Lord: I can see loyalty.

After arranging for personnel to be stationed in the western border, Vio rushed back to the city of Portol in the southern border without stopping.

He needed to prepare for a battle against the pirates of the West.

According to information provided by Timothy and Philip, it is now almost certain that the so-called "old pirate" Finn has decided to get involved and take action against him.

Since he can be feared by two of the most powerful pirate captains in the West, it's clear that this Finn is indeed extraordinary.

Although Vio's Azure Peak Knights were considered among the top warriors in the entire Kingdom of Rovia, it was said that the pirate Ulysses also had a knightly order.

Therefore, Vio had no intention of gambling on the strength of his opponent.

It has been quite some time since the Azure Knights began learning the Serpent Eagle Sword Technique, and it's time to see the results.

In the southern border, in the city of Portol, on the training ground.

Two hundred fully armed Azure Knights gathered here, making the already large training ground seem rather crowded.

Young knight Russell looked up from the noisy crowd, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the captains and Jimmy Tuan, as if searching for something.

Finally, after scanning the area once more, his gaze settled on Count Vio, who was slowly walking out from behind.

That's right, indeed, today is the best opportunity!

Russell could not hide his excitement.

His former captain, Vincent, is now the captain of the royal guard, and it is said that he has gained even more influence in the Earl's eyes recently.

As a competitive young man, how could he not be envious!

The day the Count announced that the Knights of the Azure Peak would learn the Serpent Eagle Sword Technique, he knew that this was the best opportunity for promotion!

Therefore, in the months since he started learning swordsmanship, he has hardly missed a single day of training. In addition, he is naturally talented and has now reached the beginner level of the Serpent Eagle Sword Technique.

He wants to find his chance today to become the captain of the Knights.

According to the Earl's rules, two conditions must be met to become a captain of the knights.

Firstly, one can be promoted by making meritorious contributions on the battlefield, killing a certain number of enemy soldiers or beheading the enemy general in the presence of other captains or regimental commanders.

Secondly, if one's swordsmanship level breaks through a certain level and surpasses the average level of one's companions, one can be promoted to captain.

Unfortunately, Russell was part of the Knights' garrison, whose duty was to remain in Portor and only participate in key battles.

Therefore, opportunities to distinguish oneself on the battlefield are extremely rare.

As for swordsmanship, he was indeed among the first of the Blue Peak Knights to master the Serpent Eagle sword technique.

But even more unfortunately, just recently, the Earl, the captain, and the other captains had all gone to the Western Frontier to deal with the pirates.

In just a few days, a large number of knights in the Order of Knights had learned the Serpent Eagle Sword Technique, but the reason why Russell still believed it was an opportunity was quite simple.

He is confident.

He could vaguely sense that his swordsmanship was far superior to that of his training companions.

At the very front of the training field, on a high platform made of neatly cut stones, Jimmy came to Vio's side to report on the situation.

"My lord, the Knights currently have 219 members. Excluding the captains and myself, there are 200 full members." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the group of knights. "Of them, 110 have already mastered the Serpent Eagle Sword Technique!"

Vio raised his eyebrows slightly, somewhat surprised.

You should know that knightly swordsmanship is not something that can be learned simply by studying hard; your own talent is often also very important.

However, the Azure Peak Knights, who were among the first in the thousand-strong militia to reach the advanced level of basic swordsmanship, were naturally quite talented, so it was only natural that so many of them had mastered it.

"How are the captains doing? And what about Ansque?" Vio then asked.

"Several captains have already mastered the basics of the Serpent Eagle Sword Technique. Ansquie said that he has vaguely reached the intermediate level, so he did not come to this training session today and went to practice."

Vio nodded in satisfaction, his gaze falling on Jimmy beside him.

[Sand Dune Swordsmanship, Advanced Peak]

He had learned the same swordsmanship as Vio, and had already reached its peak. Vio felt it was time for him to learn breathing techniques.

However, before that, Vio still needs to test the knights' results.

He waved for Jimmy to come closer and said something in a volume that was neither too loud for others to hear nor too obvious.

Jimmy's expression changed at first, as if he was trying to dissuade Vio, but in the end he couldn't persuade him otherwise.

Knights,

"You are very lucky today. His Excellency the Earl has made time to train with you for a few matches!"

The knights were taken aback at first, but quickly recovered and replied, "Thank you, Your Excellency!"

Russell, standing in the crowd, understood as well. Just as he had guessed, this was an opportunity!

"Next, you will have the opportunity to spar with the Earl! This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance; those who are confident can step forward and give it a try!"

"Next, you will have the opportunity to spar with the Earl! This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance; those who are confident can step forward and give it a try!"

The knights were even more surprised when they heard about the training content.

Their Count was going to spar with them personally? You know, some cowardly Counts would even severely punish their subordinates for drawing their swords in front of them.

However, considering Count Vio's many glorious achievements on the battlefield, they quickly realized that their fear of danger was unfounded.

Besides, the Earl's ability to judge people has long been known throughout the kingdom. None of his subordinates have any disloyalty. Everyone knows that the Earl has a discerning eye. How could anyone dare to send a spy to infiltrate this place?

"My lord! Let me do it!"

"My lord! I..."

Soon, the entire training ground became bustling with activity as knights scrambled for the spot, hoping to make a good impression on the Earl.

"Maintain order!" Jimmy shouted, and the knights immediately returned to their standing positions. He then looked at Vio again: "Count, what do you think...?"

"Let the captains and you go down there yourselves and pick a few with higher skill levels. If they're too low-level, I'll hold you accountable."

"Yes, sir!"

Jimmy received the order and quickly gathered several knight captains, walking towards the crowd. The knights immediately became excited again.

Before long, nearly ten knights were chosen, including Russell, who was quite powerful.

The first sparring match began quickly.

In front of Vio was a fairly tall knight who raised his weapon and assumed the starting stance of the Serpent Eagle Sword Technique.

Although it looked quite professional, the sword tip couldn't help but tremble slightly, perhaps due to the unfamiliarity of the movements, or perhaps due to the excitement of facing the Earl.

After only a few rounds of fighting, Vio knocked the sword out of his hand.

After the contest ended, Vio did not ignore his opponent, but instead stepped forward and gave the tall knight a hug.

"The movements are very standard, which is good, but they are still not skilled enough."

The knight was immediately moved and nodded repeatedly, then left with the help of several captains.

After a series of matches, Vio quickly understood the true level of the knights.

It is indeed the passing grade for the [Elite Knight] of the Kingdom of Rovia.

After all, all that matters is mastering knightly swordsmanship.

But their ability to master the Serpent Eagle sword technique so quickly was not solely due to the knights' exceptional talent.

While this cannot be denied, the main reason is that the Serpent Eagle Sword Technique is one of the simplest sword techniques.

The Serpent Eagle Sword Technique, beginner level, focuses on honing strength.

After personally sparring with him, Vio could clearly feel the meaning behind the sentence written in the booklet.

Each knight who stepped forward, though seemingly not much different in physique, made Vio feel the immense power of each strike due to factors such as the force of their movements and the angles they sought.

Of course, its own power has also been enhanced.

"Your Excellency, it is time to begin."

Just as Vio was savoring the moment, a voice came from before him.

A very young knight, whose name has already appeared on the panel.

Bertrand Russell.

"Russell," Vio looked up and called out the name.

The other person was taken aback, clearly not expecting the Earl to know his name.

But this was precisely Vio's ulterior motive.

In the instant the other person was stunned, Vio had already taken a step forward.

Without using any breathing techniques, but relying on the agility of his Dune Swordsmanship, Vio had already arrived in front of Russell, and it looked like the blade was about to rest on his neck, announcing the result of the contest.

But to Vio's surprise, his opponent reacted instantly, using his legs to leap backward and actually dodged the attack!

"Russell...not bad, very fast."

Vio raised his head again, a rare smile on his face.

The knights below gasped in surprise, never expecting that this young knight, who rarely interacted with others and only focused on training, could dodge the count's attack so quickly!

Vio's smile deepened. Perhaps in the eyes of others, or even himself, he was no different from the other knights, merely a beginner in the Serpent Eagle Sword Technique.

However, on Vio's stats, the opponent's skill level was already [Intermediate Serpent Swordsmanship].