I can evolve everything

Chapter 130 Father's Advice

Instead of finding it annoying, Ryan felt quite warm as his younger sister kept nagging him.

He followed the instructions and went into the bathroom. As he immersed himself in the warm water, the fatigue from his long journey finally vanished.

Outside, Lina's voice could be heard intermittently.

"Grandpa Fitz, bring out that piece of smoked venison from last year! Yes, the biggest one! And bring out that bottle of fruit wine from the cellar too—what? Father wanted to keep that to entertain important guests? Never mind, my brother's back!"

Hearing his sister's voice, Ryan couldn't help but chuckle a few times.

He leaned against the edge of the wooden tub, closed his eyes, and felt the hot water soaking into every inch of his skin.

At this moment, he didn't seem like the apprentice knight who had just fought his way out of a monster horde a few months ago.

He is just Ryan Wilder.

A traveler who has returned home.

After he finished washing up, he came out of the bathroom to find Lina already preparing dinner with the house maid.

"Where is Father?" he asked as he walked up to Lina.

"He's in his study. Probably worrying about things in town again." Lina pouted, then whispered in Renn's ear, "Brother, when you come back this time, you have to surprise Father! Show him just how capable you are now!"

Renn smiled and stood up.

"It's time to go see him."

He straightened his collar and strode upstairs to the study.

The study door was ajar, and dim light shone through the crack.

Raine stood at the door, raised his hand, and knocked a few times.

"Thump, thump, thump."

The rustling sound of writing inside stopped.

"Come in."

A deep voice rang out from the study; it was Linus Wilder.

Renn pushed open the door and went inside.

The furnishings in the study remained as simple as ever.

Linus sat behind his desk, not looking up, his gaze still fixed on the documents on the table, as if he were merely a subordinate.

They came in.

Fitz had obviously informed him of Ryan's return, so he wasn't surprised.

"Sit." He gestured to the chair opposite him, asking without looking up, "Why did you suddenly come back? Shouldn't you still be traveling with Sir Karen?"

His tone sounded as if he were inquiring about a routine official matter, without a trace of the warmth a father feels when reuniting with his long-lost son.

Ryan sat down opposite him, already used to his father's meticulousness.

"Sir Karen will rest in Sunset City for two days before setting off for the Royal City," Raine replied calmly.

Linus finally stopped writing. He slowly raised his head and looked directly at his son.

"The royal city?" he repeated, his expression growing increasingly serious. "What are you going there for? What trouble has Karen gotten into this time?"

In his understanding, Sir Karen would only travel to the capital in extremely rare circumstances.

Ryan shook his head: "Sir Karen is preparing to take Ella and me to complete the ascension ceremony."

He then finished the sentence: "Promoted to a full knighthood."

"Click."

Linus appeared calm, but the quill pen in his hand snapped in two at that moment.

He stared intently at Renn, a formal knight.

From nearly failing his apprenticeship assessment to becoming a fully-fledged knight on the verge of being awarded a knighthood, less than a year had passed. How is that possible?

"Say it again?" His voice was distorted with excitement.

"Sir Karen believes that Ella and I are close to mastering the breathing technique, and our performance in the North is enough to earn us the title of official knight."

"The North—" Linus murmured to himself, recalling the news about the beast tide that had come from the Northern Fortress.

Those messages described the ferocity of the battle and the countless sacrifices of soldiers. He had even spent sleepless nights worrying about Rein's safety, but now it seemed—

"You—" He opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but didn't know where to begin.

He wanted to ask Raine what he had experienced in the North and how he had survived.

But in the end, all the questions boil down to one sentence.

"How far have you progressed in your Black Rock Breathing Technique?"

"I've got it all figured out," Ryan replied.

Complete mastery?

"That's impossible—" he instinctively retorted, "The Black Rock Breathing Technique, as a superior breathing technique, is far more complex than ordinary ones. Even the most talented person couldn't master it in such a short time—"

But soon, he gradually accepted this fact.

"Now that you have fully mastered the Black Rock Breathing Technique," Linus said slowly, "you should have also realized that this breathing technique has reached its limit after becoming a formal knight."

"Yes," Renn nodded, "there are no more chapters."

This is also the limitation of all excellent breathing techniques.

They can help an ordinary person quickly train their body, gather life energy, and reach the threshold of becoming a formal knight.

But that's where it ends. To continue upwards and step into that wider world, one must seek higher-quality breathing techniques, such as epic or even legendary ones.

And all of those things were closely guarded secrets.

"Once you arrive in the capital and complete your investiture," Rice's voice turned serious, "Karen will likely give you two choices. One is to stay with the Knights of Dawn's Sword and become a dispatched knight, just like him, traveling and carrying out missions. The other is to enter the Knight Academy in the capital for systematic training."

He paused, then emphasized, "I suggest you choose the latter."

Why?

"Because only at the Knight Academy will you have the opportunity to access higher levels of power. There you'll find the kingdom's largest library, the most learned instructors, and, more importantly, all sorts of missions and trials. Completing these will earn you merit points, which can be used to exchange for breathing techniques that are not publicly available," Linus explained. "Staying out and traveling may offer freedom, but you'll forever remain just an excellent knight, unable to advance any further."

Ryan listened silently.

His father's words unveiled a corner of the world beyond that of a formal knight for him.

"I see."

Linus looked at him, his gaze softening.

He discovered that talking to his son now no longer required scolding or urging; he only needed to state the facts and analyze the pros and cons, just like talking to an equal adult.

And Ryan always understood his intentions immediately.

This feeling brought him immense satisfaction.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore." Linus stood up, the imposing air on his face dissipating considerably. "Lina should have already prepared dinner. Let's go downstairs and eat."