yang to beg of me, for I will protect her well even without you doing so. We are, after all, members of the same squad.”
Yang Wenzhao slightly hesitated for a bit, before revealing, “Actually, I have to tell you, younger brother Long, Ying’er is my fiancée. Since childhood, our families fixed us to marry. Only, that girl is being somewhat rebellious, unwilling to accept our families’ arrangements; thus such a situation occurred, as you saw it. No matter what may be said, I am her fiancé, but she’s not even in my team. All I can do is to beg younger brother Long to take good care of her and look after her. For this, I am willing to give a third of my contribution points to younger brother Long, how about it?”
Long Haochen’s look changed, and his voice turned even more muffled, “Brother Yang, I already told you. Ying’er is a member of my team, so I will definitely protect her properly. How could I accept your contribution points? Alright, I guess we are done speaking then.”
Having said so, he turned around and then left. From Yang Wenzhao’s act of enticement toward him, it could be seen that Long Haochen simply felt as if he had been insulted.
Seeing his leaving figure, Yang Wenzhao couldn’t help but pat his own forehead, truly confused and concerned, I should really not have spoken those words.
At this very moment, Long Haochen stopped his steps and turned his head toward Yang Wenzhao, telling him, “I will protect every single member of my team properly, and not let them suffer any harm.”
Yang Wenzhao nodded, “Younger brother Long, about what I said just now, I am sorry!”
Long Haochen waved his hand, going back to the side of his comrades without stopping.
At this moment, Han Qian, the Saint Knight Head from the Knight Alliance, was guiding ten people above forty years of age, clad in white, in entering the stadium. Seeing him, all Demon Hunt Squad members hurried to calm down.
After entering the stadium, Han Qian stopped his steps, and these ten impressive people stood in a row behind him.
“From today onwards, you will have formally become members of a soldier grade Demon Hunt Squad. And certainly, you should have seen what benefit contribution points could provide you. This is one of the other reasons why Demon Hunt Squads are of extreme importance to powerhouses. About what is going to happen next, all of you should have already guessed. That’s right, what is incoming next is the Newcomer Demon Hunt Squads Team Competition. On the battlefield, individual power will forever remain a negligible thing. And from an outstanding team, miracles can appear. The team competition will not require you to face your opponents in a face-to-face match this time, which would just be a waste of time. Soon, you are going to leave Holy City and set off for the border area for the sake of spending the first three months of your military career.
There, you will have to face the ferocity of demons head-on, and also have your first opportunities in earning contribution points. Three months later, the team with the highest amount of contribution points will be ranked first in this competition, and so on. Only the top three teams will receive rewards. The first team will get 1,000 contribution points, the second 500, and the third 300. And this applies for each squad member.”
In fact, even Long Haochen, the champion of the individual competition, had only gotten a reward of 100 contribution points. Just now, Han Qian talked about an individual reward of 1000 contribution points! It implied that a team would get the chance to rapidly be promoted to the general grade. Instantly, all eyes could only light up in reaction.
On the battlefield, the importance of individual strength was lessened by a wide margin. The strength of a team was not as simple as the sum of the strength of each members. Everyone had the possibility of obtaining the final position of champion.
Han Qian continued, “Behind me are ten Guardian Knights; they will become your leaders. All of them are heroes who fought against the demon race for many years. On the battlefield, you will have a lot to learn from them. Leaders, show yourself.”
The Temple Alliance had also given a lot of thought and determined that the most fitted place for a team to rapidly grow while building a tacit understanding of each other was on the battlefield. In that way, they would be confronted to life or death situations at all times, which would obviously be the most stimulating means. And for the safety of these children, the Alliance dispatched these ten Guardian Knights. Their mission was not only to protect these new Demon Hunt Squads, but also to ensure the adequate training of the core of the team, its knight, at the same time. To a team, the knight, in charge of unifying, defending, and commanding the team, was bound to eternally be the most important member of it.
Each of the ten Guardian Knights walked away in a different direction, arriving before each new Demon Hunt Squad.
On Long Haochen’s side was a sturdily built man with a build rather close to Sima Xian’s. From his appearance, he looked about forty years old. His face was full of cuts and his wounds looked extremely serious: a big scar was covering the two sides of his neck and he had another circular scar of 6 centimeters diameter on his face.
Arriving before everyone, Gao Yingjie formed a fist with his right hand, placing it before his left chest and declaring with a deep voice, “Hello there, my name is Gao Yingjie. From today onwards, and for the duration of three months, I will be your leader. I will not be in charge of commanding you in battle, but I will have the authority to contest your strategic decisions at any time. My mission is to make sure that, three months later, you will be able to depart for the battlefield. The countdown of the three months before you reach the battlefield has already begun. Before we set off, I need to test your strength first.”
Chen Ying’er asked with a curious baby-face, “Leader, what do you mean by that?”
Gao Yingjie shot her a glance, “Battles will always be the best means to test one’s strength. Your team just got formed, so I’m afraid you have never battled together before. Therefore, let me be the first opponent you’ll ever challenge.”
Hearing these words, the very first to show a reaction were Sima Xian and Wang Yuanyuan. They were the most anxious for battle, otherwise, how could they grow as a shield fighter and a priest training as a powerful warrior?
Wang Yuanyuan inquired, “Leader, at which step are you?”
Gao Yingjie said indifferently, “I am a Temple Knight of the seventh step. Nonetheless, during this spar against you, I will not use flight abilities nor summon my mount.”
Wang Yuanyuan eagerly asked, “Then, if we manage to beat you, will we gain something like some contribution points?”
Long Haochen didn’t say anything: just as Gao Yingjie said, their team was newly formed, so he had a lot to observe in regard to his own companions, to familiarize with everyone’s characteristics. Now, he just discovered one of Wang Yuanyuan’s features, materialistic…
“Win?” Gao Yingjie revealed a smile on his resolute face, “I am unable to give you contribution points directly, but if you win, I will become a part of your team, acting provisionally as a Guardian Knight among your ranks, listening and obeying your captain’s orders. On the battlefield, all of the contribution points I’ll get will be divided fairly among your team members.”
“It’s a deal!” This time, Long Haochen was the one to speak, directly giving his agreement.
The leader had the mission of protecting these new Demon Hunt Squads, so he naturally couldn’t act directly to fight against demons. Only in moments of extreme emergencies was he to act directly. It was after all, a Temple Knight of the seventh step! If they could temporarily engage him as a part of their team, their ability to kill demons, no matter their strength or quantity, would undergo a qualitative leap. In that scenario, which squad could possibly contest the final position of number one with them?
Although to them, challenging a powerhouse of the seventh step would be extremely difficult, Gao Yingjie was, in the end, a Guardian Knight, not a Retribution Knight. Further adding that they were not going to face danger, and that the other party would go as far as not to summon his mount? Who would refuse to try out for such a great opportunity?
Seeing these youths greatly eager to give it an attempt, Gao Yingjie couldn’t help but find it laughable, These kids! Could it be that they really believe challenging someone above their step of cultivation would be so easy? Furthermore, it’s two steps above! Actually, Temple Knights of the seventh step have already broken through the threshold of the 10,000th spiritual energy level. More importantly, he was not a mere first ranked Temple Knight.
The other Demon Hunt Squads captains were leaving, and the same was for Han Qian. Meanwhile, in the Knight Temple, they were the only Demon Hunt Squad left.
Gao Yingjie went to the fighting area without prior consultation, a shield and a sword appearing in his hands, but he didn’t wear an armor. The shield and the sword in his hand looked like they were the most standard knight weapons. Even compared to equipment of the magical tier, they were below in quality.
“Come.”
Long Haochen advanced a few step, arriving at the very front of his team and rapidly putting his Holy Spirit Armor on. With a white glint, the Holy Spirit protection was unleashed and a white gloss immediately appeared on each of his teammates.
“Sima, [Madness]. Yuanyuan, embed gems. Ying’er, summon on the rear. Lin Xin support us with your defense. Han Yu, follow me to defend in the front. Cai’er, act accordingly on your own judgement. Let’s go.”
Long Haochen rapidly gave the directions. This was their first collaboration, so speaking of mutual understanding was out of question; it could only be called voiced instructions.
As he gave his commands, a purple glow shone between Long Haochen’s eyebrows and Haoyue appeared. However, Long Haochen didn’t mount him, letting him stay on the rear.
Han Yu also put his equipment on, swiftly completing the summoning gestures with his sword. A radiance lit up the part above his head as a bizarre magical beast appeared in the sky.
Seeing that magical beast, even Gao Yingjie, in his capacity as a Temple Knight, was startled. It was because that magical beast companion of his was truly a misfit.
With half a meter diameter, it had the dimensions of an eyeball. That’s right, it was just a big eyeball, with a black tail underneath. Its upper body was all black, and that big eyeball swiveled in the air. Around it, the air was twisted with traces of light, giving quite an unusual feeling.
Gao Yingjie exclaimed in astonishment, “This is… A Demonic Eye?! What an unusual magical beast companion!”
Long Haochen was also quite startled. Back then, when he defeated Han Yu, the latter didn’t summon his mount.
That huge Demonic Eye was floating in the air above Han Yu’s head, unceasingly swivelling. The perturbations in air seemed to be emitted from the middle of its pupil.
