The King’s Tour was the required process for selecting the Knight King.

All Realms of Order revolved around their Divine Ancestors, and the rulers chosen by them were the undisputed core of these realms.

For example, the Imperial Royal Family, the royal family of the Royal Court, and the Kings of the Celestial Vault Kingdom were all endorsed by their Divine Ancestors.

However, the Country of Yonglan was an exception. The Yonglan Riding God had made no provisions for his followers, nor had he left behind any bloodline. From its very inception, the Land of Knights was decentralized.

But even the most loosely organized country needed a leader. In its fledgling days, the Country of Yonglan did not possess the vast resources it has today; it still needed a king to consolidate its resources and contend with the Monsters and Strange Beasts and Chaos Demons from all sides.

Since the Divine Ancestor did not appoint a leader, mortals could only choose a king for themselves. The first Knight King set out from his own territory and toured the entire nation. Through threats and promises, he either persuaded or defeated the others, and was acclaimed as the Knight Monarch.

Even the hands-off Divine Ancestor uncharacteristically acknowledged and blessed this Knight King, and so the tradition was preserved. Though the Country of Yonglan no longer relies on a Knight King to function—and indeed, has no Knight King most of the time—this does not mean the Knight Lords are opposed to having one.

It was simply that it had become nearly impossible to complete such a Great Enterprise and win the approval of all the Knight Lords. It was just far, far too difficult. The Country of Yonglan had few Lords in the beginning, but now it was a vast and magnificent nation. There were very, very few who could become a king truly acknowledged by all.

In the beginning, there were several Knight Kings, but for the past hundred years, the position has remained vacant.

The one with the best chance had been the now-deceased Star Lake Sword. She had won the approval of most Knight Lords and was all but considered the designated Knight King.

However, she had gambled her future on Dusk Lamp Territory.

"Hahahaha! So that’s it! Is that what you’ve been planning all along?"

Mephit was the first to react. The strikingly beautiful, blue-haired Knight burst into wild laughter.

"Not to make this Beastman king, but for you to be king yourself? Ah... I suppose that makes sense. How could a rabid Beastman possibly shoulder such a responsibility?"

"But there’s one more thing. While the Knight King doesn’t necessarily have to bear the Yonglan Blood, they must walk the Knight Path. Otherwise, the title would be a sham."

"Duke Qinghui, are you a Knight?"

Mephit voiced the question on every Knight’s mind. They all respected and admired strength, but not just anyone would suffice. The candidate had to at least be a Knight, didn’t they?

"I believe I can be."

As Westheid spoke, he drew Shadow-Born and, without warning, swung the blade to one side.

"RUMBLE—"

An extreme radiance, like a torrent of innumerable gold, true silver, and gems, washed over the snow. The purest form of energy scoured the surface of the land and stretched to the horizon.

The torrent did not last long, nor did it seem particularly vast or spectacular, a far cry from the previous strike that had seemed to split heaven and earth. Westheid was only giving them a taste, unleashing the power for a few seconds before stopping.

However, the shock it delivered to the onlookers was no less potent than his previous, ultimate attack.

"Annihilation Light Punishment..."

The signature Combat Technique of the Yonglan Knights. Only a profound Transcendent walking the Yonglan Knight Path could master it. The modified Knight Paths of other nations could never produce this technique.

Westheid smiled faintly and said:

"Though I am an Imperial Citizen, I have never walked the path of the Holy Tree System. On the contrary, I have always favored the Knight Path and have studied it diligently to this day."

This was a lie. Although Westheid used all sorts of powers, he had actually been walking his own Qinghui Path all along. Only by following a path one could completely master could one ascend to the Divine Domain. Following a path created by another Celestial God would make Ascension impossible, no matter what.

In any case, the Qinghui Path was a blank slate. All of his real ’hacks’ were acquired for free through Heart and Soul’s Gift.

Annihilation Light Punishment was no exception; he had acquired it from Mivana not long ago through sharing.

Annihilation Light Punishment was less a Combat Technique and more of an instinct that manifested after reaching a certain stage on the Knight Path, which could naturally be shared via Heart and Soul’s Gift.

Realization dawned on the Yonglan Knights.

’So Duke Qinghui was a Yonglan Knight all along! He even knows Annihilation Light Punishment!’

’Yes, yes, that makes perfect sense! Among all the paths in the Mortal World, only Yonglan Knights have such absurd stats. Some Knights are just that damn talented! It wasn’t that our Path of the Knight was crushed—it’s that he’s walking far ahead of us on that very same path!’

The Yonglan Knights instantly felt much better. The humiliation of being trounced by a Foreigner vanished like smoke, and their gazes toward Westheid grew much friendlier.

’He’s one of us!’

"Hmm... If that’s the case, he barely meets the requirements. But whether he can gain widespread recognition, that’s another question," Uther said with a hesitant frown.

’The King’s Tour has never had a participant from a foreign land before. And now that the Divine Ancestor has isolated the Mortal World, there’s no way to seek authentication... Even in the past, it probably would have been impossible; the Divine Ancestor simply doesn’t care about these things.’

However, from what Westheid understood of the Yonglan Riding God, that particular Celestial God wasn’t concerned with one’s origins. As long as there was no siphoning of resources, He was supportive.

"Don’t worry. I will take the initiative to earn everyone’s approval."