Before Westheid arrived, the two armies had already begun coordinating and assessing one another—it just wasn’t a very friendly affair.
On the training grounds beside the forest, the Yonglan Knights were rcilessly mocking the Royal Court’s Stringed Swordsn:
"You’re all pathetic. Weak forehands, sloppy backhands. And you think you’re worthy of competing with us?"
"This is hilarious. What’s the matter? Can’t you fight without singing and forming up? You expect us to go easy on you? Do you think the battlefield is a playground?!"
"If you really can’t hack it, you could always be our cheerleaders. We wouldn’t mind."
"..."
The Stringed Swordsn, faces flushed with anger from the taunts, muttered retorts like, "Barbarians," "You don’t even understand what a lody ensemble is," and, "Just wait until we harmonize. Then you’ll regret it."
But all the Elves’ excuses fell flat. The truth was they were indeed more easily disrupted, and they had been thoroughly trounced in the recent sparring matches. Supremacy of strength is the iron law of the Mortal World. If you’re weak, train harder. If you can’t handle losing, don’t play.
"That’s enough. phit, go stop them. It’s one thing to act like this on our own territory, but why are they still grinding them into the dust here at the Royal Court? Tell them to stop saying things that undermine our unity."
Westheid instructed the blue-haired girl to diate the dispute. Fortunately, after such a long campaign, the Yonglan Knights had co to wholeheartedly respect their new Knight King. The mont his order was relayed, they imdiately ceased their mockery of the Stringed Swordsn and returned to their positions.
"Duke Qinghui, this..."
Amithren glanced at her dejected troops, at a loss for words.
"There’s nothing to be done about the Yonglan Knights. Once they get swept up in a fight, they beco uncontrollable. The only solution is to keep the two forces as separate as possible, and wait until the battlefield is wide enough for them to operate without getting in each other’s way."
After a mont of consideration, Westheid abandoned the idea of forcing the Yonglan Knights to cooperate with the Stringed Swordsn.
Perfect self-sustain, a self-contained damage rotation, and top-tier adaptability—that was the Yonglan Knight. But such a harmonious and overpowered kit also ant a Yonglan Knight could barely coordinate with any other profession. They couldn’t even coordinate with each other.
A one-man army. That had been the defining role of the Yonglan Knight from the very beginning.
"Alright, folks, let’s take a look at the Qinghui Guard over there!"
Westheid turned to the Elf Sister. "Miss Amithren, do you think the Qinghui Guard could coordinate with your people?"
"In that case, please allow to explain the path and characteristics of the Stringed Swordsn."
Amithren nodded. She gathered her swordsn to demonstrate the abilities that were the pride of the Royal Court Warriors for Westheid.
While they certainly weren’t as powerful or versatile as the Yonglan Knights, the Stringed Swordsn were by no ans weak. Theirs was a classic, execution-heavy Extraordinary Profession. The principle was the sa as for any who walked the Path of Resonance: mobilize the lodies of the Land of Rhythm for one’s own use.
However, unlike the high-and-mighty Tuners, who could barely walk without the Thousand Laws Ceremony, the lodies used by the Stringed Swordsn originated from their own attunent with the realm. Thus, they were not affected by the status of the Thousand Laws Ceremony.
On the battlefield, a well-coordinated team of Stringed Swordsn could use their swords as strings, weaving a dazzling array of Techniques through an exquisite ensemble performance.
Magical bombardnts, Healing Shields, Control Delays, Beneficial Blessings, and even Combat Skill Synergy.
They could do anything and everything. A String Sound Knight Order working in perfect concert had no blind spots; they were practically omnipotent.
’So they say,’ Westheid thought. ’But to , it just seems like a flashy, impractical profession.’
’It’s so similar to the River of Qinghui.’
The thought arose in Duke Qinghui’s mind as he listened to the Silver-haired Elf Knight’s explanation and observed the strict discipline of the String Sound Knight Order.
And the platinum-blonde girl beside him was even more blunt:
"Isn’t that just our Purity People’s River of Qinghui? You should rember to cite your sources next ti."
Amithren was taken aback. "What? The Combat Techniques of the Purity People are like this as well?"
"Don’t mind her," Westheid said with a wave of his hand. "Think of it as a happy coincidence. Besides, the underlying principles are probably very different. It’s only the outward form that’s similar."
Duke Qinghui stepped forward, extending a hand to gather a gentle, pure light, which he casually began to shape.
Westheid normally never used ancestral arts like Glowing Radiance; they were nothing compared to the various Talent Authorities he employed daily.
But he did possess Bright Radiance Manifested in the World, an important Talent for building his path, so he still had a grasp on the way of Glowing Radiance. After copying Yolanda’s Specialty, in fact, he was now number one in the world in that regard.
"Veteran Guards with five years of service, step forward!"
At Westheid’s command, the loyal and elite Purity People stepped forward imdiately. Imitating their Monarch’s movents, they extended shaped forms of Glowing Radiance from their hands.
A series of demonstrations followed. The River of Qinghui was a required lesson for every Guard, so following Westheid’s lead wasn’t difficult.
Amithren’s beautiful eyes lit up at the sight:
"So this is the Glowing Radiance of the Purity People? It truly does resemble the notes of an ensemble."
"Well? Do you think we can coordinate sothing?"
"...I’m not sure, but we can try. If Duke Qinghui’s legion can join our ensemble, perhaps we can fill the gap in our formation left by the absence of a Tuner."
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