The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

After his battle with the Earl, the news that Liszt was soon to be promoted to a Sky Knight quickly spread among the Tulip Fleet. Jonas, Trick, and others also directly inquired with Liszt and received an affirmative response.

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"It's incredible, Viscount Liszt, you are ahead of all of us,"

"I am merely one step ahead," replied Liszt.

"Viscount Liszt, I am destined never to become a Sky Knight in this lifetime, perhaps this is the difference in our bloodlines. You have inherited the noble lineage of both the Earl and Marquis Merlin,"

"I believe so too, the family has provided me with the foundation, and I have utilized all my talents," he said.

The flattery was dealt with in such a manner.

Putting aside his pride, Liszt continued to immerse himself in his training. The reserves of Magic Potions were running low, but fortunately, the Earl understood his predicament and sent him a batch of Magic Potions made from the Black Tulip—of course, this was not for free; they were not given as gifts.

Now, he was not one to refuse anything. Possessing the burgeoning Magic Fire Seed, any amount of Magic Potion could be drained by the Magic Fire Seed located at his heart.

The meat of the hunted Wind Blade Wolves and the Black Bat Beasts was also consumed in large quantities. Together with the milk powder brewed and the not-so-abundant food left in the Gemstone Space, it was just enough to keep up with his nutritional needs. The amount of food he consumed now was more than what two Dousons would eat.

In terms of quality, he ate better than the entire Blizzard Beast Squad.

"Maintaining a Sky Knight isn't difficult, but to sustain a Dragon… I cannot even imagine how much nutrition will be needed once the Magic Fire Seed further germinates!"

Fortunately, those were problems to be considered later. For now, he could still afford to sustain himself.

As his Dou Qi continued to change, and while sailing to Iron Hoof Island to resupply, he was on the verge of completing the transformation, with his Intermediate Dou Qi about to become Advanced Dou Qi. Every time he trained on the deck, he felt as if he were about to take flight, ready to soar into the high skies at any moment.

But he was still one step shy.

"What exactly does being a Sky Knight feel like?" his Personal Guard, the Black Dragon Wraith, and the Light System Mage Paris, were very curious.

"I haven't reached it yet, so I cannot fully elucidate the realm of a Sky Knight. But the feeling of being able to fly as a Sky Knight is very wonderful," Liszt said as he stepped onto the ground of the Port of Bull Hoof City, feeling a sense of homecoming.

He had set off at the beginning of October and was returning home in mid-December. The war that lasted over two months brought about many sentiments of missed times and changed people.

"I truly wish I could cultivate Dou Qi. I also aspire to the sky," Paris said, echoing Liszt's sentiment with many feelings of her own.

"Find a Magical Beast that can fly, tame it, and then you can experience the thrill of soaring through the sky," he suggested.

"Will your mount, the Landwalker bird Loki, evolve to the point where it can fly?" Paris suddenly asked. "It's getting bigger and bigger, and its wings are getting longer, almost as if it were about to fly."

"I am also looking forward to the moment it can fly," he replied.

As they continued to chat, Paris said somewhat wistfully,

"Your cultivation speed is so fast, I fear that not even in my Black Dragon Wraith form would I be a match for you. My role as a personal guard seems to have lost much of its significance."

"It's still significant. You can use the Invisibility Technique to steal a lot of information on the battlefield. However, as a woman, residing on the battlefield with us knights really isn't convenient." Liszt turned to look at Paris and said seriously, "From now on, stay in the territory, patiently study Light System Magic, and by the way, serve as the guardian of Black Horse Island, ensuring the safety of our land."

"Are you asking me to guard Black Horse Island?"

"Yes, I intend to establish a Patrol Knights stationed on Black Horse Island, and I want you to serve as the leader. In the future, you could pursue a career as an official, both for your sake and for your sister's. You should strive to rise within the Nobility."

"Nobility…"

Paris fell silent for a moment but finally nodded, "Do I need to pledge my loyalty to you?"

Liszt nodded. "If you wish to integrate into Black Horse Island, pledging allegiance to me is the most appropriate way."

"Alright," she decided after serious contemplation, "I never thought that one day I would become not only a magician, which I once loathed, but am now preparing to strive towards becoming a noble... Viscount, I shall pledge my allegiance to you once I return to Fresh Flower Town."

"We have known each other for so long, there is no need for such courtesy between us. You pledge allegiance to me whenever you are ready."

Making such a decision signified a transformation of identity.

What was once a relationship of employer and employee, now would become that of a follower and a landlord, signifying that she, who once resisted the will of the world, eventually succumbed to the world's rigid knight system.

...

Having replenished their supplies, they set sail once again.

On the third day of sailing, Liszt, who was sitting in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes. Just a second before, the Dou Qi within his body had finally undergone a complete transformation. In that instant, he sensed all his Dou Qi ignite and burn along his meridians, spreading from his pores to the nuclei of his cells.

The flames connected as one, and the Dou Qi became one with it.

With just a minor circulation, he felt as light as a feather. He abruptly stepped out of the cabin and under the watchful eyes of Douson and the Eight Tiny Ones, he forcefully stamped on the deck.

The next second.

His body shot up into the sky like a rocket, the Dou Qi bursting from within him, allowing his body to overcome the pull of gravity and continue climbing higher. The wind screamed by his ears, and he slightly lowered his head only to see the Tulip, which before was grand, now seemed tiny, and so did many other ships in its vicinity.

"Good thing I'm not afraid of heights…if there was a Sky Knight with acrophobia, he would probably be incapacitated," Liszt mused as he flew, still circulating his Dou Qi.

He had read the Advanced Dou Qi Manual "Ascension of the Red Sun Fire Burning" and could recite it backwards and forwards.

This kind of Advanced Dou Qi Manual not only instructed one on how to circulate Dou Qi, but also how to use Advanced Dou Qi to ascend to the skies and release sword techniques while airborne. He simply needed to follow the manual's special circulation paths for Dou Qi and he could glide steadily through the air.

When the continuous circulation of Dou Qi reached its limit, he immediately ceased the circulation and entered freefall, then began to circulate a new path of Dou Qi.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

His body halted the descent and drifted towards another sail, landing.

Boom!

Upon touching down, his Dou Qi converged in his feet, allowing him to firmly stand on the deck. However, he did not manage the immense impact force well, resulting in the deck being crushed underfoot and the sailboat rocking violently.

"Viscount!" The knights on the ship rushed to the deck at the bow, exclaiming in alarm.

"There's no need for panic, I was merely practicing. Carry on with your duties," he said with a light smile, calmly leaping and soaring into the sky again.

He left a group of knights gaping in awe.

"My God, Viscount Liszt has truly advanced to a Sky Knight!"

"A seventeen-year-old Sky Knight, the bloodline of the Tulip Family shines brightly!"

"Powerful, handsome, blessed with the glory of knighthood, no one is more noble than Viscount Liszt, the Son of Glory I witness with my own eyes."

"The second Sky Knight of Coral Island."

"Who would have thought this would happen two years ago?"

"This is a true noble, a true genius!"