14: breakthrough

"Hehe! Rest assured, Lord Lister."

"According to my perception, its strength should be at the low-level Bronze Knight, so it doesn't pose much of a threat."

Red grinned and said respectfully. For the Magical Beast that had delivered itself to his doorstep, he was already impatient to make a move.

Lister felt relieved upon hearing this, nodded, and then ordered: "In that case, the Black-Haired Wild Boar Magical Beast will be left to Red, and everyone else will join me in dealing with the other Black-Haired Wild Boars."

"Understood." Red and the others respectfully replied.

The next moment, everyone rode their horses like bandits entering a village, charging towards the seven Black-Haired Wild Boars not far away.

The Black-Haired Wild Boar Magical Beast reacted the fastest; the moment it saw Red, it felt a strong sense of danger.

It instantly realized that the burly man before it was not someone they could handle. Without hesitation, it let out a howl.

The other Black-Haired Wild Boars immediately took off running after it, fleeing towards the Ironthorn Forest behind them.

"Want to run? In your dreams!"

Red snorted coldly, a powerful aura erupting from his body as he swung the longsword in his hand heavily in the direction where the Black-Haired Wild Boars were fleeing.

Swoosh!

With the sound of tearing air, a white cross-slash of energy shot out.

In an instant, it appeared in the direction the herd of Black-Haired Wild Boars was fleeing. The fastest Black-Haired Wild Boar didn't react in time and was directly sliced into four pieces.

Boom!

The powerful energy wave did not fade but struck the ground heavily, instantly kicking up dust and leaving the ground in a mess, as if it had been plowed countless times.

The remaining wild boars, including the Black-Haired Wild Boar Magical Beast, had to stop their charge. As the dust settled, the figures of Lister and the others had already formed a perimeter.

The next moment, Red rode his horse forward and swung his sword at the leading Black-Haired Wild Boar Magical Beast.

A battle between those with the strength of a Bronze Knight was imminent. Lister, his blood boiling, was not to be outdone and swung his sword at a Black-Haired Wild Boar.

However, ordinary Black-Haired Wild Boars were far inferior to Magical Beasts; in just one encounter, they were slain by Lister, who had condensed his Dou Qi seed.

Feeling unsatisfied, he rode his horse again to charge at the other Black-Haired Wild Boars, while two other knights followed closely by his side.

Soon, accompanied by the shrill wail of the Black-Haired Wild Boar Magical Beast, the battle between the Lord's Knight Squad and the seven Black-Haired Wild Boars came to an end.

"Lord Lister, the Magical Beast has been slain." Red said respectfully, his face showing no excitement over killing the Magical Beast, as its strength was too weak.

"Very good." Lister nodded in satisfaction and then ordered: "Take them all back; tonight, let us enjoy a feast of Magical Beast Meat."

Red and the others showed excitement upon hearing this. One must know that a Magical Beast is a treasure from head to toe, even if it is only a low-level Bronze Knight strength Magical Beast...

If a knight eats its meat, it can greatly enhance the vitality and Dou Qi strength within their body, so the price has never been low.

Lister did not sell it but instead directly distributed it for everyone to eat...

For a time, praises echoed throughout the area outside the Ironthorn Forest.

"Long live the Lord!"

"Long live the Lord!!"

...

The training ground outside the castle.

Under the flickering light of the bonfire, pieces of skewered Magical Beast Meat were placed over the fire to roast.

The 'sizzling' sound of grease dripping into the flames rang out continuously, and the aroma of the meat spread through the air.

Besides Red and the other knights and Soldiers, Thomas, Flora and the other maids, and the two cute elves were also called out by Lister.

Looking at the tempting Magical Beast Meat before them, the two cute ones couldn't help but drool from temptation.

Lister, noticing this, shook his head with a laugh; they really were two little gluttons.

Soon, the meat was roasted, and Lister signaled for Flora and the other maids to distribute it, and they each received a piece as well.

However, because the Magical Beast Meat contained powerful energy, they couldn't handle too much, so they only got a small piece each.

But even so, their eyes were still moist and their faces full of gratitude; after all, in this barren territory, being able to eat meat once a year was a luxury.

"Thank you, Baron..."

"I haven't eaten meat for two years; the Baron is the best..."

Sincere praises came from the maids' mouths, echoing in the night.

However, what surprised Lister was that they all only took a small bite before taking out clean cloth to wrap it up.

Lister asked in confusion: "Flora, why aren't you eating anymore? Is the energy of the Magical Beast Meat making you feel uncomfortable?"

"No, it's not that, Baron." Flora said somewhat nervously: "We just want to take the meat back for our families to eat."

Lister fell silent upon hearing this; it seemed there was still much for him, the Lord, to do.

Coming back to his senses, he chuckled and said: "Rest assured, your families will all have meat to eat. You don't need to save it; just eat it yourselves, as the texture will deteriorate if you take it back."

"Thomas, keep one of the remaining wild boars, and after dawn, find some people to take the rest to Ironthorn Town and distribute them all to those Serfs. Consider it a small gift from me, their Lord, before the Cold Wave arrives."

"Yes, Lord Lister." Thomas said respectfully, feeling immensely gratified by Lister's benevolence and generosity.

Flora and the other maids were overjoyed to hear this, thanking Lister repeatedly, and then they tasted the Magical Beast Meat without any worries.

...

Because the night was too cold, after finishing the Magical Beast Meat, Thomas took the maids back to the castle.

As for Lister and Red and the other knights, they began to practice their Breathing Technique.

Having just enjoyed the Magical Beast Meat, too much energy had surged into their bodies and needed to be refined quickly.

At this moment, Lister, coordinating with his Breathing Technique, held the black iron heavy sword and rhythmically repeated chopping motions, while the energy from the Magical Beast Meat within his body was frantically refined and merged into his vitality.

With a sharp, majestic wolf howl, a special power within Lister was completely activated; it was the power of his bloodline.

At this moment, he felt as if the world had undergone a tremendous change. The night visibility, which was originally only two or three meters, allowed him now to clearly see objects in the night ten meters away, even their fine details.

In his ears, he could hear the sound of the air blowing through the grass in the distance; it could be said that he had now become a 'superman'.

Feeling the powerful strength hidden within his body, he swung the heavy sword in his hand; it was clearly much easier than before, and he didn't even feel any strain.

At this time, Red, who had already finished refining the energy, noticed his change, his eyes lit up, and he came before him.

"Lord Lister, you have broken through to a Bronze Knight!" Red said pleasantly surprised.

"Mhm, I broke through." Lister's mouth curled up: "I didn't expect it to be this fast either; it must be that the energy of the Magical Beast Meat had a significant effect."

Red said with admiration: "The energy of the Magical Beast Meat is certainly substantial, but without your powerful talent, Lord Lister, it would not have been possible to be this fast."

"With this cultivation speed of yours, even in the Royal Academy, you would definitely be called a genius."

Lister smiled and didn't say much more. Just as he was preparing to consolidate his progress, a roar sounded from not far away...