Lin Mo spoke earnestly.
"Noelle~ it was just a dream. You must've mistaken me for someone else."
"How could that be… I don't believe it was just a dream…"
Noelle denied it anxiously at once.
Those pure, wide eyes of hers were already welling up with tears.
Because just yesterday, the moment she woke up, she had rushed straight to the Knights of Favonius training yard. She wanted to see whether the combat techniques she'd learned in the dream were real—whether they truly worked.
But after testing just one swing, she didn't dare try again.
With a single strike, she had effortlessly smashed down an entire stone wall.
Luckily, Stormterror had been wreaking havoc above Mondstadt at the time, so no one noticed the collapsed corner of the city wall.
But Noelle was absolutely certain.
If she were to fully unleash everything she had learned in the dream…
If she could ride the wind and take to the skies…
Then even the Stormterror rampaging through the heavens might not be her match.
Because the techniques Lin Mo had taught her were simply too terrifying.
Thinking of the overwhelming power now in her grasp, Noelle couldn't help but recall the moment she first met her mentor in life.
…
One evening, after finishing her duties with the Knights of Favonius, Noelle came to Cider Lake as usual for a walk.
She basked in the warm glow of the sunset, enjoying the gentle breeze by the water.
And then—
"Miss, I can tell at a glance—you've got extraordinary bones. You're a once-in-a-generation combat prodigy!"
The sudden exclamation caught Noelle's attention.
She quickly turned around in curiosity, wondering who this so-called "combat prodigy" could be.
But the moment she looked back, she froze.
Within dozens of meters, there was only one person—a tall, handsome young man smiling in her direction.
Flustered, Noelle nervously looked left and right again. After confirming that there really was no one else nearby, she offered him a polite smile.
"Um, sir, are you looking for someone? Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Yes," Lin Mo replied without hesitation. "I'm looking for a once-in-a-generation combat prodigy."
As he spoke, he immediately pointed at Noelle's panicked face.
"And that person—is you!"
"Ah? P-Please don't make fun of me…"
Noelle hurriedly denied it, clearly nervous.
"I'm just a trainee knight… I'm not some kind of combat prodigy…"
She had always believed she lacked talent in battle.
She even thought she might be the weakest Vision holder of all.
Otherwise, why would she have failed the Knights of Favonius exams again and again, never becoming a full-fledged knight?
This stranger was calling her a combat prodigy—how could she dare accept that?
But Lin Mo didn't mind at all.
He stepped forward with a smile, placed a hand on her shoulder, and said solemnly,
"You're exactly who I'm looking for. You may be weak right now, but that's not because you lack talent—it's because you've been training the wrong way."
"And I am the greatest swordmaster in all of Teyvat—Lin Mo."
"I can't bear to see your talent wasted."
"If you want to become stronger, you can take me as your master."
…
"I—I'm sorry… I still have work to finish…"
Noelle spoke timidly, immediately turning as if to flee back toward Mondstadt, eager to get away from this strange man.
But just as she was about to leave—
"WA~!"
"YHA~!!"
Cries rang out behind her.
Startled, she spun around.
A group of hilichurls had appeared out of nowhere—and there were a lot of them!
Two wooden-shield hilichurls, one with a flaming axe, and eight charging hilichurls wielding burning clubs.
In Noelle's eyes, this was a terrifying formation—far beyond what an ordinary Knight of Favonius could handle.
At the very least, it would take the strength of multiple squad captains… or even Acting Grand Master Jean herself to defeat them.
"Sir! It's dangerous! Run—quick, come with me!"
Noelle reached out at once, trying to grab Lin Mo's hand.
Though timid by nature, as a trainee knight of the Knights of Favonius, she could never stand by and watch a civilian fall into danger.
But her hand grasped at nothing.
Lin Mo's figure had already flashed five meters away.
At some point, he had picked up a battered wooden plank, and now he was charging straight toward the hilichurl horde.
"Sir! Come back! It's too dangerous over there!!"
Noelle shouted anxiously.
But in the very next moment, her eyes widened in shock.
"AHA~!"
"WA~!"
Screams erupted one after another.
With nothing but that old, broken plank, Lin Mo smashed straight through the hilichurl group, scattering them in all directions.
As she watched him swing the plank with smooth, flowing movements, Noelle recognized it at once—
This was the Favonius sword style!
No—
It was far beyond the Favonius sword style!
Even Eula, the Spindrift Knight—the strongest greatsword user Noelle had ever seen—was nowhere near this man's level of mastery.
Under Noelle's stunned gaze, Lin Mo finished his display.
The entire hilichurl group lay dead, all felled by that battered plank.
"Could it be… this gentleman really is the greatest swordmaster in Teyvat?"
"And he said… I'm a once-in-a-generation combat prodigy… could that really be true?"
Noelle felt her heart start to race.
Because her dream had always been to become a knight others could rely on—someone strong enough to stand on her own.
At that moment, Lin Mo smiled and asked,
"Well? You saw what I just did, didn't you?"
"Are you interested in becoming my disciple and learning swordsmanship from me?"
"So that one day, you can become a knight who stands on her own, safeguarding the peace of Teyvat."
--------
T/N:
You'll also get 5 extra chapters just for being a free member!
Access 40 chapters in advance on my Patreon : [email protected]/furinaimpact