Lord: I can see loyalty.

Southern Border, Bordór, Earl's Castle.

A few days later, the three groups of people returned to Portol City almost simultaneously.

Vio brought back the entire carcass of a Snowfield Thunder Eagle from the snowy mountains of the East, wrapped tightly in a leather bag filled with feathers and cut pieces of meat.

Alec brought back the eyeballs of two giant deep-sea squids from the western border of the sea. They were placed in a specially made glass bottle, and the liquid inside the bottle glowed with a faint luminescence.

Jimmy and the knights brought back the heart of a giant ice bear from the northern ice plains. They wrapped it in ice packs, placed it in a wooden box, and the heart remained a fresh, dark red color.

"Everything is ready."

Vio placed the three materials on the long table, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "Next, it's time for the breakthrough."

Valentine, leaning on his staff, walked to the table and carefully examined the materials.

He picked up a dragon scale magic stone, weighed it in his hand, and then brought it close to smell it, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his old eyes.

"The quality is good. It was burned from true dragon's breath, so the energy is very pure. The Thunderhawk's feathers are also well preserved, and the magic has not been lost. The giant squid's eyes... well, they were handled properly, and the liquid inside is still alive."

He put down the materials and looked at Vio. "But materials alone are not enough. Your knight training room needs to be upgraded."

Vio nodded in agreement. "That's what I think too. When I broke through to the third tier before, I almost demolished the house. The energy of the fourth tier would probably have an even greater impact, and the current training room can't withstand it."

"Leave it to me then." Valentine stroked his beard. "I'll talk to Old Barton and Ryan, and send a few more skilled blacksmiths from the camp. It can be done in a day."

"One day?" Jimmy asked, somewhat surprised. "So fast?"

Valentine just looked at him and sneered, saying, "It's not like we're building it from scratch. We're just reinforcing it, adding magic arrays, thickening the walls, laying magic ore on the floor, and carving a few runes to absorb magical shocks. One day will be enough."

"Then I'll leave it to you, Uncle." Vio stood up and bowed slightly to Valentine.

Valentine waved his hand, leaned on his staff, and strode out.

Old Barton and Ryan quickly arrived with a group of blacksmiths and craftsmen, and began hammering and tinkering in the knight's training room.

Valentine stood to one side, waving his staff. Blue light streamed from the tip of his staff, carving intricate magical runes onto the walls and floor.

The entire castle trembled, and dust fell from the ceiling, but no one complained.

The new knight training room was finally completed by the evening of the following day.

Vio pushed open the heavy iron door, and a scent mixed with magic ore and herbs rushed out.

The room was twice as big as before, and the walls and floors were covered with brand-new magic ore, which gleamed with a dark purple light under the candlelight.

The walls were covered with dense magical runes, some resembling flowing water, others like burning flames, and still others like swirling storms.

In the center of the floor was a huge circular magic circle, with a depression in the center that was just big enough for a person to sit cross-legged.

"These runes are for absorbing impacts," Valentine said, standing in the doorway with his staff. "You can do whatever you want inside; the energy won't leak out, and you won't get hurt."

"The indentation in the center of the magic circle is for placing materials. If you put the Dragon Scale Magic Stone, Thunder Eagle Feather, Giant Squid Eye, and Bear Heart there, the magic circle can automatically draw magic power from it to help you break through."

Vio nodded, walked into the room, and his feet made a crisp sound as he stepped onto the magic ore floor.

He looked around, feeling the magical fluctuations in the air, and a sense of indescribable peace welled up in his heart.

"Everyone, get out," he said. "I need to start preparing."

Jimmy, Gina, Alec, Valentine, Cohen, Vance—everyone left.

The iron gate slammed shut behind them with a dull thud, the candlelight in the room flickered for a moment, and then fell silent again.

Vio sat cross-legged in the center of the magic circle, placing the dragon scale magic stone, thunder eagle feather, giant squid eye, and bear heart in the depression in front of him.

But he didn't rush to use the materials. He simply closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and felt the powerful energy within his body.

I've already mastered the third level of the sand breathing technique quite well.

The energy flow within the body is like a surging river, continuous and endless. With each breath, one can feel the power flowing through the meridians.

But the door leading to the fourth floor remained tightly shut.

You need to forcefully push it away yourself.

Vio took a deep breath and began practicing his breathing technique.

The energy flows out from the dantian, ascends along the meridians, passes through the chest, crosses the shoulders, reaches the arms, returns to the torso from the arms, descends through the abdomen, and finally returns to the dantian.

One cycle, two cycles, three cycles... His breathing became longer and deeper, each breath making the airflow more robust.

He began to swing his sword.

The Demon Feather Sword sprang from its sheath, its blade gleaming with a dark purple light in the candlelight.

Vio stood up, stepping on the edge of the magic circle, leaning slightly forward, and pointing the tip of his sword diagonally at the ground.

His movements were slow, as slow as swinging a sword in water, but each strike was incredibly precise, the blade cutting through the air with a slight whistling sound.

His movements were slow, as slow as swinging a sword in water, but each strike was incredibly precise, the blade cutting through the air with a slight whistling sound.

Dune Swordsmanship – Quicksand: The sword moves like flowing sand, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, making it unpredictable.

A sandstorm arose, and the sword's speed suddenly increased. The sword light surged in from all directions like a violent storm, leaving no room for escape.

Amidst the sand and dust, the sword's blade transformed into a blurry afterimage, its trajectory indistinct, leaving only the sharp whistling of the sword's wind in the air.

Sand Burial: The sword light receded, condensing into a thin line that pierced straight out, swift as lightning, yet silent.

Vio's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, but his breathing remained steady.

He practiced these four moves again and again until every movement was etched into his bones, until the sword and his body became one.

Then, he began practicing his knightly aura.

The aura slowly emanates outwards, like an invisible net spreading across every corner of the room.

He could feel the patterns of every rune on the wall, the pulse of every piece of magic ore under the floor, and the breathing and heartbeat of the people outside the door.

His perception was amplified several times over, and the whole world became incredibly clear.

He contracted his aura and concentrated it around his body, forming an invisible barrier.

Then it suddenly blasted outwards, the shockwave spreading in all directions, hitting the walls, and being absorbed by the runes without causing any tremors.

He contracted again, then released again, over and over, until he had mastered the control of the aura to a point of perfection.

The clock is ticking.

He didn't know how much time had passed—maybe an hour, maybe two—but his body began to feel tired, though his mind remained unusually clear.

He stopped what he was doing, sat cross-legged back in the center of the magic circle, closed his eyes, and began to regulate his breathing.

The air flowed slowly through his body, washing away his fatigue little by little. His breathing became longer and longer, his heartbeat slowed down, and he entered a state of tranquility.

He sensed that the door was right in front of him.

Not far, but not close either.

"Don't rush," he muttered to himself. "First, lay a solid foundation."

He opened his eyes and looked at the materials in front of him.

"There's a chance... I can break through this time."