Chapter 115: The Royal Mercenary 'Lant'

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——

The battle against the young water mage from the Blood Mansion held no surprises.

First of all, the opponent did not possess an Earth Emperor-level spell, nor did he have a chaotic mental sea that accelerates spiritual power recovery and mana gathering speed. In terms of mental strength, he was no match for Xu Wen, and regarding combat experience, Xu Wen had countless battles under his belt as a top-tier gamer. How could he be a worthy opponent? Adding to that, morale was already suppressed to its lowest, and it wasn’t long before the opponent conceded defeat and stepped down.

Xu Wen had no intention of continuing to defend the arena. After winning three consecutive rounds, he noticed that the suddenly appearing “Captain Li” had quietly left, so naturally, he didn’t linger.

After forfeiting, to avoid unnecessary complications, he led his team straight back to the Royal Merchant Guild, though there was one additional person in the group—the man who claimed to be their mentor.

“Unexpectedly, this kid has some real skill,”

Leaping Deer, leaning against a wall in a nearby alley, shook his head in amazement.

“To have bested three young elites from the Blood Mansion in succession and even attract the attention of the deputy commander of the Royal Mercenary Corps—disciples trained by Dean Harman truly are exceptional…”

Before he could finish, a clear and pleasant voice interrupted him:

“Big brother, you are destined to be a future civil official, the pillar of the nation. Matters of martial arts and magic are best left to the experts, so don’t trouble yourself over such things.”

Leaping Deer’s younger sister shook her head exaggeratedly, unable to tolerate her brother’s self-righteousness and proceeded to explain in detail:

“Xu Wen’s first summoned spell was the publicly known Earth Emperor-level magic of the Qingyun Empire. That black whip is actually an Earth Emperor-level spell of his own family—the Hortonklin family—both rated at three stars. The four-star Flame God Shield and the three-star Profound Sky-level Solar Burst Wave are the true personal teachings of Dean Harman.”

Leaping Deer didn’t immediately grasp the implication behind his sister’s words and nodded blankly before asking,

“So what of it?”

Still didn’t get it…

The younger sister exchanged a helpless glance with the Fourth Prince and sighed resignedly:

“The Flame Fire Rings belong to the magic inscribed on the Divine Statue. They rely heavily on personal talent and comprehension… Moreover, according to intelligence from the Royal Aunt’s side, Xu Wen and Dean Harman have spent less than a month together. Do you really think Dean Harman could have taught so many arcane magics to a single person in just half a month? Sometimes I wonder if being my smart little sister means we even share blood.”

Upon finishing, the Fourth Prince coughed repeatedly, turning his back to avoid seeing Leaping Deer’s face.

“Little sister, next time, could you please not beat around the bush so much? Sometimes I wonder if you’re really my sister. Does belittling your big brother in front of the royal sibling give you a sense of accomplishment? As for whether we share blood, that question should be directed to our father Feng Liu.”

Leaping Deer’s retort was nothing short of brilliant, nearly causing the Fourth Prince to cough himself into unconsciousness.

“A little bit.”

The younger sister proudly extended her fair hand and flicked out her pinky finger.

Leaping Deer cast his eyes to the sky, feigning disdain. The “future minister” still hadn’t realized how utterly he had lost the verbal duel just now.

...

“Allow me to formally introduce you.”

In the courtyard of the Royal Merchant Guild, twenty members of the Soul-Shattering Mercenary Corps stood neatly before Dean Notting, who solemnly introduced a stranger—the middle-aged man standing before them.

Xu Wen didn’t need to see his face; the scent of alcohol alone revealed his identity—the bearded seven-star swordsman who had been urging him to step into the arena earlier that morning, though he wasn’t carrying his usual wine gourd.

What surprised Xu Wen even more was that, despite Dean Notting’s high status, he had personally come to receive an ordinary mercenary responsible for training them for only three months!

“This gentleman is the mentor and swordmaster who will be responsible for guiding you over the next three months on how to become qualified mercenaries—Mr. Lant.”

“Mr. Lant was recruited into the Royal Mercenary Corps of the Scarlet Alliance during his youth. After turning thirty-five, he left the Royal Mercenary Corps and became a renowned top-tier freelance mercenary across the Scarlet Alliance. Over the past twenty years, Mr. Lant has traversed every corner of the Scarlet Alliance with extensive experience unmatched by many eight-star elite mercenaries!”

...

Only upon hearing this did Xu Wen finally show a hint of emotion.

Recruited into the Royal Mercenary Corps at such a young age?

Having gained a relatively deep understanding of the Scarlet Alliance over recent days, Xu Wen was naturally aware of the Corps’ stringent requirements for new members:

Under eighteen years old: at least five-star intermediate level!

Between twenty and twenty-three: six-star intermediate!

Between twenty-three and twenty-five: must reach seven-star beginner level or above!

Only the elite among cultivators—one in ten thousand—could enter the Royal Mercenary Corps!

Yet something was strange…

Mr. Lant appeared to be at least in his thirties or forties, so why was he still only seven stars?

Perhaps anticipating this very question, Dean Notting’s tone shifted:

“I’m sure everyone is wondering why Mr. Lant has not yet advanced to the Great Swordsman rank. That story is quite long, but five years ago, at age thirty-three, Mr. Lant reached the peak of the seven-star realm—just shy of becoming the youngest Great Swordsman in the history of both the Scarlet Alliance and the Soul Continent!”

“Ah?”

Everyone’s attention was completely captured by Dean Notting’s words, including He Chen and Xu Wen, their eyes filled with shock and regret. The gaze they cast upon Mr. Lant standing beside Dean Notting was now one of solemn respect.

“Mr. Lant didn’t succeed? Why not?”

He Chen couldn’t help but ask.

In fact, it wasn’t just him; everyone present wanted to know. Some had seen seven-star experts and could roughly estimate Mr. Lant’s current cultivation.

He appeared only at the lower intermediate seven-star level…

How could Mr. Lant’s cultivation have declined instead of advanced in the years since he reached the seven-star peak?

“That’s a long story, and it’s getting late. Let Mr. Lant explain it to you on the way. You young people should get to know each other anyway.”

Dean Notting surprisingly stopped there, gave Mr. Lant a few words of instruction, and then led the group to the neighboring courtyard...

In the vast courtyard, a dozen giant cat-eagles stood ready under the tamers’ care. From other directions, members of five other mercenary corps from Qingyun Academy arrived one after another. Their teams also included unfamiliar mercenaries, likely mentors invited by Dean Notting just like Mr. Lant.

“Mr. Lant, where are we headed?”

He Chen, as captain of the Soul-Shattering Mercenary Corps, naturally needed to understand the situation.

Mr. Lant smiled and approached one of the spreading-winged cat-eagles, gently pressing it. Without a ladder, he floated lightly onto its back and pointed north:

“Blackrock Town. Not far from here.”

Seeing the puzzled looks on everyone’s faces, he laughed heartily:

“If everything were written in books, you’d never finish reading in a lifetime.”

Xu Wen agreed with this sentiment.

Mr. Lant continued:

“I’ve read your files—your talents are quite good. What you lack is real combat experience and the qualities required to be a qualified mercenary. But these can only truly be learned and applied on the battlefield. Your trial battleground is in the Beast Mountains…”

“Although the Blood Mansion is prosperous, densely populated, and fiercely competitive, it is also very harsh for novices like you. You won’t gain anything from the nearby hills. Just sensing the aura of six- and seven-star experts, you won’t find a single five-star or below beast on the outskirts.”

“...”

Except for a few who didn’t understand, everyone else suddenly appeared enlightened.

“But the most deadly factor is that, due to the scarcity of low-level beasts, the high-level beasts in the nearby mountains have basically learned to form alliances… Don’t laugh, it’s true. When too many people enter the Beast Mountains, terrible things happen! You’ve probably never encountered this, and you should pray that over the next three months you don’t either... Otherwise, even I might not be able to keep you safe.”

Mr. Lant’s words sounded somewhat alarmist to the others.

Only Xu Wen furrowed his brow, guessing what the terrible events Mr. Lant referred to might be.

“Mr. Lant, are there often beast tides near the Blood Mansion?”

“You know quite a bit,” Mr. Lant’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at Xu Wen and nodded.

“That’s right. The Blood Mansion experiences two to three beast tides every month, usually composed of high-level beasts… Therefore, the first lesson for new recruits and mercenaries is to correctly judge and avoid areas where beast tides might occur.”

“Can you predict the appearance of a beast tide in advance?”

Xu Wen was momentarily stunned.

“Of course!”

Finally finding a worthy topic on Xu Wen’s face, Mr. Lant didn’t explain immediately.

All the tamers were ready, some cat-eagles already seated by the students preparing to depart.

“I’ll explain in detail on the way. Get on!”

Six people per eagle, the Soul-Shattering Mercenary Corps needed only four to carry all its members.

But just as the cat-eagles were about to take off—

“Wait!”

Dean Notting’s voice rang out.

The tamers tightened their ropes, the cat-eagles preparing to fly relaxed slightly, all their gazes turning to two people entering through the courtyard gate, showing subtle surprise.

Beside Dean Notting was the only Qingyun Academy student who hadn’t joined any mercenary corps—Lei Ao.

The six captains of the mercenary corps were all sharp-minded men!

Since Lei Ao hadn’t joined any corps yet, he would have to choose one first and then be led by a veteran mercenary. Coming here at this moment—had he made up his mind, or been persuaded by Dean Notting to pick one of the six major mercenary corps?

“Lei Ao! Come over here!”

“Senior Brother Lei, this way!”

“Join our Frost Sky…”

“...”

Except for He Chen, the other five captains immediately began to recruit him. As a five-star junior magic swordsman, joining any team would be a considerable asset.

Dean Notting nodded approvingly, smiling at Lei Ao:

“Fortunately, you came just in time. You decide which mercenary corps to join.”

Sure enough!

Everyone in the courtyard tensed, and the calls grew even more enthusiastic.

But what no one expected was that this slender, cold-faced magic swordsman seemed oblivious to the warm welcomes from the five teams. He walked straight toward the unresponsive Soul-Shattering Mercenary Corps side, stopping only in front of the cat-eagle where Xu Wen was seated.

“I want to join the Soul-Shattering.”

Lei Ao lifted his head, his eyes sharply fixed on Xu Wen.

Xu Wen gave him a strange look and, under the astonished gazes of the other five corps, pointed behind him:

“Application to join, see the captain…”

He Chen, feeling a bit wronged, poked his head out from behind, smiling and nodding at Lei Ao while secretly signaling Xu Wen: Don’t act so high and mighty—you’re a captain too.