The silver moon hung over the manor like a hook.
In the garden, Elune still had her eyes closed, the elven longsword in her hand vibrating slightly with a faint hum.
She was trying to capture the "intent" flowing through the blade, attempting to hold onto it, understand it, and make it her own.
Jiang Lin stood three paces away, watching quietly. He didn't rush her, nor did he offer any further guidance.
When it comes to comprehending sword intent, others can only lead the way; taking that final step is something one must do alone.
Time passed in the silence.
The moonlight shifted from silver-white to pale gold, then back to a cold, clear hue.
At the edge of the garden, Little Black was curled up on a stone pillar, its amber eyes half-open as its tail occasionally flicked to drive away unknown night insects.
After an unknown amount of time, the sword in Elune's hand suddenly let out a clear, resonant ring.
Jiang Lin's brow twitched slightly.
She had caught it.
Although there was still a long road ahead before she could truly condense her sword intent, the first step had been taken.
Elune opened her eyes, her pale purple gaze filled with pleasant surprise.
“I... I felt it just now. That ‘intent’ stayed in my sword for a fleeting moment. It was like... like a drop of water falling into a lake, creating ripples before vanishing.”
“That is the sword intent prototype,” Jiang Lin nodded. “It’s only a prototype, far from being truly condensed. But at least you know what it is now.”
Elune nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling with an indescribable light.
She gripped her sword tightly and took a deep breath, seemingly wanting to strike while the iron was hot and continue practicing.
Jiang Lin, however, shook his head.
“That’s enough for today. Comprehending sword intent cannot be rushed; forcing it will only be counterproductive. You need time to let that sensation settle. We will practice again tomorrow.”
Elune was stunned for a moment before nodding obediently.
She sheathed her elven longsword, then suddenly remembered something and asked softly:
“What about you? How long did it take you to capture your first sliver of sword intent?”
Jiang Lin fell silent for a moment.
The first time he had learned sword intent was in the system’s training room.
“A long time. It was so long ago that I’ve forgotten most of it.
“However, when I was condensing my sword intent, I only did one thing.”
Jiang Lin's tone was calm.
“I swung my sword. From sunrise to sunset, and from sunset to sunrise. I swung until my arms lost all feeling, until the hilt wore away the skin of my palms, and until the only thing left in my mind was the word ‘sword’...
“Until I felt it respond to me.”
The garden fell silent.
Elune looked at him, her pale purple eyes reflecting the moonlight and his golden silhouette.
She suddenly felt that this human youth from across the sea was even more dazzling and distant than she had imagined.
“I will work hard too,” she said softly, yet with exceptional determination. “One day, I will catch up to you.”
Jiang Lin glanced at her, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
“Good. Keep at it.”
He turned and walked toward the main house. Little Black jumped down from the stone pillar, landed on his shoulder, and sent a telepathic message:
“You’re quite the teacher, kid. You’ve got that girl’s eyes sparkling with your sweet talk.”
“I was just telling the truth.”
Jiang Lin remained expressionless.
Little Black rolled its eyes.
The next morning, Jiang Lin practiced his breathing technique in his room as usual, digesting the results of his overnight cultivation.
He was one step closer to the 4th-rank mid-stage.
Once it was fully light out, he took Little Black downstairs.
In the dining room, Elune was already waiting at the head of the table, which was laden with exquisite dishes.
Her eyes brightened slightly when she saw Jiang Lin walk in.
“Good morning.”
Jiang Lin sat down to her right.
“Morning.”
Elune's voice was still soft, but it carried a hint of natural closeness that hadn't been there yesterday.
Halfway through breakfast, Alice walked in with a letter in her hand.
“My Lady, this was sent from the Royal Capital. It’s an enrollment invitation from Silver Moon Academy.”
Elune took the letter, opened it, and frowned slightly.
“The start date has been moved up. It was supposed to be next month, but now it’s in three days.”
“Silver Moon Academy?”
Jiang Lin asked.
“The highest institution of learning in the Silver Moon Kingdom,” Elune explained.
“It only accepts noble children and a few exceptionally gifted commoners. I’ve been studying magic and swordsmanship there for two years. I was supposed to have another month of vacation; I don’t know why they moved the start date up.”
She hesitated for a moment before looking at Jiang Lin.
“Would you... like to come to the Royal Capital with me? Although Silver Moon Academy only accepts elves, the Royal Capital is large and full of opportunities.
“The Adventurer's Guild headquarters is also there, and they have many more high-level quests than Silverleaf Town. Plus, the Royal Capital’s library houses the most complete maps and historical documents in all of Alderon. You might even find a way to return home.”
Jiang Lin thought for a moment and nodded.
“Alright.”
Elune's eyes visibly brightened.
“Then I’ll arrange for a carriage. We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
Hearing this, Jiang Lin asked:
“Is this carriage the same speed as the one we took before?”
Elune found the question a bit strange.
“Generally speaking, yes. The specific speed depends on the road conditions. Why?”
Jiang Lin set down his teacup.
“Then there’s no need for a carriage. I’ll fly you there.”
Elune was stunned.
“Fly?”
...
A few minutes later, on the open ground behind the manor, a 3rd-rank peak crimson claw-wing crouched silently.
Its bone wings were folded, and its dark red eyes glowed like two burning rubies in the morning light.
It was a size larger than a normal crimson claw-wing, the bone spikes on its back were thicker, and the blood-colored crystals embedded at the tips shimmered with a dangerous light in the sun.
Elune stood ten paces away, her pale purple eyes wide with shock.
“Is this... your summon?”
“In a way.” Jiang Lin leaped onto the crimson claw-wing's broad back and reached out his hand to her. “Come up.”
Elune hesitated for a second before taking his hand and letting him pull her onto the creature's back.
The bone wings unfurled, spanning over ten meters. With a gentle flap, a gale erupted.
The crimson claw-wing soared into the sky, circled half a turn over the manor, and then sped toward the Royal Capital.
Alice stood on the open ground, looking up at the receding blood-red figure. Only then did she realize her mouth had been hanging open in surprise.
She let out a soft sigh of wonder and turned back to the main house.
Above the clouds, the crimson claw-wing traveled at an incredible speed.
Each beat of its bone wings brought a whistling wind, and the surrounding clouds were torn into shreds, rushing past them on both sides.
Elune stood behind Jiang Lin, her hands tightly gripping his robes, her pale purple eyes filled with excitement.
She had grown up in the Royal Capital and had ridden in carriages countless times, but this was the first time she had looked down upon her familiar land like this.
The territory of the Silver Moon Kingdom spread out beneath the clouds.
Continuous vineyards looked like a green chessboard, and Silverleaf Town shrank into a tiny square.
Further away, Grayhowl Forest looked like a deep green velvet carpet. At the edge of the forest were rolling hills, and beyond them, she could faintly see the silver river shimmering in the sunlight.
“That’s the Silver Moon River.” Elune pointed to the winding silver line. “If you follow the river upstream, you’ll reach the Royal Capital.”
Jiang Lin gave a slight nod. With a thought, the crimson claw-wing adjusted its course and continued flying along the path of the Silver Moon River.
Time passed, until a magnificent city appeared on the horizon.
The city walls were built from pale gold stone, giving off a warm luster in the sunlight.
The buildings within were neatly arranged, and at the highest point stood a silver-white spire. A massive moonlight stone was embedded at the top, emitting a soft, pale blue glow even during the day.
“Silver Moon City is here.” Elune's voice carried the joy of returning home. “That tower is the Moonlight Tower of Silver Moon Academy, the tallest building in the capital. The academy is in the Moonlight District at the base of the tower.”
Jiang Lin had the crimson claw-wing land in a patch of woods on the outskirts of the capital. The retracted bone wings dissipated into blood-red motes of light as the two of them walked out of the forest and toward the city gates along a wide stone path.
The prosperity of Silver Moon City far exceeded that of Silverleaf Town.
The streets were lined with shops selling all sorts of goods.
The scent of rich fragrances wafted from spice shops, enchanted blades were displayed in the windows of weapon shops, and various runes flickered on the signs of magic material stores.
The passing elves were dressed in fine clothes and moved with composed steps. Occasionally, travelers of other races could be seen.
A few burly beastkin carrying massive packs walked by, and a lean human merchant was haggling with an elven stall owner.
“The capital has more races than Silverleaf Town,” Jiang Lin remarked casually.
“Yes, the Silver Moon Kingdom is quite open for Alderon,” Elune introduced as they walked. “Although elves hold the dominant position, we don’t exclude other races. As long as they follow the law, anyone can settle, do business, or even join the army in the capital.”
She paused before adding:
“However, the high-ranking positions are still reserved for elves.”
The two of them passed through the bustling commercial area and arrived at the Moonlight District.
The buildings here were even more exquisite, the streets cleaner. Most of the elves here wore well-tailored robes and carried themselves with elegance, clearly nobles or wealthy merchants.
Silver Moon Academy was located in the deepest part of the Moonlight District, covering a vast area. The perimeter walls were covered in silver vines that shimmered with a faint metallic luster in the sun.
The academy gates were open, with two elven guards in silver-white uniforms standing at the entrance.
Elune led Jiang Lin into the academy.
After passing through a tree-lined path filled with moonlight roses, the view suddenly opened up.
On a wide plaza, dozens of young elves were gathered in small groups, some discussing things, some practicing magic, and others sparring with swords.
At the end of the plaza stood the towering Moonlight Tower, its silver-white surface covered in complex runes that flowed with a pale blue glow in the sunlight.
“Elune!”
A crisp female voice came from the side. A silver-haired elven girl with a high ponytail ran over, a bright smile on her face.
“You’re finally back! I thought you were going to miss the opening ceremony!”
As she got closer, her gaze landed on Jiang Lin, and she froze for a moment.
“Is this... a human?”
“My friend, Matthew,” Elune introduced briefly.
The silver-haired girl’s gaze lingered on Jiang Lin’s face for a moment before she sensed his life level.
“4th-rank peak? You look about the same age as us.”
“Sixteen,” Jiang Lin replied.
The silver-haired girl’s eyes widened even further.
“A sixteen-year-old human reached the 4th rank?!”
Elune gave a light cough.
“Leah, do you know why the start date was moved up?”
The silver-haired girl named Leah snapped out of it.
“Oh, right. The start date was moved up because the academy detected a special secret realm that anyone below the 5th rank can enter. So they wanted us back early.
“They say the secret realm will only be open for a month, starting in a few weeks, so we need to prepare.
“Also, the school has hired a very powerful sword instructor.
“Supposedly, he’s from the East Continent and traveled through human kingdoms for many years. His swordsmanship attainment is extremely high.
“The Headmaster went to great lengths to hire him as a specially appointed tutor, so the start date was moved up to let him begin his lessons as soon as possible.”
“The East Continent?”
Elune didn’t care about the secret realm; her attention was focused on the latter part.
She subconsciously glanced at Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin’s heart stirred slightly.
The East Continent, human kingdoms.
A sword instructor from there with “extremely high swordsmanship attainment.”
Could he be from the Saintas Kingdom? Or another human kingdom?
“What is this instructor’s name?” he asked.
Leah thought for a moment.
“I think it’s... Carlos? Or Karl? I don’t quite remember; I just heard he’s human.”
A human. A human sword instructor from the East Continent.
Jiang Lin committed the name to memory.
“Can you take me to see him?”
Leah blinked and looked at Elune.
Elune gave a slight nod.
“I’d also like to see what kind of person this specially appointed tutor is.”
The three of them crossed the plaza and entered the Moonlight Tower.
The interior of the tower was even more spacious than it looked from the outside. The first floor was a massive circular hall with a ceiling dozens of meters high, embedded with countless moonlight stones that lit the space as bright as day.
In the center of the hall, over a dozen young elves were gathered in a semi-circle, listening intently. In the middle of the crowd, a slender human man was explaining something.
He wore well-tailored deep blue robes, with a long, thin sword hanging at his waist.
His face was lean, and his features carried the weathered look of someone who had traveled for many years, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s. His hair was dark brown, tied back with a simple leather cord.
Standing there, he seemed like a sheathed sword—his edge restrained, yet commanding respect.
Jiang Lin’s gaze landed on the sword at the man’s waist.
The scabbard was deep black and devoid of decoration, but a tiny dark red crystal was embedded in the crossguard, with a faint light flowing inside it.
He had seen that kind of crystal before in the Adventurer's Guild of the East Continent. It was an honorary medal awarded only for completing high-difficulty quests.
This human was indeed from the East Continent.
In the center of the hall, the human swordsman known as Carlos was explaining the basic essentials of swordsmanship.
His voice wasn't loud, yet it reached the ears of every elf present with perfect clarity.
“The sword is not an extension of your hand; it is an extension of yourself. The hand holding the sword must be loose—loose enough that the sword could fall at any moment, yet firm enough that it never will. Relaxation allows for change. Change allows for life. Grip it too tightly, and the sword dies—and so do you.”
As he spoke, he raised his right hand.
He didn't draw his sword; he simply used his finger as a blade and made a light horizontal stroke in the air.
Where his fingertip passed, the air seemed to be sliced open by an invisible blade, leaving behind a faint, almost imperceptible white trace.
The trace lingered in the air for three full breaths before slowly dissipating.
...
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