Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

On the day of the competition.

The weather was unusually clear, with not a single cloud in the azure sky.

Outside the Daewoo Dojo, the crowds were dense and the atmosphere was lively.

Countless commoners, merchants, and even low-level extraordinary individuals from various districts of Saint Laurent City gathered here early on.

Outside the venue, many people sat silently in the tiered stands, their faces showing unusual excitement due to the impending bloody battle, their eyes sweeping over the contestants in the rest area below like hungry wolves.

At the very center of the dojo is a huge circular fighting arena with a radius of fifty meters, paved with high-strength obsidian.

The tabletop still bore the dark red blood grooves left from previous competitions, exuding a faint aura of grim determination.

Siren sat quietly in the athletes' lounge area of ​​the Iron Cross Fight Club.

He seemed completely isolated from the surrounding noise.

He lowered his head, looking somewhat bored, holding the magic book he had obtained from the spoils of war in his hands.

He heard that there would be an extremely lengthy event later, and he didn't want to waste his time.

His gaze swept quickly across the basic mystical characters recorded on the pages, his mind constantly deducing the construction of the spell.

His main focus was on whether there were any techniques he could use unexpectedly in the arena.

However, after reading through various sources, he realized that the "spiritual rope," which he had already mastered to a proficient level, was the most suitable.

This kind of instantaneous control technique, combined with his ferocious close-combat marksmanship, can definitely produce unexpected and deadly effects.

He gently closed the magic book and tucked it into the inside pocket of his trench coat.

Just then, a series of rapid footsteps came from the passageway outside.

A large crowd poured in, breaking the tranquility of the rest area.

Xiren looked up and saw Mentor Renn, Senior Brother Yus, and Mentor Hughes, who had once taught him the Dorok Dark Claw Technique and had a cold face.

They surged in from the dimly lit passageway and arrived at the Iron Cross rest area.

Siren's gaze swept calmly over the crowd, then he stood up, nodded slightly to Renn, and said in a steady voice, "Mentor Renn."

Looking at the boy before him, whose aura was extremely restrained, like a bottomless ancient well, a complex emotion flashed in Raine's eyes.

He stepped forward, patted Xilen heavily on the shoulder, and encouraged him:

"Relax, don't put too much pressure on yourself, just perform to your usual level."

The honor of the Iron Cross does not rest on your shoulders alone.

Xilun didn't say much, he just nodded slightly.

At this moment, the noisy chatter coming from the stands above seemed to be ending soon.

Lund, dressed in a black trench coat, walked back from the center of the dojo. His expression remained as cold as ever. His gaze fell on Xiren, and he said calmly:

"Go up and get ready, the process is about to begin."

Xiren nodded again, picked up the heavy spear disguised as a black umbrella, and followed Lund out of the rest area.

As players from various clubs walked out of the passage one after another and arrived at the queuing area below the fighting arena, an old man appeared on the dais above.

He looked to be only in his fifties, full of energy, wearing a dark gold church robe, his beard was neatly trimmed, and he seemed very energetic. Every gesture he made carried the dignity of someone who had long held a high position.

He slowly walked to the front of the stage, his piercing gaze sweeping over the tens of thousands of spectators and dozens of contestants below. He spoke in a loud voice, his powerful tone carrying clearly to every corner of the dojo:

"I am Belang, the vice-gym leader of the Daewoo Dojo."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all who have come from afar, as well as these energetic and talented young people below."

On behalf of Daewoo Dojo, I would like to thank everyone for gracing us with your presence today!

Brendan's voice, like a resounding bell, echoed across the vast dojo, instantly silencing the clamor of tens of thousands of people.

In the lower queuing area, Lund slightly turned his head and whispered to Siren, Renn, and the others beside him:

"This vice-master of the Da Yu Dojo, in fact, is the one who was originally in charge of the Da Yu Dojo."

He was in charge of overseeing all matters, big and small, within the dojo.

Lund's eyes held a hint of awe: "Although Lord Fowles later parachuted in to become the curator, it did not affect the old man's actual power."

When handling matters large and small, he really enjoys being in the public eye, hosting many important events, such as the junior knight fighting tournament we are currently participating in.

"Don't let his appearance fool you, he looks to be under fifty," Lund said in a low voice, with a hint of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing both admiration and regret), "he is actually seventy-six years old this year."

However, because he successfully underwent three baptisms, entering the ranks of third-tier mutants and achieving a leap in his life level, his body remained robust and energetic, even maintaining near-peak combat strength.

Upon hearing this, Ryan couldn't help but gasp. He turned to look at Lund and asked curiously:

"President, how does your strength compare to his?"

Lund paused for a moment, then shook his head with utmost objectivity:

"If he were twenty years younger, in the prime of his life, I would have undoubtedly lost, and might not even have lasted ten moves."

As for now... it's hard to say.

After all, he's over seventy years old, and the decline of his internal organs and vital energy is irreversible. How much strength he still retains is a big question mark.

Renn nodded slightly, gaining a clear understanding of the terrifying strength of the old man on the stage.

At this moment, Bélain on the stage had finished his opening remarks. His expression suddenly became extremely solemn, and his voice rose sharply, carrying a powerful and penetrating force:

"Why is it called 'Knight Fighting'?"

"This is an era dominated by steel, steam, and artillery!"

Some say that the advent of firearms led to the complete decline of the path for extraordinary individuals; others say that the terrifying firepower of giant ships and cannons was enough to crush any flesh and blood.

Therefore, cultivating the physical body has become a joke.

Beren abruptly waved his wide sleeves and roared, "But they're wrong! Utterly wrong!"

"Steel rusts! Steam dries up! Gunpowder gets damp!"

"When gears jam, when gun barrels explode, when the empire's borders are ravaged by those terrifying alien species, when demons in the darkness tear civilians' throats apart..."

"Only knights! Only we extraordinary beings, forged through countless trials of physical strength, can build a high wall with our flesh and blood to protect the empire, to protect the flame of humanity!"

These highly inflammatory words instantly ignited the atmosphere in the room.

The civilians and lower-ranking extraordinary individuals in the stands were filled with excitement, erupting in deafening cheers.

Having stated the necessity and glory of the Knights' existence, Belang pressed his hands together to suppress the roar, and began to announce the rules of the game with a blank expression:

"Junior Knight Fighting Tournament, rules are as follows!"

"The top three finishers in the rankings will be directly awarded the title of 'Knight' by the Empire, officially recognized by the Empire! They will be granted the Knight's Medal, a symbol of honor!"

Those who possess this title will enjoy privileges such as basic tax breaks and access to purchase high-level extraordinary items.

In addition, the top three will also receive generous additional rewards from Daewoo Dojo.

If any of the top three finishers has already earned the title of Knight, then that title will be awarded to the next highest-ranking player!

Upon hearing this, the contestants in the queue below immediately began to breathe heavily.

Knight title!

This title was extremely important in the rigidly class-based Victorian era.

It is more than enough to transform an ordinary person into a knightly family protected by law!

Beyond the basic consumer discounts, its core value lies in the power to impart knowledge!

In various clubs, students have the right to learn, but they dare not teach breathing techniques or fighting skills to others without permission, otherwise they will be hunted down.

However, possessing the title of knight is equivalent to having the right to buy out one's skills, such as breathing techniques, fighting skills, or even spellbooks, which can be legally passed on to one's offspring or apprentices as part of the family's heritage.

Secondly, knights possess extremely high social authority.

For example, the right of self-defense immunity allows a knight to defend himself indefinitely when provoked by civilians, killing them without paying for it.

When facing charges, the Cavaliers can access their own files and even apply for a stay of trial and appeal to a higher court.

This is one of the most fair, just, and transparent legal pathways to transcend class barriers!

After hearing the rules, the people around him looked on with extreme envy and fervor.

But they also knew very well that even among the top geniuses from the eight major clubs in Saint Laurent City, only three could ultimately become the lowest-ranking junior knight.

Ignoring the commotion below, Béron dropped another bombshell:

"Next up is the extra reward for this competition."

"Third place will reward you with an extraordinary material from a low-level rhinoceros species!"

Upon hearing this, gasps of astonishment rose and fell among the crowd.

Within the circle of extraordinary individuals, the value of extraordinary materials depends on the strength and rarity of the organism in its lifetime.

The most precious first tier includes whales, special sharks, and elephants; followed by rhinoceroses, hippos, and polar bears in the second tier.

Next, we come to the species that many people are familiar with: tigers, lions, pigs, and bears, which occupy the third tier.

The extraordinary materials from this rhinoceros species produce extraordinary relics with excellent performance and amazing defensive capabilities. They also have a very high probability of giving birth to some powerful earth-attribute extraordinary abilities.

Without pausing, Brendan continued announcing, "The second place winner will receive three drops of 'Red Heart Tree Sap'!"

If the reward for third place was shock, then the reward for second place was driving all the first-tier extraordinary individuals into madness.

"It's red heart tree sap!" someone exclaimed in surprise.

This extremely rare sap is a top-tier core ingredient for making universal cultivation potions.

It can greatly enhance one's own qi and blood reserves.

What's even more frightening is that, considering the contestant who managed to get second place, they must have already been close to the first-tier extreme realm.

After taking these three drops of tree sap, you can seamlessly follow up with taking the "Rebirth Potion," greatly increasing your chances of advancing to the second-tier "Tearer"!

This tree sap was strictly controlled by the church and the royal family, and for most extraordinary people at the bottom, it was practically a legendary panacea.

All the contestants present had their Adam's apples bobbing wildly as they swallowed hard.

But getting into the top three is extremely difficult, practically hellish.

Even the best players handpicked by each club felt the chances were slim.

Just as everyone was in a state of high excitement, Beren took a deep breath and threw out his final trump card:

"As for the first place winner... they will receive a perfect-quality Rejuvenation Potion, directly gifted by the Daiyu Dojo!"

"Whoosh—!"

The entire dojo instantly erupted in cheers, the sound waves seemingly about to lift the dome.

When the prize for first place was announced, even some veteran players in the stands who were over the age limit of 25 were green with envy.

Many of them were in their thirties or forties. Although they possessed formidable strength at the first-tier extreme level, they were unable to participate due to their age limit.

They are stuck in the bottleneck period of their second baptism for years or even decades because they cannot obtain an expensive and monopolized rebirth potion.

Countless people whispered among themselves, marveling at the spectacle:

"As expected of the Daewoo Dojo! If the top eight clubs were to provide the reward, just this one bottle of rejuvenating potion would be enough to make them wince!"

"Yes, but for the Daewoo Dojo, which is backed by the church, this is just a drop in the ocean."

They control the wondrous realm behind the mountain, and can gather the materials themselves, which will then be crafted by their own dedicated potion-making scholars.

Inside the Platinum Club area, Ross, dressed in magnificent aristocratic attire, had an extremely intense gleam in his eyes.

He won the championship last year, and the prize was a top-tier Tier 1 Extraordinary Relic longsword.

After a year of intense training, his Qi and blood have reached a state of complete perfection, and he is ready to advance to the second tier.

Originally, even for the baron family behind him, it would have taken quite a while to prepare a bottle of regeneration potion.

But now, as long as he takes first place, he can immediately break through!

"This potion can only be mine."

Ross clenched his fists and arrogantly surveyed his surrounding opponents.

On the other side, Li Lei of the Silver Hand Club was also shocked. He turned and stared intently at his son, Li An, and said in a deep voice:

"Xiao An! Did you hear that?"

"For this regeneration potion, you have to fight to the death this time, even if it costs you your life, to compete with that Ross for first place!"

A cold ambition gleamed in Li An's narrow eyes. He licked his lips:

"Father, don't worry, I won't lose."

The Blackthorn Club members wore bitter expressions. Although they were envious, upon closer reflection, they realized that the potion had probably already fallen into Ross's hands.

Who can compete with Ross at this age?

After the commotion below subsided slightly, Brenand continued to announce:

"In addition, all participants in this competition, regardless of their ranking, will be eligible to participate in the 'Snow Mountain Wonderland' exploration three months later!"

In the Iron Cross rest area, Fester blinked, turned his head with some confusion, and asked:

"President, what kind of place is the Snow Mountain Wonderland?"

Lund explained calmly, "It's a special place called Wonderland, formed by the convergence of extraordinary energy in the continuous mountains behind the Daewoo Dojo."

It contains many unique and extraordinary materials and mutated extraordinary creatures that are extinct in the outside world. It is generally used as a training ground for young extraordinary individuals to undergo life-and-death trials.