Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

"Young man, I remember you."

Fowles finally looked away, adjusted his glasses, and looked at Lund, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze:

"A few years ago, you participated in a junior knight fighting tournament and won the championship."

In the blink of an eye, you've become a high-ranking knight.

Lund lowered his head, his tone filled with genuine reverence: "Thanks to Lord Fowles' teachings back then, those few words of guidance have benefited Lund for the rest of his life."

Fowles smiled and waved his hand:

"My lectures are open to everyone, not just you."

But only you have grown up so quickly.

"I'm truly amazed that you were able to overcome such a formidable obstacle and reach the level of a third-tier aberrant in such a short time."

Xiuna, standing to the side, snorted coldly. She narrowed her long, narrow eyes and looked Lund up and down.

As for Xiren, who stood behind Lund and whose aura was as restrained as an ordinary person, she had no interest in even glancing at him.

"Is this the Lund who's known as the 'Crimson Star'?"

Xiuna's voice was sharp, with a condescending scrutiny, "He looks like a handsome young man, no wonder he's made a name for himself in the lower city."

Faced with this clearly dismissive assessment, Lund simply lowered his head deeply and remained silent.

Before the fourth-tier demon hunters and the high-ranking officials maintaining the church, he, the overlord of the lower city, indeed had no right to refute them.

Xiuna looked around for a moment, then, seemingly finding it uninteresting, looked away.

"Go and rest. The competition starts in three days."

Fowles gently dismissed him, his gaze sweeping over Siren. "I look forward to seeing how your disciple performs."

The instant Fowles' gaze fell upon Xilen, Xilen felt as if he had been stripped naked and standing in the freezing snow.

Fowles's eyes narrowed slightly, as if deep in thought. A fleeting look of surprise flashed across his face.

It was a sense of astonishment at discovering something utterly incongruous.

But he didn't say anything, he just smiled and nodded.

Xilun and Lund bowed again, turned and left the room, closing the heavy oak door behind them.

The moment the door closed, the previously suppressed tension in the room erupted.

Xiuna whirled around, staring intently at Fowles, a cold laugh echoing through her body:

"Looks like you're still hung up on that woman! She's completely bewitched you!"

Fowles walked to the desk, picked up a document, and said in a flat tone:

"You're overthinking it. It's just an old friend visiting to catch up."

"Catch up?" Xiuna's voice suddenly rose, sharp and piercing. "She's married now!"

Her husband is a university professor who enjoys a high reputation even among royalty, and they even have a young and beautiful daughter!

Yet you're so concerned about her; where do you put the face of the church? Where do you put me?!

Fowles frowned, put down the documents in his hand, and turned to look at Xiuna.

His gaze remained gentle, but beneath that gentleness lay an unyielding authority.

"Say less." He simply uttered these four words.

Xiuna's eyes widened, her chest heaving violently, as if she was about to explode again.

But just then, she noticed a flurry of footsteps coming from the hallway outside, indicating that team leaders from other clubs had come to visit.

She gritted her teeth, glared fiercely at Fowles, and then forced a dignified smile before heading to the door to greet the new guest.

……

In the corridor, Xiren and Lund walked side by side.

Only after turning a corner and completely leaving the area where the oak door was located did Lund exhale a long breath.

Xilun keenly noticed that a dark sweat stain had seeped into the back of his mentor's shirt beneath his black suit.

"The aura of a fourth-tier demon hunter is suffocating no matter how many times you experience it."

Lund shook his head and chuckled self-deprecatingly, "In front of Lord Fowles, my blood and energy are like a lamb encountering its natural enemy, even their circulation becomes extremely sluggish."

Siren held up his black umbrella, his face still deathly still, his voice completely flat:

"That Ms. Xiuna seems to be quite hostile towards you."

"She doesn't harbor any hostility towards me; she harbors hostility towards everyone who appears before Lord Fowles."

Lund lowered his voice and said in a volume that only the two of them could hear, "Shuna is a core member who maintains the church headquarters and is also the 'overseer' assigned to Daewoo Dojo."

She had always wanted to completely bind Lord Fowles to the Church's cause, even resorting to marriage as a means of negotiation.

Unfortunately, Lord Fowles was a hopeless romantic.

The image of the voluptuous noblewoman he had just encountered outside the door, and Daisy's astonished face, flashed through Xiren's mind.

"The noblewoman who just went out was Lord Fowles..." Siren didn't finish his sentence.

"Hmm." Lund nodded, a hint of gossip and wistfulness in his eyes. "That happened twenty years ago."

At that time, Lord Fowles was not yet a fourth-tier official, but just a poor boy fighting in the lower city, while that lady was already a famous noble lady.

The class divide is not so easy to bridge.

Later, the lady followed her family's arrangement and married a university professor with a powerful background.

Lord Fowles, however, broke through the insurmountable barrier in despair and became the fourth-tier demon hunter he is today.

Xilun listened quietly without offering any comment.

……

Led by two dojo disciples in gray uniforms, Xiren and Lund traversed the maze-like, intricate steel corridors of the Daewoo Dojo.

The deeper you go, the fainter the roar of the steam engines becomes, replaced by a tranquility far removed from the hustle and bustle of the world.

They were assigned to guest rooms located at the back of the dojo, near the mountain forest area.

When the heavy wooden door was pushed open, a hint of undisguised surprise flashed in Xilun's eyes.

To be precise, this is not a simple guest room at all, but an extremely elegant independent courtyard.

The courtyard was spacious, with four or five bright and spacious rooms, and the ground paved with blue bricks was swept spotless.

Behind the house is an even more private courtyard, where several lush evergreen trees are planted, and under the trees is an antique octagonal pavilion, next to which is a well with a rim made of bluestone.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and grass, completely isolating the nauseating smell of coal smoke and industrial fumes from the lower town.

Normally, in Saint Laurent City where land is incredibly valuable, such a luxurious and secluded courtyard would cost a fortune even for just one night, far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

However, for now, it is merely used as a guest room, provided free of charge to the contestants.

"I thought there were only two hard beds in the room."

Xilun looked around, leaned the black umbrella against the corner of the wall by the door, and said with a touch of emotion.

Lund walked to the stone table in the center of the courtyard, sat down, reached out and touched the smooth surface, and smiled:

"Dayu Dojo is a large and powerful organization, backed by the gold mine that sustains the church, so naturally they don't need our little bit of stuff."

"To maintain the church's control over the surrounding mines and countless industries, this amount of hospitality expenses is nothing more than a drop in the ocean."

Lund raised his head, looking intently at Xiren, his smile gradually fading, replaced by a solemn expression.

"If it were just a regular regional competition, that would be fine."

But junior equestrian combat sports are different; their influence is enormous.

In the entire lower city, only the eight most prestigious clubs, those with noble titles, and a very small number of people specially recommended by the higher-ups are qualified to participate.

Lund held up four fingers, a hint of helplessness in his voice:

"As the previous champion, the Platinum Club was allocated four spots for the competition."

Our Iron Cross Fighting Club came in last place out of eight clubs last time, so this year we only have one spot available, and that spot is yours.

Xilun walked over and sat down opposite Lund, gazing thoughtfully at the patterns on the table, his fingers lightly tapping his knees.

"What specific rewards are there for a high ranking in the competition?" Xilun asked.

His primary concern was always tangible benefits, which were the ladder to higher positions.

Lund explained, "The most common thing, and the one that everyone values ​​most, is reputation."

On this stage, you can demonstrate your potential to the powerful and influential in the Lower City and even some of the Upper City.

Once you deliver an amazing performance, many people will actively seek to befriend you, and even powerful organizations will be willing to invest massive amounts of resources in you.

Siren nodded slightly; Lord Yuri's investment in him was the best example.

Lund sighed and continued:

"Secondly, for clubs like ours, ranking is a matter of life and death."

To maintain the club's operating license, the church conducts regular annual audits, with the most important criterion being the students' match results.

Lund's face showed a hint of bitterness: "Our Iron Cross Fighting Club is decent in terms of facilities, instructors, and other aspects."

Unfortunately, they consistently ranked at the bottom in competitions among baptized students.

Because of substandard performance, we often fail to pass the church's qualification review.

In order to maintain the club's reputation, it needs to pay an extremely high "knowledge tax" to the church every year.

Lund exhaled a breath of pent-up frustration and gave a self-deprecating laugh:

"To put it bluntly, what the church means is that if you can't teach, don't come out and teach others; if you want to teach, you have to throw money at it."

This year is alright; your current strength far surpasses that of those previously unsuccessful students.

If you can make it into the top eight, the club's "knowledge tax" will be reduced by one level.

Lund looked at Xiren, his eyes gleaming with hope, and smiled:

"Of course, the better your grades, the lower the knowledge tax will be."

If you can create a miracle and win the championship for the first time, we can even pay the lowest level of knowledge tax, and the money saved will be enough to keep the club running for a long time.

At this point, Lund chuckled, as if he could already see that wonderful scene:

"If you're really lucky enough to defeat Rose in the ring, then I, as your mentor, will have really made a name for myself alongside you. Let's see who dares to say that Iron Cross has no one left."

Upon hearing the name "Ross," Xiren's eyes instantly turned as deep as a still pool.

He looked at Lund calmly, his voice completely expressionless: "Is Rose already a shoo-in for the championship with such talent?"

Lund's smile gradually faded, and his expression became more serious than ever before.

"You should know the rules of the junior knight fighting tournament. Participants must be under the age of 25, and each person can only participate a maximum of three times in their lifetime."

Lund leaned forward slightly, placed his hands crossed on the table, and said in a deep voice:

"Ross is twenty-three years old this year. He participated once when he was twenty-one and once when he was twenty-two."

His first time was two years ago, when he came in third place.

The second time, last year, he swept aside all his opponents and took first place.

Lund paused, then said, enunciating each word clearly:

"That means he was the champion of the junior knight fighting tournament last year."

After a year of reflection and with the Platinum Club's massive resources poured into him, he will only be stronger this year than last year.

He has already reached the absolute pinnacle of a first-tier Baptized Being, and may even have touched the threshold of a second-tier Ripper.

Xiren took a deep breath, the cold air flowing into his lungs through his trachea, keeping his mind absolutely clear.

He was about to face such a powerful and almost invincible opponent.

This made him feel a heavy pressure in his chest, as if an invisible mountain was pressing on his shoulders.

Seeing that Xilun remained silent, Lund gave a wry smile: "What's wrong, feeling pressured?"

Xilun slowly exhaled a long breath, his gaze fixed on the blue brick floor, and said:

"I've tried my best to imagine his power in my mind. But after hearing what you've said, it seems that his strength is probably much more terrifying than I imagined."

If it's just a regular exchange of blows...

Xilun paused thoughtfully for a moment, his voice low, "I really don't know what chance I have of beating him."

But when he raised his head, there was no sign of retreat in his dark eyes, only a deathly stubbornness like that of a lone wolf: "But I really don't want to lose."

Lund looked at his most prized disciple, feeling both gratified and worried.

He stood up, walked over to Xiren, and patted him on the shoulder.

I still hope you can prepare yourself mentally.

To be objective, your chances of winning against Rose are absolutely no more than 10%.

Even if we fail, I hope you won't take it to heart.

That's life; failure is a constant companion.

You only lost a game, not your whole life.

You are still young, and you have a long road ahead of you.

Xilun nodded slightly, burying his resentment deep in his heart: "I understand."

"What are your plans next?" Lund asked.

"Let's take a break first." Xiren stood up and stretched his stiff neck. "I want to find a place tonight to practice my marksmanship some more."

Lund said nothing more, turned around and went back to his room, where he took out a thick, extraordinary book from his bag and began to read it.

Xilun then went into his own bedroom.

The room was furnished extremely comfortably, and the bed was so soft that you could sink into it.

He didn't take off his clothes, but only his shoes, and lay flat on the bed.

The fatigue from last night's intense training in the gravity chamber surged up like a tidal wave, and drowsiness quickly took over his mind. He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep in the room.