I can evolve everything

The moment Raine made his choice, his consciousness returned to reality.

He leaned against the headboard, and suddenly felt a numbness in his body.

He can now clearly feel that a portion of the energy in his body has been devoured by some invisible force.

Although the exertion was not much, it made him feel weak, as if he had just completed a long journey.

"So this is what 'energy reserves' are," Renn muttered to himself.

The operation of this "golden finger" mainly involves borrowing one's future energy in advance and investing it in the derivation and evolution of skills.

Fortunately, the consumption of [Iron Wall Stance] is still within an acceptable range.

He felt a little weak, but he was far from being unable to move.

The wound on my ribs is still throbbing, but thanks to the ointment and the rest I got over the past two days, it's not affecting my mobility much anymore.

"We can't just wait around."

Ryan threw off the covers and put on his linen undershirt and trousers.

In twenty-eight days, although the cheat system could help him learn the [Iron Wall Stance], his physical body in reality couldn't be neglected either.

He needs to adapt to this body as quickly as possible and improve his functions as much as possible through basic training.

Even the slightest improvement might increase the chances of them holding out against Sir Karen.

He pushed open the door, and the cool morning breeze invigorated him.

The rain outside the window has stopped, and the damp air carries the scent of earth.

He walked through the corridor and arrived at the courtyard at the back of the mansion.

In the corner of the courtyard, there was a weapon rack and several stone locks used to train strength.

This is where Linus, Linus's father, usually stretches his muscles.

However, there are already people here today.

A figure stood in the center of the courtyard, holding an unsharpened practice sword, repeating basic slashing movements over and over again.

That was his sister, Lena Wilder.

The girl, who was only fourteen years old, was not yet fully grown in size, but her movements were quite standard.

Every time she swung her sword, it made a sound as if the wind was cutting through it.

Her gray braids swayed as she turned, and the profile of her face appeared particularly focused in the morning light.

Ryan's steps gradually came to a stop, and fragments of memories about his younger sister slowly surfaced in his mind.

An existence completely different from the original body, leaving the original body with the impression of being calm, self-disciplined, and even somewhat precocious.

In the original owner's memories, this younger sister was always taciturn, and the two rarely communicated.

But their relationship wasn't bad; Lina simply couldn't understand her second brother's various ridiculous behaviors.

"Good morning, Lina," Raine greeted her first.

Lina stopped moving and swiftly sheathed her sword.

Turning around, a pair of gray eyes similar to Renn's looked over, their faces expressionless.

"Good morning, Second Brother." Her voice had a touch of youthful crispness, but her tone was very steady. "Is your injury any better?"

"He's mostly recovered." Renn walked to the weapon rack and picked up a wooden practice sword.

The sword felt somewhat heavy in his hand, which made him a little uncomfortable.

Lina's gaze swept between him and the wooden sword, but she didn't speak; she just watched quietly.

Raine took a deep breath and assumed a starting stance, following the vague postures his father had taught him, postures that the original owner had long forgotten.

He tried to recall the most basic thrust, but when he presented the sword, his body was completely unresponsive.

Unsteady on his feet, his steps were unsteady, and the tip of his sword wobbled uncontrollably. It was less of a thrust and more of a wild stab with a stick.

He felt a little embarrassed after completing even a basic movement.

Lina remained silent. She walked over to Renn and gently tapped his elbow with her finger.

"It's too high up here; the power will dissipate from the shoulders."

Then, she lightly kicked Ryan's heel with her toe.

"You need to put your weight firmly on your back foot, otherwise your upper body will not have a foundation."

Following her instructions, Ryan adjusted his posture. Although he was still a bit clumsy, his overall stance was much more stable.

"Thank you," Ryan said sincerely.

"It's nothing." Lina took two steps back and picked up her practice sword again. "My father taught me. He said that the foundation of swordsmanship is to make the body remember the most stable posture."

For the next half hour or so, Ryan clumsily repeated the most basic movements of chopping, slashing, and stabbing, and sweat quickly soaked his inner lining.

Lina watched quietly from the side, only occasionally offering a word of advice when he made a really bad move.

Apart from that, the brother and sister did not have much conversation.

When Ryan's arms ached from exhaustion and he had to stop to rest, Lina handed him a towel hanging on the railing.

"I'm so glad you're here to practice your swordsmanship," she said softly. "I hope to see you again tomorrow."

"I will," Ryan said, wiping his sweat and panting heavily.

Lina looked at his disheveled yet energetic appearance, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly spoke: "Second brother, about next month's assessment, you..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was already clear.

Based on the level of skill that Ryan just displayed, let alone last a minute against Sir Karen, he probably wouldn't even be able to withstand the first strike.

Ryan smiled and didn't argue: "Just do your best."

Seeing his composed demeanor, Lina's expression softened slightly.

She thought for a moment, then said in a half-joking tone, "I heard from Grandpa Fitz that Father was so angry about you that he smashed his favorite wine glass."

"It sounds like something he would do," Ryan shrugged.

"So, I've already prepared in advance. If you fail the test, Father will definitely be furious, and he might really break your legs like he said."

She paused, then looked intently at Ryan.

"I'll go to the dock and buy you a boat ticket to the next town. You can take the boat across Mirror Lake and lay low for a few days. Once Father's anger has subsided, I'll write to you to come back."

Renn was stunned.

He looked at his serious-looking younger sister. It seemed that this seemingly aloof girl actually cared about him quite a bit.

He couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You really don't think much of me?"

"I'm just preparing for the worst." Lina remained serious, as if she really wasn't joking.

"My father always said that there should always be a contingency plan. This is one of the principles of knighthood."

"Alright, thank you for your proposal then." Ryan's smile faded, and he said seriously, "However, we might not need it this time."

Lina looked at the unprecedented determination in his eyes, said nothing more, and simply nodded.

She turned to leave, but then, as if remembering something, she turned back and added a sentence.

"By the way, Second Brother. I overheard Father mentioning that Sir Karen's assessment has an unwritten rule."

"What habits?" Ryan immediately pressed.

Lina gazed into the distance, seemingly recalling her father's words.

"He said that Sir Karen, in order to test the courage of his apprentices, always used a powerful, high-angle straight slash as his first strike to crush the opponent's confidence. Facing this strike, any fancy dodge was quite foolish; the only way to deal with it was to parry it with the most stable stance and prove that one had the qualities to become a knight."

A high-position straight chop.

The corresponding image instantly flashed into Raine's mind.

A fully armed knight, holding a two-handed greatsword high, brought his entire weight down on him.

He looked down at the wooden sword in his hand, then weighed his own body in his hand.

A direct hit?

For Renn, that wasn't proving his worth; that was courting death.

All his hopes now rest on the solidified "Iron Wall Stance" that will take place in twenty-eight days. But Renn still felt somewhat uncertain.

If you could wear some of the best armor you have at home and take a shield, your chances of success would undoubtedly increase significantly.