With Xu Tao’s lead, the atmosphere quickly changed.
"A damned heretic dares criticize our holy cause?!" the knight before him shouted.
If he wasn’t wearing a helt that hid his entire face, everyone might have seen him foaming at the mouth in rage. "I’ll personally deliver your soul to hell!"
He raised his mace, bringing it down on Xu Tao’s head. The speed matched that of soone at a similar level to Xu Tao and the rest—aning, the knights were no pushovers. But... he had picked the wrong enemy.
CLANG!
Xu Tao pointed his sword straight ahead, blocking the mace with the tip of his blade. Normally, this should result in either the sword getting chipped or the blade snapping entirely. But instead—the opposite happened.
"W-What?!"
The knight’s mace was pierced through, the blade passing cleanly through the spiked head of the weapon! Worse, when he tried to pull it back, it didn’t even budge!
"I was expecting a bit more, seeing as you’re covered in armor from head to toe..." Xu Tao comnted, before flicking his sword slightly.
In the next mont, the entire mace—along with the knight’s armored hand—was slashed in half.
"A-Aaaagh!" the man cried, falling to his knees and staring at his missing fingers.
Blood spurted like a squirt gun with every beat of his heart.
That... beca the start signal.
"CHAAAARGE!"
From the other four staircases, the knights rushed downward—so aiming to reinforce those near Xu Tao, others heading straight to resu their mission.
Their montum seed unstoppable. Just standing in their way looked like a death sentence.
"Stop right there!"
"Nobody shall interrupt my Emperor’s fun."
Jehanne and Zetian moved fast, taking position at the base of the middle staircase to cover Xu Tao’s back.
"Everyone, gather up!" For those left behind, Yifa stepped forward, rallying them. "Protect the civilians! Don’t let a single blade or mace reach them!"
"Knights! Do not falter! This is but a small challenge from our God—we shall prevail!"
"Kill the pagans! Don’t let them live a day longer!"
"WOOOOOAH!"
Xu Tao faced around fifty knights by himself. But due to the staircase’s layout, only five could engage him at once. Below, Jehanne and Zetian held back another hundred. And finally, Yifa’s team fought the remaining hundred.
A full-blown battle of beliefs began.
"How dare you injure our captain, you blasphemous bastard! Die...!"
Xu Tao faced two maces and three swords flying at him. Their formation was tight—no room to dodge. But unfortunately for them, Xu Tao had no intention of dodging in the first place.
"Too weak." He scoffed, lowering his sword and waving his hand.
The weapons froze in place mid-air, as if colliding with an invisible, rock-solid wall. Yet they didn’t bounce off—they stuck, clamped tightly in place.
Xu Tao didn’t show rcy—but neither did he act like a demon. He simply waved his sword once, severing the wrists holding the five weapons in a single stroke.
"GAH! AAAARGH!"
Five more n dropped to their knees, howling in pain and bleeding, unable to continue the fight.
Xu Tao could have ended them right then—but he didn’t. Killing them would make him no better than the knights themselves—killing without thought.
It wasn’t that the knights were monsters.
They were humans too, bleeding red like everyone else.
And most importantly, there was no need to kill them. The current trial wasn’t about defeating knights—it was about protecting the civilians. The so-called "pagans," as the knights called them.
"Move, you pagan woman!"
Knights below shouted, brandishing their weapons with discipline.
"You shall not pass!"
CLANG!
Jehanne fended off their attacks from all directions. Her spear-flag spun so rapidly it resembled a top in her hands. Weapons flew left and right, leaving knights disard and powerless—at least until they retrieved their weapons and returned to formation.
"Unlike my Emperor, I’m not so rciful," Zetian whispered on the other side, waving her fan.
A frigid wind swept through the knights facing her, freezing their legs in place.
"Ugh! T-This is... sorcery?! You’re a witch!"
"Why aren’t the silver weapons working?!"
"H-Help... C-C-Cold...!"
They shouted in panic, but the creeping frost soon silenced them. Not a single knight was spared. One by one, they turned into ice sculptures—faces frozen in expressions of fear and regret.
Tack!
The mont Zetian closed her fan, the ice began to crack, then shattered into a million pieces—glittering like diamond dust in the air.
Within monts, Zetian’s side was cleared. Not a drop of wasted energy. Efficient. Brutal.
"Ugh...! Damn it, let join the fight too...!"
Achilles, frozen at the back, could only cry in frustration. "Xu Tao still hadn’t lifted his binding. He would remain paralyzed for as long as Xu Tao wished—until he learned his lesson.
"DIE!"
A knight shouted, bringing his sword down to a mother and child, crouching in fear.
THWACK!
But a shadow spear flew past, sending the sword away. "Not so fast!" Yifa shouted, before sending a solid kick to the knight’s nape, knocking him out in one blow. "Now’s the chance, go!"
Through tears and trembling, whispered thanks followed as the mother and child pair rushed to their feet, running toward the stairs once more.
"Don’t let the knights use their numbers!" After confirming their safety, Yifa exclaid.
Among the big nas, she was definitely the busiest of them all. She dashed left and right, firing shadow spikes, shielding civilians, and commanding over twenty people at once.
If not for Jehanne’s soldiers having solid discipline, and the Azure Dragon Sect’s outer disciples using various techniques—including defensive barriers—their side would have crumbled first.
It was a one-sided fight. And it ended just as quickly.
As soon as the last civilian reached the stairs—presumably heading back toward the first floor—a gentle chi echoed in everyone’s ears.
The knights who fought with brutal tenacity crumbled into dust, vanishing like a lie.
Xu Tao slowly sheathed his sword, listening to the voice that echoed far and wide, filling their ears, hearts, and minds.
[Trial of Humility: Passed]
[The righteous neither kneel to the wicked, nor oppress just to be seen.]
[True humility is the refusal to ascend by standing atop the fallen; to not do sothing just because the majority does.]
[True humility is to judge the situation with objective eyes—and act accordingly.]
Upon hearing this, several closed their eyes, digesting the words. The ssage struck a chord with all the cultivators present, as well as Jehanne and her five soldiers.
This... is a word from the Heavenly Dao, Xu Tao realized imdiately.
And in that small mont, they gained enlightennt.
BOOOM!
[Congratulations! You have gained an insight into the Path of Humility!]
[Bonus reward: Cultivation 1000!]
It was a modest reward to Xu Tao... but to everyone else, it was a trendous surprise—especially to Zetian, Yifa, and the five outer disciples.
Their cultivation surged, leaping directly into the Qi Gathering Stage in one go!
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