Haoyue City

Inside the gently swaying carriage.

"Uncle Ba!"

Yang Tian called out. With no outsiders around, there was no need to call him Instructor. Besides, Balza was old enough for him to call him Uncle.

Balza looked at Yang Tian and the fruit and pastries in his little hands.

"Tian, I don't need any!" Balza replied, his expression softening.

"By the way, once we reach the Branch Temple, you may have to stay there to study. That's the key to becoming a true knight!"

"Ah, I'd thought Zhang Hu and Li Jieyuan would meet the requirements too!"

Balza offered that reminder, then let out a sigh.

A hundred points of spiritual power might not seem like much, but plenty of people could not advance to a second-tier profession even after three years.

The boys who failed to qualify would either join the army or become adventurers to obtain scarce cultivation resources.

Without awakening their internal spiritual power, their ultimate limit would be the third tier.

Ye Hua was an exception, of course.

The man had an extraordinary mind, though he had probably pushed his external spiritual power cultivation too far.

Yang Tian's external spiritual power was still well below two hundred, though he seemed to be getting close.

"Yes, I'll remember, Uncle Ba!" Yang Tian nodded and replied earnestly.

Balza looked at the child. He was only seven years old.

Yet the two swords crossed on Yang Tian's back also left a powerful impression on Balza.

One Iron Sword and one Fine Iron Sword.

With those two swords alone, he had slain dozens of demon beasts and wild beasts.

Among those of his level, Yang Tian could be said to have remarkably extensive combat experience.

Yang Tian's maturity left the carriage quiet for a while, since Balza felt there was nothing more he needed to remind him about.

Even Balza himself had not finished reading all the books in the Odin Sub-Temple, yet...

His theoretical knowledge fell short of Yang Tian's. All he had over him was greater strength and a few more years of age.

"Uncle Ba, could you tell me about the squire examination?"

Yang Tian took the initiative to find a topic. Otherwise, the journey would feel far too dull with just the two of them sitting there.

"Well, about the squire examination..."

With that, Balza began talking freely, proudly recounting his experiences as a boy to Yang Tian.

Yang Tian listened attentively throughout the journey.

Several days later, a city with touches of classical Western architecture came into view.

A carriage drove into the large city.

Unlike the small town of Odin Town, this city had gates, walls, patrol soldiers, and more.

Its prosperity was also far beyond anything a small town could match. Odin Town had merely grown out of a dozen or so little villages.

Not bad!

Yang Tian thought as he looked at the city.

Having seen the Great Wall, the thousand-year-old Forbidden City, and all sorts of famous historical sites, Yang Tian was naturally not going to be awestruck by a relatively modest city.

Balza was a little surprised by Yang Tian's calm expression. Most people were extremely excited when they entered a city.

In other words, they looked like country bumpkins coming to town.

Yet there was no trace of that expression on Yang Tian's face.

"This is Haoyue City. Our knights' Branch Temple is in the city center, so we still have some way to go!"

Balza spoke up.

"Mm, Uncle Ba, there should be a Mage Branch Temple and a Warrior Branch Temple here too, right?"

Yang Tian nodded, then asked.

Some larger cities had branches of the other Holy Temples as well, established to seek out suitable knights, warriors, and the like.

"Yes, but it depends on what you choose. Some people prefer being warriors, while others prefer being mages. Each has its own advantages!"

Balza nodded and answered calmly.

Yang Tian thought it over. That was true.

If he had to choose among the six professions-knight, assassin, warrior, summoner, mage, and priest-he would still choose to become a knight.

That was because the Knight Temple had divine artifacts such as the Divine Throne, as well as epic equipment such as the Adamantine Armor and the Mithril Pedestal.

Besides, knights cultivated both magic and martial skills, making them more well-rounded in many respects.

The carriage rolled slowly along, passing countless shops selling high-grade medicinal herbs, equipment, and rare curiosities.

He chatted with Balza for a while.

Before long, they arrived at the knights' Haoyue Branch Hall.

The building, bearing the distinctive emblem of the knights, was quite eye-catching.

The Haoyue Branch Hall!

At last, he was going to awaken...