"Your current skill level is perfectly suited for actual combat. Combined with fire attacks, if you were to return to Westeros now, you would be more than capable of winning every tournament."
"Perhaps I should hold a magic tournament similar to a martial arts tournament in the future. Now that magic has returned, the world should truly recognize it."
"A very interesting idea. Perhaps in the future you could establish a magic school. Collect all kinds of magic in the world, organize them systematically, and pass them on to the next generation. You know, power is never inherently evil; the difference lies in the person who uses it."
“I will take this suggestion to heart. Once I have unified this continent, I will begin preparations for this. At that time, knights and wizards will serve me. I will restore the glory of the Targaryens.”
"Let me correct you. As far as I know, the Targaryens never truly unified the Seven Kingdoms in their lifetime (they didn't subdue Dorne; note a detail in the show: the leaders of the Seven Kingdoms all held the title of Duke. The Duke of Winterfell, the Duke of Harrenhal, and the Duke of Casterly Rock. But Dorne's leader, Dalaran, was a Prince)."
In fact, even the Valyrian Freehold never truly unified the continent. If you can do it, you will establish a new dynasty. Then, the Targaryen name will be honored because of you.”
.............
After finishing his morning training, Lu Xuan returned to his workshop. There, two blacksmiths from Kohor had completed Lu Xuan's first piece of equipment: an extended, heavy-duty Miao sword.
The traditional Miao sword has a long, slender blade. It combines the characteristics of both a sword and a spear, and can be used with one or two hands. However, Lu Xuan thickened and weighted his Miao sword. Although Valyrian steel is said to be indestructible, Lu Xuan didn't just use it for cutting people. Therefore, he had made preparations in advance.
The entire sword was 1.6 meters long. This style of Miao sword actually only appeared in later generations, and even in the modern martial arts world. For the average person, this sword was undoubtedly too long. However, Lu Xuan was 1.9 meters tall, and with his amazing physical strength and arm power, using such a long weapon made it easier for him to unleash his full power.
In this world, the most famous blade is undoubtedly the Dothraki scimitar. Its powerful curve allows it to be used to slash through an enemy's body, aided by the charge of a warhorse. Aside from this, most martial arts factions emphasize the sword as their primary weapon.
From the one-handed and two-handed swords of Westeros to the rapiers used by the water dancers of Essos, it's clear that the sword is the dominant weapon.
Lu Xuan didn't actually have a particular preference for swords or sabers. It's just that he started by learning the saber. For beginners, the saber is easier to use and more lethal in melee combat. In comparison, the sword is less difficult to learn and master, and its lethality in melee is also lacking. The sword should have an advantage in one-on-one combat because it's double-edged, so you don't need to back-and-forth wield it like a saber, theoretically allowing for a faster strike.
Upon arriving in this world, Lu Xuan had studied its swordsmanship. Unfortunately, what was called swordsmanship was actually a comprehensive form of melee combat. Its benefits to him were rather limited. However, the water dancers of Essos provided him with considerable inspiration.
Water dancers' swordsmanship emphasizes lightness and speed. They've appeared a few times in the original books. Arya Stark's swordsmanship teacher was a water dancer. However, he used a wooden sword throughout, and aside from his boastful talk, he didn't have any particularly outstanding achievements.
After Daenerys conquered Meereen, she held a gladiatorial tournament. A top-tier water dancer appeared and utterly humiliated Jorah Mormont. Had it not been for the chaotic battle and the dancer being betrayed, Jorah Mormont would have been finished.
Thinking about this, Lu Xuan suddenly felt that a water dancer should be added to Daenerys's Kingsguard. This martial art had been passed down for thousands of years in Essos and had naturally been tested.
Speaking of the Kingsguard, Ser Barristan happened to arrive. He ultimately accepted Lu Xuan's invitation and decided to assemble a completely new Kingsguard for Daenerys. Most interestingly, the old man suddenly had a flash of inspiration and his ideas aligned perfectly with Lu Xuan's.
“I’ve witnessed the skills of some water dancers these days. Top water dancers are no less skilled than me. Therefore, I think we should add a water dancer to the Royal Guard.”
"Heh, Sir Barristan, you're starting to understand the rules here."
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Chapter 266 Drowning God
Barristan's arrival finally eased Lu Xuan's burden somewhat. While the old man's political acumen was mediocre, and his military skills, in Lu Xuan's view, were also so-so, he still held an overwhelming advantage compared to the others around Daenerys. There was no other way; the core of the team was too weak.
Although Lu Xuan had consciously begun to promote some locals to positions, those people still didn't meet Daenerys's level of trust. Lu Xuan couldn't do anything about it.
Because Daenerys freed the slaves, the political and economic environment of Astapor was completely different from before. The locals were ill-suited to this new situation, and naturally, few were able to rise to prominence. Finding a truly trustworthy group of helpers who could adapt to this era would have to wait until the next generation grew up.
When Lu Xuan's army was training the children, they would select some who excelled academically for intensive training. However, it would take these children at least five years to complete Lu Xuan's basic education, followed by at least three years of practical experience, before they could be competent for important positions. Therefore, Lu Xuan and Daenerys hadn't really expanded their operations. Farming would need to continue for some time.
Daenerys finally had her first Kingsguard. Barristan, without a doubt, was the captain, despite some centaurs' objections. However, the old man earned the respect of Daenerys's Bloodfist Guards through his martial prowess.
In truth, the aging Barristan didn't gain much of an advantage against Aggo, Rakalo, and Jorg. However, the centaurs admired his formidable strength at his age and thus acknowledged his identity. Ultimately, Aggo, one of the three, became Daenerys's first Kingsguard.
One of Grey Worm's lieutenants became the first, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, will also be the last Unsullied Kingsguard to be selected.
The leader of the four wizards, Paiye, personally took on the role of the first Kingsguard. As for the previously mentioned Water Dancer representative, there is currently no suitable candidate. Barristan has decided to hold a Water Dancer tournament to select a highly skilled swordswoman for Daenerys as the fifth Kingsguard.
As for the remaining four candidates, they will need to be selected gradually over time.
The nine free city-states are still arguing over the location of the conference. The convening of the anti-Daenerys conference is still undecided. Even if this so-called conference does take place, Lu Xuan feels it will take at least six months to reach a conclusion. After that, preparing supplies and assembling the army will involve more wrangling. It will be at least a year and a half before there is any real danger.
Because all the city-states were aware of Daenerys's danger. But precisely because of this, no one wanted to be the first to act. Their first thought was to find a scapegoat to take the lead, while they themselves would reap the benefits. Unfortunately, everyone wanted to be the fisherman, while the snipe and the clam were still nowhere to be seen.
Meanwhile, Daenerys has been keeping a low profile, essentially trying to defuse the situation and create the illusion that she has no ambition. Even if everyone knows it's a facade, many will still choose to deceive themselves. After all, isn't it better to be a peaceful and content noblewoman, enjoying life? Going to risk your life with a crazy woman is no fun. It's better to spend that time playing games with Yunkai's bed slaves.
Taking advantage of this period of stability, Lu Xuan also focused on his cultivation. His true energy had fully recovered, and he began to delve deeper into the information hidden within the male wizard's fire of wisdom. Simultaneously, he integrated and refined this information with his own cultivation system, attempting to take it a step further.
For Lu Xuan, this was actually second nature. After all, he was someone who had started from scratch, taking that first step into cultivation. He had also combined the ideas of various schools of thought to perfect his own cultivation system, completed the great circulation of true energy within his body, and even deduced the next step. When it came to the solidity of his foundation, no one could compare to him.
Lu Xuan focused his research on the incomplete meditation method of the Valyrian high priest. The Valyrians' dominance for a millennium was no accident. This system was extremely complete and mature. Even the incomplete version still provided Lu Xuan with various inspirations.
After several months of research, Lu Xuan has successfully reconstructed some of the methods used by the Valyrian wizards back then. For example, magical audio and video chat. He can project a phantom of himself to another city thousands of miles away to communicate with the other party.
This is a very practical form of magic with immense strategic significance. The Valyrian Legion's strength in its heyday largely stemmed from the advantage of this long-range communication.
According to some records, those great wizards of that time seemed to possess some kind of large-scale vision magic. They could survey certain places from a distance without needing to be possessed by a dragon.
Lu Xuan tried to restore the magic, but something seemed to be missing, and he was unable to do it.
Besides, the most powerful magic possessed by Valyria's high priests was undoubtedly the Dragon Binding Spell. It was this spell that enabled them to form dragon legions and become invincible. However, this spell was clearly not preserved in those memories.
However, Lu Xuan knew that the Dragon Binding Curse wasn't entirely without a chance. Euron Greyjoy, the number one villain and mad dog of the A Song of Ice and Fire world, should already possess the horn. When their fleet passed by Lu Xuan's group, Paiya and the others had sensed an extremely powerful magical artifact on his ship.
Thinking of this, Lu Xuan immediately summoned several capable subordinates and asked them to find out about You Lun.
This guy typically switches between being a pirate, a merchant, and a mad dog. He's basically never done anything worthwhile in his life. But he's incredibly lucky, the kind of character in those idiotic online stories who gets a cheat code for the villain. However, in this world, Lu Xuan has a guess: this guy's invincibility at sea and his incredible luck likely mean one thing: he might be a chosen one of the Drowning God. Or even more than just a chosen one, but a higher-level representative like a High Priest or a chosen one of the gods.
He was able to explore the Valyrian ruins, places no one had ever been before, and emerge unscathed, even finding a suit of Valyrian armor, a dragon horn, and various other oddities (and most likely a dragon egg).
He can quickly learn dark magic and control sea monsters. Aside from his inhuman behavior, he's basically a standard male protagonist in a fantasy adventure.
You Lun is top-notch in both intelligence and martial arts. Of course, that level of martial arts is nothing to Lu Xuan. What Lu Xuan truly fears is the potential Drowning God behind him.