Chapter Two: Parting

“The essence of swordsmanship lies first in speed, second in angle, and third in force.”

Aerco lightly waved his palm, treating it as a blade; with a gentle slash in the air he somehow conveyed the momentum of cutting through all things. His hand was long and handsome. Seeing the boy’s half-understanding expression, he shifted his tone and smiled, “Loran, tell me, recently have you felt any warmth in your star vein?”

“No.” The youth shook his head, blinking, and said, “Not the slightest bit, Teacher Aerco. Do I no longer have any chance to awaken the Star Source mark?”

“Not necessarily.”

“But… I’ve heard the village elders saying that if someone is over sixteen and still hasn’t awakened the Starmark, then in this life it’s almost impossible for them to ever awaken it, and they won’t be able to master Starforce.”

“Not necessarily.” Elco revealed a gentle smile and said, “Nothing in the world is absolute. For example, some people cannot grasp a truth for half their lives, yet when the time comes, they suddenly understand. The Star Source Mark is the same. The blood of the Seer Luo Yi flows in your veins; in the future… you too will surely grow into a great knight.”

Loran frowned. “Teacher Aierke, I heard from the older girls in the village that you used sweet talk to steal many of their first kisses, that your mouth was like it was smeared with honey and could make people lose themselves. If you say that to me, are you trying to deceive me too? Actually… I have no chance of awakening the Star-Source Mark in this lifetime, do I?”

“No.”

Eirko’s old face flushed, and he said, “How can you believe all the rumors in the village? Those girls were merely offering kisses of their own accord; I did not encourage them with so much as a single word. And Loran, you need not worry— even if in this life you can never awaken the Star Origin Mark, it doesn’t matter. That does not prevent you from becoming a great warrior. In the ancient days of our Star Origin Empire, there was a mighty knight who, through sheer physical strength, ultimately became an Awakener. His name was…”

“Call me Lin Shan.”

The youth pressed his lips together and said, “You have told me this story countless times, but… Lin Shan is an anomaly who awakened a Star Source Mark later in life, and he possesses a powerful spark of fire, while I do not. With my strength… I simply cannot be compared to him.”

“But…”

Aierkuo showed a gentle smile and said, “I read in a book that Master Lin Shan, at fifteen—your age—focused solely on cultivating his body and could deliver a punch with the force of 300 jin. You’re not far behind that already, so Lolan, you will become a great knight. You need have no doubts about that.”

“Yes, teacher.”

The boy brightened and said, “Then… may I try practicing slashes with your sword today?”

“Sure, come on, let’s go. We’ll go to the woods to practice swordplay and fists.”

“Great, thank you, teacher!”

The boy was overjoyed, almost forgetting that his star vein had yet to awaken.

……

And so the days passed, one by one, with the village selection day drawing ever closer. Rumors continued to spread outside; it was said that Ailan City would send part of the Bright Knights Order to the remote mountain village to personally select promising youths, allowing them to enter Ailan City’s academy for training free of charge, and with a certain chance of becoming a glorious imperial knight in the future.

Loran spent his days much as before, practicing swordplay and boxing; his strength grew day by day, yet he still couldn’t break through his body’s limits or awaken the fabled Star Source mark.

Finally, the day of the selection was about to arrive.

Eve.

A handsome knight in armor wearing a gray cloak came to the Loran household’s small courtyard. He tied his steed there, then stepped forward; moonlight gleamed on the emblem at his chest, flashing brilliantly. He advanced respectfully, crossing one arm over his chest, bowed, and saluted: “Madam, Loran!”

“Teacher Aierke!”

Loran’s mother smiled faintly: “You’re coming so late today—did you come to see Loran about something?”

“Nothing in particular, just came to check on him.”

Aierke also showed a slight smile, but then his face grew serious as he said: “Tomorrow is the selection exam. Ealan City will send the knight order to this small village to choose the best among the young people. Loran… still hasn’t awakened his Star Mark, has he?”

“No.”

Loran stared at his palm, a little disappointed.

“It’s alright.”

Eirco smiled: “Even without the Star Source mark, you will still become a great knight. After all, not every knight can wield the Star Source, and this time you must seize the opportunity—make sure you earn the qualification to study at Ailan City Academy. That way, by the time I return, you might already be a trainee knight.”

“So, Teacher, are you leaving?”

Loran’s big, watery eyes widened, as if she couldn’t accept the news that Elko was leaving.

“Yes, I’ve received orders and will be heading to Star Source City to carry out a mission, leaving tonight.” Elko frowned, showing an unusual look of worry. “The Church sent orders canceling all leaves for knights under the Light Knight Order, so my leave is over and I must get to the front as soon as possible.”

“Battlefield?” Roland exclaimed in surprise. “Could the rebels in the Far East have appeared again…”

“No.” Elko shook his head and said, “It’s monsters. The beasts that lurk in the northern mountains are stirring again. A few days ago, it’s said that three Sky Knights from the Order of the Radiant fell in battle. This shook the headquarters of the Church and even alarmed the big figures in the Temple of the Goddess, which is why I left in the middle of the night this time to answer the Church’s summons.”

“Then… take care on your journey, Teacher!”

“Mm, you too!”

Eirko turned around, gently ruffling Loran’s short hair, a warm smile on his face, and said, “Kid, get stronger quickly. I don’t want to hear those ill-bred brats from the village mocking you anymore. It’s better if you teach those guys a lesson yourself.”

“Mm, I’ll definitely work hard to become stronger!”

The young man clenched his fists, and after watching Aierke walk away, Lolan sat in the small courtyard, stunned.

“Rustle, rustle…”

Footsteps came from behind: “Loran, why haven’t you gone back to your room yet? There’s dew outside—be careful not to catch a cold.”

“Mother.”

The boy turned to look at his mother, a trace of puzzlement on his face, and said, “Teacher Aierke said that Father is a powerful wielder of star-source energy. Is that true?”

“Not just a master of star-source power…”

Pride, even a trace of worship, rose on the woman’s face as she said, “He is also a powerful Seer who has fused the Divine Ember. Across the Star-Source Continent there are few who can match him. It’s just… he vanished suddenly, disappeared without a trace, never returned to this home. Perhaps… perhaps when one day you awaken your Star-Source Mark, you’ll be able to go find him yourself.”

“Next year I’ll be sixteen. In the Empire’s history, no one has ever awakened a Starmark after turning sixteen.”

Loran was somewhat dejected and said, “If I can’t harness the stellar force, no matter how strong my body is, I’ll be nothing more than a piece of trash in others’ eyes.”

The woman stepped forward, gritting her teeth, and said, “No — even if you never awaken the Stellar Mark, your mother still firmly believes you are the treasure heaven bestowed upon your father and me!”

Loran continued to sit quietly under the starlight, saying nothing.

…

The next morning.

On a ceremonial square in the southwest of the village, a place that had once been sparsely populated was now unexpectedly crowded. People from different settlements had come, bringing their children to partake in a selection that would determine a child’s destiny.

In the distance, amid the heavy clatter of hooves, the crowd parted as a squad of knights from Ailan City entered the square. Immediately, a group of children, including Loran, all showed looks of longing. To become a powerful knight, to serve the Empire, to fight monsters and become a hero sung about by the people—this was the shared dream of every child on the Star-Source Continent!

Looking at the knights’ finely crafted armor, the shields engraved with the Imperial Order of the Radiant Knights emblem, the swords at their waists and the heavy, sharp lances in their hands, and those pure-blood warhorses with immaculate coats, for a moment every child showed looks of envy, dreaming of becoming one of them.

Unfortunately, the Empire’s requirements for knights were extremely strict: not only did one need sufficiently strong combat skills, but one also had to be able to master a powerful command of star-source energy; otherwise one could only join a local troop, a position that could in no way be compared to that of a Radiant Knight.

A knight wielding a broad sword walked at the front, dismounted, and said, “Village chief, are you ready?”

“Sir, everything is ready.”

The village chief said in a trembling voice, “All the farmers and hunters within twenty li, every child of suitable age, have been brought here—83 people in total. The list is here.”

“Okay.”

The knight took the list and said, “Then… let’s begin. I will call out the names; those whose names are called, come up to undergo the selection test.”

“Yes, my lord!”

A group of children made immature sounds.

The knight slowly removed his helmet, revealing short blond hair. Looking at the children, a rather strange smile crept across his mouth as he said, “The examination has two parts: one is a strength test, the other is a Star Source power test. Passing either one will be considered qualification for admission to Ailan City Academy. Very well, begin!”

Starting at 10:00 tomorrow morning, one update every hour, ten in a row, ten chapters in total.