Chapter 40: Breakthrough to Become a Bronze Knight!

The return journey was not as thrilling as the outward trip; with favorable winds all the way, they arrived back at the castle. Gervas gave an order not to be disturbed and went straight into the living room.

Sitting cross-legged on the goose-down carpet, three snow lotus seeds emitting a faint white light had already appeared in his hands.

"Bronze Knight, here I come!"

Although there were some risks, Gervas still decided to take a gamble in order to gain self-defense capabilities as soon as possible.

With several gulps, the three lotus seeds were swallowed into his belly one after another.

The lotus seeds that entered his belly immediately took effect.

First, streams of comforting warmth washed through his limbs and bones, making him feel as if he were floating in ecstasy.

But this comfortable sensation lasted only about five minutes.

When the last wisp of warmth flooded his entire body, his limbs and bones suddenly became scorching hot.

The heat rose higher and higher, and large beads of sweat seeped out from Gervas's skin.

Gervas knew the real ordeal had begun.

It was the powerful nourishing effect of the snow lotus seeds taking hold; if his body was not strong enough or his meridians not resilient enough, it could damage his physique or even cause his body to explode.

"I have consumed the Red Spirit Fruit; there will definitely be no problem!"

There were no other shortcuts; from now on, the only path was to endure through sheer force.

Time ticked away second by second; the temperature inside Gervas's body rose higher and higher, and his skin began to turn completely red.

If a servant had burst in now, they would have found their lord looking no different from a boiled prawn.

Of course, this endurance was not without its benefits; massive amounts of elements were automatically flowing from Gervas's skin into his body.

Eventually, they began to condense at a position three inches below his navel in his abdomen.

As the elemental battle energy gathered in greater and greater quantities, a seed the size of a jujube pit was also forming.

"Almost there! It will be soon!"

Gervas's mind had become dull and exhausted, and his consciousness was somewhat blurred.

Fortunately, perhaps because a traveler's soul had undergone tempering, relying on the last shred of will, he persisted throughout.

Boom!

Pfft!

After an unknown duration, a sound like thunder seemed to erupt within Gervas's body, accompanied by a mouthful of blood spewing from his lips.

After spitting out the blood, Gervas's body slumped, and the scorching body temperature returned to normal.

Yet a smile hung on the corners of Gervas's mouth.

"Haha, it's done! I have broken through ahead of schedule to become a Title Knight!"

With a hum, the battle energy circulated, and a faint red flame-type battle energy light shimmered on Gervas's palm.

Although Gervas had been able to activate battle energy before,

this time the battle energy persisted for over ten seconds without fading.

Moreover, inside his body, a jujube-pit-sized crimson seed was spinning continuously, with streams of red battle energy light radiating around it.

This was the fully condensed seed of battle energy, which from now on could store elemental battle energy in advance within the body to sustain the needs of combat.

At this moment, Gervas truly stepped into the transcendent sequence and became a Bronze Title Knight.

"My lord! What happened?" The living room door opened, and the maid Caroline was startled.

Gervas's current appearance was too wretched; his hair was disheveled, and his face was full of exhaustion.

There was also a large amount of blood on the corners of his mouth and on his silk robe.

She almost thought Gervas had been the target of an assassination attempt.

"No need to be nervous, Caroline. I am fine now; I was just cultivating and made a bit of a mess!"

"Go prepare some hot water for me; I want to wash up!"

Staring intently at Gervas for a moment and confirming that her lord was serious, Caroline responded and headed downstairs.

Of course, not long after, Knight Commander Lei Meng and Knight Mi Gen and others hurriedly arrived.

Clearly, the maid Caroline was still uneasy.

Gervas did not blame her; after all, the maid's actions were a form of concern for him.

"Mi Gen, don't worry. As I said, it was just cultivation. I am in excellent shape now; if you don't believe me, ask Knight Commander Lei Meng!" Gervas once again comforted Mi Gen and the other Guardian Knights, who were full of tension.

Lei Meng had been observing Gervas closely just now, his expression filled with doubt and surprise. Hearing this, he spoke: "My lord, have you completed the breakthrough? Have you become a Title Knight?"

"You actually saw through it?" Gervas was stunned.

Although he did not intend to conceal it deliberately, he had wanted to find a good opportunity to put on a show, to entertain and to shock.

Who would have thought that before he could even get started, Lei Meng had already seen through it.

Lei Meng was somewhat speechless. "My lord, among Title Knights, unless one possesses special concealment secret techniques or magical ornaments to hide, it is relatively easy to be detected, especially since my strength is significantly greater than yours."

"The greater the gap in strength between two parties, the more the stronger party can detect the other's strength."

"Only when the strengths are nearly equal is the possibility of detection lower!"

Very well!

Gervas admitted that the knowledge about Title Knights he had obtained from his family was far too little.

After all, his indulgent father had never imagined that Gervas would break through to become a Title Knight before the age of twenty; there was simply no time to explain these things to him.

"My lord, how did you do it! Did you consume some precious magical herb?" Lei Meng continued to press, his expression slightly serious.

"That's right, Lei Meng. Just now, Zui Yue and I found a snow lotus seed in the Death Mountain Range. After I consumed it, I broke through!"

"Snow lotus seed?" Lei Meng's expression stiffened, and he said with lingering fear, "My lord, you were truly too reckless!"

"Knight Commander Lei Meng, I know. But rest assured, from now on I will absolutely not take such risks again!"

What more could Lei Meng say?

As a subordinate, one can only offer suggestions to the feudal lord; all decision-making power remains in my lord's hands.

"My lord, have you truly become a Title Knight?" Knight Mi Gen and the others finally came to their senses, their eyes widening one by one.

"That is correct!"

With a hum, Gervas's battle qi continued to circulate in his hand.

"Long live my lord!"

In past-life cultivation novels, the phrase "when one attains the Dao, even the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven" was favored to describe the benefits family and friends could gain after the protagonist attained the Dao.

In fact, applied to the world of noble lords, it is truly the same.

The power of all subordinates comes entirely from their respective lords.

Thus, the stronger the power of this lord, Gervas, the more firmly the status of the subordinates becomes.

Thus, with Gervas completing his breakthrough, these knights were the happiest of all.

"Very well, in a moment I have an important matter to attend to. Lei Meng, Knight Mi Gen, you immediately summon the guard squad, then notify the civil administrator Thomas to gather two hundred strong and healthy serfs; I will need them in a moment!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Without asking further reasons, Lei Meng and the others received the order and departed.

And by the time Gervas finished washing, the knight squad, the guard squad, and the two hundred serfs had all assembled.

"Lauren, Thomas, you lead the serfs together and hurry southwest toward the pasture!"

"I, Knight Commander Lei Meng, and the others will proceed first; do not worry about safety issues; we will wait for you ahead!"

"Yes, my lord!"