The concept of bloodline talent is not something every knight possesses.
In fact, most knights go their entire lives without ever awakening their bloodline talent, not even showing any signs of it.
But a lucky few, even from the moment they become Apprentice Knights, have already awakened their bloodline talent.
Itās not like Fighting Energy cultivation, which can be accumulated through hard practice; itās purely a product of talent, even...
Carrying a hint of destiny.
And today, Louis finally welcomed his own awakening.
The bloodline talent he activated is calledā[Trajectory].
Its most basic ability is to briefly predict a targetās actions within two seconds by consuming Fighting Energy and focusing attention.
Additionally, there is a passive effect: when encountering lethal danger, it triggers a faint sense of forewarning.
At first glance, this ability doesnāt seem impressive.
Two seconds? What use is that?
But in a life-and-death knight duel, a lead of one or two seconds makes the difference between life and death.
Against a similarly ranked opponent, even a moment of hesitation can be a flaw in winning or losing.
Moreover, bloodline talents are not unchanging.
As Fighting Energy levels rise, it strengthens and might even develop new abilities.
An excited Louis lifted the tent flap and walked out.
The night breeze swept through the camp, the flames flickered, everything seemed usual.
But the next moment, an Elite Knight guarding outside suddenly had a bright look in his eyes and blurted out: "Lord... have you broken through?!"
With this exclamation, cheers erupted almost instantly.
"The Lord has broken through!"
"Thatās great!"
"Congratulations, Lord Louis!"
The knights who were originally patrolling and on guard immediately gathered around, each face filled with genuine joy.
They always had respect for the strong, but even before his power, theyād been moved by Louisās calmness, decisiveness, and generosity.
During the toughest times, it was this young Lord who led them across the wasteland, established in the Northern Territory, slew the Snow Swearers in night battles, and seized the chance of victory at Qingyu Ridge.
They were already 99.9% satisfied with this young Lord.
The remaining 0.01% was just regretting that his cultivation was slightly lagging behind.
But now, even this little regret is slowly being filled.
"At this rate... Lord becoming a Legendary Knight is no longer a dream."
"Hahahahaha."
As the cheers subsided, Louis suddenly spoke: "I want to test my strength."
He glanced at the crowd and finally pointed to a tall Mid-tier Elite Knight: "You come and spar with me."
This was a battle-hardened Elite Knight, with steady strength and thick Fighting Energy.
And he was a full minor rank higher than the newly broken-through Louis.
The surroundings instantly grew quiet, knights looked at each other, faces reading "This isnāt good."
"Lord, a difference of a tier is not something to joke about..."
"If Frio uses too much force..."
Frio himself was unbearably nervous, his face somewhat pale, hesitantly said: "Lord, maybe we should just take it easy..."
"If you go easy," Louisās voice suddenly lowered by a half tone, "Iāll kick you out of Red Tide Territory."
"..."
Seeing that Louis wasnāt joking, the camp quieted down.
"Understood." Frio swallowed, nodded.
Thus, a duel with a real gap in strength officially began.
Louis drew his longsword, red Fighting Energy swirled around the blade like a flickering flame, hissing slightly.
Frio also drew his sword, likewise, with crimson Fighting Energy.
They were both knights of the Calvin Family, and although their methods of cultivating Fighting Energy differed, they shared the same lineage, making their Fighting Energy particularly similar.
The blades collided, sparks scattering.
Louis didnāt rush to use his bloodline talent, wanting to see his own strength now.
Initially, he relied purely on keen reflexes and the fighting spirit from his fresh breakthrough to engage Frio in a tight exchange.
But as time passed, the difference widened.
After all, Frio was a seasoned Mid-tier Elite Knight, with richer Fighting Energy and more precise control over combat rhythm.
After a few moves, pressure overwhelmed Louis like a tide, and he gradually began to struggle.
He could still barely parry, but the unsteady swaying and irregular breathing after each block betrayed him.
"Ah, the gap is still too great."
"Frio, thatās enough..."
The knights watching broke into a cold sweat, instinctively holding their breath, afraid their breathing might disturb Louis.
Some already began to exchange glances nervously: "Should Frio pretend to narrowly lose? Just act a bit!"
Yet just then, Louisās eyes suddenly changed.
Bloodline Talent Ā· Trajectory, activated!
At this moment in Louisās vision, time seemed to pause for an instant.
He saw that in the next second, Frioās shoulder would slightly drop, executing an upward slashing strike.
"I see it!"
Louis moved like the wind, sword light carrying Fighting Energy cut through the air, directly piercing that momentary gap!
"Bang!"
It was the sound of metal colliding.
Frioās longsword was knocked out of his hand, and he had to step back two steps to regain his balance.
"Ah?"
The field was silent for three seconds.
The crowd widened their eyes, faces asking what just happened?
From dominating one moment to being defeated the next!?
"What was that just now?"
"I didnāt observe any flaw at all..."
"Too fast... it was like knowing in advance what the opponent would do!"
Even Frio himself was bewildered.
He looked at the empty hilt in his hand, then at Louis who was standing steadily not far away.
A moment later, he came to his senses, let out a bitter laugh: "I concede, Lord truly is... deeply hidden."
Louis stood in place, slowly exhaled, looked down at his sword-holding hand, his palm slightly numb, and his chest rising and falling continuously.
He was not carried away by this victory.
The outburst at that instant, although exhilarating, fast, and precise, came with a considerable cost, requiring intense concentration when Trajectory was activated and continually consuming Fighting Energy.
As expected, bloodline talent is not something that can be used recklessly.
Lambert stepped out from the crowd, brows furrowed.
He was Louisās Guardian Knight and had been teaching him combat techniques since he was a child.
One could say Louis was cultivated by him, yet this spar made him puzzled.
Louisās attack style was one he couldnāt have been more familiar with, but that sudden counter-attack...
Had completely caught him off guard, something that couldnāt be achieved with mere technique.
He approached Louis, asking softly: "Lord, that move just now, how did you do it?"
Louis didnāt beat around the bush, replied in a low voice: "I have awakened my bloodline talent."
"Ah?" Lambert was stunned.