The Paladin in the Abyss

The plan sounded too crazy at first, and every Dwarf shook their heads when it was first proposed, but when everyone tried to point out the absurdity of it, they realized that the plan was highly feasible.

At least the first step of the plan, to investigate the current strength of the Lords of Withering, wasn't particularly difficult. If the final conclusion was that Lancelot was indeed capable of defeating a Lord of Withering, then...

Nobody indulged in that possibility because they knew too little at the moment, whether it was about the title of Lord of Withering or the city itself. But tomorrow's course of action had been decided, which was to go out into the streets to gather all information related to the Lords of Withering.

Despite it being a plan full of uncertainties, it was still better than being completely clueless, and it calmed everyone's nerves, which had been somewhat anxious. Bruto, Kalalin, and Koula were soon overtaken by drowsiness—each had a bed to himself—while the others rested in their own ways.

Except for Elothysia and Little Isha, one didn't need to sleep to regain her strength, and the other didn't sleep at night. It was only natural for them to take up the night watch for everyone.

The two beautiful women were now squeezed onto a sofa, planning to chat until dawn, just as they had during their previous nights camping in the wild. Over the past ten or so days of travel, their friendship had warmed up rapidly after a few such nights, and Elothysia found herself quite fond of this naïve and kind-hearted vampire girl, partly because she saw a reflection of herself in her.

Lancelot, meanwhile, sat cross-legged in a quiet little room by himself, engaged in his daily meditation and Qi cultivation. Everyone had become accustomed to the Human Knight's unique 'resting' method, finding nothing odd about it anymore.

In the three weeks they traveled from Twin Bridges Town to this place, they hadn't encountered any battles of significant intensity, and Lancelot's True Qi had fully recovered. He felt that he was just one breath away from reaching the Great Perfection of the Qi Cultivation Stage, which was the best state to be in to attempt the Foundation Establishment Stage—his True Qi would not increase by even the slightest bit further than that.

But so far, every time he completed a Heavenly Cycle, his True Qi still increased by about one ten-thousandth, a very small ratio, but one that didn't escape his keen Spirit Perception. Perhaps after the next Heavenly Cycle, he would find that the moment for Foundation Establishment had arrived, but until then, the Human Knight must steady his heart and repeat this process over and over.

After completing eighty-one Heavenly Cycles, Lancelot stopped and entered a state of meditation. It wasn't physical fatigue that burdened him, but the mental exhaustion from using his spiritual power. According to the bamboo slip, the body, Spiritual Power, and Divine Sense are the three primary qualities of a Spiritual Cultivator, but there was no Dharma Method for cultivating Divine Sense during the Qi Refinement Realm.

Nevertheless, Lancelot felt that his Divine Sense did experience a slight increase after exhausting it through cultivation and then fully resting with meditation. The evidence was straightforward—the number of Heavenly Cycles he could withstand during each cultivation session was increasing.

Meditation was a peculiar state. His consciousness was very clear, aware of the smallest movement around him; if he wished, the whisper-like conversation of Little Isha and Elothysia outside could be as clear as thunder. But he also felt as though he were asleep, barely perceiving the passage of time, with hours of meditation feeling like just a few minutes.
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That is, as long as nothing disturbed him.

The sun's rays couldn't penetrate so deeply into the Great Abyss, but for some unknown reason, the luminescent fungi would synchronise with the sunrise and sunset on the surface, undergoing changes in brightness and darkness. Around four o'clock in the morning, at the dimmest moment of the fungi's light, Lancelot became aware of a large group of presences silently approaching.

The Human Knight had many reasons to believe it wasn't an attack directed at them—for instance, the strict laws of the city, the prestige of 'The Immortal' Pakos, the deterrent of the inn's guards, and the low-key manner in which they entered the city. However, as those shadows started climbing the inn's rooftop, Lancelot knew he had to act.

He immediately performed the spell for a Soundproof Barrier; his movements were not the slightest bit stiff despite having sat for an extended period. Once he confirmed that not a sound from the entire suite could leak out, he leaped up and rushed to the living room.

"What's happening?" Elothysia and Little Isha looked perplexed at the Human Knight who had just run out, his hand clutching the cold, gleaming hand half sword Frostslash.

"We're under attack," Lancelot explained tersely, "Go wake everyone up and get ready for battle."

The two beautiful women, one tall and one short, immediately sprang into action. Having already proven the superiority of his perception ability over magic during their outdoor travels, they executed the Human Knight's commands without hesitation despite their confused expressions.

Although the suite was luxurious and comfortable, it didn't have time to make everyone who had just spent three weeks in the wilderness let down their guard. Everyone got up immediately, and almost instinctively grabbed their weapons the moment they opened their eyes.

"What's going on? What's going on?"

Bruto was armed and ready in an instant, slipping into that Dwarf Heavy Armor as easily as a cat jumps into boots.

The other who needed to don armor for battle was not so lucky. Alamir struggled to get into his intricate yet heavy Full Body Armor, with Lord of Withering, Cromwell, assisting him and holding the Elves' gauntlets in his mouth.

"We've got a lot of visitors, the kind that don't plan to come through the door," Lancelot glanced at Bruto, "This living room is going to get very crowded soon, you go and stay with the Scholar, and make sure you protect him."

The Dwarf nodded and turned to run back.

Alamir finally got his armor on, which calmed the Priest down. He went over to the Halfling Koula, determined to protect his small companion in the upcoming battle.

Elothysia and Little Isha also got ready back to back, with no one standing too far apart, maintaining a distance that allowed for mutual support.

Apart from Lancelot, the Human Knight stood alone in the middle of the spacious living room. The group was experienced by now; when his Frostslash started to swing, it was best to stand more than fifteen feet away, or you would definitely be splattered with blood.

"That wall is the bathroom," Kalalin tapped on Bruto's shoulder, "Watch out for it later."

Although the room's preparations were noisy, not a sound leaked out thanks to the Soundproof Barrier, with the attackers patiently waiting for their accomplices to arrive one by one.

They were in vain with their impatience, for that roof made of solid rock wasn't something that could be destroyed with brute force.