Chapter 69: Time to Face Reality

“Lu Mo Kalis, the youngest daughter of the Kalis Family head.”

“In a competition held jointly by the two families 8 years ago, she successfully demonstrated the Fusion Sublimation Power and defeated Kemode Herlovit in a direct confrontation.”

The high official of the Holy Sanctuary who had witnessed the match recounted everything he remembered.

“Defeated Kemode?”

“Suspected of mastering… the Fusion Sublimation Power?”

After hearing the account, the powerful figures on the high platform were stunned, finding it difficult to believe.

Kemode was someone capable of becoming a Hero of the Sequence!

A mortal defeating a Saint-level opponent was an event they considered nearly impossible.

Furthermore, that Fusion Sublimation Power was dangerous and extreme to the ultimate degree. It was impossible for a 10-year-old girl to simply master it!

Yet, all of this was the truth. It was an indisputable fact, enough to overturn their understanding of the world.

A long time passed before they regained their composure and looked at the matter of Lu Mo defeating Kemode 8 years ago with cold rationality.

“Now that you mention it, I seem to recall that such a thing did happen 8 years ago.”

“After that incident, the attitude of both families and several people within the Holy Sanctuary toward Lu Mo shifted that year.”

“The head of the Kalis Family also improved his attitude toward his youngest daughter. He began proactively inviting powerful figures from the Holy Sanctuary to serve as Lu Mo’s teachers.”

“But those teachers didn’t seem to stay with the Kalis Family for very long…” one official noted.

“That is true. Those people returned to the Holy Sanctuary after a few months at most, and some stayed for only a few days.”

“When asked what happened, they all gave hesitant, vague answers,” another replied.

“It must be because they discovered some issue with Lu Mo, which is why they returned to the Holy Sanctuary, right?”

the middle-aged man concluded immediately. “There is no other possibility. —Is it possible, you think, that a mundane person named Lu Mo learned the sword techniques they had studied for decades in just a few months? More likely, her use of the Fusion Sublimation Power back then was a fluke. If she tried to use it again, there is a high probability she would lose control, harming both herself and others.”

At this point, he let out a cold sneer.

“However, the previous battles also show that Miss Lu Mo’s foundation is very solid. She must have been practicing very hard,” the old woman spoke up again, countering the middle-aged man’s total dismissal of Lu Mo.

“Hard work… if hard work was useful, what would be the point of geniuses?” the middle-aged man retorted.

This was especially true for people like them, the ones the world viewed as “those of the heavens.”

He firmly believed that, under normal circumstances, a commoner had absolutely no chance of defeating someone of the heavens.

He looked at the old woman and asked aggressively, “You can say her foundation is solid and that she works hard, but do you really believe the result of that final battle with Kemode was due to hard work? Do you truly think a 10-year-old girl could master the techniques of Fusion Sublimation?”

“…”

The old woman fell silent.

To her, the idea of a 10-year-old mastering Fusion Sublimation was indeed preposterous.

If she had truly done it, then Lu Mo’s comprehension would no longer belong to the realm of humans; she would be a monster in human skin.

“The head of the Kalis Family last invited a master from the Holy Sanctuary to teach Lu Mo 6 years ago.”

“Since then, he has not sought any more teachers for her. It is said that Lu Mo chose to travel alone. She has been gone for 6 years.”

***

A period of 6 years was neither long nor short. However, it was enough to change many things.

During these 6 years, those gifted with Holy Power had received the best education and cultivation their families could provide.

Meanwhile, during Lu Mo’s 6 years away, the guidance and cultivation resources she received were likely pitifully scarce. In fact, they were probably much less than what she would have received had she stayed quietly at home.

6 years ago, Lu Mo likely squeezed out every drop of her potential and gambled everything to finally stand on equal footing with those gifted with Holy Power. Defeating Kemode, who could enter the Hero Sequence, was a result of winning against a 1 in 10,000 probability.

But that was the limit of what Lu Mo could achieve.

Now, that situation would no longer exist. This time, the gap between her and those gifted with Holy Power was as vast as the heavens and the earth.

Therefore—

“I believe letting Lu Mo become Cecilia’s knight is far too careless.”

“Didn’t the Helovit Family check the information before finally submitting Cecilia’s details?”

“To let an ordinary girl who disappeared for 6 years be the knight for the strongest Saintess… this is absurd!”

Many high-ranking officials of the Holy Sanctuary expressed their views. A few others took Lu Mo’s side, but considering the reality of the situation, they could only remain silent.

It was true. Protecting the Saintess required a powerful knight. Lu Mo, as a mundane person, did not possess such qualifications.

For Cecilia’s safety and for the future of the Holy Sanctuary, it was necessary to replace Lu Mo.

“But specifically, what should we do?”

One official began pondering the method. “If we replace her directly, it might cause Lady Cecilia to have an even stronger emotional backlash, wouldn’t it?”

“In that case—how about we let that girl named Lu Mo see reality and give up voluntarily?”

The middle-aged man’s gaze swept over the crowd below, and he smiled faintly. “There is no need for us to show our faces. We only need to spread this matter among the youths below. Someone will immediately show their dissatisfaction and seek out Lu Mo. After she suffers several miserable defeats in front of everyone, will she still have the spirit to continue being Cecilia’s knight?”

“That is a sound plan,” an elder agreed.

“The plaza outside the hall is a place where duels are permitted. We shall see who runs out of patience first and challenges Lu Mo. When that happens, will Lu Mo accept the challenge or run away? And… how long can she last?”

***

“Did you hear? It seems Lady Cecilia chose someone without a single bit of Holy Power talent to be her knight. Her name is Lu Mo, I think.”

“How do you know?”

“I just heard the adults up there discussing it. It’s not fake.”

“I overheard it at the scene too.”

“How could the Saintess allow someone with zero Holy Power talent to be her knight? Can she even protect the Saintess? Is she even qualified to stand by her side?”

“Where is she?”

“She’s probably hiding in the back of the final batch, trembling in fear.”

***

Word quickly spread among the crowd waiting for the final assessment.

The crowd instantly erupted into a commotion.

Those who had already finished their tests and those still waiting began searching for Lu Mo. Those who harbored feelings of admiration for Cecilia especially wanted to drag Lu Mo to the plaza to duel her.

Among them were candidates for Holy Dragon Knights and even the Hero Sequence.

A mortal who didn’t even possess the talent for Holy Power was simply unworthy of being the Saintess’s knight!

“What’s… what’s wrong with them?” Cecilia noticed the restlessness in the crowd.

She vaguely heard those people mentioning Miss Lu Mo.

***

At that moment, Lu Mo was leaning boredly against the wall outside the hall.

Quite a few people were like her; the wait was so long that they had simply walked out of the stifling hall to take a short break in the plaza.

She was completely unaware of what was happening inside.

“Lu Mo… where is Lu Mo!”

Suddenly, a figure burst out of the hall and began shouting at the crowd in the plaza. “You arrogant fool who doesn’t know the heights of the heavens! I’m going to make you understand… a piece of trash like you with zero Holy Power talent has no right to be Lady Cecilia’s knight or stand by her side!”

“Lu Mo?”

“Lady Cecilia’s… knight?”

In an instant, the people on the plaza also heard the news and were stunned.

Who was Lu Mo?

Someone without Holy Power talent… could actually become Cecilia’s knight?

Amidst the collective shock, Lu Mo stood up and slowly walked toward the impulsive figure in front of the hall doors.

“I am Lu Mo,” she spoke calmly, looking at the other person with an expressionless face.

“!”

Upon seeing the breathtakingly beautiful figure of the girl, the breath hitched in the throats of everyone in the plaza, including the person who had just charged out of the hall.