6: Knight Breathing Technique

"What? You are that tra..."

Lister was so surprised he almost blurted out those two words, but fortunately, he reined himself in just in time.

He took another careful look at the young girl before him. She really did look like him, especially the determined look in her large, watery eyes—they were identical.

After a moment of thought, he understood why the girl had acted that way back then.

Looking at the girl, he teased with a smile: "I didn't expect that the person I helped back then was a girl deliberately disguised as a man."

Upon hearing this, a flush of shyness instantly colored the girl's face, which he found quite interesting; after all, shy girls were a rare sight in his previous life.

"It's very smart of you to have self-preservation awareness," Lister praised without reservation. "Do this job well, and I hope you can feel happy here. The same goes for all of you."

After offering similar encouragement to the other maids, he turned to Thomas: "Thomas, what are their wages?"

"Replying to Master Lister, because they are currently in the probationary stage, their wages are uniformly 5 copper coins per day. After passing probation, their wages will be determined based on their specific positions."

Lister nodded thoughtfully. A common carpenter earned about that much per day, and since the maids were provided with room and board, it was relatively better, but he still felt it wasn't quite enough.

"Thomas, raise their wages to 10 copper coins across the board. Consider it a little perk from me as their lord. Is that a problem?"

Thomas replied respectfully: "Of course there is no problem. This is your prerogative, Master Lister."

The several maids, including Flora, couldn't help but show joy upon hearing Lister's words.

They hadn't expected that this young lord was not only good-looking and easygoing, but also so generous.

Raising their wages on the very first day made them even more determined to work hard; they absolutely could not fail their probation and let down the lord's kindness and their family's expectations.

Breakfast was very rich, consisting of white bread, ham and eggs, venison pie, as well as fresh vegetables and a glass of warm wine.

Some of these foods were things most Serfs in Ironthorn Territory would probably never eat in their entire lives.

What evil noble lords they were!

Sighing inwardly, Lister began to eat elegantly. Soon, breakfast time was over.

He didn't rush to inspect the territory; instead, he rested for a while, then went to the training ground outside the castle. Apart from the simple barracks arranged neatly to the side, there wasn't much space.

At this moment, Knight Captain Red and two other knights were leading all the Apprentice Knights and Soldiers in training.

Seeing Lister appear, everyone immediately stopped and bowed respectfully: "Noble Master Lister, we greet you."

Except for Red, everyone's gaze was different from before. Originally, it was just awe due to his status, but now there was a sense of heartfelt respect.

This made him inwardly happy; clearly, the incident in Moding Town had taken effect.

"Don't mind me, continue your training." Lister nodded with a smile: "Red, come with me for a moment."

A moment later, the two arrived at a small open space behind the castle.

Red was a bit curious and was about to ask when Lister's voice rang out.

"Red, after so many things recently, I have a strong urge to improve my strength. Therefore, from today on, I want you to properly guide me in my cultivation as a knight."

"Master Lister, your decision is very wise." Red praised: "It is my honor to guide you, and I will spare no effort."

Lister could hear that Red's words were not flattery, but that he was genuinely happy.

Because in his memories, he had never been willing to cultivate, only knowing how to play and enjoy himself. Otherwise, how could he have failed to even reach the level of an Apprentice Knight? As the Knight Captain following him, Red naturally had been extremely anxious.

Compared to mages, who required high talent and were few and far between in the entire Pedan Kingdom, knights—while also having talent requirements—were much easier to become. Moreover, the kingdom was dominated by knights, with a small mix of other professions.

From weak to strong, knights are divided into five realms: Apprentice Knight, Bronze Knight, Silver Knight, Golden Knight, and Great Knight. The latter four realms each have nine stages, with the ninth stage being the strongest.

It is rumored that the current King, Charles Augustine VII, is a Great Knight. As for how strong he really is, or if he is the only one, Lister had no idea.

Regaining his focus, he began to cultivate under Red's guidance. The primary mark of becoming an Apprentice Knight is successfully circulating a Breathing Technique...

Then, one must constantly hone and strengthen their own body to meet the requirements for absorbing special elemental particles from the air, forming a seed of battle qi through fusion, and finally using battle qi to stimulate the power of one's bloodline. Upon success, one can advance to a Bronze Knight.

The knight Breathing Technique is extremely precious and is generally passed down within families, with only a small amount circulating on the market. For example, Red's basic-level 'Wild Ox Breathing Technique' was bestowed by Lister's father.

Breathing Techniques are divided into five grades: Basic, Common, Rare, Epic, and Legendary.

Lister's family heirloom is the Rare-grade 'Silver Wolf Breathing Technique'. Legend says it can be cultivated to the Golden Knight level, but he didn't quite believe it, as he had never heard of any ancestor reaching that level.

As the Breathing Technique circulated, air was inhaled and exhaled rhythmically. Under Red's reminder, he hurriedly gripped the family's black iron heavy sword and continuously performed chopping and slashing motions.

Time ticked by second by second. His body gradually began to emit steaming heat, and the rhythm of his breathing merged into his consciousness. Suddenly, the sound of a wolf's howl rang out within his body, and his blood and energy seemed to explode.

At this moment, he clearly heard the blood and energy within his body flowing and churning like a river. The comfortable sensation caused him to slowly stop.

Red, who was watching from the side, exclaimed in admiration: "Master Lister, you have successfully advanced to an Apprentice Knight, and your swordsmanship has also reached the introductory level."

"To think it only took such a short time; it turns out you are a true genius."

Lister couldn't help but show joy as well. He hadn't expected to succeed in half an hour, and there was also the unexpected bonus of a breakthrough in swordsmanship.

Not wasting any time, he continued to consolidate his cultivation, not stopping until it was nearly noon.

"Hoo!" Lister let out a long breath and smiled: "This cultivation session achieving such results is all thanks to your guidance, Red."

"Master Lister, you overpraise me. My guidance only played a supplementary role; it was mainly due to your exceptional talent." Red said with a respectful and sincere tone.

After smiling and patting Red on the shoulder, the two returned to the previous training ground. After cultivating all morning, he was ravenous; only by experiencing it personally did he know how exhausting cultivation was.

The moment they saw Lister, the knights and Soldiers noticed he was vastly different from when he arrived.

His steps were light and powerful, and his face was glowing. Combined with Red's smile, they could be certain that the lord had advanced to an Apprentice Knight, which also confirmed the thoughts they had when they vaguely heard the wolf's howl earlier.

They all knew that the lord had never cultivated before. Originally, they thought it was a lack of ambition, but they hadn't expected that it was actually because his talent was so good that there was no need to try hard.

Perhaps there was even a reason that he didn't want to discourage them. Truly, it was a well-intentioned effort.

For a moment, expressions of deep awe, admiration, and more appeared on everyone's faces.

Although he didn't quite understand why, this feeling of showing off in front of others made Lister feel completely refreshed.

Before leaving, he instructed: "Red, after lunch, bring some men and wait outside the castle. I want to inspect the territory this afternoon."

"Yes, Master Lister."