Official Knight

Duke grabbed the Gold Coins from the chest, feeling little emotional fluctuation. He only considered how to turn this money into strength.

[Whale Breathing Method: LV6 (1156/2300)]

He glanced at the Skill Tree. The sixth level of the Whale Breathing Method was already more than halfway complete. With the aid of magical beast meat, he would be able to break through to the seventh level in around half a month.

Early the next morning, Duke went to the Soaring Eagle Merchant Guild and saw Earl, that mountain of flesh, again.

When Earl saw him, his eyes narrowed with a smile. "Duke! Long time no see!"

Duke nodded. "Can you get Tiered Magical Beast meat?"

He had plenty of Gold Coins now. Leaving them idle was useless; turning money into strength as quickly as possible was the proper path.

"Tiered Magical Beasts? I can get some if you want it, but it'll take some time. Roughly fifty Gold Coins per pound, though the price may fluctuate a little," Earl gave him an approximate price.

He could not name an exact price yet. He needed to ask through the Merchant Guild's internal channels first.

"I want ten pounds," Duke said directly.

"Alright! You won't need to pay a deposit. Wait for my news. Once there's word, I'll send someone to notify you at the manor," Earl said with a beaming smile.

A deal worth five hundred Gold Coins was no small business, so naturally, he was in a good mood.

Half a month later.

Duke had spent this time cultivating diligently at the manor. He had even turned down several of Vivian's invitations, all for the sake of breaking the Whale Breathing Method through to the seventh level.

He picked up a piece of blackened meat beside him and stuffed it into his mouth.

This was meat from a Tiered Magical Beast, the Black Rock Turtle. The Soaring Eagle Merchant Guild had only acquired it through certain special channels, and the final price had been sixty Gold Coins per pound.

After receiving the ten pounds of Black Rock Turtle meat, Duke began cultivating in seclusion.

[You completed one session of Whale Breathing Method cultivation. Proficiency +5]

[Whale Breathing Method level increased. Constitution +1.1, Strength +0.3, Agility +1.1]

[Whale Breathing Method: LV7 (1/2500)]

[Constitution: 11]

[Strength: 12.2]

[Agility: 11]

[Mental: 9.1]

[Free Attribute Points: 0]

The moment the Whale Breathing Method broke through, Duke felt the Life Seed in his abdomen tremble, continuously releasing waves of heat that coursed through his body.

Each time those currents circulated through him, Duke's meridians, bones, and flesh changed, as though they were undergoing baptism after baptism.

The Life Seed of a Knight Apprentice remained dormant. Only after advancing to Knight Level did it truly awaken.

Once the Life Seed awakened, it could continuously compress the Battle Qi within the body, turning gaseous Battle Qi into drops of liquid.

On the surface, it seemed as though there was far more empty space in his body, but that actually created more room for it to contain a vast quantity of Battle Qi.

Based on the condition inside his body, Duke estimated that once it was completely filled with liquid Battle Qi, his total Battle Qi could exceed fifty times what it had been when he was a High-Level Knight Apprentice.

Such a gap in Battle Qi was terrifying, and it was one of the reasons Official Knights were vastly stronger than Knight Apprentices.

Duke looked at the branch of the Whale Breathing Method on the Skill Tree. It was still in bloom. It seemed he would have to grind it to the eighth level before it bore fruit.

It was said that reaching the ninth level would make one a Great Knight, a realm even Vivian had yet to attain.

Duke was now only two levels away from the ninth level. All he needed to do next was keep his head down and grind.

After grinding the Breathing Technique to the seventh level, he had gained quite a few base attributes. All his physical attributes had reached eleven or above, while his strength had already surpassed twelve.

Duke could sense that once he accumulated enough Battle Qi, Vivian probably would not be his match either.

Ordinary Knights found it difficult to cultivate like him and raise every aspect of their body to the limit.

Thanks to the Skill Tree, Duke's Constitution, Strength, Agility, and other attributes could all be improved.

Vivian might be stronger than him, but her Constitution and Agility were most likely already inferior to Duke's current levels.

That was determined by the way ordinary people cultivated. It was difficult for them to improve comprehensively.

Two days later, Vivian arrived at Habs Manor.

"Becoming an Official Knight in half a year..." Vivian felt struck for the first time. It was also the first time she had encountered someone with better Knight aptitude than her own.

But considering that Duke possessed Wizard aptitude, everything seemed explainable again.

Those with Wizard aptitude were one in ten thousand. Cultivating a Breathing Technique really was simple for them.

Vivian brought a wooden box and said, "This is a gift for you!"

"This is..." Duke held the heavy wooden box, set it on the ground, and opened it to find a longsword inside.

The longsword looked extremely ancient and plain. On closer inspection, countless details became visible, with intricate patterns carved across many parts of it.

Duke picked up the longsword and found that it weighed at least two hundred pounds. An ordinary person would not even be able to swing it.

After drawing the sword, he found that the blade was entirely black, including its edge. Yet with the slightest touch, he could feel its incomparable sharpness.

Duke merely brushed against it, and a cut appeared on his hand, blood seeping out.

With his current body, without Battle Qi protection, ordinary swords could hardly pierce his skin unless wielded with force.

"This weapon is forged from Azure Gold. It is called the Black Sword. It was once a treasure of an ancient kingdom's royal family and has been passed down for a long time. Father bought it at auction a month ago, intending to give it to me as a gift."

"But I still prefer my Star Axe, so I'll let you have this sword." Vivian spoke as though it did not matter at all.

Duke held the sword and struck it against a nearby longsword. The other sword snapped in response.

With such a weapon in hand, he could seize the initiative in battle. At the very least, he would no longer have to worry about any disadvantage in weaponry.

"Azure Gold also has excellent affinity with Battle Qi. It can hold more Battle Qi, so your combat techniques will be more effective when you use them," Vivian said.

Ordinary iron swords could not hold much Battle Qi. For Knight Level experts, this was also a limitation, preventing them from fully displaying their advantages when using combat techniques.

Duke swung the Black Sword around for a while, growing more and more fond of it. He stood there alone, grinning foolishly with the sword in his hands.

Vivian could not help but laugh when she saw him like that. Then she took out a palm-sized disc and said, "The Mental Force Measuring Compass I told you about before. Take it and test yourself."

Duke's eyes lit up. He sheathed the Black Sword, took the disc, and asked, "How do I use it?"

"Just hold it. You don't need to do anything. Wait for a moment," Vivian said as she watched the compass. She also wanted to know what grade Duke's mental power was.

Duke held the Mental Force Measuring Compass and watched the needle inside spin continuously, faster and faster.

The needle gradually slowed, then stopped before a mark, but Duke did not recognize the words behind it.