...

  Pierce fell into a heavy silence as he stared at the bounty list.

  To obtain a mere 50 Merit Points for slaying a heretic of Peak Grand Knight caliber meant he would need to harvest forty such powerful souls just to exchange for a single entry into the Realm of Truth.

  It was a dubious proposition whether the Hand of Malice even harbored such a vast host of high-level martialists.

  As for the Madness Drinker, valued at 1,000 Merit Points, they were undeniably within the realm of the Legendary Knight. One must understand that a Legendary Knight possessed the visceral capacity to threaten the very life of an Official Wizard. Slaying such a foe, even for Pierce, would not be an easy undertaking.

  The High Priest, priced at 3,000 points, was a target strictly reserved for the reach of Official Wizards.

  It was evident that both the High Priest and the Madness Drinker were naught but carrots dangled before the donkey’s snout, designed to fuel the fervor of the apprentices. They were spectacles to be admired, not consumed.

  "For apprentices of our standing, the only targets we can realistically contend with are the Corrupted and the Disciples. Beyond that, one can earn a modest tithe of points by fulfilling defensive mandates issued by the City Guard."

  Gwen spread her hands, her expression one of helpless resignation.

  "Unless one possesses the uncanny luck to stumble upon a mortally wounded Madness Drinker, earning 300 to 400 points by the campaign's end would be considered quite a windfall. As for the artifacts at the top of the ledger? Best put those fantasies to rest."

  Pierce exhaled a silent, inward sigh. He knew Gwen spoke the unvarnished truth. Amassing enough points for a slot in the Realm of Truth would be a Herculean task.

  At the very least, he aimed to secure a few vials of Potion of Phantasm, or perhaps, through a high-frequency harvest of lesser heretics, earn enough for a Rank 1 Artifact.

  "Enough of that," Gwen said, breaking his reverie. She looked past his shoulder with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Select your companions for this endeavor first."

  "Companions?"

  Pierce started slightly and turned. Only then did he realize that the hundreds of knight students in the hall were staring at him with bated breath. Their eyes burned with a feverish intensity, as if they were beholding some rare, untapped arcane vein.

  "What is the meaning of this?" Pierce asked in a low voice.

  "Collaboration," Gwen explained. "Students from over 30 knight academies in Aurora City are participating. Each apprentice joining the fray is permitted to select two knight students to form a vanguard."

  Seeing the faint furrow in Pierce's brow, Gwen smiled. "Do not underestimate them. Those gathered here are the elite upperclassmen of their respective academies, each firmly established in the realm of the Grand Knight. Having them hold the line while you weave your spells against the heretics will be a significant boon."

  Pierce was genuinely taken aback.

  These youths appeared to be no older than 17 or 18, yet they were all Grand Knights?

  In his previous encounters, those of such martial standing were often middle-aged. He had never seen so many under the age of 20 gathered in a single hall.

  "Is the Knight Academy mass-producing geniuses now?"

  Gwen discerned his astonishment. "Most of them are the 'rejects' cast out from the wizard academies. They might lack that final spark of arcane aptitude, but the mana foundation they forged there allowed them to experience explosive growth once they turned to the way of the sword."

  "Furthermore, many here are the scions of wizard apprentices. Their families' resources were insufficient to bridge the magical divide, but more than enough to propel their physical cultivation. In this environment, becoming a Grand Knight by the second year is common. In recent years, there have even been monsters who graduated having already attained the status of a Legendary Knight."

  Pierce nodded, the weight of the revelation settling.

  Indeed, those eliminated from the wizard academies already possessed the augmented physiques of an Apprentice Knight. Their starting point was naturally superior. With the aid of a few Dragon's Blood Potions, the breakthrough to Grand Knight was but a small step.

  "And who have you chosen?" Pierce asked, glancing back at Gwen.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "I arrived but a moment before you; I haven't made my selection yet." Gwen paused, her voice taking on a meaningful cadence. "Besides, before you stepped through those doors, these haughty knight prodigies had no intention of pledging themselves to mediocrity."

  Before Pierce could fully parse the implications, a clear, ringing voice spoke from nearby.

  "Lord Pierce, I am Sia of the Whale Song Academy. I possess the strength of a High Grand Knight. Would I have the honor of following you into action?"

  A tall young woman stepped forward, her face radiant and pure, with porcelain skin. Clad in form-fitting, exquisite leather armor that accentuated her supple curves, her ruby-colored irises burned with an undisguised fervor.

  Sia’s initiative acted as a catalyst. More students surged forward, eager to offer their service to the rising star of the freshman class.

  "Lord Pierce, Hogan of the Flame Academy, High Grand Knight..."

  "Lord Pierce, Zane of the Blackstone Academy..."

  In an instant, a dozen High Grand Knights surrounded Pierce, their voices a cacophony of self-promotion.

  Gwen watched in silent observation.

  For these knights, becoming the follower of a wizard was the surest path to changing their destiny. A single drop of resource from a wizard’s hand could shatter their martial plateaus. History was replete with knightly houses that rose to prominence by tethering themselves to a rising mage—a true case of one man attaining the Dao and his entire clan ascending to heaven.

  Thus, many knights flocked to become wizard followers like ducks to water.

  And Pierce—the 16-year-old Rank 3 apprentice, the protégé of the great Potions Master Mowen, and the undisputed Prime of the freshman class—was the ultimate prize.

  Perhaps some apprentices had higher combat power than Pierce, but in terms of potential and future, Pierce was the undisputed number one. For such a genius, advancing to Official Wizard was practically a certainty.

  In this moment, Pierce was the only "prize catch" worth keeping.

  Long before Pierce arrived, the infighting among the knight students had already reached a fever pitch. The dozen or so people standing here now were the victors of that intense competition. As for those with only Beginner or Intermediate Grand Knight strength, they could only stand on the periphery, watching with envy.

  Pierce weighed his options quickly in his mind.

  "How are the Merit Points distributed within a team?" he whispered.

  "The points go entirely to the wizard," Gwen whispered back. "The knights have their own separate system of military commendations."

  Pierce nodded. Since the high-end labor was effectively free, there was no reason to decline.

  His eyes flickered slightly as the Omniscient Eye activated silently. In his vision, the physiological and mental parameters of the crowd were scanned instantly.

  With his current Spirit strength, probing a High Grand Knight required less than 1 point of Spirit. A full sweep consumed a negligible amount.

  He eventually settled on two candidates.

  The first was Sia. Her Physique sat at 58 points, merely scratching the top five among the volunteers. However, her Spirit was a staggering 17.4—a monstrous level for a knight, nearly touching the threshold of a Rank 2 apprentice.

  The second was a youth over 2 meters tall, built like an iron pillar. He radiated a raw, primal savagery, yet his face was honest and simple—a striking contrast. His Physique reached 68 points, far exceeding the 50-point benchmark for a High Grand Knight, placing him just a hair’s breadth from becoming a Peak Grand Knight.

  Thoughts raced through his mind, and Pierce quickly made a decision.

  He raised his hand, and the clamorous self-promotion died instantly. A dozen pairs of eyes looked at him with puppy-dog anticipation.

  "Sia, Peyton. I am pleased to have you join my vanguard."

  Pierce nodded to Sia and the burly youth, smiling faintly.

  As the words fell, disappointment washed over the others, while Sia and Peyton beamed with unbridled joy.

  "You are too kind, Lord Pierce. It is my honor to cooperate with you!" Sia’s beautiful eyes shimmered as she flashed a sweet smile.

  Peyton’s face turned beet red; he rubbed his hands together, taking a long time to stammer out an agreement.

  Someone tried to make a last-ditch effort, but Pierce cut them off with a gentle but firm wave of his hand.

  "Thank you all for your high regard. I hope we have the chance to cooperate in the future."

  The crowd exchanged glances and eventually dispersed in resignation. Some of the quicker-witted students immediately turned toward Gwen—the runner-up of the freshman year was also a stellar option.

  "My Lord."

  Sia and Peyton stood solemnly before Pierce.

  Pierce scrutinized Peyton’s massive frame and suddenly asked, "Does the blood of the Barbarian run through you?"

  Peyton froze, then nodded with a hint of embarrassment. "Yes, My Lord. My mother was of the Dilo Barbarians; I possess half their lineage."

  Pierce nodded in understanding.

  No wonder the boy's physical growth was so terrifying; Barbarian flesh was naturally superior to that of humans at the same level. However, this bloodline drastically lowered his compatibility with high-tier human breathing techniques. He was likely barred from advanced arts and forced to cultivate basic ones, making Peak Grand Knight his probable ceiling in this life.

  This explained why, despite being the strongest among them, he was subtly looked down upon by the other students.

  Peyton watched Pierce’s expression carefully, terrified that he would be kicked off the team because of his bloodline. After all, to a genius like Pierce, a follower destined never to reach Legendary rank had no value.

  To his surprise, Pierce merely nodded and said nothing more.

  The Omniscient Eye could easily optimize a breathing technique suitable for him, shattering this shackle. Pierce decided to observe him for a while; if he proved worth cultivating, he would tailor a technique for him later.

  He then turned to Sia. "And you? That peculiar mental resonance you emit... it is not entirely human."

  Sia’s face flushed slightly, and she lowered her voice. "I have 1/4 Succubus blood, inherited from my grandmother."

  Pierce: "..."

  He couldn't help but admire the sheer audacity of the progenitor who had successfully sired offspring with a Succubus. Moreover, Succubi usually evolved from Abyssal Larvae and were rarely born through reproduction. Could this be the product of some wizard's experiment?

  However, it perfectly explained Sia’s preternatural mental gifts.

  To have chosen two companions who both possessed non-human blood...

  "I wonder if this counts as good luck or bad," Pierce mused. "The analytical depth of the Omniscient Eye still needs refinement. If it could parse ancestral lineages directly, screening for talent would be much more efficient."