Early in the morning, sunlight streamed through the window, waking Reed from his sleep. He stretched, feeling refreshed and full of energy.

"It's time to head to the training ground," Reed thought as he got dressed and walked out the door.

The training ground of Lake Knight Academy was located in the center of the academy and covered a vast area.

When Reed arrived, many students were already training.

Some were practicing swordsmanship, others were working on their footwork, and a few were engaging in sparring matches under the guidance of instructors.

The training ground was lively, filled with shouts and the clashing of weapons.

Reed found the instructor in charge of basic swordsmanship and respectfully greeted him, "Good morning, Instructor."

The instructor was a burly middle-aged man with a stern face and sharp eyes.

He glanced at his roster, then looked Reed up and down and nodded. "Ah, you must be Reed. I heard you’ve just awakened your knight's heart. Not bad. Starting today, you’ll train with me in basic swordsmanship."

"Yes, Instructor," Reed replied.

The instructor picked up a wooden sword from the weapon rack and handed it to Reed.

"Start with the most basic slash. It’s the foundation of knight swordsmanship and the most important part."

Reed took the wooden sword and began practicing the slash as instructed.

Though he had been practicing swordsmanship with his father since childhood and was already more skilled than his peers—even some adults—he still focused on every move, striving for perfection.

"Good," the instructor nodded, trying to find fault but realizing Reed’s movements were textbook-perfect.

Just as Reed was deep in his practice, a discordant voice suddenly rang out.

"Well, well, if it isn’t our 'genius knight' Reed. What, you’ve awakened your knight's heart and now you’re here to show off?"

Reed stopped and turned to see Brown swaggering over with a few lackeys in tow.

Brown’s face was full of mockery, and his tone was dripping with provocation.

"Brown, what do you want now?" Reed asked, frowning.

"What do I want? I’m here to 'congratulate' you, of course!" Brown said with a fake smile.

"The whole academy’s been buzzing about you awakening your knight's heart. But I don’t think it’s a big deal. You just got lucky, that’s all."

"That’s right! Brown is a squire level 1. You’re just a nobody who’s just awakened your knight's heart. How dare you show off in front of Brown?"

"Brown, teach him a lesson! Show him who’s boss!"

Brown’s lackeys chimed in, making both Reed and the instructor speechless.

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Brown was from the Aide family, and the academy often turned a blind eye to his behavior.

The instructor decided not to get involved and stepped aside to watch.

Reed looked coldly at Brown, a hint of disdain in his eyes. "Brown, are you just a sore loser? You lost the last bet, and now you’re here picking a fight?"

"Bull! Who says I’m a sore loser?" Brown shouted, red-faced with anger. "Last time, I just let my guard down, and you got lucky. Today, I’m going to show you the gap between us!"

"What, you want to fight here?" Reed glanced around, noticing that many students had already gathered to watch.

"So what if I do? Are you scared?" Brown sneered. "This is the training ground. It’s normal for knights to spar here. As long as no one dies, the academy won’t interfere."

"What do you want?" Reed asked.

"Simple. Let’s have a knight duel!" Brown pointed at Reed. "Do you dare?"

"A knight duel?" Reed was slightly taken aback.

A knight duel was a way for knights to settle disputes. Both sides could use weapons and skills, but they couldn’t kill each other.

"What, you’re scared?" Brown became even more smug seeing Reed hesitate.

"If you’re too scared, just kneel down, kowtow to me three times, and admit you’re a loser. Then I’ll let you go."

"Brown, don’t push it!" Reed’s eyes flashed with anger.

"Push it? I’m pushing it. What are you going to do about it?" Brown said arrogantly. "Didn’t you awaken your knight's heart? Aren’t you supposed to be a 'genius'? What, don’t even have the guts to duel me?"

The surrounding students murmured, some sympathizing with Reed, others enjoying the drama, and a few thinking Brown had gone too far.

"Fine, I’ll duel you!" Reed suddenly declared.

"Reed…" the instructor tried to stop him, but Reed had already agreed.

"Haha, good! You asked for it!" Brown laughed. "I’ll make sure you regret this!"

The two stood facing each other on the training ground. Brown picked up a fine steel longsword from the weapon rack, its blade glowing with a red holy light, while Reed drew his starfall sword.

"I’ll show you the power of a squire level 1!" Brown swung his sword and charged at Reed.

Brown’s sword technique was fierce, the blade whistling through the air as it aimed straight for Reed’s vitals.

He was going for the kill, not planning to spare Reed’s life. If Reed died in the duel, Brown could just claim it was an accident, and his family elders would handle the fallout.

After all, Reed was just the only son of the minor Archer family.

But Brown had miscalculated. Reed easily sidestepped Brown’s slash, noticing that while Brown’s swordplay looked fierce, it was full of openings, and he wasn’t using any skills.

"Is that all you've got?" Reed sneered, gripping his starfall sword tightly and immediately unleashing a blazing slash.

In an instant, the starfall sword burst into roaring flames, radiating intense heat as it slashed towards Brown.

"What?!" Brown was utterly shocked; he never expected Reed to use a skill.

He tried to dodge, but it was already too late.

"Boom!"

The starfall sword struck Brown with tremendous force, and the flames engulfed him in an instant.

"Ah!"

Brown let out a scream as he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

The longsword in his hand flew out and landed far away.

"Cough, cough..." Brown struggled to his feet, but his clothes were burnt to tatters, revealing scorched skin.

"How...how is this possible?" Brown's face was filled with shock and disbelief.

He couldn't believe that he had been defeated by someone who had just awakened the knight's heart.

The surrounding students burst into laughter at Brown's disheveled state.

"Wasn't he always bragging about being a genius? Now he looks like a roasted pig!"

"Yeah, what an embarrassment!"

"Ha ha ha..."

Hearing the mocking laughter, Brown's face turned pale and then red, wishing he could just disappear into the ground.

"Brown, you lost," Reed said calmly.

"I...I didn't lose!" Brown gritted his teeth. "I still have my ultimate move!"

"Oh? Really? Then show me," Reed replied with a curious look.

"You...just wait! I won't let you off!" Brown shouted, his voice trembling with false bravado. "I'll get my brother Aaron to deal with you!"

With that, Brown scrambled away from the training ground, stumbling and crawling in his haste.

"Tch, what a loser," Reed muttered disdainfully.

He sheathed his starfall sword, ready to continue practicing his swordsmanship. He needed to improve his strength as quickly as possible.

"The skill you just used, was it the blazing slash?" the instructor asked as he approached.

"Yes, Instructor," Reed answered.

"That's a fine skill," the instructor nodded in approval. "I've seen it on the battlefield, and I can teach you some techniques for releasing the blazing slash more effectively."

"Thank you, Instructor!" Reed expressed his gratitude sincerely.

...