Chapter 212: Chapter 0212: Dugu Seeking Defeat (Fifth Update, Alliance Hierarch Added Update 10/22)
Bang thud!

Clang crash!

The fine steel-forged knight’s spears, accompanying the charge of two elite earth knights, bent and deformed. Every collision sparked flames and emitted piercing sonic booms, as if they would break at any moment.

Even if they didn’t break, the two spears were on the verge of being scrapped and needed to be remelted and recast.

Liszt’s fire attribute Dou Qi enveloped him like a war god in flames, while Marcus’s wind attribute Dou Qi coiled around him like a drifting cloud.

Lasse and Rondo, watching from a distance, saw the collision of fire and fog.

The fog was on the defensive, the fire on the offensive, and the sky was alight with fiery clouds.

“Marcus is an elite earth knight, but the Baron has managed to match him blow for blow, each charge overpowering Marcus—I can’t believe it!” Rondo exclaimed, eyes wide with shock.

Lasse smiled bitterly, “I knew the Baron was strong, that I couldn’t take a single charge from him, but I didn’t expect him to be this powerful. Not even Marcus is his match.”

“Perhaps, this is what talent is,” Rondo sighed, “The Earl who founded Coral Island was a knight of formidable talent himself, and his offspring—Sir Levis, Baroness Li Vera, and Lidun—have all shown exceptional talent since childhood. We thought the Baron was the least gifted, but it seems he was just biding his time for a sudden burst.”

“Maybe it also includes hard work. Every morning, we see the Baron training with his Dou Qi in the horse field.”

At this point, the two looked at each other and fell silent—what is there to say when those more talented than you are also working harder?

At that moment, the two distant figures charged for the sixth time.

The flames remained fierce, but the clouds became thinner. As the knight’s spears collided, the explosive flames overwhelmed the feeble fog. Two horses, one black and one yellow, crossed paths. Marcus was thrown from his mount and crashed heavily to the ground, his knight’s spear breaking in two.

Neigh!

The Li Dragon Horse reared, letting out a shrill whinny.

Liszt, holding his bent knight’s spear in one hand, panted heavily. Six consecutive charges had drained him significantly, even with the physique of an elite earth knight.

But his spirits were lifted, and he gasped out, “Teacher Marcus, I have won.”

Marcus struggled to his feet, confused for an instant, then his gaze steadied, and he breathed heavily as well, “Sir, your strength surpasses my imagination. Even though your charging experience still needs improvement, all that’s left is refinement over time. May victory always be with you from now on!”

“I had an advantage with the horse,” Liszt said modestly.

“Even without the Li Dragon Horse, I wouldn’t have lasted long; my Dou Qi volume is far behind yours,” Marcus said. He seemed about to ask something, then swallowed his words—likely wondering if Liszt had become an elite earth knight.

Marcus didn’t ask, and Liszt didn’t plan to tell.

Dismounting, he signaled to his retainer knights to take away the damaged spears and spoke to Marcus, “I’ve proven my capabilities in battlefield charges, but I hope to spar with you using longswords tomorrow.” Charging was more about competing in Dou Qi, while sword fighting relied more on combat skills.

Marcus nodded, “Why not make it at dusk? I’ll have recovered my Dou Qi by then, and I need to go out to sea early tomorrow.”

“All right!”

During the conversation, Rondo and Lasse had approached, congratulating Liszt.

Through this battle, Liszt understood the gap between an earth knight and an elite earth knight. Assessing the abilities of both men based on Marcus’s strength, he had a clear understanding: “My battle with Teacher Marcus was enlightening; in the future, you two should consult with him often.”

“Yes, Baron!”

“Let’s go have a cup of milk tea together.” Liszt led the way towards the apple tree. Four cups of milk tea were quickly served, freshly brewed with cow’s milk.

The cows were now producing a lot of milk, yielding several buckets a day.

Aside from catering to banquets and Liszt’s personal consumption, a cup of fresh milk was awarded to children who trained earnestly in knightly lessons. Even so, there was still plenty of milk left every day, and the serfs at the dairy farm would mix flour with milk to make powdered milk.

The powdered milk, once entirely seized by Tulip Castle, now all entered Liszt’s castle to be stored.

Whether eaten during the low season for milk production or sold, it represented an income.

…

In the afternoon, the sun came out briefly before hiding again, and then the heavy snow began to fall like goose feathers.

Such conditions would continue throughout the entire winter.

Thanks to the nutritional supply from the milk tea, Marcus’s Dou Qi recovered faster than expected, so the practical swordfight was held earlier than planned.

Liszt didn’t use the Crimson Blood Sword, as using it would probably have allowed him to completely overpower Marcus.

He chose a Fine Steel Longsword, a two-handed sword, and Marcus was equipped with the same—however, Liszt still donned Magical Beast Leather Armor, while Marcus could only wear ordinary leather armor.

The Landlord and his followers certainly couldn’t enjoy the same treatment.

There was no idle talk.

Nor did they let Rondo and Lasse watch on this time.

The two faced each other at the far end of the riding ground, swords in hand against the backdrop of the falling snow, each as determined as ever. Liszt, who aspired to become the Flame Sword Saint, no longer felt stage fright in these training bouts. He unleashed his Dou Qi, seemingly without any cost, each strike with the full force of his intentions.

“Dragon Flight!”

Puh-chi, his Fine Steel Longsword thrusted upwards, sending forth a jet of flame, as if a Fire Dragon were soaring.

“Wind Whirlpool!” Marcus spun his Fine Steel Longsword, Dou Qi swirling around it, creating a whirlpool with the motion of his blade that engulfed Liszt’s Flame Attribute Dou Qi.

Clang!

The Fine Steel Longsword, stripped of its Fire Attribute Dou Qi by Marcus’s blade, was struck with the still-encircling Wind Attribute Dou Qi, releasing it in an instant and nearly knocking Liszt’s sword out of his hand.

He held on tight, just barely maintaining grip.

“Huh!”

“That was close!”

Liszt’s palms sweated, realizing that sword fighting felt completely different from charging into battle—Marcus in front of him was like a hedgehog, tightly guarded, leaving nowhere to attack, and would counter-thrust whenever he had the chance, causing him significant discomfort.

Thus, they continued to exchange blows, clashing over twenty times.

Neither able to overcome the other.

Marcus, with his seasoned experience, focused primarily on defense, occasionally sneaking in attacks during the transition between Liszt’s old and new Dou Qi streams, making it excruciating for him.

However, Liszt’s foundation was strong, with a high total amount of Dou Qi and a quick recovery rate, so he barely managed to hold on.

One fierce, the other cunning.

The number of exchanges neared thirty, and then both their Dou Qis could no longer keep up with their consumption. After ten more exchanges, they ultimately ended up in a draw.

They both leaned on their Fine Steel Longswords, gasping for breath in the midst of the heavy snowfall.

“Teacher Marcus, did you go easy on me?” Liszt suddenly asked, feeling that it was somewhat exaggerated for someone with almost zero swordfighting experience like himself to have fought Marcus to a draw.

Before the swordfight, he was proud and thought that he would resolve the battle with Marcus within ten minutes.

At the beginning of their exchange, Marcus’s sneak attacks had startled him, and he was afraid that one careless move would lead to Marcus turning the tables on him.

As the battle wore on, he found he couldn’t prevail over Marcus, but Marcus’s counterattacks also lost their sharpness and seemed unable to turn the tide against him, which led to a stalemate.

He felt that toward the end of their exchange, Marcus had held back.

But Marcus shook his head, his breaths choppy, making his words come out staggered: “In the first ten exchanges, my lord… With your relentless and uncompromising attacks, I indeed had… I indeed had the opportunity to defeat you. But my lord’s rate of improvement is astonishing. Later on, I couldn’t find any opportunity for a sneak attack.”

“Really?” Liszt suddenly felt his waist wasn’t sore, his legs weren’t aching, and even his breathing steadied—indeed he was a prodigious talent with an amazing aptitude!