Chapter 511: Sword Saint Past Tense

Had the Earl slipped up? Not really.

Without a word, father and son silently agreed to act as if the Earl had slipped up. Liszt didn’t claim victory, and the Earl didn’t have to admit defeat.

They each found their horses and walked them slowly.

The Earl slowly got a grip on his feelings. Accepting reality was another story. The one who defeated him was none other than his son, which meant he couldn’t stay upset forever. Every dad dreams his kid will outdo him.

Liszt had pulled it off.

He had no cause to feel down.

But snapping back to happiness wasn’t easy; he was used to being Coral Island’s top dog. Only the Duke, who might tame a dragon, could make Lee William think twice. Against others, even a peak Sword Saint, he’d just bolt if outmatched.

Yet, against Liszt, he stood his ground.

"Your progress is beyond my judgment... I’m 46, in my prime; you’re just 18, birthday still to come... I remember you once said your goal was to ride a dragon. Every kid dreams of dragon-riding; it’s a pipe dream most ditch by middle age. As for you..."

The Earl eyed the dashing Liszt, words on his lips but left unsaid.

He saw dragon-riding potential in Liszt, but every top-tier Sky Knight has that. The real question is, where do you find the right dragon?

So, no point in saying more.

He ducked his head, peeking up to check the singed lock of hair. It was hard to see, and with no mirror, he had to feel it out. It didn’t feel great, especially near the hairline, where it seemed a bit thin.

This instantly soured his mood, and his voice turned sharp: "Liszt, know what middle-aged guys dread most?"

"What?" Liszt absentmindedly replied.

"The hairline!" the Earl snapped. "Even the Duke, with all his tonics, can’t stop his hairline from retreating! As your dad, I’m no looker; my hairline’s my only pride!"

Liszt was dumbfounded: "What?"

"But you damaged it."

"Dad, your hairline’s not exactly untouchable. My mana flame just singed a strand; it didn’t mess with the hairline."

"Is that so."

"Yes."

"Alright, I forgive you." The Earl sighed in relief, then asked, "I’m curious, both of us have advanced mana, why couldn’t my Sword Saint-level advanced mana block your ordinary-level advanced mana, and even seemed to collapse upon contact?"

"Maybe I’m just born lucky." Liszt focused slightly, answering somewhat helplessly.

He hadn’t anticipated the battle would be so one-sided. The suppression effect of Dragon Aura on ordinary mana was terrifying. Otherwise, he would have held back a bit to reduce the risk of exposure. He wasn’t ready to reveal the secret of the Fire Drake to his family.

When it comes to riding a dragon, one can never be too cautious.

If exposed, it’s easy to imagine the Duke would not let him go and would do everything to seize the Fire Drake—especially the allure of a young dragon, which cannot be overestimated. After all, young dragons are the easiest to bond with, making a Dragon Knight.

Dragon Knights, the pinnacle of power in the world.

Who wouldn’t be obsessed!

Fortunately, his opponent in the sword fight was the Earl, his father. Even with some secrets, he could easily brush it off: "My mana has a special nature, highly corrosive, and my fighting style is aggressive. Once I seize the initiative, it’s an endless wave of attacks."

This reason was a bit lame.

But the Earl didn’t press further, partly because he was not in a good mood, and partly because he was unwilling to dig too deep into his son’s business. Especially since Liszt’s strength could now overpower him, in a world where might makes right, even if Liszt was his son, he still had to show a lot of respect.

"You’re not at the sword saint level yet, are you?"

"Not yet."

"When can you advance?"

Liszt pondered: "Hard to say, but I’ll aim for within a year."

Hearing this, the Earl paused, then hopped on his horse, saying "I’m proud of you" before he galloped off to Tulip Castle.

The Earl galloped away.

Liszt, however, rode Loki, slowly making his way along the quiet path. His gaze was fixed on the void ahead, where clusters of serpentine smoke, invisible to others, lingered. After defeating the Earl, he had called up the smoke task, wanting to know who his old friend was.

"Complete the task, and the reward is the lingering of the invisible dragon."

"The invisible dragon, it’s actually the invisible dragon?" Seeing the invisible dragon, he was shocked and delighted. The invisible dragon was a bringer of treasures, and that spatial gem had helped him greatly. But he was puzzled, "Why is the invisible dragon my old friend? When did we become friends?"

When the invisible dragon visited Flower Town, it ate two cows and roared off.

Liszt hid in the tunnel the whole time, too scared to show himself.

"That’s hardly what I’d call friendship." But after some thought, he remembered why the smoke task called the invisible dragon his old friend—it was because of the knight novel "The Travels of the Earth Ranger Griff," which was the first source of info about the invisible dragon.

In the book, Griff used smokegrass and beef to lure the invisible dragon, and claimed that the spatial gem was a testament to the telepathic friendship between him and the invisible dragon.

Understanding the meaning of "old friend," Liszt carefully looked at the serpentine smoke script before him.

"Task: The invisible dragon is lingering outside the territory, it can’t remember the exact location where it once bathed in the intoxicating fragrance that dragons love and ate delicious beef. Perhaps when you light the smokegrass, it will descend again. Reward: The gift of the invisible dragon."

"It actually forgot the coordinates of Flower Town, this is a huge opportunity. I can carefully arrange things to maximize the gains. I believe this 'gift of the invisible dragon' will be even richer than the last time."

The last gift from the invisible dragon, besides that spatial gem, included four dragon milk cows and several other affected cows.

This time, Liszt planned to carefully strategize to maximize the benefits brought by the invisible dragon. He had witnessed the grandeur of dragons and understood that he could not keep the invisible dragon for now, so he could only try to gain as much as possible.

"According to my previous notes on dragons, a dragon infects other species when it is excited, and it can only release its bloodline then. Probably producing gems also requires excitement... When the invisible dragon visits again, I need to make it feel 'at home,' thoroughly excited!"

The more excited the invisible dragon is, the more spatial gems it will leave behind, and the stronger the bloodline infection it will release.

Licking his lips, Liszt’s eyes sparkled: "Best to squeeze it dry until its legs go weak!"