Chapter 108: Chapter 108
Although Ron did not feel genuine adoration and reverence for the Lord from the bottom of his heart, because he was immersed in this Order, the Pollution Secret Patterns entangled around his body were also partially purified.
However, this fervent atmosphere did not last long. Soon, a series of commotions came from the direction of the castle. Ron looked up and saw two squads of Knights galloping toward the square.
They then dismounted and formed ranks in front of the Bell Tower on the north side of the square. Close behind these two squads came three more riders, but unlike the fully armored Knights who had arrived first, these three all wore loose robes.
Ron had seen two of them before; they were none other than the Lord’s eldest son, Waynes, and second son, Foss. The identity of the remaining one was self-evident: it had to be the Lord himself.
Ron carefully scrutinized the man. He was a gloomy-looking middle-aged man with a deeply furrowed brow, as if perpetually pondering some difficult problem.
The Lord of Sis did not leave a good first impression on Ron. In contrast, both of his sons, Waynes and Foss, had left quite favorable impressions.
He had originally assumed the Lord of Sis would be a kindly featured middle-aged man, never expecting this. Although Ron didn’t subscribe to the notion that “one’s appearance reflects one’s heart,” he had to admit that he had already formed a preconceived notion.
He then observed the Pollution Secret Patterns entangled around the Lord of Sis.
They were not fundamentally different from those around anyone else, but there were distinctions. The impression they gave Ron was somewhat reminiscent of Morris’s former state. Perhaps this was a hallmark of Senior Knights!
Ron hadn’t come into contact with enough Senior Knights to draw a definitive conclusion, so this was all he could surmise for now.
Additionally, he was observing the Lord of Sis’s physical condition. He had heard from many people that the Lord’s injuries were so severe that he couldn’t even walk, yet suddenly he was able to ride a horse.
He was genuinely curious about what the recovery capabilities of a Senior Knight actually entailed.
Judging purely from his outward appearance, Ron couldn’t discern any signs that the Lord of Sis had ever been injured. There was nothing abnormal about his mounting, dismounting, walking, or arm movements.
“Soldiers, it has been a long time!”
“Long live the Lord!”
With just a single greeting, the crowd in the square erupted into another round of cheers. The Lord raised his hand and pressed down the air before him, and the square that had been boiling with excitement just a moment ago instantly fell into dead silence.
“The territory has been attacked by cultists, and it is thanks to the dedication of each and every one of you that we successfully repelled the enemy. But the enemy has not been entirely wiped out. There are still enemies watching us from the shadows.
“To boost the morale of all the people in the territory, and to allow more talented individuals to distinguish themselves, I have decided to hold a grand Martial Tournament. The rewards will be generous. I hope everyone will participate actively.”
After speaking, the Lord stepped aside, allowing his second son, Foss, to announce the specific details of this Martial Tournament:
“This Martial Tournament will be held in three days. All members of the Territory Guard are eligible to register and participate. It will be divided into Individual Combat and Team Battles. Winners will receive rewards including Transcendent Weapons, Ignition Potions, Inheritance Rituals, and Bloodline Secret Arts.”
As for the competition rules, although there were established precedents, Foss still re-explained them in detail. This was convenient for people like Ron who hadn’t paid enough attention to such matters before.
In addition to being split into Individual Combat and Team Battles, the competition was further subdivided into multiple strength tiers. For Team Battles, for instance, there were three tiers: Knight tier, quasi-Knight tier, and the Apprentice tier where Ron belonged.
Individual Combat had one additional tier, splitting the Knight tier into separate brackets for Junior Knights and Intermediate Knights.
This was far more detailed than Ron had initially anticipated. As for the rewards, they made Ron’s eyes gleam with desire. The Transcendent Weapon went without saying; Morris, a Senior Knight, had personally stated that only a Transcendent Weapon could counter a Transcendent Weapon.
Although those words might have been somewhat biased, they were sufficient to demonstrate the value of a Transcendent Weapon.
Ignition Potions and Inheritance Rituals were also favorites among Knights. This was especially true for the latter, as there was an urgent need to elevate one’s Breathing Technique level through Inheritance Rituals.
As for Bloodline Secret Arts, Ron was no stranger to the concept either. It referred to ready-made formulas for Intermediate Knights to develop their Bloodline Abilities. Without one, a Knight would have to figure it out entirely on their own.
According to Morris, the Bloodline Secret Arts that were easiest for Knights to obtain, or rather easiest to comprehend, all derived from the Ice Breathing Technique.
Such as the Bloodline Ability 【Icy Touch】 that Morris possessed.
The Intermediate Knights of the Territory Guard probably weren’t lacking in such Secret Arts, as the territory should have already provided them long ago. But for Junior Knights, this was a ticket to the Intermediate rank.
It wasn’t just Junior Knights; even apprentices like Ron were already rubbing their fists and palms, itching to try.
That was right. Foss explicitly stated that apart from the Transcendent Weapon, anyone had a chance to obtain all the other rewards, and this included apprentices!
The Transcendent Weapon could only be obtained by participating in the Knight-tier Individual Combat. Even Team Battles didn’t offer it.
Additionally, Foss mentioned a point that the Lord had just glossed over: after this Martial Tournament, the territory would initiate a decisive battle against the enemy!
As for the reasons and how this decisive battle would be conducted, Foss didn’t elaborate.
But for some reason, upon learning this news, the sense of urgency in Ron’s heart grew even stronger. However, he currently had no way to further accelerate his progress. He could only seek solutions from external resources.
The Transcendent Weapon was out of the question. Even if the territory didn’t restrict apprentices from registering for Knight-tier combat, he couldn’t possibly participate. And even if he did participate, it would be impossible for him to achieve a ranking high enough to win a Transcendent Weapon.
As for Ignition Potions, they were indeed an important resource for him right now; he could never have too many. But the problem was, he already had enough resources for advancing to Knight.
Planning for after advancement was a separate matter.
The same went for Inheritance Rituals. He couldn’t even exhaust his current number of inheritance uses. Having more wouldn’t bring any noticeable improvement to his present situation.
Only the Bloodline Secret Art could potentially grant him a measure of power ahead of schedule.
…
Almost the very moment Foss finished announcing all the rules and details, Ron had already made his decision:
“The Bloodline Secret Art, I must obtain it!”
Afterward, the crowd was not dismissed. Instead, a small medal ceremony was held, with the Lord of Sis personally presenting honor medals to those who had participated in the recent battle and made outstanding contributions and sacrifices.
During the ceremony, Ron spotted Morris’s widow, Mrs. Nina, who had been specially brought in, along with the families of other fallen soldiers.
“Instructor Morris, sigh…”
Ron sighed in his heart. What meaning did even the highest honors hold for someone who was already dead? He felt that if given the choice, Mrs. Nina would far prefer her husband alive over any honor medal.
…
After the ceremony, Ron and the others were finally dismissed, but his patrol duties still had to continue.
It wasn’t until two or three o’clock in the afternoon that Ron was notified: patrol duties were temporarily cancelled. The next three days were to be spent in full preparation for the Martial Tournament, in hopes of achieving favorable rankings.