Chapter 21: Sacred Awakening, Scion of Light (I)
Long Xingyu said, "Two kinds of spiritual energy exist: The external and the internal. External spiritual energy is used to cause changes to the physical body and to enhance it. Simply said, it is generated in the body by physical training and enables the power and the toughness of your body to be enhanced, which allows you to attain a new level. But, since it is the body's power, it has its limits. This limit is the 200th spiritual energy level at your current step.
"Like I have already taught you, the division between the 2nd and the 3rd step is the watershed moment in any vocation. The majority are unable to break through the 2nd step throughout their entire life, not even speaking about entering the 3rd step. For knights like us, it is impossible to train your innate internal spiritual power, just like how it is impossible for mages to change their primary element.
"Your current external spiritual energy still has room for progress, but if we were to wait until you reached the 200th spiritual energy level by external practice, it would just be a waste of effort. I had you sit in a meditative posture for a year to get your internal energy ready for this moment. You have to know that, along with the growth of one's internal spiritual energy, the strength of one's body will also grow. When one's spiritual energy is higher, completing skills will require the use of internal spiritual energy together with external spiritual energy.
"Give me the Awakening Stone you brought from Haoyue Hall."
Long Xingyu extended his hand towards Long Haochen, and Long Haochen handed the yellow rock to his father.
Long Xingyu told him "For the next two years, I will make you cultivate your internal spiritual energy and, at the same time, train your external spiritual energy to the peak level. You will also have to study the secrets of spiritual stoves as well. Right now, I have to make you accomplish the most solemn ceremony for us knights, the Sacred Awakening."
Long Haochen listened carefully. On that early morning, he was very clear-headed because he had gone to sleep earlier the day before. For the sake of this father that he had troubled so much, he pledged that he wouldn't let his father down, and that he would train even more seriously than before.
Long Xingyu continued, "From some points of view, we knights belong to the Magical Swordsmanship School; after all, those sword skills I taught you use your spiritual energy. The next step is the cultivation of internal spiritual energy. We have a single mastery element, that is the 'Light' attribute.
"This awakening stone that I told you to bring will transform the Light attribute of your body. The higher your innate mental capacity is, regardless of your physical condition, the more effective the awakening stone will be. But you have to know that our Light Arts and the magic the mages use are not the same. Mages use the power of elemental magic spells; we knights, on the other hand, directly use the spiritual energy in our bodies to form our Light Arts. However, there is an important factor. The deeper one grasps the Ten Standards of a Knight, the stronger his Light Art will be. Understood?"
Long Haochen pondered for a moment before replying, "Father, are you saying that knights like us only need to seriously practice our internal spiritual energy to be able to master sword skills and Light Arts, these two different styles?"
Hearing these words, Long Xingyu was surprised. He didn't expect Long Haochen to understand so quickly.
"That's right. You can interpret my words like that. The spiritual energy of knights is used for sword skills as well as magic. This is what makes us completely different from Warriors, who cannot use magic. Okay, let's begin the Awakening now. Come outside with me."
With these words, Long Xingyu brought Long Haochen out of the log cabin and they headed towards the peak of the mountain.
Long Xingyu waved his left hand and a thick layer of golden light was spread out from his body, forming a golden mantle that quickly grew from 16.5 meters to 33 meters, enveloping both father and child.
That rich light seemed as if it tried to fill Long Haochen's soul. When bathing in that golden radiance, his whole body felt stronger. The Heavenly Battle Array that Li Xin used released a holy light, but compared to the golden mantle that Long Xingyu formed, it was simply the same as comparing a firefly to the moon.
"This is called Bright Blessing, a high-rank defensive skill used by high step knights. Haochen, close your eyes and stay focused. Regardless of whatever you feel, you must stay calm, and quickly feel the changes in your body. Specifically, try to comprehend the light, understood?"
"Yes."
Long Xingyu looked at the kid in front of him, took a deep breath, and slowly lifted the Awakening Stone in his right hand. He didn't tell Long Haochen at all that, compared to an ordinary knight's Sacred Awakening, his Sacred Awakening was going to be way more painful and harder to bear. Because his spiritual energy didn't reach the 110th rank yet, compared to the peak Standard Knight who went through the Awakening, the burden that was going to be put on his body was immeasurable. Naturally, it was in this way that Long Haochen's potential would develop the most.
According to the Knight Temple's rules, taking the Sacred Awakening in advance like that was strictly forbidden for fear that it could permanently injure the knight's body. The risks of failing the Awakening could go as far as endangering his life.
Of course, Long Xingyu didn't want to put Long Haochen's life at stake at all. But no one understood better than he the mysterious process of the Sacred Awakening, and Long Xingyu didn't care at all about the Knight Temple's rules. Originally, Long Haochen's mental capacity was far higher than ordinary people's, and, at the same time, he had a caring and almost flawless heart. In addition, he had already grasped most of the Ten Rules of a Knight, and he had the support of Long Xingyu, so it was almost guaranteed that he would successfully bear that pain.
A twinkling golden radiance rose from Long Xingyu's hand; its brightness surpassing the rising sun's. However, that radiance was motionless, it was unable to spread out due to Bright Blessing's shining mantle. At that very moment, the shining mantle covered the father and his son, and their silhouettes completely disappeared.
Long Haochen suddenly felt that his own body became hotter; his body's temperature was, in fact, rising and it felt like a core had formed1 in the middle of his internal organs. At that moment, he clearly discovered that his own body had contained countless channels, and each of these channels was an extension of the newly formed internal nucleus.
Shutting his eyes, he saw a bright golden color. That golden color was forming from inside his body. A violent pain emerged at that moment.
A thin gray gas violently emerged from Long Haochen's body, disappearing into the golden radiance; it was the impurities that were within his body. That was one of the results of the Sacred Awakening, a purification effect.
During the purification, Long Haochen felt as though his body was being pierced by myriad sharp arrows. Meanwhile, the scorching hot sensation became even more violent than during the beginning.
The Sacred Awakening does not only enable a knight to transform their spiritual energy into holy light that's useable with magic, it also purifies his soul and body. Therefore, knights who went through the Sacred Awakening rarely went against their own beliefs and convictions.
Long Haochen's body was violently shaking. If someone could see what was happening inside the Bright Blessing, they would discover that, at that very moment, Long Haochen's body's pores were bleeding. But, because of that process, a golden ring of light gradually appeared on his chest and was becoming more and more imposing.
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