"There are two kinds of Spiritual Energy. Outer and Inner."
Corvin’s voice was serious.
"Outer Spiritual Energy changes and strengthens the body. Put simply, it comes from exercise and training. It lifts your body’s strength and toughness to the next level. But since it comes from the body itself, it has a limit. And that limit is a Spiritual Energy score of 200."
Leo listened carefully.
"I’ve told you before. The wall between the second and third stage is the biggest turning point in every path. Most people never get past the second stage in their whole lives. The third stage is a dream."
"For knights like us, there’s no other path to train Inner Spiritual Energy. Just like Mages can never change their element."
He paused for a moment. "Your Outer Spiritual Energy can still grow. But if we wait to reach 200 through outside training alone, it’ll only waste your effort."
"That’s why I made you sit in meditation for a whole year. It was to prepare your Inner Energy for this very moment."
"Remember this. As Inner Spiritual Energy grows, the body grows stronger too. And someone with high Spiritual Energy uses both Inner and Outer together to power their skills."
Then Corvin held out his hand.
"Give me the Awakening Stone you brought from Moonhaven Hall."
Leo placed the yellow stone in his father’s hand.
"For the next two years, I’ll train your Inner Spiritual Energy. At the same time, your Outer Spiritual Energy must reach its highest level too. You’ll also learn the secrets of Spiritual Stoves."
"But first, I’ll have you go through the most sacred ceremony of us knights. The Sacred Awakening."
Leo nodded.
He felt fresh that morning. He had gone to bed early last night. In his heart, he swore he would never let his father down again. After all the pain he had caused him, he would train even harder than before.
Corvin continued, "In some ways, we knights belong to a school of magical swordsmanship. The sword skills I’ve taught you run on your Spiritual Energy."
"The next step is training your Inner Spiritual Energy. And our element is only one. The Holy Attribute."
"This Awakening Stone will transform the light element within your body. The stronger your mind is from birth, the stronger the stone’s effect will be, no matter what condition your body is in."
"But understand this. Our Holy Arts are not the same as a Mage’s magic. Mages use the power of their elements’ spells. But we knights create our Holy Arts straight from our body’s own Spiritual Energy."
"And one more important thing. The deeper someone understands the ten Standards of a Knight, the stronger their holy magic becomes. Understand?"
Leo thought for a moment before answering.
"Papa, are you saying we knights only need to work hard on our Inner Spiritual Energy? And then we can master both sword skills and Holy Arts, two different styles?" Find the original chapter at g.com.
Corvin was surprised.
He hadn’t expected Leo to understand so fast.
"Exactly right. You can take my words that way. A knight’s Spiritual Energy powers both sword skills and magic. That’s what makes us completely different from warriors who can’t use magic."
"Alright. Let’s begin the Awakening. Come outside with me."
Corvin led Leo out of the wooden cabin. The two of them walked toward the mountain top.
He waved his left hand.
A thick layer of golden light spread from his body. It turned into a golden circle and grew quickly. From five zhang, or 16.5 meters, to ten zhang, or 33 meters. And the circle swallowed father and son together.
The dense light felt like it wanted to fill Leo’s very soul. The moment he stood in the golden glow, his whole body felt stronger.
The Heavenly Battle Array that Mira had used held holy light too. But next to Corvin’s golden circle, it was like comparing a firefly to the moon.
"This is the Bright Blessing. A high-level defense skill used by top-ranking knights."
"Leo, close your eyes and meditate. Whatever you feel, stay calm. Quietly feel the changes inside your body. Especially try to understand the light. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Papa!"
Corvin looked at the boy in front of him.
He took a deep breath. Then, slowly, he raised the Awakening Stone in his right hand.
There was one thing he hadn’t told Leo.
Compared to an ordinary knight’s Sacred Awakening, Leo’s would be far more painful. It would be extremely hard to bear.
The reason was that Leo’s Spiritual Energy hadn’t even reached the 110th rank yet. Compared to a top Standard Knight going through this Awakening, the burden on his body would be many times heavier.
But the truth was, this was the way that could unlock Leo’s potential the most.
According to the rules of the Knight Temple, doing the Sacred Awakening early like this was strictly forbidden. The fear was that a knight’s body could be damaged forever.
If the Awakening failed, even his life could be in danger.
Corvin didn’t want to gamble with his son’s life at all. But nobody understood the secrets of the Sacred Awakening better than he did. And he didn’t care one bit about the Knight Temple’s rules.
Leo’s mental strength was far beyond ordinary people. His heart was soft and almost spotless. On top of that, he already understood most of the ten Standards of a Knight. And he had Corvin to support him.
So it was almost certain that he could endure the pain.
A flickering golden light rose from Corvin’s hand. It was brighter than the rising sun. Get faster updates on g.com.
Still, the glow couldn’t spread outward. The Bright Blessing circle held it in completely.
At that moment, the shining circle covered father and son. Both of their figures vanished.
Suddenly, Leo felt his body growing warm.
His body temperature was truly rising. And he felt as though a center had formed among his inner organs.
In that instant, he felt clearly that there were countless channels in his body. And every one of them was part of that newly formed center.
His eyes were closed. Still, he saw a bright golden color.
It was the color inside his own body.
Then suddenly, sharp pain struck.
A thin gray gas burst from Leo’s body and vanished into the golden glow. It was the impurities in his body.
This was one effect of the Sacred Awakening. Purification.
During the purification, Leo felt like countless sharp arrows were piercing his body.
At the same time, the burning heat became far stronger than when it began.
The Sacred Awakening does more than turn a knight’s Spiritual Energy into holy light that can be used with magic. It also purifies both the soul and the body.
That’s why knights who have gone through the Sacred Awakening almost never go against their beliefs and principles.
Leo’s body shook violently.
If anyone could have looked inside the Bright Blessing, they would have seen blood seeping from every pore on Leo’s body.
But in that very process, a ring of golden light slowly began to appear on his chest.
And moment by moment, it grew more magnificent.
Corvin stared at it. His hand, holding the stone, began to shake.
*This isn’t right,* he thought. *It’s not supposed to look like this.*