Until the red robes were dyed with blood, Arnold felt the pain.
"Father!!!"
Beside him, Ron widened his eyes, watching the scene unfold, almost losing the ability to think as anger and sadness filled his heart.
Xiū xiū xiū!
At the same time, silhouettes appeared around, arrows shooting towards them. Before Ron could react, the bodyguards beside him had already fallen one by one.
"Ron, run!"
Sir Muir, a Knight, roared loudly. Ron finally snapped out of his daze, drew his cross sword, and charged towards Mars beside the carriage.
A hint of mockery flashed in Mars's eyes. Even before Sir Muir could approach the carriage, a silhouette like an Iron Pagoda appeared in front, and a giant sword swung like a battle axe.
Shua!
With a horizontal swing of the sword, Sir Muir screamed in agony, his sword arm severed, and blood sprayed out like a fountain.
"Go!!!"
Sir Muir endured the pain, roared loudly again, and charged forward like a cornered beast, fierce and unafraid of death.
"How... could this happen?"
Watching his fallen father and Sir Muir in a life-and-death struggle, Ron looked pale, with a glint of despair in his eyes. It was also at this moment that something seemed to be about to burst within him.
...
Holy Splendor Academy, dormitory building.
More than half a month had passed since returning from the Southern Border. Sauron, having obtained the Brute Bull Breathing Technique, secluded himself for cultivation every day.
This day, at noon.
Sunlight projected into the room, forming reflections on the floor. Sauron slowly opened his eyes, and all the potions beside him had been used up.
----------------------------
Name: [Sauron]
Occupation: [Intermediate Level Knight]
Strength: [3.6], Physique: [3.4], Agility: [3.7], Spirit: [1.5]
Passive Skills: [Arrow Technique Lv10 (100/100)], [Armybreak Swordsmanship Lv7 (5/100)], [Night Raven Breathing Technique Lv6 (15/100)], [Brute Bull Breathing Technique Lv6 (0/100)]
Skills: [Three Arrow Techniques], [Seven Swords of Broken Army]
Rune: [None]
Status: [Normal]
----------------------------
Looking at the data panel, a smile appeared on Sauron's face.
"I finally broke through!"
Sauron's eyes flickered slightly. After half a month of hard work, the Brute Bull Breathing Technique progressed rapidly, and he also advanced to the intermediate level Knight realm.
After getting up from the bed, Sauron shook his body.
After cultivating the Brute Bull Breathing Technique, his greatest improvement lay in the abundance of his Qi. Sauron felt as if he were strong enough to punch a bull to death.
"Shall I find a place to test my skills?"
Sauron was eager to try. Having just advanced to the intermediate level Knight, he didn't have an accurate understanding of his own strength yet.
Immediately, Sauron freshened up, put on his clothes, and left the dormitory. He planned to go to the Birch Forest to test his strength. However, as soon as he walked out of the dormitory building, he saw a crowd gathered near the academy's bulletin board.
"I never expected such a person to exist in the academy!"
"Who would have thought? Oh! Ron seemed quite normal usually, but he actually dared to do such a thing!"
Hearing Ron's name, Sauron halted his steps.
He went to the bulletin board and looked at the information posted there. It seemed to have just been released. The announcement stated that the student Ron, colluding with the Southern Crusaders, assassinated Ryan count in public. As a result, he was wanted throughout the city, expelled from the Holy Splendor Knight Academy, and deprived of all his identities in the academy.
Sauron frowned slightly as he read the information on the bulletin board.
"Ron has been expelled from the academy?" Sauron muttered to himself. The information seemed freshly released, and Arnold, Ron's father, had almost died in the hands of the Southern bandits. There was no reason for Ron to collude with the Crusaders. Moreover, with Ron's strength, openly assassinating Ryan count in the street was utterly ridiculous.
You must know that Ryan count, as the underground king, had numerous experts by his side. Even if Ron was just a commoner, it would be extremely difficult for him to get close to Ryan count, let alone attempt an assassination.
"What exactly happened?"
Sauron's eyes flickered, and his thoughts were in constant flux. Ron was wanted after returning from the South, which meant that something had happened during the half-month when Sauron was secluded in cultivation.
In the meantime, Sauron contemplated.
The information on the bulletin board alone was obviously not enough to explain anything. He needed to know more to understand the truth of what had happened.
Without hesitation, Sauron left the Holy Splendor Academy.
Arriving on the streets of the capital, he headed towards the Chamber of Commerce of Ron's family. However, before he could get very far, he saw a familiar silhouette being led to the execution platform in the nearby square.
"Muir Knight?"
Sauron's heart stirred, and he followed the crowd to the square.
At this moment, Muir Knight looked ashen, his right arm severed at the shoulder, and the wound was visibly rotten.
Even with Knight-level physique, enduring such torture had left Muir Knight's Life Aura extremely weak.
Pressed onto the execution platform, Muir Knight's expression was numb.
He seemed to have accepted his fate without any resistance. Sauron frowned, wondering what exactly had occurred.
Soon, the executioner ascended the platform.
Accompanying him was a magistrate who eloquently pronounced Muir Knight's charges. The crowd below began to grow agitated.
Sauron remained expressionless.
According to the magistrate's description, Muir Knight was charged with the same crime as Ron, attempting to assassinate Ryan count. The only difference was that he had been caught on the spot.
Such charges were evidently baseless.
Muir was already over fifty years old, and even though he was a Knight, his physique had started to decline. Trying to assassinate Ryan count with his current strength was akin to seeking death.