Chapter 33: Radiant Shield (III)
Compared to what he could do a year and a half ago, it was safe to say that, now Long Hao Chen had acquired a higher degree of technical proficiency in [Divine Obstruction]. In fact, even though [Divine Obstruction] was a powerful skill, perfect timing was crucial when using it. His use of the skill only lasted for a brief moment, therefore, it was necessary for him to predict accurately the opponent’s move to effectively use it.
By using [Divine Obstruction], Long Hao Chen was able to resist [Ice Ring] hence was not knocked back. Lin Jia Lu never expected such a move, ultimately leading to his victory.
If Lin Jia Lu had decided to use her magic equipment, or if she had been more careful from the beginning, Long Hao Chen could hardly be considered as an opponent, considering that he had been depleted of a lot of internal spiritual energy to fuse with the Spiritual Stove. However, Long Hao Chen’s young age confused her, plus he was using the heavenly countering spell, [Divine Obstruction], so Lin Jia Lu met a tragic end.
Li Xin was shocked at how well Long Hao Chen had used [Divine Obstruction], but what she did not know was that it was the result of his extreme daily training with Long Xing Yu. Thanks to the daily two hours of combat exercises, Long Hao Chen could already use intuitively the [Divine Obstruction], and predict perfectly the opponent’s moves based only on his intuition.
Looking at the blank and troubled Lin Jia Lu, Li Xin broke out of her initial shock and laughed: “What are you calling impossible? You know nothing. If you can’t even beat my Lil’ Bro, don’t even think of challenging me. Come on, you lost, so fulfill your end of the deal.”
“Haha, that felt good.” While speaking, Li Xin grabbed Long Hao Chen and gave him a forceful kiss on the cheek.
Long Hao Chen was stupefied; the next moment, his handsome face suddenly flushed with embarrassment.
Li Xin couldn’t help but smile, “Lil’ Bro, you look so cute when you are embarrassed. Though, you look cooler when you are fighting. Let’s get back to eating.”
With Lin Jia Lu’s retreat, Li Xin was in a good mood. Together with Long Hao Chen, they had a scrumptious meal. They ordered a lot of food, but the portion she ate was unexpectedly a lot bigger than Long Hao Chen’s, even though he was still growing. The two of them unexpectedly almost finished everything on the table by themselves.
“Woah~, I’m so full, Lil’ Bro. If we have dinner together every day from now on, Sis will definitely gain weight.”
Long Hao Chen had already recovered from being so suddenly kissed. The warm feeling when her cold, soft lips touched his cheeks only lasted for a little moment, but this feeling was deeply imprinted in his mind. After his parents left, that was the first time he felt the warmth of having a family. It is so nice to have a Big Sister.
“Big Sister, what exactly happened that caused such friction between you and Sister Lin?” Long Hao Chen curiously asked.
Li Xin grunted and said: “I get pissed off just at mentioning it. Originally, when we were young, we did not talk to each other much, but we were still good friends. About five years ago, we fell in love with the same guy, someone from the Mage Temple. He was not as handsome as you, but he was still good-looking. He was also talented. At that time, Lin Jia Lu and I were still good friends. When I knew that she also liked him, I was ready to give up on him. However, that guy came up to me, saying that Lin Jia Lu used her family’s power to force him to be with her and that for his future advancement, he had to yield. Since then, I have yet to see that guy again.”
“I then went to ask Lin Jia Lu about it, and we had a quarrel. She said that I was a liar, that I was despicable and all other sorts of things. The more we quarreled, the angrier we became; then we came to blows. Since then, our relationship has become like what you just saw. Who is the despicable one now...”
Long Hao Chen said unconfidently: “It might just have been a misunderstanding. Big Sister, I think you should talk it out with Sister Lin one more time.”
Li Xin said: “Misunderstanding? That guy has disappeared. She must have harmed him. Well, let’s not talk about that anymore,remembering these things of the past will only annoy me more. However, this Lin Jia Lu, although annoying, always keeps her word. Haha, we won big time. The Radiant Light Shield will be a very suitable shield for you to use, even after you’ll reach the fifth step as a knight.”
“Are you giving it to me?” Long Hao Chen seemed a bit surprised.
Li Xin said: “Of course it’s for you! Why else would I make a bet with her? I don’t need her things. Didn’t you want to be a Guardian Knight? What kind of Guardian Knight does not have a shield? There aren’t many decent shields you can get from Hao Yue Hall. However, with this Radiant Light Shield, your defense will be improved by a huge margin.”
Long Hao Chen suddenly felt as if his heart was bursting with warmth. He really did not expect that the fact she made him fight and the bet she made against Lin Jia Lu were to get him a decent shield.
Li Xin sighed, playing with her fingers, somewhat embarrassed: “It is all my dad’s fault. He refused to give me more pocket money. Otherwise, I would directly have bought you new equipment. Why would I have to use this method?”
“Big Sister –” Long Hao Chen let out a soft cry.
Li Xin smiled, “What’s wrong? Why have your eyes become red? Ahhh, you are such a sentimental little boy! Come on, let’s go back. You have to start school tomorrow, and Big Sis still has some advice to give you.”
When they arrived at the entrance of the Knight Hall, there was a middle-aged man who was respectfully waiting for them there with a huge bag in his hand.
“Miss Xin’er, my Lady ordered me to bring this to you.” The middle-aged man gave the bag to Li Xin, then turned away.
Looking at the man leaving, Li Xin laughed: “I can’t imagine how regretful Lin Jia Lu must have felt about this. It looks like she does not have much more pocket money than I do.”
After returning to Hao Yue Hall, Li Xin followed Long Hao Chen directly to his room.
“Lil’ Bro! Look! It is the Radiant Shield.” Li Xin spoke while excitingly opening the bag in her hand, then gave the shield to Long Hao Chen.
It was a circular shield about 0.83 meters (two chis, five cuns) in diameter, a medium-sized shield. The whole shield was dark silver colored, making it look somewhat ancient.
At the center of the shield, there was a round gem about the size of an egg of pigeon. The gem gave off a pale gold color. Using the crystal as the center, a sun was engraved on the shield with patterns fanning out all the way to the edge.
It appeared that the shield was not too heavy. There was, however, a pure light aura emitting from it.
“Quickly try it on.” Li Xin handed the Radiant Light Shield to Long Hao Chen.
Long Hao Chen did not decline. When he recognized someone as one of his loved ones, he would never refuse a present from them; at the same time, he would be willing to give his all for them.
Having received the Radiant Shield, Long Hao Chen realized that, behind the shield, there was not just a simple handle; it was something similar to a gauntlet. He slid his left hand in. The gauntlet seemed to be a bit too big, covering his entire arm. His hand reached all the way inside the gauntlet, just enough to grab a metal handle that was inside the gauntlet. As a result, the shield completely covered his arm. One could say it fit him in general. The shield, and especially that faint light aura that it released, gave a very comfortable feeling to Long Hao Chen.
Li Xin came forward to adjust the gauntlet on his arm. Inside the gauntlet, there were a series of buttons to adjust its size so that it would fit Long Hao Chen’s arm better. After adjusting, it seemed as if Long Hao Chen and his shield were a unified entity when Long Hao Chen waved his arm again.
The Radiant Shield was not that heavy. After gently waving his arm and feeling its weightless nature, Long Hao Chen immediately fell in love with it.
Li Xin said: “The Radiant Shield, by itself, can defend against direct attacks of opponents with a spiritual energy level lower than 300. After pouring inside your internal spiritual energy, it will be enhanced. The light aura coming from the shield can protect you against negative effects from most magic spells, for example, the freezing effect of Lin Jia Lu’s ice magic. It is also very powerful when combined with some of a Guardian Knight’s skills. Look at this gem, it is a Harmony Crystal. With such a crystal, as long as the shield does not take too much damage, it should be able to repair itself. This shield might not be the strongest shield under the fifth rank, but it is definitely the most practical magic shield.”