13 Knights

"The speed of your sword drawn would be affected by women!" As long as you remember this sentence, your path as a Knight will be smooth. In other words, us knights can not get close to women, or else we won't ever get stronger."

John held back his laughter secretly, but he looked serious on the surface as if this was the truth that he believed in.

"Yes, I will remember it."

Tian Xing had been single for twenty years in his previous life, and he never had a girlfriend. He nodded seriously.

'But... Uncle John, aren't you treating me like a child? The speed of your sword drawn would be affected by women? Perhaps you'd like to explain what happened between you and Dani, then?'

Parr looked up at John and asked a series of questions innocently.

"Uncle John, you said that you wanted to stay away from women, but why did you stay at Dani's house for the past two days? Why did you leave before dawn today? Did you do something to her? Hence you needed to escape? Did you even say goodbye to Dani?"

"Cough..."

Holding back his laughter for a long time, John was angered by this series of questions. He kept coughing. After he finally calmed down, he looked at Parr's innocent face. He felt that Parr asked these questions on purpose.

'Impossible, this boy is only ten years old. During my interviews in the village these past few days, everyone said that he was a stupid kid. How could he be so conniving now? Perhaps his questions are unintentional. He's just a stupid kid!'

John shook his head. Parr's apparent age fooled him. There was no way he could have known that the soul inside Parr's body was a twenty-year-old man. The soul was also the kind of person who held grudges.

"..."

Parr was still looking at John. It seemed like he would not look away until John answered. However, John was a very thick-skinned person. John suddenly turned his head and clenched his fists. A vicious expression appeared on his face.

"Little boy, can we change the question?"

"Alright!"

Parr gulped and ended the topic. He then asked a different question.

"Uncle John, I've always wanted to know, how old are you? You look like you're in your thirties or twenties at most!"

"I'm forty."

"What!"

Parr looked at John in disbelief. He was really shocked because John looked very young and handsome. Although Parr could not guess his exact age, he couldn't be forty years old!

"Hahaha, are you surprised?"

Seeing Parr's shocked look, John could not help but feel like he had vented his anger. A smug smile appeared on his face. He then began to reveal the secret of his youthful look.

"Little boy, let me teach you the second lesson. Travel the world. Don't judge people by their appearance. You said that I look like I am in my twenties or thirties at most, right? This is because once a man becomes a Bronze-level Knight, the peak age for their bodies would last longer. The speed of our aging will greatly slow down. Our appearance will remain just like in our twenties or thirties, even until we are in our fifties or sixties. Only at later ages would there be noticeable changes. But even so, an old Knight will still be much more powerful than an ordinary person."

"I see!"

Paar suddenly understood. He did not expect such a good thing to happen when one becomes a Bronze-level Knight. However, what if he surpassed Bronze-level? Would his lifespan increase by an even more significant margin?

Every single person would wish to live for a long time. Parr was no exception. He had read some novels in his previous world and was very envious of the immortals who lived for hundreds or thousands of years. Now that he had arrived in another world and found a way to increase his lifespan, how could he not ask further?

"Uncle John."

This time, Parr called out to him sincerely. Previously, he pretended to be young, but now after knowing that John was already forty years old, it is only suitable to address him as an uncle.

"Can you tell me about the realms above Bronze-level?"

"Of course."

As long as Parr did not continue to ask about him abandoning Dani and running away in the early morning, John was more than willing to answer. As he cleared the way, he began to talk about the classification of the ranks among the Knights.

..

Knights are the most crucial combat profession for every country in the world. It is the primary occupation for warriors. They were divided into four levels— Apprentice, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Mortal, Breakthrough, and Saint.

Each level was divided into four stages— Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Peak.

John didn't tell Parr too much, perhaps because he doesn't know the details either. After telling Parr about the levels and stages, he explained the characteristics of the first three Knight levels.

The apprentice level trains the body. Ordinary people can reach this level as long as they undergo a planned long-term exercise. However, if they wish to improve further, it would depend on their talent. If they do not have the necessary talent, they need to increase their resources. As long as they have resources, it is not a dream to reach the peak of Apprentice-level.

Therefore, many people who have little talent but still wish to improve will become adventurers or soldiers. They will enhance themselves through adventure and battle while earning resources. In general, as long as one does not give up and possess luck, one could still become a peak apprentice.

Bronze-level carries a significant change because this level is equivalent to a Knight. Children from noble families would automatically receive the title of Knight. Adventurers who did not have a territory and ventured into the world could only be called Wandering Knights. Regular Knights despised the low status and unprofessional Wandering Knights. Meanwhile, Wandering Knights believed that Regular Knights were rookies who had never seen blood.

However, as long as there was a chance to obtain territory and a surname, most Wandering Knights would choose to seize the opportunity and become Regular Knights themselves.

The method to break through to Bronze-level was straightforward. A Magic Crystal from a Magical Beast who possesses Bronze-level strength and a potion made from the blood of Magical Beast's heart would be enough.

This sounds very simple, but it truly is not. If an Apprentice-level individual does not have a Bronze-level Knight alongside him, he would be forced to hire one from the Adventurer's Guild to hunt the Magical Beasts. An alternative would be to buy Magic Crystals and potions directly. However, it would be costly. The final option would be to gamble their luck and try to kill the Bronze-level Magical Beast by themselves. 

When an Apprentice breaks through to Bronze-level, he would obtain the Magical Beast's bloodline power and form a Battle Qi in his body. The specific attribute of the Battle Qi would depend on the Magical Beast itself.

Battle Qi's are very powerful. An Intermediate Bronze-level Knight could use it to attack their enemy from afar. A Peak Bronze-level Knight could condense Battle Qi in preparation for breaking through to Silver-level.

To break through to Silver-level, there were two options. First, condense one's own Battle Qi to the extreme. Second, think of a way to purify the Magical Beast's bloodline in one's body. Then, they need to combine it with the condensed Battle Qi in their body to form a phantom version of the Magical Beast, which could be unleashed in battle.

At the peak of Silver-level, the Magical Beasts' phantom would turn into a real one, and it could be used as a mount. According to legend, this was also the origin of the name of a certain Knight. John did not mention the level after that, and he did not seem to know about it either.

"Wait, I have forgotten the most important question!"

Suddenly, Parr, deep in thought, came back to his senses. He had forgotten his original question, which was about lifespan. So he asked again,

"Uncle John, you just said that the lifespan of a Bronze-level Knight doesn't increase by much. What about the level above Bronze?"

"Well..."

John stopped in his tracks and pondered. He dug through his memories for an answer.

"Got it!"

Finally, John remembered. He rubbed his chin and said, "Boy, if I remember correctly, up until Gold-level Knight, the lifespan would continue to be only slightly longer than that of ordinary people. But if one breaks through to the Mortal stage, they can continue to live for at least two hundred years. If they reach the Breakthrough stage, they can live for at least five hundred years. At the Saint stage, which is when they can call themselves a Holy Knight, they can live for at least a thousand years."

"Ah?"

Parr was stunned. This would mean that the Swift Shadow Wind Wolf Holy Knight who had established the Wind Wolf Kingdom might still be alive!

Parr voiced out his thoughts, but what greeted him was John's bitter smile and sigh.

"Little boy, you're overthinking. There were only seven Holy Knights in this world, and they all appeared during the Great Disaster a thousand years ago. They were called the Seven Holy Knights of Salvation by our descendants, and it was they who saved the entire world. For this, they paid a heavy price. Two Holy Knights died in battle, while the other five suffered severe injuries. The injuries were incurable, and they passed away one after another shortly after the country was established. The matter of the Holy Knights being able to live for a thousand years was just a guess, and no one bothered to verify it because there were no more Holy Knights in the later generations."