Chapter 403: The Twin Serpents

Chapter 403: The Twin Serpents

Having decided to decline the offer from the Second Prince, Ren naturally had to prepare for the consequences.

Especially with the Dragon Knight Cadet selection coming up next week, Ren was certain that the Prince would inquire about his final decision beforehand.

Although he could obtain relevant information through the Swordkeeper channels, Ren wasn't sure about the effectiveness of the purification efforts on their side. Luther, having participated in the previous selection, should have a clearer understanding.

In response to Ren's question, Luther was initially taken aback but then laughed, saying, "Your Excellency Ren, I believe with your strength, there's no need to worry about this assessment."

"But since you asked, I'll give you a simple overview."

"First, the first assessment is a practical combat test focusing on 'flight' and 'combat.' The key is to observe the candidate's flying skills, which is why they must have a flying mount."

"In essence, if a candidate can control their flying mount to navigate through obstacles and perform aerial maneuvers like sharp turns and dives, it proves they have the necessary skills to handle a dragon in the future."

"As for 'combat,' the assessment tests the candidate and their flying mount's ability to coordinate and defeat enemies."

"Since many possess excellent flying skills, and Dragon Knights aren't circus trainers, they must demonstrate sufficient combat prowess."

Luther added another sentence, seemingly to help Ren and Halowen understand better.

"So, the first assessment is practical combat, and what about the second?" Hearing this, Halowen's face showed confusion.

After all, in a typical multi-stage assessment, the difficulty usually progresses from easy to challenging.

For instance, the first assessment might test physical fitness or skills, while the second would be the practical combat test.

"As for the second assessment, Your Excellency Ren, Your Excellency Halowen, all participants have signed high-level confidentiality agreements with the Royal Family, so I can't disclose any details." Luther frowned as he spoke.

"But... I heard that Your Excellency Ren recently visited the Flame Canyon?" Luther seemed to remember something, emphasizing 'Flame Canyon' before pausing and smiling at Ren.

Ren pondered for a moment, then smiled back and nodded, saying, "Thank you, Your Excellency Luther. I understand."

He understood Luther's implication.

The second assessment would likely take place in a secret realm similar to the Flame Canyon, although the specific details were unknown. Still, there were only a few possible scenarios.

For example, in this unique secret realm, candidates might have to defeat more challenging targets or encounter dragon-related creatures.

At this moment, Halowen, who had been deep in thought, also looked enlightened.

After learning about the Dragon Knight Cadet selection, Ren bid farewell and arranged to meet at the camp tomorrow to familiarize himself with flying techniques.

After all, for Ren, opportunities for aerial combat had been scarce since he started riding Bloodfeather. In comparison, Luther and Halowen had much more experience in this regard.

Of course, Ren wasn't concerned about coordination issues.

As a Beastmaster (Legendary) with his profession, coordinating with Bloodfeather wouldn't be a problem. The main goal was to familiarize himself with the arena and exchange strategies for dealing with different enemies with Luther and Halowen.

Just as Ren was about to board the carriage to the Academy Outpost, he suddenly noticed Olenna waiting for him.

"Oh, Your Excellency Olenna, is there an urgent matter?" Ren saw Olenna's solemn expression and guessed that something unpleasant had happened.

"Your Excellency Ren, let's talk in the carriage."

"Good!"

After they sat in the carriage, Ren cast a Silence Spell. Only then did Olenna begin her report: "Just now, Lieutenant General Tatia's side sent an urgent message. During the final stages of the purification effort, someone discovered that within the Swordkeeper's file management department, the details of the tasks you executed showed signs of leakage."

"Hmm, I had a hunch," Ren calmly nodded.

He had anticipated this situation.

The previous attacks on him were almost perfectly timed and located, making it nearly impossible for his information to have been leaked without someone's involvement.

Hearing Ren's words, Olenna was indeed surprised.

However, she could sense a confidence in Ren's calm demeanor and tone, and admiration for him immediately arose in her heart.

"There's another piece of news. Yesterday, the Swordkeeper's internal inspectors learned from some detained individuals that your personal task execution records seemed to have been deliberately leaked to a cult organization."

"Oh?" Ren's eyebrows rose, and he said, "That's interesting."

This situation was indeed intriguing.

But after a moment's thought, Ren understood and guessed the general context.

"According to the analysis, it's highly likely that members of the Conservative Party leaked your task execution records."

(End of Chapter 403)

Deputy Chief Olenna's words confirmed Ren's suspicions.

"So, they want to use the cult to get rid of me?"

"Yes, Lord Ren."

Seeing the smile on Ren's face, Olenna felt her tension ease significantly.

Initially, when she learned about this situation, she was extremely nervous. Even for an Elite Swordsman with exceptional power, being targeted by one or multiple cult organizations was extremely dangerous.

This was also the reason why the tasks undertaken by the Swordsmen were kept confidential.

"Lieutenant General Tatia mentioned that she will arrange for your subsequent tasks to be encrypted, and after execution, they will be sealed to ensure such incidents won't happen again."

"However, she reminds you to be cautious when going out for missions in the near future. Also, she suggests that your family should not leave the Imperial Capital unless there are special circumstances."

"The cult organizations are not the conservative nobles. They might directly retaliate against your family." Olenna added.

"Alright, I understand." Ren nodded.

Fortunately, he had already brought his family to the Imperial Capital. With its defense capabilities, unless there was another situation like the direct descent of a Deity's incarnation, it was relatively safe.

Just as Olenna was about to leave, Ren remembered something and said,

"By the way, Deputy Chief Olenna, could you help me look up some information in the headquarters' library about Bloodline Polluters and Breakers?"

"Bloodline Polluters and Breakers? Sure, Lord Ren."

Tut Kash Academy Outpost.

After about two hours, Ren quickly earned 550 Contribution Points by helping with the production of puppet components.

Combined with his remaining 1463 Contribution Points, he soon had a total of 2000 points, which he used to exchange for the third level of Advanced Steel Heart Meditation.

This was also the last level possessed by the academy.

In other words, if he wanted to cultivate the original fourth level of Advanced Steel Heart Meditation, he might have to explore the ancient wizard academy ruins mentioned by Teacher Mogaro.

"But for now, I'll focus on thoroughly understanding the third level first."

After bidding farewell to Teacher Mogaro, Ren returned to the mansion.

In the study, Ren took out the memory crystal that recorded the third level of Advanced Steel Heart Meditation.

As a unique memory appeared in his mind, Ren began to carefully read, comprehend, and ponder it.

"The third level of Advanced Steel Heart Meditation has an extremely high cultivation difficulty."

"But after successfully cultivating it, not only will it further refine one's spirit energy and promote spirit crystallization, but it will also enhance the power of metal spells by about sixty percent."

"Sixty percent?"

"I remember that the second level increased the power of metal spells by forty percent, which was already astonishing, allowing my Tier 2 metal spells to almost reach the threshold of Tier 3 spells. Now, it's sixty percent."

Reading this, Ren's eyes lit up! His desire to quickly master the third level became even stronger.

Calming himself, Ren focused his mind and began to seriously attempt the cultivation requirements of the third level.

Unlike the three-dimensional model of the second level, which consisted of sixty will runes, the third level's model was more complex. According to the description in the crystal, the difficulty was 'extremely high.'

If one's talent and spirit energy weren't strong enough, just looking at this three-dimensional pattern would make them nauseous and dizzy, making it impossible to persist.

Ren carefully counted, and the third level's model was composed of a staggering 108 will runes.

This was nearly double the number of the already challenging second level!

One could imagine how difficult it would be to visualize this three-dimensional pattern in one's mind all at once.

"However, with my spirit energy of 123 points, I should be able to comprehend it faster."

"Also..."

Ren glanced at his attribute panel, and the remaining 22 attribute points were a strong guarantee for him to quickly master the third level.

Soon, Ren began to visualize the three-dimensional model of the third level in his mind.

Two hours later.

After numerous attempts, Ren was currently able to successfully visualize the pattern composed of ninety-six will runes, twelve short of the target of 108.

According to the multiple records in the memory crystal, his progress far surpassed that of a typical Tier 3 crystallization wizard.

Most wizards cultivating the third level only managed to outline ninety will runes after the third month.

However, Ren was still not satisfied with this progress.

Previously, when cultivating the second level, he had almost completed it with just five will runes left when his spirit energy was about to be depleted. Now, he was twelve short.

"Indeed, it's an extremely difficult level." Ren rubbed his slightly throbbing temples and muttered to himself.

"Then, let's start allocating points!"

Almost without hesitation, Ren added 1 point to his spirit attribute.

As Ren's Mental Attribute increased from 123 to 124, he felt a sudden coolness in his mind, as if a gushing mountain spring had washed away all mental fatigue.

With his state restored to peak condition, Ren smiled and once again visualized the intricate 3D model of the third layer in his mind.

Two hours passed.

The first Will Rune.

The thirtieth...

The ninety-ninth Will Rune!

This time, Ren felt a throbbing pain in his temples again.

"Consumed 1 Attribute Point, progressed three Will Runes."

"The difficulty is indeed high!"

"But it's within expectations, only nine left now!"

Facing potential threats, Ren knew he had to quickly enhance his power, especially since the effect of the third layer of Advanced Steel Heart Meditation was a comprehensive 60% boost to metal-based spells.

This was quite significant for Ren.

So, Ren added another Attribute Point to his Mental Attribute, and as his state fully recovered, he repeated the process.

Read the error-free version on 69shu! 6=9+shu_ba first release of this novel.

This time, Ren reached 102.

"Again!"

As Ren added more Spirit Energy, he continued to visualize the 3D pattern of the third layer after recovering.

"Again!"

Time passed, and as the sky gradually brightened with the morning light, Ren's face lit up with joy. He clenched his fists and waved them vigorously!

After spending almost an entire night, Ren, who had added points six times, finally succeeded in visualizing the third layer of Advanced Steel Heart Meditation in one go.

At this moment, his Spirit Energy had risen to 129 points.

In his consciousness, at the bottom of the three-layered structure, the circular base had thickened nearly twice, appearing even more solid.

The system prompt followed:

[You have practiced the third layer of Advanced Steel Heart Meditation, and your understanding has improved!]



[Your skill, Advanced Steel Heart Meditation, has improved. Experience +5]



Ren quickly found the skill icon of Steel Heart in his War Hammer Wizard (Legendary) class panel and checked the changes in the description.

The new description read:

Advanced Steel Heart Meditation lv7 (1/5000), with the effect 'Metal Control lv3'.

[Metal Control lv3 (Passive): Your control over metal-based energy particles has significantly improved.]



"The system description for Metal Control lv3 has changed from 'slight improvement' to 'significant improvement'."

"The corresponding display level for the third layer of meditation is lv7 to lv9."

With the experience of the second layer in mind, Ren invested 2 skill points into the lv7 Advanced Steel Heart Meditation.

As the Advanced Steel Heart Meditation progressed from lv7 to lv9, a flood of memories about the third layer's cultivation rushed into Ren's mind.

In an instant, Ren felt as if he had spent over a hundred years practicing the third layer of meditation in a mysterious space.

After a few minutes, when Ren tried to visualize the third layer's model again, he was delighted to find that the visualization time had shortened by nearly two-thirds!

Looking at the remaining 1 skill point, Ren knew that the meditation had likely reached its limit, but he wanted to confirm.

As expected, the system displayed a failure message:

[Failed to add points! The current limit for Advanced Steel Heart Meditation has been reached.]



"Good."

Seeing this, a smile appeared on Ren's face, and he knew that lv9 was the limit for this layer.

Ren checked his Attribute Panel again and noticed a significant change in his Spirit Energy, which had decreased from 129 points to 120 points, a difference of 9 points. However, the Crystallization progress had increased by one percentage point, from 1% to 2%.

With the experience from the previous Liquidation, Ren wasn't too surprised, but the extent of the decrease was slightly beyond his expectations.

"It must be the effect of the Advanced Meditation on refining and purifying Spirit Energy."

"After all, it's all about distilling the essence."

After a night of meditation, perhaps due to the joy of success or the restorative effect of adding points, Ren felt no fatigue at all. Instead, he felt eager to test his newfound power.

At that moment, a ray of dawn shone through the window, illuminating Ren's back. The vibrant young man and the morning light seemed to blend harmoniously.

Swordsman Headquarters.

Tatia's office was bustling with people coming and going every few minutes to report.

"General Tatia, we just received news that last night, several provinces, including Vaz, Mosel, Nom, and Maen, were attacked by a cult."

"The enemy has deployed high-level personnel with exceptional strength, even including Epic Powerhouses comparable to Imperial Guardians. The Swordmaster branches in various provinces are requesting headquarters for support," an intelligence officer reported.

"Matters concerning Epic Powerhouses should be reviewed by General Augustus. Other tasks will be assigned in the Task Hall as missions," Tatyia swiftly instructed.

Due to the high-level coordination required for the Imperial Guardians, General Augustus would have to personally handle the matter, while Tatyia was responsible for internal coordination within the Swordmaster organization.

Additionally, over the past week, Tatyia had clearly sensed increased activity from the Cult within the Empire's territories, with frequent appearances of Epic Powerhouses.

Consequently, nearly ten Imperial Guardians had to leave the Imperial Capital Tamriel to deal with the situation.

At that moment, a female staff member approached Lieutenant Tatyia and whispered, "Lieutenant Tatyia, we've located the Twin Serpents, Aida and Alida, from the Valler Province, three days ago."

"But just yesterday, they appeared in Foudre Province. The Intelligence Hall predicts that their destination is likely towards the Imperial Capital," the staff member added.

Upon hearing this, Tatyia's expression changed slightly.

The 'Twin Serpents' were the third-ranked among the twelve Serpent Cult Messengers, far surpassing the lower-ranked Serpent Messengers. It was said that the two were sisters with a special telepathic ability.

One could imagine how formidable they would be, given that both were at the Legendary Peak and could coordinate flawlessly in battles.

Their track record supported this assessment.

Not to mention, the fact that they repeatedly escaped from the Imperial Guardians further attested to their strength.

Considering their destructive power and tenacity, the 'Twin Serpents,' Aida and Alida, had always been a key focus for the Imperial Swordmasters.

"What's the Intelligence Hall's assessment?"

"Here's the detailed assessment from the Intelligence Hall," the female staff member presented a record to Tatyia.

"Hmm, a 70% probability...not bad," Tatyia muttered to herself, her eyes narrowing.

The record stated: 'Given the leak, there's a 70% probability that the target of the attack is Lord Ren.'

Tatyia was well aware of Lord Ren's deep entanglements with the Serpent Cult during his time at the Minster Branch.

Back then, Lord Ren had slain two lower-ranked Serpent Messengers from the Cult: Edmundo, the Ice Serpent, and Icosera, the Mad Serpent.

Therefore, Tatyia agreed with the Intelligence Hall's assessment.

The Cult was seeking revenge due to the leaked task execution records.

However, they dared not enter the Imperial Capital Tamriel easily and were likely waiting for an opportunity near the capital.

"Immediately inform Deputy Director Olenna about this situation and ask her to notify Lord Ren to be vigilant. Also, forward the detailed intelligence on the 'Twin Serpents' to Lord Ren," Tatyia instructed.

"Yes, Lieutenant Tatyia, I'll do it now," the female staff member saluted and promptly left.

Meanwhile, over a hundred miles away from the Imperial Capital, in a remote area of Tavlin Town.

A regular carriage stopped at the entrance of a mansion, and two Grey Robed Ones alighted from it, both with exceptional figures beneath their grey robes.

Their graceful and slender forms suggested they were undoubtedly beauties, but unusually, both wore hoods.

Their exquisite noses and cherry lips revealed their beauty, and they looked so similar that it was impossible to tell them apart.

"Welcome, Aida and Alida," an Elder in Black Robes, exuding an extraordinary aura, greeted them with a slight bow.

Upon closer inspection, one could discern that the Elder was also a Tier 3 Crystal Wizard.

"Indeed, we were quite lucky, and our journey was smooth," one of the two women replied crisply.

"By the way, how many days are left for the Dragon Knight Cadet selection? Has the Empire confirmed the opening of the Dragon's Valley Sanctuary?" the woman asked.

"Well, Aida, there are five days left for the selection," the Elder, named Olenna, replied.

"As for the sanctuary's opening, we can't confirm yet, but usually, it's three to five days after the first assessment. That's when the second assessment takes place," Olenna explained respectfully.

"Alright, we'll wait for your news. Remember, Olenna, this mission is crucial, so don't take it lightly," Aida emphasized.

"By the way, do we need to take care of a certain sister while we're at it? The one who killed the Ice Serpent and the Mad Serpent, what was her name again?" Alida suddenly asked.

The Elder in Black Robes volunteered, "Alida, her name is Ren, and we've confirmed that she's also participating in the Dragon Knight Cadet selection."

"Haha, interesting. Looks like we won't need to make two trips; we can settle everything in one go," Alida laughed.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end