Chapter 60: My Turn, Draw a Card!

“Huh!”

In the unfamiliar courtyard, Li En set down his swordblade again and wiped the sweat from his brow.

“Indeed, I feel better after morning training.”

As a critically injured patient who had been comatose for two days and a night, Li En’s words would likely drive his attending physician straight to madness.

You, a mummy, insist on morning training? Aren’t you afraid your wounds will burst open mid-exercise and you’ll bleed out right there?

But he felt fine, so he started training anyway.

Yet after just ten minutes of light morning exercise—far below his usual warm-up level—Li En stopped.

His earlier “I’m feeling amazing” illusion had clearly been hollow, a delusion.

The weakness from blood loss still lingered; even slight movement made him dizzy, and his body seemed to be developing a low fever.

Yet this post-exercise warmth made him feel the very taste of being alive—even somewhat euphoric.

“If you’re really ascending to heaven, your face has gone paler again. Stop training. Keep going and you’ll truly die.” Shaliman couldn’t watch anymore and blocked him.

Li En was still obedient; once he realized he truly couldn’t continue, he quietly went upstairs to eat and rest.

Even so, his unnaturally vigorous demeanor still startled many.

But considering he was a former Oathbound Grand Knight—uh, a superhuman iron knight who trained until he dropped—everything was fine.

Li En had not yet completed his Hero Soul settlement, even though only a day and a half remained.

With pressure gone, he grew even more precious of the time spent with Su Er.

Of course, he also wanted to fully exploit the value of the Hero Soul card—consume that astonishingly potent divine sword technique.

Erosion Armor, World Shatter, Law Break, City Smash, Beast Slaughter, God Sever—this was truly a treasure trove.

Looking back now, the “beast” in Beast Slaughter inevitably raised questions—how could a mere beast follow “City Smash”?

Passing by a treasure trove without taking anything was not Li En’s style; Su Er’s Holy Sword: Purge Evil system was mastered—he could truly walk the world with a single blade.

He had already mastered World Shatter; the next technique was the “Law Break Sword,” which Long Shou had long yearned for.

This was also his signature move in history—its value needed no explanation.

Having experienced the crude version of Law Break, Li En was intensely envious.

Even if his time and physical capacity were utterly insufficient to master it, merely grasping its surface principles would greatly aid his future career.

“Indeed, something has changed.”

The evolution of species rank and the awakening of the dragon-blooded origin stone were not merely about growing scales.

【Species Name: Juvenile Red Dragon Descendant (Origin Stone)】

【Dragonization: 8.9%, Awakened Racial Talents: Dragon Eye (Perceive Truth), Dragon Claw (Tear Reality), Dragon Flame (Scorch World)】

The change seemed minor—only a new species name added.

Yet it meant Li En had reached the starting point of most species in this world, possessing a complete dragon-blooded lineage.

Below “Juvenile Red Dragon Descendant” lay a series of entries—essentially the species’ starting benefits.

【Dragon Scale Skin (Origin Stone): The dragon scales beneath your skin serve as your armor; your skin is far tougher than most lifeforms.】

Li En tested it: the scales appeared only on parts of his body, yet the skin hardness boost was full-body—implying a hidden layer beneath.

His skin wasn’t as tough as his former “Beast-Human” form, which could withstand blades, but deflecting flying stones posed no difficulty.

He tested it: a fruit knife scraped his skin without drawing blood, but pressing hard enough still pierced a wound.

Considering a warrior’s slashing force, this was currently quite mediocre.

This talent clearly grows stronger with bloodline—perhaps becoming a practical survival skill later, like the volcano dragon’s skin that resists ordinary cuts—but for now, it couldn’t be fully trusted.

Meanwhile, Li En felt his bones and flesh had grown tougher—likely systemic reinforcement of his body.

【Flame Dragon Bloodline (Origin Stone): As a child of the red dragon, you are innately highly attuned to and resistant to fire. You can resist fire damage to some degree and gain bloodline bonuses when casting fire spells. But as a cost, you suffer greater damage from cold and ice attacks, and the difficulty of mastering cold magic increases dramatically.】

This was a highly useful talent—already beneficial now.

Both his racial ability, Dragon Flame, and his Paladin’s Holy Flame Aura received significant bonuses.

If Li En later dabbled in fireballs, he’d start a hundred meters ahead—always outpacing peers. This advantage would grow invaluable when talent became the deciding factor.

In short, Li En was now truly complete.

Yet he had already risen above most lifeforms; even weaker bronze-blooded beings couldn’t compare.

Considering the cost and materials he’d paid (Silver materials, Hero’s Blood), the results were clearly worth every coin.

“Take a nap after lunch. If I feel better this afternoon, I’ll head to the docks to train with Dimon. Try to pass on as much of Erosion Armor and World Shatter as possible while my Soul Power still lasts.” Li En couldn’t sit still—he was already planning his afternoon work.

The knights were busy; seeing Li En’s condition unexpectedly improved, they each returned to overtime duties.

“The docks are chaotic now. We’re busy with overtime patrols. Lord Hui Guang’s Dameng has taken over the Security Bureau’s management—he seems determined to clean house for a while. We don’t expect lasting peace, but we hope for some stability.”

Talia hurried back to overtime; from her cheerful expression, she clearly hoped for lasting peace.

And the big boss personally overseeing dock security was due to another of Li En’s brutal moves—now fully exploded.

“The slave market is in complete chaos. The remaining second-in-command can’t control anything. Accounts are a mess, transactions are ruined—and worse, someone attacked slave cages and warehouses, losing more cargo and causing a mass escape of slaves. The situation is utterly chaotic and has spilled over into dock security.”

As she spoke, Talia glanced at Dimon, clearly suspicious.

“It wasn’t me. My wounds weren’t healed yesterday. Probably many had long resented them; once they heard the volcano dragon was dead, they struck.” Dimon’s tone betrayed unmistakable delight.

This made sense: without strong enforcers, a gray-market vacuum was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—others wouldn’t hesitate to seize it.

“With slaves gone, contracts in disarray, and bounties collapsed, the slave market’s authority has been severely damaged. We should thrive during this period. I’m selecting youths to form a squire (knight) corps as a civilian militia.”

This required no concealment—it had long been agreed upon.

With Huicheng’s current governance level, adding a militia to the civilian district drew no attention.

But for those living there, it mattered greatly—it meant the new order now had force to protect them.

“Miss Shaliman is willing to fund the construction of a new orphanage and combine it with a school.” This was undoubtedly good news—Li En even wanted to thank her.

Larry had been watching over the place these days; the children needed her comfort.

And at this moment, she brought an invitation that made Li En hesitate.

“Not only my Shield Emblem Church, but two other Good Deity churches have invited you. They’re willing to sponsor you becoming a priest—or to retrace the Holy Knight path as a Defender or Cleric.”

This flexibility in the offer was the greatest sincerity.

As Li En had once planned, a former classical Oathbound Knight—even without power—could easily find a relatively stable clerical (Cleric) position.

But the fact they offered resources to let him retrace the transcendent path was surprising.

“They’re deeply impressed you slew that monster.”

The beast incident was a secret taboo for ordinary nobles, but for high-ranking True Deity Church officials responsible for such matters, it was a known enemy they must confront.

Li En, with no intelligence or resources, destroyed such a foe using only his broken body—his capability was undeniable, worthy of recruitment and investment.

“Actually, not just you—I’ve received internal church rewards and promotion. Dimon, if you wish, you can join the church too. In a year, you’ll likely become a full knight.” This was essentially a class leap.

The Hero Soul secret remained hidden, but the Oathbound Knight identity had leaked.

Li En’s inheritance of this class raised his value—and indirectly vouched for Dimon’s character and potential.

“Hah. You weren’t there when the fighting happened, now you come to pick the fruit. Typical nobles. No thanks—I’m fine right here. Larry, find me some polite words to reply. I can’t afford to offend the nobles.” Everyone knew Dimon would give this answer.

Larry nodded, didn’t waste more words, but hesitated slightly before continuing.

“Once your militia (knight) organization is formed, I’ll select some squires from within.”

Some things need only half-said: the “Law Knight” lineage was still sensitive early on—best to avoid the True Deity Churches.

The current docks might be an excellent origin point.

This had been discussed before; now it was confirmed.

“Fine. But you pay and provide benefits.” Dimon had limited resources—he wouldn’t support others’ people.

“Agreed. Their status will be my knight squires. As future lord, I do need to maintain a retinue.”

Larry seemed to have finally understood—but from another angle, this reputation boost had truly helped her development: she’d been directly gold-plated, transformed from raw recruit to reserve cadre.

Everyone had a bright future, especially Li En—just a nod away, the radiant path of the True Deity Church’s transcendent way lay before him.

“.They’re impressed because you activated ‘that.’” Shaliman, who had been watching silently as co-conspirator and Long Shou’s agent, suddenly added.

Activating a Hero Suit component meant potential to become a Hero.

Even if he couldn’t become that absurdly powerful legacy class, it proved Li En had the potential to overcome despair and rise again.

Knowing this, the True Deity Churches would naturally try to recruit him.

Shaliman opened her mouth but didn’t state her own terms—she didn’t need to recruit Li En, but the Kingdom did.

The Princess, however, was acting strangely, even hesitant.

The Kingdom’s Hero lineage had been broken, yet no new Hero selection ceremony had been initiated, and she seemed uninterested in Li En as a Hero candidate.

Perhaps because of his degenerate-blood status—or perhaps because several better candidates were already being nurtured; wait until Li En matures, then recruit him later.

Shaliman was impatient—the Princess had helped so much, why hesitate now?

If Li En rose again, recruiting him then would be entirely different: adding flowers to brocade won’t buy loyalty, but rescuing someone in snowstorm might.

“Forget it. The Princess probably has her own thoughts.” Shaliman could only think so.

But regardless, Li En’s group had slain evil and earned their name and reputation—naturally attracting recruitment from major powers and organizations.

“.Let me think about it.”

What was Li En thinking about? Of course—when to draw the Mage card and fulfill his Mage dream!

If he had a choice, he truly didn’t want to join the True Deity Church for cabbage-and-tofu asceticism and merit accumulation.

Time passed quickly; the final day and a half, Li En wasted not a moment.

“.Finally.”

After his final sprint of sword training, “Su Er’s” time reached its end.

【Synchronization Rate: 70.1%, Satisfaction: 54.9%】

After slaying the evil in the underground cave, his stats surged dramatically.

Perhaps, his brother’s approval was the most meaningful praise Li En could receive.

When time rewound to zero, Li En no longer hesitated and immediately selected settlement.

【Settlement completed. The Heroic Soul commends your efforts and dedication—evaluation: Exceptional!】

【Rewards: Two random Heroic Soul card slots, Paladin class level.】

Overwhelmed by surprise, Li En had no interest in checking the full rewards—the mere mention of the treasure left him ecstatic.

“Two cards? This has to be the Mage!”

Without delay, he returned to his room, opened the book, and began drawing cards.

“My turn! Draw!”

But the moment the first card’s face appeared, he froze in shock.

【Heroic Soul activated. Random completion: Heroic Soul ‘Continental Hero’ Lex Thorne has arrived! Soul module activating…】

This… wasn’t the Queen’s husband, the Princess’s father, the faceless man from the portrait? He was also Li Ensu?!

Li En was stunned into silence—but even stranger things were still coming.

【Heroic Soul Lex Thorne has rejected your activation.】

【This card is now on cooldown. You may attempt to forcibly activate it by fulfilling any one of three conditions.】

【Do not awaken me. Forget me—Lex Thorne】

Now, Li En was utterly bewildered.

(End of Chapter)