Reaching the pinnacle of life?

The Training Ground is truly spacious, exceeding five hundred meters in length and width.

Beneath the tall walls, there was everything one could need: Stone Locks, Weapon Racks, Targets, Wooden Stakes, Mannequins, and more.

Jia Ruo followed behind Percy, observing.

"What are they doing?" Neeko asked, blinking her large eyes.

She was referring to the pairs of people sparring on the field.

"They are also under my command, engaging in mutual practice."

Percy turned his head to look at Jia Ruo.

"Your Master must have told you about the various sects in Ionia. You should know that sparring is rare in Ionia these days, with little exchange between sects."

Percy raised his head, saying with a hint of pride, "But it's possible here. There are no sect rivalries; we all serve Ionia."

Percy picked an empty spot and stretched his shoulders and elbows a few times. "Let's do it here. Who wants to go first?"

"Then allow this junior to go first. Do you have any Wooden Swords here?"

Jia Ruo walked over to a nearby Weapon Rack, searching.

"Hahaha, kid, are you mocking me? Just use your real weapon. I witnessed Yi's swordsmanship during the war, and I had to admit I was inferior."

Percy's tone shifted. "But against a young brat like you, I'm still confident I can win. Come on, let me see how much of your Master you've inherited."

Percy waved his hand, and a Wooden Spear flew from the Weapon Rack. He caught it with one arm and immediately assumed a stance.

"Then I won't hold back."

Jia Ruo drew You Meng. "Please guide me."

Just by looking at their physique, Jia Ruo knew Percy was not someone he could easily defeat. Not to mention he was the leader of the Marshals; his strength must be unfathomably deep.

Jia Ruo calculated in his heart. He just wanted to last a couple more rounds against Percy—not look too pathetic and embarrass Yi's name.

Percy was waiting for him to make the first move. How should he attack? Jia Ruo searched for an opening on Percy's body.

But unfortunately, he couldn't find any weak points on Percy. The Percy standing before him was like an impenetrable iron tower.

Then he'd gamble on speed. That was the strength of Wuju, and the insight the fragment had given Jia Ruo could also give him an advantage in high-speed combat.

Jia Ruo moved. Swiftly, he began circling Percy, attempting to get into his blind spot.

Percy, however, didn't react, allowing Jia Ruo to get behind him.

Jia Ruo struck decisively. Amidst the scattering Cherry Blossoms, he swept his sword towards Percy's legs.

At this moment, Percy finally made his move.

He turned, planting the wooden spear by his feet, precisely blocking Jia Ruo's You Meng.

Clang!

You Meng, which could usually cleave iron, now rang out with the sound of metal against metal against the wooden spear.

This wooden spear is excessively hard. Is it due to Percy's Mana augmentation? Jia Ruo's wrist was left numb.

Percy lifted his foot and kicked. The spearhead, stuck in the ground, flew up. The wrist holding the spear shaft suddenly exerted force, and the wooden spear thrust towards Jia Ruo.

Absolutely cannot block this head-on. Jia Ruo made an instant judgment and quickly slid backward.

The thrust missed, but the wind pressure it carried still stung Jia Ruo's face and whipped his black hair upward.

Percy, failing to hit with one move, immediately launched another. The wooden spear spun in his hand and then swept towards Jia Ruo with a whistling sound.

Jia Ruo narrowed his eyes. In that instant, he felt as if the flow of time had slowed.

He's going to take a risky gamble.

To Percy's surprise, Jia Ruo didn't dodge again. Instead, he leaped up, his toes precisely landing on the rapidly sweeping spearhead.

Even though Percy was using a wooden spear, if that sweep had landed squarely, Jia Ruo's legs would likely have been incapacitated for three to five months.

Impressive. This kid has both sharp eyes and skilled hands.

Percy thought.

But in a spar, he dares to make such a risky move. This kind of all-or-nothing personality, who knows if it will be good or bad for him in the future.

While Percy was still evaluating Jia Ruo in his mind, Jia Ruo's You Meng did not stop.

Because of the previous sweep, Percy was now only holding the spear shaft with one hand. Therefore, Jia Ruo's target this time was Percy's hand holding the spear.

Jia Ruo's tricky attack made Percy decisively abandon the wooden spear.

Jia Ruo also knew when to stop and voluntarily retreated from Percy's close-combat range.

His strategy from the start was to use attrition, seizing opportunities to strike during dodges.

Fighting a strong enemy head-on is foolish.

Cannot be careless. Jia Ruo's eyes never left Percy. He had gained a small advantage by forcing Percy to drop his spear, but Percy's expression hadn't changed at all.

This means that losing his weapon had no impact on Percy's combat power. Percy still had the upper hand.

The people who had been scattered around the Training Ground, seeing that Master Percy was actually sparring with a young man, began to gather around.

They huddled together in small groups, conversing in hushed tones.

"Who is this guy? I've never seen him before."

"He actually managed to put Master Percy at a slight disadvantage. He's got some skill."

"I wonder which school he's from. His swordplay is quite beautiful, and he can even make flowers bloom."

"Could he be here to join us Marshals?"

"Not bad, kid. You forced me to use some True Skill. You'll be ranked highly here from now on."

Percy surveyed the surroundings. Jia Ruo's assessment could end now, he thought.

He extended a hand, and the Wooden Spear that had fallen to the ground levitated into the air. It shot forward like a startled swan, stopping precisely before Jia Ruo's forehead.

Percy's serious strike left him no room to react.

Jia Ruo lowered You Meng in his hands. In the beginning, he had naively believed he could hold his own against Percy for a while.

"I lost, Master Percy."

The Wooden Spear spun in the air and returned to Percy's hand.

"You didn't expect this, did you? What I'm truly good at are Ranged Methods, hehe."

The rough laughter, coupled with Percy's burly physique, left Jia Ruo speechless. A hulking brute like you isn't a berserker warrior? I even deliberately kept my distance from him.

An ADC like you really makes it impossible for Assassins to survive.

"As expected of Yi's Disciple, I'm very satisfied with you. Welcome aboard!"

Percy walked over and patted Jia Ruo's shoulder affectionately.

"You've passed!"

"Then it's Neeko's turn, right?"

Neeko was a little scared. Not naturally skilled in combat, she felt intimidated standing before Elder Percy.

"You're Vastaya, aren't you? From your appearance, you don't look like a warrior. You say you know Plant Magic, so show us on the field."

Neeko breathed a sigh of relief. She obediently walked to the open space and gathered magical elements.

"Bloom!" she cried out softly.

Magic Power spurred the ground's vegetation to surge upwards. Thick, twisted branches shot out from the originally soft lawn.

Within a six-to-seven-meter radius around Neeko, the space transformed into a boiling ocean of plants.

It was easy to imagine that any enemy caught within would be instantly enveloped by the flora, bound tightly and doomed to die.

"This is the limit of the Plant Magic Neeko can unleash, nya."

Neeko withdrew her Magic Power, and the wildly growing plants slowly receded to their original forms.

"Very good, you've also passed. Follow me."

Percy gestured for the onlookers to make way, leading Jia Ruo and Neeko back to his room.

"Master Percy, is our assessment already over?"

"Yes, why else would we be here?"

"Then what were the assessment standards?"

"There were no standards. If I say you pass, you pass. Honestly, having you spar with me was just a whim."

"······"

You're truly as capricious as ever.

This is where the cultural atmosphere of Ionia must be mentioned.

Ionia is not like the **** nations of Noxus and Demacia, with their strict systems, clear hierarchies, and militaristic management.

Although Ionians revere etiquette and law, they dislike rigid adherence to convention. They maintain order between elders and youth, but in a harmonious and amicable way.

This tradition, spanning thousands of years, has resulted in their organizations being loosely structured, without overly stringent management systems.

Even the Hall of Tranquility, an institution recently established due to the aftereffects of war, remains the same.

Percy has the final say in the entire Hall of Tranquility. Of course, the Ionia Council also has ways to supervise him.

"Alright, you have now officially become Placidium Sheriffs. What you will be doing will be explained later."

Percy added Jia Ruo and Neeko's names to the roster.

"Next, I will arrange your accommodations. This place, where we are now, is the headquarters of the Placidium Sheriffs, known as the Hall of Tranquility. The block of streets behind the main hall belongs to the Hall of Tranquility, and you can choose your residences there."

As he spoke, he took out a map, a bird's-eye view of the area surrounding the Hall of Tranquility.

Percy pointed to the block circled on the map. "It's this area. You can choose any house that isn't marked."

"Neeko and I can share a place," Jia Ruo said.

"Mm."

Neeko didn't have any objections either.

"This place will do."

Jia Ruo casually pointed at an empty house.

Percy marked the house on the map and said, "Building 79, alright, I'll take you there now."

Jia Ruo was incredibly excited internally: He hadn't expected being a civil servant in Runeterra to be so easy, and they even gave him a house upon joining, plus he could live with a beautiful woman. Was reaching the pinnacle of life this simple?