Chapter 199: Lady of the Lake Trial, The Five Virtues of Knighthood

If he could kill this King Salmon, Cao Xing would obtain at least a thousand kilograms of Legendary-grade fish meat!

Cao Xing's pupils constricted, and his heart was instantly flooded with immense temptation.

"Bang! Bang, bang!"

The sounds of violent impacts continued to ring out; this King Salmon seemed to still be struggling.

However, after thrashing a few times, it finally ran out of strength and collapsed limply onto the ice.

This powerful Legendary-grade creature seemed to have become meat ready for the slaughter.

Just then, the King Salmon actually opened its mouth slowly and spoke in human language.

"Human… let me go…"

Hearing the creature speak, everyone on the scene looked at each other in dismay.

Braum rubbed his bald head and said with a look of disbelief, "By the gods, I actually heard a fish talking to me!"

However, they soon accepted this fact.

After all, in such a magical world, this kind of phenomenon was quite normal.

Cao Xing asked directly, "If I let you go, what will I get?"

The salmon said slowly, "You will get nothing…"

"I am the guardian of these waters… I must return to the water…"

If an ordinary person heard this answer, they would probably kill this King Salmon without hesitation.

Not to mention the harvest of meat from killing this Legendary-grade creature, the gem-encrusted crown on its head alone looked extraordinary.

However—

Cao Xing knew that this King Salmon was related to the prerequisite quest for a Legendary weapon.

Only by releasing it could the subsequent Legendary quest be triggered.

He looked at Qinong, and the old man nodded secretly.

A faint, imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of Cao Xing's mouth.

Then, he said with a solemn expression on his face.

"Poor guardian of the lake, I regret fishing you up and disturbing your peace."

"Now, let me return you to the water."

Upon hearing this, a trace of surprise appeared in the eyes of the King Salmon before him.

"Human… are you sure you really want to let me go?"

"Do you know? Eating even a piece of my flesh can grant one powerful vitality, and no matter how serious your illness is, you can recover quickly!"

"The crown on my head belonged to the third King of the Kaishan Empire; it bears the blessing of the True God Aberton, and it can grant you powerful strength in an instant!"

Cao Xing couldn't help but inwardly scoff after hearing this.

So it was this kind of routine, was it?

Simply put, it was using the treasures on this King Salmon as bait.

To test a person's character.

Only by resisting the temptation and releasing this King Salmon would the subsequent quest be triggered.

But he didn't show it; instead, he continued to speak with a compassionate expression: "Guardian of the lake, in this world, life is not easy for anyone."

"You have your mission, and we have our own tasks. Now, please return to the lake and continue fulfilling your mission."

Cao Xing glanced at Qinong.

The latter understood his intention; with a slight flick of the fishing rod in his hand, the hook that had caught the King Salmon slid off.

Meanwhile, the King Salmon looked on with an uncertain expression.

After being freed from the hook, it wiggled its body, slowly made its way to the side of the ice hole, and then slipped back into the lake water.

Just before diving into the water, it took one last look at Cao Xing.

Then, it dove in with a splash and completely disappeared.

A moment later, Cao Xing saw that the lake surface had calmed down again.

Everyone remained silent, waiting quietly.

However, even after almost ten minutes had passed, there was still no movement.

It seemed that once the King Salmon went down, it was gone for good, and there would be no further reaction.

If it were an ordinary person, they might have thought they had been tricked by now.

Cao Xing looked at Qinong.

The old man frowned and said, "The situation is a bit different from what I imagined. My old friend didn't tell me the details of obtaining the lady of the lake sword."

"I also didn't expect Lord Cao Xing to actually be able to catch the King Salmon."

"Today's events have really refreshed my understanding time and time again…"

Cao Xing, however, was quite open-minded about it.

He chuckled and said, "It's alright, Master Qinong."

"It's just a pity that we couldn't take down this King Salmon; otherwise, its meat might have been able to directly cure your wife."

But Qinong shook his head and said, "You are kind, Lord Cao Xing."

"However, I know my wife's condition; her physical state is somewhat complex."

"Although the King Salmon's meat is miraculous, it cannot completely cure my wife's illness; we still need to find the corresponding solution."

Hearing Qinong say this, Cao Xing was lost in thought.

But he did not press further.

"Master Qinong, let's head back for today."

"Very well."

After speaking, both parties began to walk toward the outside of Falling Snow Lake.

And just as they were preparing to leave.

The entire Falling Snow Lake began to emit a sacred light.

They turned around abruptly, staring at the center area of the lake.

In the shocked gaze of Cao Xing and his companions.

The ice layer in the central area began to melt rapidly.

"Splash…"

The sound of churning lake water appeared.

Everyone turned around, staring at the center area of the lake.

Then, a woman who was completely naked, covered only by a few strands of water grass that shielded her private parts, slowly rose from the lake.

She had long green hair draped over her back, which even covered her round, perky buttocks, and crystalline water droplets hung on her fair skin.

Raising her head, she revealed a stunningly beautiful face that was extremely charming and possessed an eerie, bewitching style.

Her beauty was different from Isabelle and Hilda; it was like a combination of an angel and a demon.

It made one feel that she was sacred and inviolable, yet also made one want to pin her down and ravage her at will—an extremely contradictory feeling.

Cao Xing took a look at the other party's stats.

[Spirit of the Lake Goddess: Yulia]

[Level: ???]

[Stats: ???]

[Skills: ???]

[Talent: ???]

…

"As expected, another bunch of question marks?"

At this moment, this Lake Goddess raised her emerald-like pupils and looked at Cao Xing.

Then, she opened her dark purple little mouth and spoke slowly.

It felt as if the sound of flowing water rang in everyone's ears.

"This human friend, I am the Lake Goddess, Yulia."

"You have passed one of the Five Virtues of Knighthood trials: Compassion, through your actions and noble character."

"If you can pass the other four trials, I will bestow upon you the Legendary lady of the lake sword – Arondight."

"May I ask, are you willing to accept the trial?"

Cao Xing pondered for a moment after hearing this, but he did not accept immediately.

Because he knew that he was not some upright knight.

If he accepted this trial, he would most likely fail.

Therefore, Cao Xing replied, "To be honest, I am not a knight, but a lord."

"I also don't know what the Five Virtues of Knighthood are."

"But among my subordinates, there is a brave and upright knight."

"I would like to let him accept this trial; would that be possible?"

The Lake Goddess glanced at the people beside Cao Xing, and then her gaze settled on Assam.

The sound like flowing water rang out again.

"According to the rules, it is normally not allowed, but I sense the aura of another Legendary weapon on you…"

"It seems you are also one of the chosen ones…"

"Since that is the case, I grant your request."

A smile appeared at the corner of Cao Xing's mouth.

The other Legendary weapon must be Margdale in his backpack.

He hadn't expected it to have such an effect.

He said directly, "Assam, go ahead."

Hearing Cao Xing's order, Assam was stunned for a moment.

"Lord… can I?"

"My talent is not strong; in the knight order I belonged to back then, I was just an ordinary knight…"

He appeared somewhat unconfident.

After all, when Assam was first summoned by Cao Xing, he was indeed just an ordinary creature.

It was through Cao Xing's step-by-step cultivation that he had his current strength.

But Cao Xing said, "You are the most loyal knight under my command, and I believe you possess the noblest spirit of knighthood."

"Through our time together, you have already proven your bravery to me."

"Go on, complete the remaining four trials."

Hearing this, the hesitation on Assam's face disappeared.

He said firmly, "Understood! Lord!"

"I will defend the glory of knighthood with the sword in my hand and my life!"

At this moment, Assam, holding the King's Blade, walked step by step toward the Lake Goddess.

The Lake Goddess nodded slightly, and then said in a cold, clear voice.

"Now, please, knight, answer my question."

"What are the Five Virtues of Knighthood?"

Assam said solemnly, "Honor, Wisdom, Generosity, Valor, and Compassion!"

Hearing Assam's answer, the Lake Goddess nodded slightly again and continued.

"You have already proven that you possess the quality of compassion; now, I need you to prove to me that you possess the remaining four virtues."

"Knight, please hand over the weapon in your hand that symbolizes honor to me. I will give you a more powerful weapon to help you complete the Honor Trial."

Assam, however, hesitated after hearing this.

A full minute or two passed, and he still did not answer.

If it were anyone else, upon hearing the Lady of the Lake's request, they would likely have handed over their weapon without hesitation.

Even Cao Xing, standing on the sidelines, couldn't help but want to tell Assam to give it to her.

However, this was Assam's trial, and Cao Xing would not interfere.

The Lady of the Lake spoke again, "Knight, what is the matter?"

"If you are unwilling to hand over your honor to me, then the trial is declared a failure."

Hearing this, intense struggle appeared in Assam's eyes.

A moment later, he shook his head firmly, "No, I cannot give you the weapon in my hand."

"This is the weapon bestowed upon me by my Lord; it is the honor I must defend with my life!"

The Lady of the Lake sighed after hearing this, "Is that so? That is a pity. The Knight's Trial must end here…"

A look of dejection flashed in Assam's eyes.

He turned around, just about to apologize to Cao Xing.

But just then, the Lady of the Lake spoke again.

"Knight, you did the right thing."

"Honor cannot be sold, nor can it be gifted, for its value is more precious than all the treasures in the world. Those who truly possess a sense of honor will persist to the end, facing all challenges and temptations, never lying, and never giving up."

"Congratulations, you have passed the Honor Trial."

Hearing this, not only Assam, but even Cao Xing breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, he couldn't help but inwardly complain that this Lady of the Lake's trial was truly bizarre!

The previous two trials were both testing one's character.

If it were Cao Xing, he would likely have failed directly at the Honor Trial.

At this moment, the Lady of the Lake continued, "Next is the Wisdom Trial."

"Knight, please play a game of Gods' War Chess with me. If you can capture any one of my Legendary war pieces, you will be considered to have passed."

In an instant, a chessboard appeared before Assam.

It had a large number of chess pieces on it.

However, these pieces had different shapes.

There were knights holding longswords, dukes clad in armor, kings sitting on thrones, and even deities floating in mid-air.

As well as a large number of ordinary soldiers, giant war generals, Legendary swordsmen, and so on.

With a wide variety of races, it was dazzling to behold.

At this time, Qinong Durant exclaimed in surprise, "It's actually this kind of Gods' War Chess. Lord Cao Xing, your knight is likely in for trouble."

Cao Xing asked suspiciously after hearing this, "Lord Qinong, what do you mean?"

Then, the old man began to explain to Cao Xing.

A full few minutes later, Qinong finished explaining the rules.

And Cao Xing roughly understood the rules of this so-called Gods' War Chess.

This Gods' War Chess was similar to chess.

But the number and names of the pieces were completely different, and the varieties were much more numerous.

In short, it was a war between several deities.

They controlled their troops to deal with the other deities.

The pieces seemed to be able to produce bonus effects called "Formations" due to different arrangements.

This allowed them to unleash more powerful effects or even use higher-ranking major pieces.

Moreover, after the game progressed to a certain stage, a new battlefield would be opened.

That is, to start a new game on a slightly smaller chessboard.

Furthermore, the battlefield environment corresponding to different chessboards would also be different.

This meant that the pieces and tactics used on different chessboards all needed to be changed.

At the same time, the players had to continue playing on the main battlefield.

This was a game that, as it progressed, could easily have infinite variables and chess paths.

So obviously, this was a war chess game that extremely tested one's mental capacity.

Every move required a terrifying amount of calculation.

Assam was only a Tier 3 knight; his mental capacity certainly couldn't compare to this Lady of the Lake, whose level was unknown.

Although the opponent only asked him to capture one Legendary-level piece to pass the trial.

But for everyone, this was an extremely severe challenge.

Cao Xing couldn't help but become nervous.

Including the others, who were also nervously watching the game between Assam and the Lady of the Lake.

They kept placing pieces and moving their war chess pieces.

As the game progressed, every few minutes, a new chessboard would open up on the ice surface before them.

On the new chessboard, they would launch a new round of battle.

…

Time passed slowly.

In the blink of an eye, this game had already lasted for three hours.

The chessboard before them had already expanded to include hundreds of small battlefields.

What kind of concept was this?

It was equivalent to them having to calculate the battles of hundreds of other battlefields while simultaneously managing the combat on the main battlefield.

Every move Assam made now exhausted his brain, and his whole body was trembling violently.

His pupils were gradually dilating, and his attention was becoming increasingly difficult to focus.

But he still gritted his teeth, forcing himself to continue calculating.

The others couldn't help but clench their fists, feeling worried for Assam.

And when Assam, after calculating for over half an hour, finally moved his King war piece one step.

His lips had already been bitten through by himself, and blood was seeping out.

In this icy weather, cold sweat had actually appeared on his forehead.

Qinong, who was nearby, hurried over and said, "Lord Cao Xing, your knight cannot continue any longer."

"The mental capacity required for Gods' War Chess is too terrifying. Even I cannot engage in such a long battle."

"If this continues, he might become a vegetable due to brain tissue damage."

Hearing this, Cao Xing was shocked.

He hurriedly said, "Assam, stop quickly."

"We won't challenge this Knight's Trial anymore; we will come back when we are stronger next time."

At this moment, a line of blood and tears appeared in Assam's pupils.

He turned his head to look at Cao Xing, seemingly still wanting to persist.

But Cao Xing said, "Knight Assam, obey orders!"

Hearing this, Assam shuddered.

He stood up from the ground instantly, then wiped the blood and tears from his face.

Then he looked calmly at the Lady of the Lake and said, "I am sorry, with my ability, I cannot capture any of your Legendary war pieces."

"I cannot fall for the sake of this challenge; I still need to use the longsword in my hand to defend the honor of my Lord!"

After finishing, Assam turned around without hesitation.

Seeing this scene, there was no disappointment in the Lady of the Lake's eyes, but rather a look of appreciation.

"Knight, although you did not defeat me in the Gods' War Chess, you have still proven your wisdom."

Hearing this, Assam slowly turned around, with disbelief in his eyes.

The Lady of the Lake said softly, "Wisdom has no upper limit, just like the Gods' War Chess."

"Therefore, we should cultivate this virtue well throughout our lives."

"The wise know this clearly; on the path of our lives, we should make wise choices, rather than blind persistence."

"Knight, you are considered to have passed the Wisdom Trial."

After the Lady of the Lake finished speaking, everyone on the field was first surprised, and then smiles appeared on their faces.

They were all happy for Assam.

After all, this knight's performance had already gained everyone's recognition.

Braun laughed from the side, "Assam, you are the bravest and strongest knight I have ever seen!"

"For your bravery, tonight when we go back, we will drink until we are drunk!"

Andrew clasped his hands together and said devoutly, "Knight Assam truly possesses noble character."

Including the two newly joined Dragon Blood Warriors, they couldn't help but show looks of appreciation.

Assam touched his head, seemingly a bit embarrassed by everyone's praise.

But Cao Xing was a bit surprised.

He had already decided to find an opportunity later to study this so-called Gods' War Chess properly and come back to challenge this Lady of the Lake trial again.

It turned out that giving up was actually equivalent to passing.

At this moment, the Lady of the Lake spoke again.

"Possessing the three knightly virtues, you have become an outstanding knight."

"To reward your efforts, I have decided to help you improve your potential."

Improve potential?

Hearing this, a look of confusion appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

The Lady of the Lake continued, "Knight, please come to my side."

Assam looked at Cao Xing.

Cao Xing pondered for a moment and nodded.

After receiving his permission, Assam turned around without hesitation and approached the Lady of the Lake.

At a distance of about 10 meters from the Lady of the Lake, Assam stopped.

At the same time, a strand of the goddess's green hair suddenly separated, extending out like a spirit snake.

Then, it emitted a sacred aura, which landed on Assam.

…