Chapter 9: The Absolute Difference Between Punishment and Guardianship, and the Absolute Requirement of Punishment!

Long Xingyu felt quite helpless; he had finally taken on a disciple, and he had intended to show off a bit before him, but he hadn't expected to be the one shown up instead. "Then, how do you plan to arrange things for me next?" Ye Ling smiled slightly, appreciating Long Xingyu's attitude toward him.

The battle just now had also brought his Six-Winged Angel compatibility to 81%. "You can undergo the Sacred Awakening to break through to the Knight rank at any time, so you should first decide on the path you wish to take in the future." Long Xingyu spoke; although he felt a bit deflated, the necessary procedures still had to be followed.

"The path I wish to take in the future? You mean the choice between Guardian and Punishment, right?" Ye Ling reacted instantly.

"Exactly." Long Xingyu nodded.

"Since I am apprenticed to the number one Punishment Knight in the world, I naturally choose Punishment." Ye Ling stated firmly.

Hearing this, Long Xingyu was taken aback, a trace of regret flashing in the depths of his eyes.

Elective studies are, in fact, free.

And choosing to be a Punishment Knight can be out of pure passion, or because it is a good fit, but one must not choose Punishment simply because it is beneficial... That is even more hurtful than pure passion.

Thinking of this, Long Xingyu said: "There is no need to make a decision so hastily; only after truly undergoing the Sacred Awakening can one distinguish between these two professions."

These words were very strange.

But Ye Ling realized what was happening.

Such slightly indecisive words really didn't sound like Long Xingyu, but although he wasn't exactly a master of human nature, he could see Long Xingyu's concerns.

He answered immediately: "Teacher Xingyu, I think you may have misunderstood me."

"I already had thoughts about Punishment, and at least up until now, the two greatswords I have been using are both suitable for Punishment."

"At the same time, in my view, whether it is a Punishment Knight or a Guardian Knight,"

"The current evaluation methods for them throughout the entire Holy Alliance are overly complex; in fact, they only have one essential difference!"

In this world, Ye Ling had seen too much suffering, which was different from the peace he had always experienced in his past life; it was a special contrast.

And because of this contrast, he had a so-called grand ambition in his heart.

Which was the need to drive away the Demon Race faster and sooner! And the Punishment Knight, who represents combat power, is the most critical factor! "Oh? It seems you have some different ideas?"

"Tell me in detail."

Long Xingyu became interested.

The regret from just a moment ago had completely dissipated.

He actually didn't quite believe that a quasi-Knight of Ye Ling's level could have too many insights into this aspect.

After all, the Knight Temple had been using this established method for so long.

Could Ye Ling really understand these two professions better than so many beings in the Knight Temple? It was mostly just empty talk on paper.

However, being a newcomer with insights was a good thing.

If his insights were wrong, then it would be no problem for him to correct them later.

"According to the branch differences within the Temple today, the two Knight branches have completely different ways of acting."

"The Punishment Knight wields swords in both hands, coordinates with a mount and attack spells, and is known for frontal combat and terrifying, surging-forward fighting."

"While the Guardian Knight focuses on defense, holding a shield in one hand and a weapon in the other, and provides auxiliary healing. Generally speaking, even if they share the same big-picture view of a Knight, the Guardian Knight stays by the teammates' side, so they are highly central to the team."

Hearing this, Long Xingyu nodded. This was basic knowledge for Knights at Yulong Pass; being able to state his own insights so readily meant Ye Ling's foundation was still very strong.

Of course, a strong foundation didn't mean his insights were equally so.

He then continued: "What you said is correct; tell me in detail about the essential difference as you perceive it."

Ye Ling nodded and continued: "The Temple is too fixated on what these two professions should use to fight, even going so far as to dictate what skills a Punishment Knight needs to cultivate and what skills a Guardian Knight should cultivate, rather than what these two should actually be doing—it's too rigid!"

"The core required by a Punishment Knight is that indomitable courage and combat power; they fight on the front lines, and what is needed is to kill the enemy, and the goal is precisely to kill the enemy."

"Since that is the case, as long as the goal is to kill the enemy, then whether it is dual-wielding weapons, holding a shield in one hand and a weapon in the other, or even diverting a portion of one's focus to cultivate defensive or even healing skills suitable for a Punishment Knight..."

"As long as it can help in the battle, it is still acceptable. The same applies to the Guardian Knight; while ensuring group combat, they can still cultivate powerful Punishment Knight combat skills!"

"And the same applies to equipment; weapons and gear are only auxiliary. Why can't a Punishment Knight, who fights with all their might, also use a shield to fight?"

"After all, having defensive equipment can better reduce damage in battle."

"Not to mention that at a critical moment, one could channel Spiritual Power into a shield and throw it out."

"The damage caused might not be lower than an attack skill of the same level, and it could also catch the enemy off guard." Ye Ling's concepts were stated extremely clearly.

Long Xingyu was silent for a moment.

He wanted to say something, but he couldn't refute these points.

"Your theory is somewhat like the Dual-Cultivation Knights mentioned in the past, where learning everything causes pressure on Mental Power, but if explained by your current words,"

"Taking the strengths of others to make up for one's own weaknesses is indeed a way forward."

"A powerful Knight, regardless of which branch they belong to, will eventually cultivate skills from other branches."

"For example, I have also learned Eighth-Tier Defense Skills, and all the great powerhouses are the same; if matched properly, the effect might be even better."

As a Ninth-Tier Third-Grade Divine Seal Knight, Long Xingyu's understanding of Knights was naturally terrifying.

It was not limited to Punishment or Guardian Knights.

This child, it seems he thinks a lot.

It was his own carelessness to have reached a conclusion about his words so early.

However, for ordinary Knights, it was still very difficult for them to resolve all this early on.

If it were anyone else, Long Xingyu would certainly have chosen to refuse and not let them do so, as aiming too high would lead to being directly restricted there.

But Ye Ling was different; his talent was more terrifying than his own, and the terrifying Mental Power brought by that terrifying talent was enough to allow him to accomplish all this! He had the qualifications!

"There are merits to it; you can try it in the future." Long Xingyu nodded.

He then added: "However, your main scope is still that of a Punishment Knight."

"Regarding the situation of a Punishment Knight, you also know that if you choose high-intensity and terrifying personal combat power, what you have to Sacrifice is the safety of the team."

"In the future, when you join a Demon Hunt Squad, the team will easily fall into crisis."

"You must consider this point clearly."

As soon as his voice fell, Long Xingyu sighed and said: "On this point, I have never succeeded, and because of my own personality, I led my Demon Hunt Squad into a crisis."

"At that time, our Demon Hunt Squad was King-Tier; I was at the peak of the Seventh Rank, and the others were ordinary Seventh Rank, and it was then that we encountered a low-ranking Demon God."

"In the end, under the pressure of that crisis, I broke through to the Eighth Rank."

"But it also cost the lives of two teammates to cross the realm and kill that Demon God, and in the end, the entire Demon Hunt Squad was disbanded; that was the first life-and-death crisis for me and my team, and also the only one."

After saying this, Long Xingyu continued: "Ye Ling, remember, the team security lost by a Punishment Knight must be compensated for by your own strength; as a Punishment Knight, you must be stronger than your own teammates and all enemies!"

"To be a true Punishment Knight means to use one's own most formidable strength to slaughter all enemies and secure a path of survival for one's teammates, but all of this is only in theory."

"Whether it is me, the Starry Sky Knight, or even that First Alliance Leader from six thousand years ago, none of us have achieved it."

Thinking of this, Long Xingyu walked forward, patted Ye Ling on the shoulder, and said: "However, with your talent, coupled with this steady and pioneering personality and habits, there may not be no possibility of this in the future!"

Feeling the strength transmitted from Long Xingyu's hand, Ye Ling could perceive a heavy sense of responsibility emerging right then.

Perhaps this highly dignified Divine Seal Knight of Judgment and Punishment also had quite a bit of pain in his heart that he had never spoken of to others.

Instead, he chose to bury these things directly in his heart; perhaps this is one of the reasons why he would become so extreme in the future.

Keeping one's worries hidden in one's heart will inevitably lead to other psychological reactions.

Thinking of this, Ye Ling performed a slight Punishment Knight salute toward Long Xingyu's position and said: "In the future, I will achieve what you said!"

"This is my promise!"

"And likewise, it is not just for my partners, but for the entire Holy Alliance and all of humanity!"

"I will completely wipe out the advantages of the Demon Race!"

After speaking, he looked at the sun outside and thought to himself:

"The time for darkness to descend upon the Holy Demon Continent has been long enough."

"The light is about to arrive, and I am the existence that will usher in that light!"

"I am the light!"

(End of this chapter)