Dawn Swordsman and Wild Boar Knight

Li Wei Snike ———

Black Serpent Breathing Technique: Second Stage (1/5000)

Shield Skill: First Stage (Limit)

...

Perhaps it was because Li Wei had laid such a solid foundation before, coupled with daily private tutoring from a seasoned official knight, achieving the second stage of the Black Serpent Breathing Technique turned out to be much easier than he had imagined.

As for the shield skill, he had practiced it almost to its limit as a byproduct. This skill was far less challenging than basic archery or swordsmanship. For someone who had earned ten thousand experience points in basic archery alone, these skills were relatively simple.

Starting today, Li Wei entered the second stage of a squire: a sword-bearing squire!

He had moved one step closer to his goal of becoming a full-fledged knight.

The next step was reaching the third stage of the breathing technique, becoming a junior knight. With a requirement of five thousand proficiency points, Li Wei estimated that it would take at least half a year to reach that level.

After dedicating so much time to the breathing technique, he needed to give his body and mind a break. Practicing with moderation was essential; otherwise, he might succumb to the dangers of overexertion.

Now that he had become a sword-bearing squire, his basic strength had significantly improved. Li Wei's physical qualities were now likely twice that of an average man. Armed only with brute strength, he could easily take on five adult men barehanded. This was already quite impressive, considering he was only thirteen years old.

According to Sir Frederick Knight's account, who was a seasoned full-fledged knight, his physical qualities were five times that of an ordinary person.

This illustrated that the Black Serpent Breathing Technique was indeed extraordinary. However, Li Wei lacked practical combat experience and advanced combat skills.

One of the essential skills for a sword-bearing squire was proficiency in swordsmanship or other weapon-based combat techniques.

For this, he would have to turn to Sir Frederick Knight for guidance, as even a talented individual like his father had to admit that Sir Frederick Knight was superior in swordsmanship.

This was evident from Sir Frederick Knight's other nickname from his early travels: Dawn Swordsman!

What a handsome title!

There was no rush to learn the sword. Today was New Year's Day, and Li Wei planned to take a day off and enjoy the pleasures of nobility.

...

At the banquet, Li Wei sat in the lord's seat, with Sir Frederick Knight seated beside him.

Apart from them, no other nobles had arrived; everyone in attendance was from their own territory.

Given the current season, with heavy snow blocking the roads, and the remote location of Blackwater Valley, interactions between these lords were infrequent throughout the year, especially during winter. The neighboring territories, Panshi Barony, Frostwind Barony, and Silvermoon Barony, were relatively far away. They only conducted some territorial trade exchanges during the summer.

In summary, the barons in this region were all struggling, making Li Wei's father's rise to prominence even more legendary. He had started from scratch in the barren lands of the north, earned glorious achievements during the kingdom's wars, made the name of the Black Serpent Knight known even to neighboring nobles, and ultimately became the lord of two prosperous territories.

However, Li Wei also didn't like to deal with other lords. It would be best if everyone didn't cause trouble, coexisted peacefully, and achieved mutual benefit.

At the outer edges of the banquet were the timid and shy serfs, who, on this day, enjoyed the same delicious food as the lord but dared not eat freely for fear of angering the lord.

In the territory, Li Wei was their king and could dispose of them at will.

At the same time, everyone was surprised to find that Lord Li, despite his young age, was so mighty and robust, not at all like a thirteen-year-old boy.

After three rounds of wine, Li Wei continued to eat and enjoy the attentive service of the maids. The maids blushed as they massaged Li Wei's incredibly strong male body.

These maids were young farm girls who worked efficiently and were lively when chatting privately. However, they were very reserved every time they served Li Wei.

Suddenly, a short and stocky young boy came to Li Wei, knelt down with a thud, and placed a long cloth-wrapped object in front of Li Wei. Li Wei recognized this boy; he was the son of the territory's old blacksmith Toby. Li Wei called him "Little Toby," but his real name seemed to be "Milan."

"Little blacksmith Milan, do you have something to tell me?" Li Wei asked.

Milan opened the cloth bundle, revealing a knight's sword gleaming with a cold light.

"My lord, this is the best sword I forged last year. I want to dedicate it to you," he said, bowing his head.

"Oh?" Li Wei accepted the sword. The sword had very few impurities in its blade, and whether it was in terms of material selection, forging, or sharpening, in this low-productivity world, it was definitely considered of medium quality and worth one or two gold coins.

"It's indeed a good sword," Li Wei praised generously and accepted it without hesitation. After all, the people in his territory were his subjects, and their lands and property belonged to Li Wei. Therefore, he could rightfully accept it since he had to protect their safety in this chaotic and dark world.

"By the way, is your father's health okay?" Li Wei asked with genuine concern, as Toby was the most important blacksmith in the territory, responsible for crafting weapons and tools for the militia and the serfs. He was a valuable talent in the territory.

Suddenly, Little Blacksmith Milan lowered his head and knelt on the ground, tearfully pleading, "My lord, yesterday, when my father and I were mining ore in the mountains, we encountered members of the Boar Gang. I managed to escape, but my father was abducted. I had no choice but to come seek your help."

Upon hearing this, Li Wei's expression turned cold. "The Boar Gang? The thing I feared most has happened. I know about your father's situation, and I will handle it. Go back home and wait for my message."

Because of this incident, Li Wei's good mood for the day was completely ruined.

After the banquet, Fredrick, the knight, came to find Li Wei, his eyes filled with determination, and said, "The Boar Gang has kidnapped Old Toby. It's clear that they planned this for a long time, especially since their gang has been growing and they need a lot of weapons. An outstanding blacksmith like Old Toby naturally caught their attention. The leader of the Boar Gang is Boar Knight Pigg. This person used to be a blacksmith, and he was even Old Toby's junior when they were learning the craft together. Later, I don't know where he acquired the breathing technique, but he managed to break through to a formal knight. However, he shouldn't be a match for me. How about I lead a team tomorrow to rescue Old Toby?"