"Brother, your wound..."

Emily quickly and carefully supported Reed, afraid of touching his wound.

Reed smiled slightly, feeling the warmth flowing through his body. The sense of weakness had mostly dissipated.

He gently patted Emily's hand. "It's alright, Emily. I’m feeling much better."

He could sense that, although his body was still thin, it had become much stronger after being transformed by that gray Holy Light.

"That’s good. Where are you going now, brother?" Emily looked up, her dusty face bright with sparkling eyes.

"The Knight Academy," Reed replied in a low voice.

Emily nodded obediently and followed closely by his side.

The two walked slowly along the stone path.

"Brown is from the Aide family. He relies on his family’s influence to act like a bully, always picking on others," Emily said, her voice tinged with disgust as she held Reed’s arm.

"He’s also awakened a Knight’s Heart, a red one, and boasts everywhere about being a genius at the academy."

Reed listened silently. Before they knew it, they had arrived at the training ground of Lake Knight Academy.

Since Emily wasn’t a student, she went home.

The training ground was vast, enclosed by rough stones forming a massive circular area.

In the center, a group of young people were training vigorously, their shouts and the clashing of weapons echoing around.

Reed’s eyes immediately fell on that arrogant figure in the crowd—Brown.

He wore a finely crafted red leather armor, his tall and muscular frame wielding a heavy iron sword.

Each swing of his sword carried a whooshing sound. His lackeys cheered him on, showering him with praise.

"Did you see that? Brown can split a boulder with one strike!"

"He’s so strong! Those who haven’t even awakened a Knight’s Heart don’t deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Brown."

"Yeah, like that Reed. He couldn’t take a few punches from Brown and was left half-dead. And he still talks about becoming a knight? What a joke!"

"Hahaha..."

Listening to the praises, Brown’s face beamed with pride, his nose practically pointing to the sky.

"Besides bullying the weak, what else can you do?"

Reed’s cold voice reached Brown’s ears, and the laughter around them abruptly stopped.

Brown’s smile froze. He slowly turned, his gaze landing on Reed.

At first, he was stunned. He hadn’t expected Reed to stand here so soon after being beaten by his fists.

Then, a look of disdain spread across Brown’s face, as if he was looking at a fool.

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"Well, well, if it isn’t the loser Reed! What, healed already? Here for another beating?" Brown’s voice dripped with mockery as he looked Reed up and down, his eyes full of contempt.

"I heard you want to become a knight, but you haven’t even awakened a Knight’s Heart. How do you expect to become one?" Brown deliberately raised his voice so everyone around the training ground could hear.

"How dare a loser like you even step into the knight training ground! Hahaha..."

Brown’s lackeys immediately joined in, their faces full of amusement:

"Yeah, trash like you should crawl back to the dumpster!"

"Brown, don’t waste your breath on him. Just kick him out!"

"That’s right, make him scram!"

Amid the taunts, Reed’s expression remained unchanged.

He calmly looked at Brown and slowly said, "Whether I’ve awakened a Knight’s Heart isn’t for you to decide."

"Oh? Did you awaken it in your dreams or something?" Brown sneered, as if hearing the funniest joke.

"Do you want to make a bet?" Reed suddenly asked, catching Brown off guard.

"You? Bet with you?" Brown felt a pang of unease. He didn’t know where Reed’s confidence came from and suspected a trick. But with so many people watching, he couldn’t back down.

"Are you scared?" Reed’s cold question came as Brown hesitated.

"Scared? Me? Of you, a loser?" Brown’s face darkened. "Fine, I’ll give you a chance to prove yourself!"

"Everyone, listen up!" Brown called over the onlookers, then pointed to the square next to the training ground.

"See that Holy Light Crystal in the center of the square? It’s used to test a Knight’s Heart. If Reed can’t make the crystal glow, he’ll kneel down and call me ‘Dad,’ then leave the Knight Academy forever and never show his face here again!"

"And if I can?" Reed countered.

"You can?" Brown scoffed. "Then I’ll kneel down and call you ‘Dad,’ and apologize to you!"

"Deal," Reed agreed without hesitation.

...

Reed stepped forward, slowly walking toward the Holy Light Crystal at the center of the square.

Behind him, a crowd of onlookers followed, eager to see the outcome.

The Holy Light Crystal was a massive, transparent, hexagonal prism, quietly standing in the center of the square, emitting a faint glow.

Reed took a deep breath as he approached the crystal, then gently placed his hand on its cool surface.

In an instant, his Knight’s Heart began to beat, and gray Holy Light surged from his palm into the crystal.

The Holy Light Crystal, which had only been emitting a faint glow, suddenly shone with a blinding light!

Brown’s smile froze completely. He stared in shock at the radiant crystal, his face filled with disbelief.

His lackeys were equally dumbfounded. The jeers vanished, replaced by an eerie silence.

The other trainees, drawn by the commotion, looked at the dazzling crystal with awe.

"Wow, what’s going on? The Holy Light Crystal has never shone this brightly before!"

"This is the first time I’ve seen such a brilliant light!"

"Isn’t that... Reed? Didn’t the instructor say he had no knight potential?"

"Don’t take the instructor’s words too seriously. You know how it is..."

"True."

Whispers filled the air as all eyes turned to Reed.

Brown’s face turned pale, then flushed with anger. He glared at Reed, his eyes filled with rage and resentment.

"This can’t be! You couldn’t have awakened a Knight’s Heart!" Brown’s voice trembled as he refused to accept the truth.

"The Holy Light Crystal must be broken! Yes, that’s it! This doesn’t count! It’s not valid!" Brown clung to this desperate excuse, shouting loudly.

"Yeah, the crystal must be faulty!"

His lackeys immediately chimed in, shouting along with him.

The crowd murmured among themselves.

"The Holy Light Crystal can break?"

"I’ve never heard of that, but I’ve never seen such a bright light before..."

"Maybe there’s a light bulb inside?"

"Looks like Brown can’t handle losing."

"Enough!" Reed coldly cut off Brown’s excuses. "The facts speak for themselves. Whether I’ve awakened a Knight’s Heart is clear for all to see."

"You..." Brown was shaking with anger.

He pointed at Reed, gritting his teeth. "So what if you’ve awakened a Knight’s Heart? You think you can take me on? Don’t forget, you’re just a rookie who’s barely awakened it!"

"If you push me too far, I’ll make sure you can’t survive here!"

Reed sneered. "Whether I can survive here isn’t up to you."

He looked at Brown and said word by word, "I’ll shut you up with my strength."

"And remember this: if you ever bully me or my family again, I’ll make you regret being born!"

Brown was stunned by Reed’s imposing presence. He opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a word.

"Hmph! We’ll see about that!" Brown glared at Reed, then turned and stormed off.

His lackeys quickly followed, their earlier arrogance nowhere to be seen.

Private fights were strictly forbidden in the square, so for now, Brown could do nothing.

But Reed knew this wasn’t the end. Brown wouldn’t let it go so easily.