Chapter 235: The Trial Assembly

He had slept less than two hours, and the sky outside was already bright.

Lei En rolled out of bed and went onto the balcony, gazing at the sunrise in the east; a cool breeze brushed his face, and after a deep breath, he felt instantly invigorated.

Soon, warm sunlight spread over the land, and the sky was a wash of clear blue.

"Today is good weather."

However, the gloom in Lei En's mind lingered, and he whispered, "I hope something good will happen as well."

He returned to his bedroom, changed clothes, performed his daily meditation as usual, then went to the training ground to spar with the Extreme Warriors, honing his combat skills; after a hearty breakfast, he dealt with a batch of official matters in his domain, and half a morning passed peacefully.

During a short break, a portal opened in the castle courtyard, and a Wizard stepped out.

Lei En recognized the person; it was a member of the Weizelan Wizards.

"Count," the Wizard bowed respectfully to Lei En and said, "GrandSpeaker has issued a notice: in one hour, a trial for Pi Li Nuo*Ai Deng will be held at Luyin Square. Please attend promptly, Count."

"Very well," Lei En replied.

The Wizard bowed again, then cast a flight technique on himself and rose into the air.

Obviously, he still needed to inform others.

"Those who should come have come," Lei En thought as he watched the Wizard's departing back, reasoning that the teacher's grand trial must have extracted some crucial information from Pi Li Nuo*Ai Deng's mouth.

A duly appointed Count threw himself into the Abyss, becoming a condemned fallen one; such a thing hasn't occurred in the Empire for many years.

The teacher must have also received authorization from the Supreme Council.

Lei En thought for a moment, then shouted:

"Xi Ka Liu Si."

The towering Ma Ku La Ge barbarian immediately responded, "Boss, I'm here."

"Immediately gather all the Extreme Warriors to the armory, bring everything I've prepared for you, and go with me to Fu Kong Cheng," Lei En ordered.

Excitement flashed on Xi Ka Liu Si's face, and he shouted eagerly, "Yes, boss."

A moment later, a heavy footfall echoed through the castle.

Thirteen towering figures stepped out, each clad in full metal armor; the armor's style differed completely from Ai Lun E Si's, being simple rather than ornate, composed of a helmet, shoulder plates, chestplate, greaves, and war boots—each piece cast as a single, thick, heavy unit, forming a seamless whole.

The entire set was primarily painted blue, with gold trim along the edges.

A golden emblem—a crescent moon crossed with a war hammer—was engraved on their chests and massive rounded shoulder plates, representing the Augustus family.

Each Extreme Warrior wore a square metal backpack on their back.

Weapons hung on both sides of the backpack.

One was a sheathe‑less two‑handed greatsword; the other was wrapped in black cloth, its shape a rod no shorter than the greatsword, attached to the backpack by a chain.

Fully equipped, the armor and weapons alone weighed at least five hundred pounds; combined with the Extreme Warrior's own weight, it exceeded a thousand pounds!

Even an ordinary Ma Ku La Ge would find it hard to move in such gear.

Only after choosing Lei En as the primary symbiont could one don such heavy armor and wield such massive weapons.

"Boss, the brothers are all present."

Xi Ka Liu Si's voice came from beneath his helmet; despite the heavy gear, he still seemed very relaxed.

Lei En's gaze swept over each symbiont, and he nodded with satisfaction.

Every piece of equipment here was forged by his own hands, especially the distinctive armor, which he shaped in one go by melting activated metal into the hardest alloy; though still rather crude, its physical defense is sufficient, while its magical resistance is average, requiring each wearer to don an elemental armor necklace inside as supplement.

The thirteen enchanted necklaces were commissioned from Lady Xia Lan Wei, costing over ten thousand Gold Shields.

Moreover, the armor lacks power and many functions; it is merely a shell, still far from Lei En's envisioned goal.

Nevertheless, the overall combat power of these Extreme Warriors reached astonishing levels; on a battlefield they would be like the sharpest cleavers, comparable to a legion of several hundred superhuman troops.

Thirteen Extreme Warriors stood before him like a wall, their steps causing the ground to tremble slightly.

Ai Mi Li Si and the others felt shock and pressure from them.

Each one observed curiously.

"Lord," Ai Mi Li Si's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help speaking, "These... Extreme Warriors, their power..."

She opened her mouth but didn't know how to describe it.

At the same time she wondered why Lei En, who was only going to attend the trial, had mustered such a massive formation.

Lei En knew what she wanted to ask but chose not to reveal, saying, "You are stationed in the castle; until I return, no one may leave today."

"Yes, my lord," Fa Bi An, the wind elf, replied respectfully.

Ai Mi Li Si, however, felt a bit resentful; it was clear Lei En sensed something but didn't tell her nor let her participate, indicating she still held little weight in his mind.

"If you come with me, the castle will have only Mr. A Si Tan as a legend left; I wouldn't feel at ease," Lei En said, seeing Ai Mi Li Si's expression, and still offered a comforting remark.

He wasn't lying; the castle truly needed a legend to guard it.

Ai Mi Li Si reluctantly accepted the reason, nodding, "Alright, I will guard the house for the lord, and wish you a safe return."

Lei En detected the odd tone in her words; he deliberately used "house" instead of "castle," making it sound like a wife's reminder to her husband before he leaves.

"This woman's little scheming..."

Lei En shook his head inwardly, but now was not the time for details; he leapt onto his drake‑scaled warhorse and shouted, "Let's go."

The Extreme Warriors each mounted their own Kodo Beast and followed Lei En out of the castle.

The Weizelan insignia‑activated portal landed inside the high tower, making it inconvenient for the Extreme Warriors to enter, so they had to board an airship to reach Fu Kong Cheng.

The journey roared, with dust billowing.

A moment later, Lei En's party arrived at the airship landing field by the sea within his domain; the trembling ground drew everyone's eyes.

"Lei En," a familiar voice called out.

He followed the sound and saw the tall A Ka Lan De stepping out of a car, scanning the Extreme Warriors beside him, his gaze landing on their armor.

Lei En was not surprised to see A Ka Lan De; this airship landing field was his property.

"A Ka Lan De, where are you going?"

"Just like you." A Ka Lan De walked over, his face very serious, "The chairman received an invitation from GrandSpeaker, but it's inconvenient to attend, so I can only represent the Steam and Machinery Guild at the trial council."

Lei En looked at A Ka Lan De's empty hands, and seeing no retinue, asked vaguely out of goodwill, "Just you alone?"

"It's only the trial council, not a battle," A Ka De Lan said oddly, "Why did you bring so many people?"

Lei En smiled, half in jest, half seriously, "These are my guard, all former barbarians, so I brought them to Fu Kong Cheng to see the world."

A Ka Lan De, unconvinced, examined an Extreme Warrior's armor closely, surprise in his eyes, "These armors are unusual; they show no forging marks, nor do they look machined. I've never seen this design style before. Where did you get them?"

"I forged them," Lei En replied briefly.

"You can also forge armor?" A Ka Lan De exclaimed, moving closer, "May I try my hand at it?"

Every mechanic's first fused demon soul carries the "Metal Touch" Element; upon touching any metal item, one instantly perceives its nature and structure.

Lei En immediately shook his head to stop him, "Sorry."

The Extreme Warrior's armor is cast from alloy he himself refined; the alloy ratios were inherited from a past life, and through his own experimentation he improved its performance. The casting method is unique, and their backpacks conceal vital secrets that must not be touched casually.

A Ka Lan De is a legendary mechanic; any contact with a secret reveals it completely.

"Uh… I was presumptuous, Lei En, I meant no offense," A Ka Lan De showed remorse, admitting he was momentarily excited by the hunt and couldn't hold back.

"It's fine."

Lei En understood; A Ka Lan De seemed like a former engineering man, unable to resist curiosity when encountering new things within his expertise.

A Ka Lan De consciously kept his distance from the Extreme Warrior.

He used his privilege as the airfield owner to prioritize himself and Lei En's party onto the next airship, which lifted off in under ten minutes.

Upon arriving at the Kelaoaosi Platform in Fu Kong Cheng, stepping off the airship, Lei En noticed today's foot traffic in Fu Kong Cheng was considerably higher than usual.

Clearly, the trial council's news had already spread.

The Extreme Warriors rode Kodo Beasts across the platform, instantly drawing people's attention.

A Wizard overseeing the platform warned that today was a special period; large mounts could not travel inside Fu Kong Cheng and must be kept in the animal pens outside the platform, with a fee required.

Lei En could only comply, having the Extreme Warriors walk alongside.

After a dozen minutes, the group arrived at Luin Square, where the trial council was to convene.

Many locations in Weizelan's Fu Kong Cheng are named after Speakers; for example, the airship dock is called Kelaoaosi Platform, and Luin Square bears the name left by Lu Yin An Se La Mu when he served as Speaker.

The square sits at the very center of Fu Kong Cheng, where two wide main avenues intersect in a cross; at the junction lies an open expanse—Luin Square. Around it are dotted magical fountains and meticulously tended flower beds, ever in bloom, splendidly beautiful, where residents stroll and converse daily.

The Weizelan Wizards Academy stands on one side of the square.

Standing on the square and looking up, one sees Weizelan's towering spire that controls Fu Kong Cheng, like a spear piercing the clouds, magnificent.

At this moment, thousands had already gathered around the square.

The Academy's Wizards had set up a warning line in advance, barring unrelated persons from entering the square; they could only watch from afar outside.

In the middle of the square rose a platform over two meters high; beneath it, many people were already waiting.

Most of them were Weizelan Wizards, along with Mo Du nobles and prominent figures from various circles.

Lei En, accompanied by the Extreme Warriors, passed through smoothly and reached beneath the platform.

His arrival drew many eyes, especially the towering Extreme Warriors, prompting people to wonder why Lord Ge La Mo Gen attended the trial council with so many guards.

The crowd repeatedly cast puzzled glances, causing a minor stir.

Lei En said nothing, merely waiting patiently.

Afterwards, more people arrived at the square. Marquis Ji Liu and Countess Kai Lin Pu Mo Er both appeared, as did Viscount Si Tuo Yin De Wei Li En Luo Ge Si, the high‑level Sword Saint, who finally showed up.

Lei En couldn't help glancing a few times.

Viscount Si Tuo Yin De is the premier combat force of Mo Du's old noble houses, renowned for over a century, yet he appears merely as a middle‑aged man, dignified and imposing, of average stature, seemingly unremarkable, but his Soul Eye reveals his profession level at nineteen!

Sword Saint is merely a title denoting superb swordsmanship, not a specific transcendent class.

Wei Li En Luo Ge Si is a nineteenth‑level Great Swordsman.

This means he needs only one more Soul Transformation ceremony to ascend to Holy Soul, entering the Saint's Realm, that is, the Sanctuary!

Perhaps sensing Lei En's gaze, Wei Li En turned, nodding in greeting toward Lei En.

His look was warm, and his soul held little hostility.

However, the other Mo Du nobles were far less composed; Marquis Ji Liu's complexion turned sour, his eyes gloomy, and Countess Kai Lin of the Pumoer family, though appearing calm, was internally unsettled and very anxious.

The lords of the other three noble houses were even more distressed, their faces pale.

Besides the Mo Du nobles, Lei En also saw Holy Swordsmen from the Justice Church—a legendary Mid‑stage powerful Holy Swordsman leading a ten‑man squad into the square.

They were all members of the Silver Hand Swordsmen Corps.

The Holy Swordsmen wore exquisite armor, wielded silver longswords, their faces hidden beneath helmets, exuding a calming aura.

Representatives of the Earth Church also arrived.

Five Earth Nuns clad in simple leather armor yet bearing various great swords, massive axes, and war hammers emerged from a portal, following a kindly old priest.

Earth Nuns are devout believers and rare holy transcendants; they seldom appear before outsiders, yet whenever crisis strikes and demons threaten, they are seen charging the front lines, fighting recklessly.

Lei En had heard of Earth Nuns before, but this was his first sight of them.

So he couldn't help observing them a bit longer in secret.

As the time approached, portal doors kept opening across the square, letting out Weizelan Wizards one after another, including many legends, gathering all of Fu Kong Cheng's power in one place.

Finally, precisely ten o'clock in the morning.

A portal appeared on the platform; Anxiwodasi stepped out first, followed by four other Speakers: the young yet white‑haired Kai De Jia, the high‑elf‑looking Kelaoaosi, his student Roni, and the cold‑faced Modera.

Except for Korstted, all six members of the Weizelan council were present.

Anxiwodasi surveyed the area, then tossed a silhouette onto the platform—it was Pi Li Nuo Ai Deng.

Instantly, everyone turned to look at the former Count A Te Lan Ke.

(End of Chapter)