"You're the one who caused the Lanloste Clan's disgrace, aren't you?" The soul possessing Lanloste's body, its stiff form just reviving, questioned Pei Yan word by word. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Pei Yan shrugged helplessly, waving the long knife in his hand, "Hmm, everything's my fault! But it's not wrong to pin this on me. What, smacking the child and now the ancestor's out for revenge? Hey, are you the most powerful ancestor of theirs? I don't want this to be like stirring up a wasp's nest, taking down one and then another keeps coming!"

"Hehehe, it's been a long time since I've come out to fight. Do all the young people now have such big mouths? Seeing as you're only at the rank of Holy Knight, you still dare to spout such wild words here?" interjected another knight standing next to Lanloste.

"Don't be careless! Exeter, can't you feel the vast and peculiar power within him? Boss was completely wiped out by them because he was careless." Another summoned knight warned cautiously as he eyed Pei Yan, whose expression was concealed beneath a mechanical mask.

"Lanmalok, don't compare me to Boss! That poor guy was a reckless fool to begin with. Humph! Besides, if he weren't summoned in an incomplete form as an energy body, how could he have been killed by someone like this?" scoffed the knight addressed as Exeter, turning disdainfully to Lanloste, "In the end, it's the foolishness of the Lanloste Clan. Your descendants have indeed inherited your arrogant yet cowardly essence."

"Are you here to fight or to continue our unfinished grievances from our past lives? Look at the current situation, you fool!" Lanloste bellowed angrily.

Hearing this, Exeter seemed to understand the gravity of the situation and, without further argument, grunted in response. Pei Yan, watching this play out, couldn't contain his laughter, "Keep going. Watching you bicker before the battle even starts is entertaining. What, done arguing? Can we start fighting now? Then take it seriously and show me how you've changed from before!"

"Pei Yan, you'll regret your arrogance!"

"Oh, please. I've heard that so many times my ears have calluses." In response to Moira's yelling, Pei Yan impatiently retorted as he charged forward, stomping the ground.

Seeing this, Moira quickly retreated, while the three knights swiftly positioned themselves as a barrier before her. In this scenario, Pei Yan suddenly changed direction mid-charge, transforming into a bolt of lightning and vanishing from sight.

"So fast!" exclaimed the three Round Table Knights in unison. In the next moment, Lanloste had also disappeared from where he stood, and a metallic explosion resounded from behind.

"Oh! Impressive; you can catch up to my speed." Pei Yan remarked approvingly as Lanloste, having quickly arrived, intercepted his long knife with his longsword. Once again, Pei Yan's figure vanished.

"Spatial Teleportation?" Lanloste's eyes widened in surprise. Being able to teleport while moving at such high speeds — are the young people today really so terrifying?

Boom! Another collision sounded as Lanmalok intercepted Pei Yan's attack. He, also using Spatial Teleportation, arrived just in time to block Pei Yan's sword stroke.

Not lingering in battle, Pei Yan leapt from the fray, nodding at the three knights firmly protecting Moira, "Not bad, indeed there's some difference from before, but this level of power is not enough to threaten me."

Moira, guarded by the knights, peered through the gaps in their formation at Pei Yan with uncertain eyes. She knew better than anyone the true strength of the Round Table Knights — the current state of these three was not at their peak resurrection state. To fully resurrect a Round Table Knight, one needed to perform a sacred ritual wherein a powerful, virtuous Holy Knight would sacrifice their soul on the spot, merging it with the soul of a legendary Round Table Knight to achieve a true resurrection in both body and soul.

However, this was a competition setting. If she were to bring live sacrifices onto the stage, it would violate the rules and result in an expulsion. Hence, they had no choice but to use the bodies of recently deceased strong individuals for possession. Although this adhered to the competition regulations, it resulted in power significantly lower than a fully resurrected knight's, though still far stronger than a pure energy body, retaining about 80% of a Round Table Knight's original power.

Moira believed in the Round Table Knights' power, but seeing Pei Yan's nonchalant demeanor, she was unsure how long the three knights could hold out. Unlike Flamel, Moira, despite being provoked by Pei Yan, was more cautious due to her secrets and past tragic experiences, harboring a fear of death. When it came down to it, she wouldn't fight Pei Yan to the death out of pride, accepting the blame where prudent retreat was wiser.

But this plan relied on the right timing. If she withdrew without a fight as Pei Yan suggested, not only would her pride not allow it, but neither would her teacher, who intended to introduce her to the ranks of the Child of Origin, forgive her after the competition.

What a dilemma! How did Pei Yan, that maniac, end up targeting her of all people? As Moira worriedly regarded Pei Yan, she had a creeping sensation he perhaps saw through her secrets, sending a chill up her spine.

While she contemplated her future, the Round Table Knights before her were not idle. Being looked down upon by a junior filled them with humiliation, especially under the circumstances of a three-on-one situation. Their efforts only earning a "not bad" was something they couldn't stomach!

"Prepare to die!" roared Exeter, still fulfilling his duty in his rage, without leaving his position in the guard, fiercely swinging his longsword. With a massive gathering of Source Energy, a fire dragon erupted from its tip, roaring its way toward Pei Yan.

"Sword Qi? An attack infused with magic? How inelegant!" Facing the incoming fire dragon, Pei Yan didn't evade, but instead raised his hand, launching a compressed Source Energy Cannon from his palm!

Through the ongoing battles over the two-month span, Pei Yan integrated and trained his abilities, particularly experimenting with compressing and reshaping Source Energy using his air-based powers. He could now confidently claim superiority, barring the essence of origin itself, in the change and speed of Source Energy manipulation.

The compressed Source Energy Cannon was one of his specialized training results. It met his expectations, and upon contact with the fierce fire dragon, easily burrowed into its body. Following a massive explosion, the grand fire dragon shattered into fragments in the blink of an eye.