Chapter 229 - 209: Advancement to Junior Grand Knight

Chapter 229: Chapter 209: Advancement to Junior Grand Knight

WHOOSH!

In an instant, flames and frost spread outward along the trunk of the Extraordinary Tree.

In the blink of an eye, the flames and frost had already enveloped most of it.

Vili sensed an emotion akin to human fear overflowing from the tree trunk.

GURGLE GURGLE GURGLE...

Vili could even hear the restless, distorted sounds of the Extraordinary Energy within the Extraordinary Tree.

"Hm?"

Just as Vili thought the Extraordinary Tree’s life force was being extinguished, the purple fruit at the very top of its canopy and the crystal at its center, which had been emitting a soft glow, began to dim rapidly. Soon, the once-bright space was plunged into darkness.

After a moment’s thought, Vili swung his Cross Sword, directly severing the treetop.

The purple fruit, along with the Fruit Core Crystal, fell right into Vili’s hand.

The instant the fruit touched his palm, a sensation that was both warm and cool spread across his skin, accompanied by a wave of pure energy.

’Not good!’

Vili hadn’t even had a chance to carefully examine the purple fruit when he sensed that the Extraordinary Tree’s already chaotic Extraordinary Energy, now that the fruit was plucked, seemed to go completely berserk.

His danger-sensing instincts made Vili subconsciously want to dodge.

He pushed off the ground, using the recoil to rapidly distance himself from the Extraordinary Tree.

He had barely gotten fifty meters away when he heard a deafening explosion behind him. A searing shockwave rolled out, throwing Vili even farther away with immense force.

In that moment, Vili was blasted more than a hundred meters away.

"Lord Baron!"

Colson, Benduin, and Budar rushed over.

Although there was no longer a light source, the darkness after the Extraordinary Tree’s destruction wasn’t as oppressive as before.

It was as if their night vision had been restored; their view was unobstructed for a hundred meters.

"I’m fine..."

Vili had been thrown flat on the ground by the shockwave.

He propped himself up on his arms and sat up with some difficulty. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, but he still tightly clutched the purple Light Stone and the Fruit Core Crystal.

Vili’s experience told him that this purple fruit and this Fruit Core Crystal were both treasures.

Benduin was still weak and swaying, but he managed to steady Vili by the arm.

"I’m not seriously hurt..."

Vili waved his hand, signaling for Benduin not to worry about him.

Vili felt a searing pain on his back. He turned his head and twisted his body to get a look at it.

All he could see was a bloody, mangled mess.

Vili gave a wry smile. Just a moment ago, he’d thought the Extraordinary Tree had no offensive power aside from its pollen, but the sudden explosion made him feel like he’d just escaped death’s door.

’Good thing I was fast enough, or I might have been blown to bits.’

He began to circulate the Fighting Spirit, Power of Justice, and Mage’s Power within his body.

Extraordinary Energy could, to a certain extent, repair physical damage.

"This is..."

The moment Vili began circulating the Extraordinary Energy in his body, the Fruit Core Crystal in his hand, which had gone dark, suddenly began to emit faint specks of white light.

"This thing..."

Colson sensed a pure energy overflowing from the Fruit Core Crystal, something akin to the Power of Nature. But upon sensing it more carefully, he realized this energy was not the Power of Nature.

It wasn’t just Colson; Budar and Benduin were also filled with curiosity about the softly glowing Fruit Core Crystal.

"What is this energy?"

The instant the Fruit Core Crystal lit up, Vili suddenly felt a surge of pure Extraordinary Energy pour into his body.

He didn’t know what this energy was, but he could clearly sense that this pure Extraordinary Energy was accelerating the circulation of his Fighting Spirit, Power of Justice, and Mage’s Power.

"My Fighting Spirit..."

At that moment, Vili completely forgot about his injuries, because he clearly felt that the promotional bottleneck that had been holding him at the threshold of Grand Knight had suddenly loosened.

Vili had been a Senior Knight for a long time. Even though his Intelligence Value was now approaching 30, he had never been able to break through that threshold.

To become a Knight, one only needed to plant a Fighting Spirit Energy Seed and wait for it to spread throughout the body.

But to advance to Grand Knight, one needed to gather the diffused Fighting Spirit, condense it back into a single point, and then reform it into a Fighting Spirit Vortex in the abdomen.

It was a further sublimation of the quality of one’s Fighting Spirit.

The Fighting Spirit Power that emanated from a Fighting Spirit Vortex possessed a much more terrifying might.

When projecting a blast of Fighting Spirit Sword Qi, a Knight’s Fighting Spirit could only form a sharp blade to cut an enemy in half. A Great Knight’s Fighting Spirit, however, while also appearing as a sharp blade, was composed of countless smaller, spinning vortexes. A Grand Knight’s attack would directly shred the part of the enemy’s body it struck.

In an instant, Vili felt the Fighting Spirit inside his body become exceptionally active and sensitive.

"This feeling..."

A strange glint appeared in Vili’s eyes.

He immediately sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and focused on the changes within his body.

"Lord Baron is..."

Benduin watched Vili, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

He was about to say more but was cut off by Budar, who waved a hand and made a shushing gesture.

Budar had already guessed something about Vili’s current state.

"The Lord Baron... might be about to advance..."

Colson whispered in Benduin’s ear, resolving his confusion.

"This..."

Benduin was instantly speechless. The first time he had met the Lord Baron, he seemed to be only a Middle Knight.

Vili’s perception was now focused entirely within his body.

He could feel the Fighting Spirit that had been spread throughout his body beginning to gather back in the center of his abdomen.

Previously, attempting this step had always been extremely taxing. But this time, with the constant replenishment and stimulation from the Fruit Core Crystal’s energy, the process was surprisingly easy.

Vili felt his abdomen grow hotter and hotter as the vast Fighting Spirit reversed its course, condensing back into its initial form as a Fighting Spirit Energy Seed.

However, this Fighting Spirit Energy Seed was completely different from the one he had first condensed. It was dense and pure, and it contained a powerful, oppressive force.

At this point, a strained expression appeared on Vili’s face.

If the process of transforming the Fighting Spirit Energy Seed into a Fighting Spirit Vortex was mishandled, the seed could explode and cause severe internal injuries.

"Hm?"

Just as Vili began to compress the surface of the Fighting Spirit Energy Seed, he found that the once-restless and difficult-to-control seed had become incredibly pliable. The vast Fighting Spirit within it had also become much gentler.

’What on earth is this species of Extraordinary Tree? Its purple fruit, the Fruit Core Crystal nurtured within, and the energy it contains... they’re all just incredible...’

Vili slowly began to form his Fighting Spirit Vortex.

He proceeded with extreme caution and care.

All of a sudden, Vili seemed to hear a faint, crisp cracking sound from the center of his abdomen.

Immediately after, the Fighting Spirit Energy Seed caved inward and, with a WHOOSH, inverted to become a tiny Fighting Spirit Vortex.

BOOM!

The Fighting Spirit Vortex began to spin violently. The Fighting Spirit that had been gathered inside his body now spread throughout his system in a more torrential and ferocious manner.

A shockwave of energy erupted from Vili’s body.

The others, caught completely off guard, were knocked off their feet.

"Fighting Spirit has condensed into a vortex, achieving a qualitative sublimation. Title acquired: [Junior Grand Knight]. Reward: 12 attribute points."

"After obtaining the [Junior Grand Knight] title, the quality and quantity of your Fighting Spirit will undergo a further leap, making you the most powerful Junior Grand Knight of your rank. Additionally, you will master all the application and combat techniques for a Junior Grand Knight’s Fighting Spirit."

[Vili Ferren—Constitution: 16; Intelligence: 29.5; Remaining attribute points: 12]

In Vili’s vision, the long-absent Title Attribute Panel had finally appeared once more.

The Senior Knight bottleneck that had trapped him for so long was finally broken.

"This feeling..."

Vili savored the changes in his body.

The qualitative leap in his Fighting Spirit gave Vili the illusion that he could now face any powerful enemy.

’The attribute point reward this time is a full 12 points...’

A flash of joy passed through Vili’s eyes.

Twelve points. This was the first time Vili had ever received a double-digit reward of attribute points.

’On top of that, my Constitution Value also increased by 2 points...’

Vili’s Constitution Value had been 14; this promotion to Junior Grand Knight had automatically increased it by 2 points.

When he first advanced to Knight, his physical attributes had never increased on their own.

’Is it because, in a normal promotion, an ordinary human body can no longer contain a Junior Grand Knight’s Fighting Spirit...?’

Vili guessed to himself as he sensed the Fighting Spirit within him, now much more formidable than before.

"Congratulations, Lord Baron, on your promotion to Grand Knight!"

Just as Vili was lost in thought, Budar, standing to the side, suddenly congratulated him in an excited voice.

He was a Middle Level Peak Knight, so of everyone present, Budar was the most capable of sensing the enormous change in Vili.

"Congratulations, Lord Baron!"

Colson and Benduin quickly chimed in, genuine smiles on their faces.

To them, Vili was like a spiritual pillar; the stronger he became, the more secure they felt.

Moreover, they were currently in a place fraught with hidden dangers, so Vili’s leap in strength was excellent news for them all.

Vili smiled, stood up, and didn’t say much.

A Grand Knight under the age of twenty might be seen as a monster by others, but with the help of the Title Attribute Panel, advancing to Junior Grand Knight didn’t seem all that difficult.

Vili looked down at the Fruit Core Crystal in his palm. The white light it had begun to re-emit had vanished once more. The pure energy that had propelled his promotion was now extremely faint, with less than ten percent of its original reserves remaining, perhaps even less.

"Take this, Benduin."

As Benduin looked on in confusion, Vili handed the Fruit Core Crystal to him.