The Animated Shield—a creation considered a miracle in the field of enchantment—imbued heavy defensive hardware with the fluidity of life.

  As a signature "pseudo-intelligent" masterpiece of alchemical engineering, the Animated Shield was etched with incredibly complex gravity-deflection and logical-induction matrices. It did not require its master’s left hand to remain constantly raised. With just a brief command or a thread of spiritual guidance, it could levitate on its own. For a caster, this was equivalent to possessing an invisible third hand capable of absolute defense.

  In his quiet living room, Pierce attempted to issue a command. With a mere turn of his thought, the silver triangular shield slid with surgical precision to his left flank, then transformed into a silver blur, sealing every possible blind spot.

  "Indeed, a rare and precious treasure."

  Pierce gazed at the silver shield hovering near his fingertips, the cold metallic surface reflecting his increasingly profound eyes. In the Black Market, such a well-preserved Animated Shield would never be priced below 2500 Gold; it was the undisputed apex of alchemy-grade armaments.

  With this creation’s aid, Pierce’s previously vulnerable melee defense was entirely fortified. He no longer needed to distract himself with parrying; he could focus entirely on weaving his spell circuits.

  "When luck descends, it is truly unstoppable," Pierce remarked with a faint, imperceptible smile. After checking the final runic nodes, he returned to his room for a brief but deep sleep.

  The following morning, a crisp notification echoed within his sea of consciousness: the analysis of the underlying module for the Azure Gale Breathing Technique was complete.

  Pierce attempted to execute that ancient and mysterious rhythm in the open space of his bedroom. Thanks to his foundational Physique of over 15 units, the introductory stage—which Knight initiates considered an insurmountable chasm—was violently breached by him in a single cycle. If this efficiency were to be discovered by the ascetic practitioners of the Knight Academy, it would likely cause a massive collapse of their beliefs.

  Over the following week, fueled by the vast legacy left by his failed ambushers, Pierce suspended his monotonous potion production. He poured all his focus into the deep integration of meditation and the breathing technique.

  The Azure Gale Breathing Technique was divided into seven layers. To Pierce, the process of cultivation felt more like reactivating the latent animality within his shell.

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  On the third day, his breathing technique reached the second layer, the sound of blood rushing through his body booming like the tide in his small apartment.

  On the tenth day, the technique forcibly broke into the third layer.

  At that moment, deep within his heart, a golden, mana-charged "Life Seed" emerged from its cocoon. This marked the moment Pierce officially crossed the boundary between the mundane and the supernatural, becoming a true Knight commanding "Aura."

  Although the birth of the Life Seed did not bring a leap in strength due to his already massive physical base, the instantaneous reinforcement of the body provided by Aura granted him a terrifying explosive power in melee combat.

  "A pity that Storm Slash and Extreme Flash impose such a heavy burden on the meridians; they can only be executed without injury at the Great Knight rank." Pierce sighed with a hint of regret. The sword-wave from the cloaked leader that night, capable of shearing through the mist tide, remained fresh in his memory.

  Astral Calendar 14523, November 30.

  Only 24 hours remained before the academy-wide trial.

  Pierce concluded his final round of cultivation, exhaling a breath of stagnant air from his lungs like an arrow. It condensed into a two-meter-long white mist-streak in the air, lingering for a long time.

  "The fourth layer. The potential of this shell is even more formidable than I projected."

  He thought internally: Omniscience, reset status panel.

  Host: Pierce

  Spirit: 43.83

  Physique: 20.45

  Task 1: Deriving ultimate meditation Pillar of Truth, current progress: 3.1\%.

  Task 2: Analyzing Battle Art "Storm Slash," estimated remaining time: 2 days, 18 hours.

  Task 3: Analyzing Battle Art "Extreme Flash," estimated remaining time: 3 days, 4 hours.

  Looking at the brilliant data, Pierce felt an unprecedented sense of security. His Physique had solidified at 20.45 units, meaning that even relying solely on raw physical strength, he already stood at the absolute zenith of a Peak Knight. Once his breathing technique broke through another two layers, he could assault the barrier of a Great Knight at any time.

  On the spiritual level, the potency of the Spirit-Arousing Flower and Heavenly Jade Water had been drained entirely under his lavish use. Although the resulting resistance prevented further consumption, these two scarce resources had forcibly pushed his Spirit up by nearly 8 units.

  He was fully prepared for the blood-soaked struggle ahead.

  Before departing, Pierce inspected the mountain of strategic supplies piled within his Dimensional Pouch: fresh water to survive for over a month, expensive outdoor survival kits, and dozens of tubes of various potions.

  In the familiar plane, often called the "Gold-Swallowing Abyss," Mistfeather’s growth was equally startling. To feed this familiar, Pierce had sold most of his low-to-mid-tier potions in the Black Market, exchanging them for seventeen brilliant Mana Stones for it to absorb.

  Currently, Mistfeather’s single-strike intensity had surged to 4 Degrees, far surpassing a common Peak Knight. The army of Mist-Crows circling it had multiplied frantically due to the resource infusion, nearing a staggering two thousand.

  In Pierce’s current view, Mistfeather was no longer merely a familiar; it was a mobile, miniature war fortress carried at his side.

  "Everything is ready. Tomorrow, I shall show those so-called geniuses the meaning of true despair."

  Pierce stroked the cold Ring of Protection on his finger, his gaze passing over the balcony toward the distant, deserted island at the edge of the sea.