Chapter 37: Knight-Level Breathing Method

Leimeng stood aside, his expression calm, replying unhurriedly: "The situation in the barracks is different. They each have their own hunting squads, tightly banded together. The Robin you mentioned, Master, even has a highly synchronized team. They act with extreme caution; every hunting sortie is planned down to the route in meticulous detail, and even the timing is precise to the second. I can hardly find a chance to strike them."

The Black-robed Man frowned slightly, a flash of displeasure in his eyes, and the black mist around him surged: "Hmph, Robin… he's indeed a thorny one. Still, keep watching him; an opportunity will come. Don't overlook those ordinary Knight Apprentices either—bring more of them to me. Their weakness in strength doesn't matter; with enough numbers they can still achieve great things."

Leimeng gave a slight nod, a barely perceptible grimace flashing in his eyes: "Yes, Master. I'll keep looking for ways, aiming to bring Robin's group to you as soon as possible. A batch of newcomers has just entered the barracks; I plan to start looking for a breakthrough among them."

The Black-robed Man sneered, the black mist around him coalescing into twisted shapes: "Fine, I'll trust you to handle it. But remember, don't keep me waiting too long; each day that passes chips away a bit of my patience. If you mess this up…"

The Black-robed Man didn't finish the sentence; the chill in his gaze alone made Leimeng's spine shiver.

"Rest assured, Master, I'll give it my all," Leimeng hurriedly replied, while secretly pondering how to finish the task quickly and still keep himself safe in this perilous situation.

Half a year passed like a white horse slipping through a crack, gone in an instant. In those six months, the area around Winston City remained relatively calm, with only a single small-scale beast surge.

Unlike before, this beast surge didn't even produce a single monster; it was merely a herd of ordinary wild beasts charging in groups.

The soldiers and Knight Apprentices stationed at the city defenses stood ready, easily repelling them and leaving Winston City without a single casualty.

During this period, the members of Robin's squad grew like bamboo shoots after rain, advancing by leaps and bounds.

With the aid of his System Panel, Robin successfully refined all three Apprentice Breathing Method Secret Medicines he had earned as rewards.

In a solitary cultivation session, he luckily broke through his bottleneck and was promoted to Formal Knight.

Robin fully understood the saying "A tall tree attracts the wind," realizing that his rapid breakthrough, if exposed too early, would inevitably invite unnecessary trouble and jealousy.

Thus, he restrained his aura, carefully concealing his cultivation level, and continued to maintain the appearance of a Knight Apprentice at his peak in daily life.

Eric also showed no sign of slackening over these six months; he trained diligently every day, his swordsmanship becoming ever more refined, and his physical condition leapt qualitatively, now reaching the peak of a Knight Apprentice.

His progress manifested not only in strength but also in an increasingly calm and composed mindset when facing various challenges.

Lily successfully entered the late stage of Knight Apprentice.

The once somewhat frail girl has now grown into an outstanding Knight Apprentice capable of handling matters on her own.

As for Tomson, though still rather weak, he is also working silently.

Through relentless perseverance and the careful guidance of the Malizi Knight, he barely entered the Knight Apprentice Midstage.

This progress greatly pleased the Malizi Knight.

After all, he knows his nephew's aptitude better than anyone; Tomson reaching the Knight Apprentice Midstage in such a short time was a full two years ahead of his expectation, undeniably a delightful report card.

After seeing Eric, Lily, and Tomson off, Robin closed the door, and the room fell silent instantly, with only occasional insect chirps drifting in from outside the window.

He hurried to the bedside, sat cross‑legged, his aura gradually steadied; on the surface he seemed to be closing his eyes to cultivate the Breathing Method, but in reality his consciousness had already sunk into the mysterious System Panel.

【Name】: Robin

【Profession】: Knight Apprentice

【Rank】: Knight (Entry)

【Skills】:

First-level Swordsmanship: sword attacks increase by ten percent, Experience: 1974/2000

First Rank Hand-to-Hand: close‑combat attacks increase by ten percent, Experience: 1945/2000

Second-tier Archery: arrow attacks increase by twenty percent, Experience: 124/20000

Archery Skill: Earth Explosion Arrow (concentrates Earth Primordial Force Archery; upon hitting the target it explodes, consumes a great amount)

Earth Dragon Breathing Method: accelerates life recovery, Apprentice Level experience: 1005/10000

【Equipment】: Fine Longsword, Leather Armor

Global Experience: 175

Scanning the various data on the System Panel, Robin's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Especially upon seeing the massive numbers required for the Earth Dragon Breathing Method's experience progress and upgrade, his expression grew solemn.

The Breathing Method is still at Apprentice Level; at his current cultivation speed, that stage is simply too slow. Even if he fully exploits the system's cheat‑like assistance and pairs it with meticulously prepared medicinal dishes, he can only manage to add 2–3 experience points per day.

Even lavishly using the Apprentice Breathing Method Secret Medicine adds at most another 2 points.

Such cultivation efficiency is absurdly low, driving him crazy.

Robin calculated silently: relying solely on this Apprentice Level Breathing Method, reaching the Great Knight Realm without continuous Secret Medicine support would take at least a dozen years, and that assumes he trains eight uninterrupted hours each day.

Thinking of this, Robin let out a long sigh; another breakthrough would require the Knight Level Breathing Method.

At dawn the next day, when the sky just turned the pale of a fish‑belly, Robin rose early and hurried to the Malizi Knight's camp.

Along the way, many soldiers in the barracks were already doing morning drills, the orderly chant of slogans rising and falling.

Arriving at the camp, Robin saw the Malizi Knight, as usual, meticulously packing his weapons and gear.

Beside him lay a sharp Longsword and a set of cold‑glowing Chainmail, and his face bore the usual resolute expression.

Robin knew the Malizi Knight was about to go out with Kaiyin and Kaien, the two Knight Captains, to search for that mysterious Black-robed Man.

Half a year had flown by, yet they still hadn't found any trace of the Black-robed Man.

Nevertheless, the lord was extremely obsessed with the matter, insisting that the three of them conduct a search once every week.

The Black-robed Man's existence was like a bomb ready to explode at any moment, preventing the lord and everyone else from feeling at ease.

"Malizi Knight Captain!" Robin stepped before the camp, standing tall, performed a standard Knight salute, his voice loud and respectful.

Hearing the voice, the Malizi Knight turned, saw Robin, and immediately showed a friendly smile.

In his mind, the most promising under his command now were Robin and Eric.

(End of Chapter)