[9: In the western Thunder Dragon Duchy, the Countess of Wind’s Breath Castle was discovered in the stables with a handsome groom, "studying dual horsemanship." The enraged Count of Wind’s Breath Castle had all the horses and grooms in the stables castrated.]

[10: Deep within Amber Lake in the Amber Territory, the ancient ruins of a Temple of the Lake Fairy lie buried. A Divine Weapon named "Broken Flow" slumbers there.]

Raylo’s gaze slowly moved down the list of intelligence, finally settling on entries eight and ten.

[8: After a period of consolidation, your Fighting Spirit cultivation has reached a state of perfection. You are now ready to break through to a higher realm.]

[10: Deep within Amber Lake in the Amber Territory, the ancient ruins of a Temple of the Lake Fairy lie buried. A Divine Weapon named "Broken Flow" slumbers there.]

Divine Weapon.

Raylo was no stranger to these legendary weapons.

He had heard countless legends about Divine Weapons; each one was tied to the epic tale of a powerhouse’s rise to prominence.

Their greatest difference from ordinary weapons was that every Divine Weapon contained a unique Power of Rule and possessed its own one-of-a-kind "Divine Weapon Domain."

This meant that possessing a Divine Weapon was equivalent to wielding a portion of the power of a Tier Five Domain Level powerhouse ahead of time.

All the pieces were in place; he just needed the final push.

Before he set out to acquire "Broken Flow," breaking through to the Earth Knight realm was an absolute necessity.

Only by being strong enough himself could he face any unforeseen risks.

Raylo stood up, walked to the window, and pushed open the stained glass pane.

A cool, crisp wind poured into the study, rustling the black hair on his forehead.

He looked up at the sky where a golden streak of light was circling high above. It was Sun, on his routine patrol.

"Sun."

Raylo called out.

The golden light in the sky paused for a moment, then shot toward the castle like a falling meteor.

A moment later, the massive Golden Dragon folded its wings and landed steadily in the square before the castle. Its hundred-meter-long body exuded a crushing pressure as its golden eyes gazed up at the study window.

"My Lord, you summoned me."

Sun’s voice was like the resonant chime of a great bell, echoing through the air.

"Go to the Black Water River."

Raylo was brief and to the point.

"Go to the Black Water River and find the Eternal Giant Turtle. Tell it I wish to cooperate with it to explore some ancient ruins. We will rendezvous in three days at Amber Lake in the Amber Territory."

"As you command."

Without the slightest hesitation, Sun dipped its massive head in a show of respect. Then, with a beat of its wings, it kicked up a gale and soared into the sky once more, becoming a golden speck that vanished over the eastern horizon.

Having arranged everything, Raylo closed the window, turned, and left the study, heading straight for his bedroom.

The time that followed was his alone.

The bedroom was quiet. Moonlight was dozing on the softest wool blanket, which was laid out on the windowsill.

Hearing the door open, it lazily opened its pale golden eyes, glanced at Raylo, and then promptly closed them again.

Raylo took off his coat and sat cross-legged on the bed.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his state of mind, and prepared to enter seclusion.

Moonlight seemed to sense something.

It stopped feigning sleep and leaped from the windowsill, landing gracefully beside the bed without a sound.

It didn’t come over to be coddled, nor did it disturb Raylo. It simply lay down quietly, the silver tip of its tail resting gently on Raylo’s leg, its pale golden eyes fixed on him with concentration.

Just then, the bedroom door was nudged open a crack, and a small, slick, fuzzy black head poked in. It was Coal Ball.

The little fellow was completely oblivious to the solemn atmosphere in the room. Seeing Moonlight lying by the bed, it excitedly trotted over on its short little legs with a PITTER-PATTER sound, letting out a soft "whimper, whimper" noise, apparently looking to play with its boss, Moonlight. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Just as it was about to pounce, a snow-white paw descended from above, pressing down on its slick little black head with both precision and force.

"Whimper?"

Coal Ball was stunned.

Moonlight didn’t even bother to glance at it. With a slight increase in pressure, its paw shoved its clueless underling completely into the soft downy quilt.

The world was instantly quiet.

A small lump formed under the quilt, and two little legs sticking out kicked a couple of times before going still.

Raylo couldn’t help but smile at the little interruption, and the trace of nervousness in his heart dissipated.

He reached out and stroked Moonlight’s smooth neck, and it squinted its eyes in comfort.

Drawing his hand back, Raylo’s expression turned focused once more.

He took a Crystal Bottle from his Spatial Bag. It was precisely the "Earth Knight’s Breakthrough Potion" specially concocted by Master Barnaby.

Without any hesitation, he uncorked the bottle and drank the Potion in one gulp.

As the Potion went down his throat, it started as a gentle, warm current.

But just a breath later, that warm current transformed into a raging inferno, exploding through his limbs and bones!

Raylo let out a muffled groan, his body trembling slightly.

He immediately focused his mind and began guiding the Fighting Spirit that was already stirring restlessly within him, making it circulate along a specific path.

His Fighting Spirit, once as steady as a stream, was instantly transformed into a roaring torrent by the Potion’s catalytic power.

Its circulation speed increased several times over, stretching his meridians to the point of a dull ache, as if they might be torn apart by the violent power at any moment.

Raylo kept his mind clear and his teeth clenched. Sweat beaded on his forehead, soon drenching his hair.

The transition from Great Knight to Earth Knight was a qualitative leap.

Its core lay in transforming the rapidly spinning Fighting Spirit Vortex in his Dantian into a vast Qi Sea.

It was a process of destruction and rebirth.

He could clearly "see" the Fighting Spirit Vortex within his Dantian spinning at an unprecedented, frantic speed. It was drawing in the Potion’s violent power from his body, constantly expanding, compressing, and expanding again.

At the center of the Vortex, the light grew brighter and brighter, like a newborn Star.

The pain intensified, yet Raylo’s mind grew increasingly calm.

He could feel his consciousness merging with his Fighting Spirit, following it as it surged through his body.

With every circulation, his Fighting Spirit grew a fraction purer, and his control over his body grew a fraction stronger.

After an unknown amount of time, when the Vortex in his Dantian had expanded to its absolute limit, a terrifying premonition of imminent collapse washed over him.

’Now!’

With a single thought, Raylo stopped suppressing the power. Instead, he actively guided the violent energy to slam viciously into the center of the Vortex!

VMMMM!

A hum that seemed to originate from the depths of his very soul.

The entire world seemed to stand still at that moment.

Raylo’s mind went blank. All pain and sensation vanished in an instant.

He felt as if he had become a speck of dust, floating in an endless void.

What followed was an ultimate release.

The Vortex in his Dantian, which had been compressed to its limit, violently exploded!

The once-small Vortex transformed into a boundless ocean of Fighting Spirit.

The Qi Sea was formed!

The Fighting Spirit circulated ceaselessly through his meridians before flowing into the calm, vast ocean of his Dantian to accumulate.

It flowed gently through his meridians, which were now several times more resilient and wider than before, endless and self-sustaining.

Raylo’s eyes snapped open, a golden light flashing in their depths before vanishing.

He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

He looked down at his own palm and slowly closed it into a fist.

An unprecedented sense of fullness welled up inside him.

He could feel that every inch of his muscle and every one of his bones was brimming with explosive power.

The Qi Sea in his Dantian was like an inexhaustible Power Source, ready to supply him with immense Fighting Spirit at any time.

This... was an Earth Knight.

"Meow."

A soft cry pulled him back from his wondrous state of enlightenment.

At some point, Moonlight had stood up and was now gently rubbing its beautiful head against his arm.

Raylo chuckled and wrapped his arms around the big, snow-white furball.

"Thank you, Moonlight."

The little lump under the quilt finally stirred, and Coal Ball’s slick black head poked out. It looked blankly at Raylo, then at Moonlight, seemingly confused about what had just happened.

In high spirits, Raylo reached over, scooped up the little fellow, and held it in his arms as well.

After the joy of his breakthrough subsided, his thoughts returned to the Divine Weapon slumbering at the bottom of Amber Lake.

Earth Knight, accomplished.

Next, to claim the sword!