Sovereign of the Ashes

As time progressed, the resistance Sein and Leena faced as they advanced northwest within the trial zone intensified.

The relentless beast hordes were only one part of the challenge.

Sein realized that among the beasts, there were intelligent lifeforms actively trying to expel the trialists. Whether these intelligent beings were native to the Knight Continent remained unclear.

He also noticed the increasing presence of formidable Rank Two creatures within the beast hordes.

Given the legacy of the Knight Continent, it would be unsurprising if Rank Three or even stronger creatures eventually appeared, aiming to purge more formidable trialists like Sein and Leena.

The mounting external pressures frequently injured Sein and Leena over the ensuing years.

The Aura Restraint spell inspired by Tourmaline was extremely effective.

Sein and Leena were nearly discovered by powerful Rank Two purgers on several occasions, but they managed to evade detection each time.

It wasn’t that they feared these Rank Two purgers, but engaging them amidst a horde of thousands of powerful magic beasts was tactically unwise.

Despite their self-assurance, Sein and Leena knew it was impractical to confront a Rank Two magic beast along with a beast horde.

In Sein’s eighteenth year within the Knight Continent’s trial zone, he and Leena encountered another trialist from the Magus World, possibly for the last time.

“Oh? I didn’t expect someone else to reach this place...” a purple-haired man remarked in surprise. Blindfolded with a black cloth, he was perched on the treetops and facing Sein and Leena.

At that moment, Sein and Leena’s auras were still concealed.

Impressively, without relying on visual or other mental focus-based detection methods, this purple-haired man had managed to sense them hidden in the shadows.

The purple-haired man carried two longswords at his waist, unlike any Sein had previously seen.

These swords were longer than usual with curved blades at their tips, rather than straight.

The presence of the two longswords indicated that the blindfolded man was a knight, not a mage.

Instead of wearing armor like normal knights, he was clad in plain brown leather clothes devoid of any energy fluctuations.

With the keen observation of an alchemist, Sein detected elemental fluctuations only on the man’s swords, boots, blindfold, and fingers.

For a trialist venturing into the Knight Continent, this man’s traveling gear was extremely basic.

Neither Sein nor Leena responded immediately to the blindfolded purple-haired man’s remarks.

Leena had recently injured her left arm during the last beast horde.

Sein himself was not severely injured, but his focus and mana levels were far from their peak.

Consequently, he chose not to engage in deeper communication with the enigmatic knight, whose aura was indiscernible.

During their years in the Knight Continent, they had witnessed a few conflicts between knights and mages of the Magus World.

As the trial neared its end, these skirmishes became more frequent, occasionally even resulting in fatalities.

Despite being blindfolded, the purple-haired man could sense Sein and Leena’s wariness.

He chuckled and said, “I’m a swordsman from the Desert Kingdom. I didn’t expect to find others this far into the trial area. There are truly many geniuses in the Magus World.”

“You guys are still heading northwest, right? I wish you good luck and may you succeed in your endeavor. That direction leads to the edge of this trial zone and the boundary with another. It’s a pity that I can’t proceed further. I wonder what the scenery there looks like,” he mused with a light cough.

It was then that Sein noticed a smear of blood seeping through the fabric at the man’s lower back.

It appeared that the swordsman had endured a tough battle recently and might not be in any better condition than Sein and Leena.

The purple-haired man’s initiative to share information led Sein to lower his guard.

“I’m a mage from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring. We do intend to continue northwest. So, that’s where it connects to another trial zone? What rank is that trial area intended for?” Sein asked curiously.

The purple-haired man shook his head; he didn’t know either. He had deduced the existence of another trial zone based solely on various clues and observations.

That was the extent of Sein’s interaction with the purple-haired man.

The two did not even exchange names and knew only each other’s origins.

Yet, the distinctive aura of the purple-haired man led Sein to believe that his strength was at least equal to, if not greater than, his own and Leena’s.

Knights focused primarily on honing their skills and combat prowess, whereas mages were often preoccupied with experiments.

In a long-range fight, mages would naturally have the upper hand, with a broader array of methods and strategies at their disposal.

However, knights would likely dominate in close-quarters combat, where they could take the initiative.

Nonetheless, the limitations of the knight’s profession were clear. Even if this purple-haired knight possessed exceptional talent, his journey in the Knight Continent was nearing its end.

Sein and Leena, meanwhile, could continue to explore this trial space for a while longer, relying on their strength and wisdom.

Although this period would not last long, it was sure to yield greater benefits than ever before.

After parting ways with the blindfolded, purple-haired knight, Sein encountered no other trialists in the trial zone.

The beast hordes and Leena, who was by his side, seemed like the only occupants in this vast trial zone.

As they continued northwest, the path was fraught with dangers but also ripe with opportunities.

Perhaps due to the absence of other trialists, Sein and Leena discovered and explored two more small secret realms, harvesting a wealth of rare resources.

Sein even acquired a battle qi technique that could serve a Rank Three Sky Night well.

Although this technique was of no personal use to Sein, he planned to bring it back home for the knights of House Grantt.

Indeed, this battle qi technique surpassed even House Grantt’s Violet Flame Battle Qi technique.

In the twenty-first year after Sein and Leena entered the Knight Continent’s trial space, they finally reached the edge of their designated trial zone.

A vast, translucent energy barrier that soared into the sky, effectively dividing the trial zone appeared before them.

The trial zone Sein and Leena had been in was filled with lush jungles and forests, while rugged mountains and expansive plateaus were seen on the other side of this translucent barrier.

Suddenly, an elemental vortex appeared at the base of the barrier, accompanied by the rumble of a beast horde surging across from the other side.

This confirmed Sein’s suspicions: the origin of the beast horde in their zone was indeed linked to the neighboring trial zone.

Sein had theorized that the beast hordes were a result of some sort of purging mechanism.

He might have been correct to some extent, but what he had not anticipated was that these beasts were not just migrating voluntarily; it seemed they were being driven, possibly even frightened into moving the trial zone he was currently in.

Through the translucent barrier, he heard the piercing cry of an eagle.

High above, a gigantic white bird with a wingspan exceeding seven hundred meters soared through the sky.

Despite the barrier, it was easy to tell that the life level of this massive bird far was Rank Four or higher!

“Could it be that the trial zone adjacent to ours is meant for trialists of Rank Four and above?” Sein murmured, watching the majestic bird disappear into the distance.