Chapter 20: Strange Battle Qi and New Missions

Wang Yu was certain of one thing: his physical body was in a constant state of adaptation to this world.

It autonomously absorbed the existence of this world—elements absent in his previous life and unknown to him—to reshape his mortal frame, allowing him to step onto the path of the extraordinary.

The major problem now was that Wang Yu did not understand the concept of "Battle Qi."

His body could not spontaneously generate this peculiar power, which created a discrepancy between Wang Yu's philosophy and the reality of the knights in this world.

For the knights here, Battle Qi was the universal foundation and primary focus.

Once Battle Qi was born, continuous cultivation would drive the strengthening of the body, and secret techniques or potions to purify or increase one's reserves of Battle Qi were among the world's most vital resources.

Compared to improving the quality of Battle Qi, simply enhancing the physical body yielded far less impressive results.

Yet, in Wang Yu’s simple view, if Battle Qi was a special power generated autonomously by the body, then strengthening the body was equivalent to casting a solid foundation.

Furthermore, with a longer-term future in mind, this was by no means putting the cart before the horse, but rather a long-term investment in every sense!

Although Wang Yu often warned himself not to be arrogant or cling stubbornly to the fixed notions of his past life.

In this regard, a certain degree of self-confidence was essential; he had to forge his own foundation himself.

Thus, in essence, Wang Yu was not overly concerned about his inability to awaken a Battle Qi seed; as long as he could continuously increase his physical strength, the path of the knight would remain a smooth one.

However, if he could awaken it, that would be for the best, and he would not let such an opportunity slip by if he could grasp it.

Now, he could try using sorcery to distort reality and see if he could induce his body to evolve Battle Qi autonomously—that certainly wouldn't be a bad thing.

But before starting, Wang Yu warned himself once more not to rely too heavily on wizardry, or rather, the power of the Void.

This power filled him with an instinctive sense of unease; power borrowed from the Void—was it truly something he could control?

The power of the Void surged within his mental space, and Wang Yu directed it to flow, to twist, to distort in a targeted manner.

Following the descriptions in the ancient texts to warp reality, Battle Qi—a concept more common and simpler than other extraordinary paths in this world—gradually emerged under Wang Yu’s manipulation.

The energy of the Void transformed autonomously, turning the non-existent delusion into a tangible reality.

That special life energy, born from a leap in the hierarchy of existence, flowed through Wang Yu’s body; it was but a trickle, yet it was real and full of substance.

Feeling the Battle Qi transformed by the Void’s power, he experienced a marvelous sensation, akin to the circulation of blood through his veins.

It was difficult to describe such an existence intuitively in words; it felt very much like the Arcane Ripple within him—obedient to his will, incredibly free.

This was power that truly belonged to him; it borrowed nothing from the outside world. It was neither magic nor the power of the Void; it was a spontaneous "evolution" born from within life itself!

Once the Void energy had manifested, it no longer had any connection to its original source.

The Battle Qi born from Void energy was now Wang Yu’s own, his purest and most exclusive power.

Feeling the Battle Qi circulate within him, truly as responsive as an extension of his own limbs, it felt even more agile and swift than his arms or legs.

Wang Yu unconsciously immersed himself in this comfort.

"This feeling is truly wonderful. No wonder the birth of a Battle Qi seed is the standard for a squire; this special power is, indeed, very formidable."

Wang Yu opened his hands, staring at his palms; this sense of mastery gave him the illusion that he was invincible.

"Haha, that feels good." He spent a second shaking off such foolish thoughts; Wang Yu was not the type to be intoxicated by power.

The feeling was delightful, but in essence, it provided little practical improvement.

"One force is not yet spent when another arises; what a miraculous power," Wang Yu muttered to himself.

At the squire stage, Battle Qi was much like the nitrous boost in a racing game.

It could provide a brief, explosive increase in physical strength or offer intermittent, long-term status buffs—it was a very fine ability.

Now it was time to see if his body could remember this feeling and adapt to generate Battle Qi on its own.

He canceled the distortion of the Void energy, and the Battle Qi born from it slowly faded away, the feeling of it being an extension of his will gradually vanishing.

Carefully savoring the lingering sensation of that extra energy flowing through his body, Wang Yu retracted his control over his physique as much as possible.

He surrendered the all-encompassing freedom to his body’s instincts to perceive, and he smiled; he knew that not only did he understand that Battle Qi was a good thing, but his best partner—his body—also recognized its benefits.

Gradually, a sense of flow emerged from his entire being, like a babbling brook circulating through him, bringing back that sense of effortless control.

Slowly but surely, from the ethereal to the tangible, he could finally feel it for real. Wang Yu grinned, revealing a row of white teeth; he knew he had succeeded.

When his body sensed this energy—which had never before been produced within him—it gave birth to the most ordinary yet universal extraordinary power of this world under Wang Yu’s experimentation.

Smiling with satisfaction, Wang Yu felt the Battle Qi circulating within him, as if he had grown an extra limb.

This special energy could now be consumed at any time to buff his state; if he unleashed it, Wang Yu could achieve a brief, 3.0-coefficient burst of physical prowess.

If he maintained a steady flow of Battle Qi, he could provide a long-lasting 20% overall boost; the birth of Battle Qi was a significant boon to Wang Yu.

Carefully contemplating this newly born power, Wang Yu tried to familiarize himself with it, just as he had once explored his Arcane Ripple.

He treated it like the Arcane Ripple because the two were remarkably similar—both circulated within him, and both were equally responsive to his will.

The only difference might be their origin: one from the Void, one from reality. "Wait..." Wang Yu suddenly began to ponder.

The sensations of the two seemed a bit too similar; that feeling of flowing through his entire body was almost identical, yet they were completely different, and their effects were worlds apart.

"The Void, the Void... that’s not right. If I use sorcery, I must invoke the power of the Void."

"But when I use the Arcane Ripple, I don't need to borrow the power of the Void at all."

"The Ripple merely serves as a carrier to hold the Void energy for casting spells. Have I been misled by the content of the books all along?" Wang Yu suddenly had a realization.

"Born from my own mental space, not the Void; born within my own body, not the Void. Ah, these two things are, in the final analysis, entirely produced by me!"

"They both simply used the power of the Void as a primer. No wonder they are so similar."

Wang Yu understood: both Battle Qi and the Ripple were products of himself and had no essential connection to the Void.

One came from his mental space, the other from his physical body.

Thinking about it, this duality was a perfect fit—soul and body, spirit and matter; it was an ideal combination however you looked at it!

Wang Yu was overjoyed, like a child who had discovered a new toy; he was just like that, never suppressing his excitement when he felt happy.

Wang Yu decided to tell his teacher, Garcia, about his success in generating Battle Qi. He ran quickly toward the small wooden cabin, knowing Garcia would certainly be in the library.

As expected, the stern-faced, blond man was sitting at a wooden table in the library.

The table was piled with books, all opened, and the content of every one of them was related to knights.

Whether it was Bloodline Knights or some obscure knightly orders, they were all covered, and in various languages.

It was quite amazing; this seemingly rugged, hulking knight, Garcia, actually possessed a breadth of knowledge far exceeding that of Wang Yu, the illiterate of this world.

Aside from the two highly specialized languages of Dragon and Goblin, Garcia knew most of the other major tongues.

His reading of the classics was all-encompassing; he could be considered an expert knight-mentor in his own right.

But at this moment, Garcia’s brows were tightly knit, his rugged, chiseled face full of confusion and bewilderment.

"That shouldn't be. If the physique is sufficient, how could Battle Qi fail to manifest? Unless there’s a congenital defect, but even then, the physique wouldn't reach that level... this guy... hmm?"

Noticing Wang Yu walking in—in fact, Garcia had noticed him the moment he stepped toward the doorway.

The powerful perception of a Great Knight provided a massive boost to his five senses.

He looked up, rubbing his somewhat messy blond hair in frustration, his face full of helplessness.

To be stumped for so long by the problem of a squire failing to generate Battle Qi, even a Great Knight as experienced as Garcia felt a bit embarrassed.

He scoured countless ancient texts yet found no case resembling Wang Yu’s; the absence of battle qi usually implied one of two things: a congenital defect or a physique incapable of reaching the critical threshold.

Or, perhaps, after the seed of battle qi had sprouted, it had been violently shattered, leaving it permanently beyond repair.

But Wang Yu had certainly never condensed battle qi, a reality that left even a seasoned Great Knight feeling quite helpless.

"Hoo..." Sighing, Garcia shed the airs of a powerhouse, a trait he shared with Lilia.

Yet, in Wang Yu’s estimation, the two were as different as heaven and earth in terms of reliability—with Garcia, naturally, occupying the heavens.

Rubbing his forehead, Garcia set aside his books and gestured for Wang Yu to take a seat.

Composing himself, he resolved to console the lad; he would soothe him with the promise that every problem has a solution, while simultaneously urging him to prepare for the worst—that even without battle qi, the path of a knight could still be walked.

For this knight-squire of iron will and insatiable curiosity, Garcia had truly begun to feel a genuine fondness.

"Master Garcia, I have successfully birthed battle qi." Wang Yu, however, spoke first, having no patience for the tiresome habit of building suspense to shock his mentor.

"Is that so?" Garcia arched a brow, genuinely surprised; had he not personally sensed the total absence of battle qi in Wang Yu moments ago, he would have suspected the boy of toying with him.

"Yes. I utilized sorcery to experience battle qi in advance, and afterward, I succeeded in manifesting it."

Wang Yu spoke, briefly explaining his logic while omitting the details of his otherworldly origin and his ongoing adaptation to this realm.

He focused primarily on his method of using a wizard’s power to preemptively grasp a force that had previously remained an abstract concept.

"Oh? You truly surprise me. That line of reasoning... indeed, for a power one has never experienced, having a taste of it first makes it far easier to master. The power of a wizard is indeed convenient."

Having heard the explanation, Garcia felt an even deeper satisfaction with his student.

To make good use of one's resources and leverage other extraordinary paths to clear the way for the knight's journey—it was excellent.

"Come, let me feel your seed of battle qi." As Garcia spoke, his materialized battle qi formed a hand that pulled Wang Yu toward him.

"Holy hell!" Dragged by Garcia’s materialized force, Wang Yu once again realized the vast chasm between his own strength and that of a Great Knight.

Compared to his own battle qi, which served only as a multiplier, the materialized form was leagues more potent.

"I don't feel a seed of battle qi in you?" Garcia placed his palm against Wang Yu’s lower abdomen, injecting a wisp of battle qi—a quantity carefully measured to avoid injury.

Had a seed existed, Garcia’s energy would have been met with immediate repulsion, yet Wang Yu’s body showed no reaction to the intrusion.

With a strange look in his eyes, Garcia felt as though he were being played.

However, his observations over the past few days convinced him that Wang Yu was not one to spout nonsense, so he looked at the boy with an inquisitive gaze.

"I find it strange as well. I have no seed of battle qi, yet I am capable of generating it." Wang Yu reached out and grasped Garcia’s materialized hand.

Using his arcane ripples to channel the energy outward, the two forces met, immediately exhibiting their mutually repulsive nature, sending ripples cascading across Garcia’s spectral palm.

Wang Yu himself found it odd; he possessed no battle qi vortex—no seed in his lower abdomen—yet he could produce the energy.

It was as if his entire body could birth battle qi; it lacked the concentrated, refined efficiency of a seed, but it was undeniably present.

"That is strange indeed, but you have always been a strange one, so there is no need to dwell on it now."

"Since you have officially birthed battle qi and stepped into the ranks of apprentice knights, the next step is your trial."

Garcia was not a man to linger on complications; noting that Wang Yu had indeed released the energy, he let the anomalies slide.

There was no need to pry into another man’s secrets, especially when Wang Yu’s sheer willpower was already a curiosity in its own right.

"A trial? Why must we always go through these things? Isn't it better to just grow stronger steadily? To rise in power safely—that doesn't sound so bad, does it?"

Wang Yu had no objections, but he voiced the question that had been nagging at him.

Garcia nodded. "That is a fair point, but the primary purpose isn't to test you—it is for Aivia."

"As for you, to be honest, given your previous exploits and your experience with adventure and combat, I have no concerns. As a knight, I can judge that much."

"But for Aivia, it is a matter of both character and experience. Lilia and I both hope to see her grow quickly."

"You are a free spirit, but she... she faces much in the days ahead, whether it be her talent or the turmoil within her family."

"There is much she must shoulder..." Garcia explained the reasoning behind the trial.

Wang Yu nodded; it was true. He could afford to grow strong bit by bit because he possessed a wealth of practical experience; he lacked only raw power.

But Aivia required 'soft power'—the transformation of experience and mindset.

As a noble, the burdens Aivia faced were far heavier and more arduous than those of a lone wanderer with nothing but a horse to his name.

"Hmm, come to think of it, aren't you all trusting me a bit too much?"

Wang Yu had wanted to ask this for a long time; these people seemed to place too much faith in him. Did they not fear he had ulterior motives?

"As for that?" Garcia’s stern face broke into a rare smile. "One reason is that you are too weak; we could crush you with a single finger."

"Fair enough." Wang Yu nodded; the reasoning was sound.

"And another reason is that while I may not trust the judgment of others, I certainly trust the eyes of a Night’s Edge member—as their Captain-General." Garcia smiled, gesturing toward the gauntlet on Wang Yu’s hand.

Disappointed to find Wang Yu remained calm, showing no shock that his secret had been uncovered, Garcia pulled a letter from beneath his desk.

"Here, this is your mission reward: a letter of recommendation for the Night’s Edge stronghold in the capital. If you wish to join us later, you may use this at any time. So, do your job well..."

Garcia paused, then added, "You should know how to handle the specifics—as you put it, you are the tank, and Aivia is the carry, correct?"

Wang Yu was surprised now, but he smiled and nodded, clasping his gauntleted right hand with Garcia’s.