Bathed in the sunlight filtering through the trees, Long Haochen clearly saw the appearance of one of the men in black. He almost cried out in surprise, because that person’s face was covered in black hair. His yellow eyes looked particularly ferocious, and his nose twitched constantly, smelling the air.

Just then, a cold voice rang out in the woods, “It ends here. Since you’ve followed, you won’t be going back.”

A crystal-clear light quietly appeared in the air, flashing through the woods with a graceful arc like lightning. The seven or eight men in black who had been chasing after them all froze in place, and the next moment, they all fell to the ground.

Long Haochen only felt a blur before his eyes, and a white-robed figure suddenly appeared not far in front of him. Immediately afterward, a shocking scene unfolded before his eyes. Without seeing the white-robed figure make any movements, thousands of points of light burst forth from his chest. In an instant, it seemed that the entire forest was illuminated by this light, blinding Long Haochen.

When he could see clearly again, he was horrified to find that the men in black who had been lying on the ground had all disappeared, leaving only the white-robed figure standing there quietly.

All of this happened so quickly, almost in the blink of an eye, everything had settled, as if those ferocious-looking people had never been there.

The white-robed figure slowly turned around, looked in the direction of Long Haochen and the mute girl, and said faintly, “Come out.”

Long Haochen’s heart tightened. Obviously, the other party had already discovered him. At the same time, he saw the white-robed figure’s eyes. They were eyes devoid of any emotion. His eyes were black, but his pupils seemed to be gray. His black, shoulder-length hair was simply tied up behind his head, and his simple white suit was without any decoration.

The white-robed figure’s power made Long Haochen tremble inwardly. After all, he was only nine years old. However, when he looked down and saw the mute girl’s pale face, a surge of hot blood turned into courage.

He gently shook his head at the little girl, signaling her not to make a sound, then pushed himself up with his hands and jumped out of the bushes, drawing the wooden sword behind him at the same time.

The white-robed figure stood there without moving, but even so, Long Haochen could instinctively sense that this person was much more dangerous than the most terrifying beast he had ever seen.

Long Haochen didn’t say a word, but gripped his wooden sword tightly, staring intently at the white-robed figure in front of him. He only hoped that the white-robed figure hadn’t discovered the little mute girl.

“We should go back,” the white-robed figure’s voice was devoid of any emotion. The simple words made Long Haochen feel a chill like being immersed in ice and snow.

Just then, with a whoosh, a petite figure appeared in front of Long Haochen. He was surprised to find that the incredibly fast figure was none other than the little mute girl he had been protecting earlier.

She’s so fast! Long Haochen was stunned.

The little mute girl spread her arms, using her thin little body to block Long Haochen, staring at the white-robed figure in front of her with firm and stubborn eyes, and shook her head vigorously at him.

The white-robed figure’s emotionless eyes seemed to flicker for a moment. The next moment, his body moved as well, flashing like a graceful white light. And the little mute girl in front of Long Haochen also moved, with the same incredible speed.

Long Haochen’s observation skills were far superior to his peers, but he could only see that the little mute girl seemed to have a short dagger in her hand, and she made several irregular dodging movements while charging forward, like a fierce little tiger. Just that speed alone probably required at least twenty points of spiritual power to possess, right?

Unfortunately, the little mute girl clearly had a huge, insurmountable gap between her and the white-robed figure. In just the time it took to take one breath, everything became quiet.

The dagger in the little mute girl’s hand disappeared. She was now being held under the white-robed figure’s arm, and Long Haochen didn’t see clearly how the white-robed figure did it.

“Let her go,” Long Haochen shouted, taking a very standard knight’s stride, and slashed his wooden sword at the white-robed figure. At this moment, he completely forgot how terrifying this person was, and only thought about saving the little mute girl.

A huge force came, and Long Haochen, along with his wooden sword, instantly fell and rolled over, his consciousness instantly plunged into darkness. The white-robed figure had only raised his hand.

The little mute girl, held under his arm, struggled violently. The white-robed figure was suddenly startled, because he felt the little girl under his arm begin to radiate a burning heat, and a layer of dark red light began to emerge from under her skin.

“Be quiet, I won’t hurt him,” the white-robed figure’s voice finally had some human emotion in it, seemingly helpless.

Only then did the little mute girl stop struggling, and looked up at the white-robed figure.

The white-robed figure nodded to her, took a step forward, and came to Long Haochen. He squatted down and began to feel around Long Haochen’s body with one hand, not even letting go of his beautiful little face.

After a moment, the white-robed figure slowly frowned. “Medium upper-grade aptitude, but insufficient bone development. His temperament and aptitude are more suitable for being a knight.” As he spoke, he released the little mute girl.

The little mute girl quickly made several gestures at him.

The white-robed figure said, “His future achievements? Hard to say. Judging from his aptitude, being a Great Earth Knight would be the best he could hope for. However, he is only eight or nine years old, and he already possesses four of the Knight’s Ten Tenets: Compassion, Courage, Perseverance, and Sacrifice. His future achievements are limitless. An excellent knight, especially a Guardian Knight, often requires a higher level of heart than aptitude.”

The little mute girl pointed to herself, then to Long Haochen, and then made several gestures.

The white-robed figure nodded and said, “Okay, his courage just now was indeed enough to receive this reward.”

A ball of white light quietly lit up from the white-robed figure’s chest, vaguely showing that the white light was in the shape of a small stove, with faint blue flames flickering inside.

The white-robed figure stretched out his index and middle fingers of his right hand, gently brushed over the blue flame, and then quickly landed on Long Haochen, using a wiping technique, bringing with it streaks of blue light.

After a moment, the blue light and white light converged together, and merged into the white-robed figure’s body. His eyes, however, seemed significantly more tired.

“Alright, I’ve used the power of the Spiritual Furnace to help him channel the Twelve Meridians, burning away the impurities in the Twelve Meridians, which should at least raise his potential by one level. Your trial is over. Let’s go back.”

As he spoke, the white-robed figure slowly stood up and beckoned to the little mute girl.

But the little mute girl quickly walked to Long Haochen, took off a ring with a blue base and a golden forget-me-not pattern from her hand, and put it on Long Haochen’s left middle finger. Strangely, as soon as the small ring reached Long Haochen’s finger, it expanded a little on its own, perfectly fitting his finger.

“Cai’er, you…” the white-robed figure exclaimed softly. But he was met with the little mute girl’s persistent and stubborn gaze. She also tidied up the wild vegetables Long Haochen had picked earlier and placed them next to him, before returning to the white-robed figure’s side.

The white-robed figure frowned, and after a long silence, he slowly nodded, took the little mute girl’s hand, soared into the air, and disappeared into the depths of the forest.