It felt so good to be close to the witch!

Roy's gaze swept over Red and then turned to Lilia, who had awakened him.

"Lilia, what happened?"

Their eyes met, and Roy saw no anxiety in Lilia's eyes, which relieved him slightly. He then quickly spoke.

"Come with me and you'll see."

Lilia's expression was complex, a mixture of envy, resentment, and many other emotions that were difficult to discern.

Roy was very curious, but since Lilia had said so, he couldn't press her for more information. He took Lilia's hand, and the light in front of him suddenly turned black.

A few seconds later, vision returned to normal, and Roy emerged from the shadows, led by Lilia.

"This is?"

Roy looked around.

The pink and purple color scheme of the house's decor looked vaguely familiar to him.

In the center of the room, on a table covered with a white tablecloth, was a single cranberry cake on a plate.

It was just past dawn, and the morning light streaming in through the window fell on the raspberry cake, reflecting a captivating glow.

Roy quickly realized what was happening.

Isn't this Elena's room?

What did Lilia bring me here for?

As this thought crossed his mind, Roy's eyes reflected the figures of the other witches: Ais, Vivian, Elena, and Shanika, who sat on the bed meditating with her eyes closed, emanating a faint magical aura.

Looking at Shanika on the bed, Roy blinked and asked uncertainly, "Shanika, is she... breaking through?"

“Yes.” Ais, who was standing by the bed, sensed Roy’s arrival and turned her gaze over. She said in a cool voice, “Sanika has completed the first stage of the basic meditation method and is now inscribing the ninth rune.”

From Ais's eyes, Roy saw intense astonishment. Clearly, she hadn't expected that among the five witches, Shanica would be the first to complete the first stage of the basic meditation technique.

Even Ais, who had made the fastest progress before, has only completed the engraving of the eighth rune and is currently practicing copying the ninth rune.

Shanica's progress was beyond her comprehension; just two days ago, Shanica had only completed the imprinting of her fifth rune.

Roy stopped talking, took a few steps forward, came to the bedside, looked closely at Shanika who was meditating, and fell into deep thought.

Shanica's talent is not bad, but only compared to ordinary witches. Compared to a "genius" like Ais, she is far inferior.

So, what caused her "rapid progress"?

After some thought, Roy quickly came up with a solution.

The influence of the original sin characteristic in the witch training system is very profound. In fact, to break through to the Great Witch rank, one needs to achieve a certain degree of compatibility with one's own original sin characteristic.

Shanika's original sin characteristics are 60% lust and 40% gluttony.

Lust, being the dominant characteristic among the two original sins, had a significant impact on Shanika. When Roy thought of lust, he recalled his recent intimate moments with Shanika and their tenderness the previous night, and he vaguely had an answer in his mind.

As for "gluttony," although he was busy with his cultivation and didn't pay much attention to the witches' lives, he did learn from Red's reports that the manor's food consumption had increased significantly compared to the budget during this period, and he wondered if there was any connection between the two.

Satisfying both her lust and gluttony brought Shanika immense benefits, which is probably the biggest reason why Shanika's progress in basic meditation could surpass Ais's.

Roy couldn't think of any other reason besides that.

Under the watchful eyes of Roy and the four witches, after about half an hour, the faint magical fluctuations emanating from Shanika's body subsided.

She slowly opened her eyes, her blue-gold eyes filled with intense joy.

"Success!"

The completion of the ninth rune imprint in the first phase means that the breakthrough to the Grand rank is now possible, with a relatively high success rate.

The Grand rank is a realm that ordinary witches can hardly reach. In the past, Shanica never dared to dream that she could one day reach this dreamlike realm that countless witches could not attain.

But now, the crown is within her reach.

More importantly, after becoming a Grand Master, she is no longer just a "pretty face".

Even though her direct combat ability is not as good as Ais, who specializes in combat, she can still overpower a typical Gold 3-star opponent.

With such fighting power, she can help Young Master Roy share more of his troubles.

Thinking of this, even someone as resilient and composed as Shanika couldn't hide her excitement.

In her turmoil, she didn't even notice the people in the room at first, until Roy's concerned voice brought her back to reality.

"Shanika, how are you feeling? Is there anything bothering you?"

Shanica looked up and saw Roy by the bedside, and the worry in his eyes. She smiled gently and said, "I'm fine."

"Lord Roy, I'll be breaking through to the Grand rank soon!"

"Hmm." Roy nodded, a smile appearing on his face. "But there's no need to rush. Take it slow, safety first."

"Take a few days to adjust, and remember to let me know when you break through. I'll be there to protect you."

"Mmm~" Shanika nodded vigorously, her face still beaming with joy.

Inside the room, the other witches congratulated Shanika.

Lilia looked at Shanica with deep envy in her eyes.

She didn't know what had caused Miss Shanika's "rapid progress" in just a few days...

But she always felt that it was related to Miss Shanika's sudden change in temperament to become more gentle and tender a few days ago.

With this in mind, Lilia made a decision in her heart.

I must find a good opportunity later to ask Miss Shanika for advice on the "key" to it.

She, Lilia, is determined to surpass everyone else!

……

Shanica's breakthrough was an unexpected surprise and did not disrupt Roy's plans.

Having just completed the inscription of her ninth rune, Shanica, in a state of heightened emotion, is not suited for a Grand Breakthrough and needs a few more days to adjust.

This coincided unexpectedly with Roy's breakthrough.

Once Roy advances to Gold rank and his talent undergoes a transformation, he will be able to "protect" Shanika with greater ease, and the safety factor will increase dramatically.

With him around, even if Shanika ultimately fails to break through, her life won't be in danger. At most, she'll need some time to recover before she can try to break through again.

In the afternoon, the sun hung high in the sky.

With only five days left until the arrival of winter, even the midday sun is no longer scorching, bringing only a faint warmth when it shines on people.

Blackrock Lord's Mansion, Inner Training Grounds.

This training ground used to be exclusively for Roy's use; the other knights trained in the outdoor training grounds.

Looking at the knights standing in front of him in a neat 10x2 line, Roy stood with his hands behind his back, his expression solemn and serious.

Red stood behind him, his gaze fixed intently on the knights.

Having just completed his breakthrough, he was still unable to control the fluctuations of his battle aura. The dissipated battle aura pressure belonging to the silver rank brought a tremendous sense of oppression to the formal knights below.

“You twenty people have either made outstanding contributions to my Blackstone Territory, or you have served the Turenbel family diligently for more than a decade.”

"I believe you already know why I have summoned you here today."

"Then, I'll ask one last time."

"Does anyone want to quit?"

"Are those who don't withdraw truly prepared to sacrifice their lives to protect Blackrock Territory and the Tulumbel family?"

As Roy's voice fell, none of the twenty official knights hesitated for a moment, and they shouted in unison:

"We swear to fight for the glory of the Turenbel family!"

Looking at the knights below, their faces flushed with excitement, Roy smiled faintly. He raised his hand and made a downward pressing motion. Instantly, all sounds disappeared, and the entire training ground became completely silent.

Seeing this, Roy became even more satisfied.

Putting aside their talent in breathing techniques, these official knights are at least quite disciplined.

"very good."

"Since no one has chosen to withdraw, everything you hear and experience from now on must be kept to yourself. You are absolutely not allowed to reveal it to anyone, not even your family members!"

"Disobeyers will be executed!"

The chilling word "death" made the knights' eyes narrow, but they still met Roy's gaze firmly.

After looking around, Roy continued, "I plan to form an extraordinary knight order whose members are all extraordinary knights. Its name is the Black Stone Knights."

"The Knights will temporarily appoint a Grand Master, who will be held by Red and will be under my direct command."

"Whether you can become a member of the Blackrock Knights depends on your efforts in the future."

At this point, Roy's high-level spatial ring flashed, and two books appeared in his hand.

"I have two advanced breathing techniques."

"One is called the Explosive Flame Breathing Technique, which is fire-attribute and focuses on explosive power. It is the advanced breathing technique I once practiced. The other is called the Golden Glaze Breathing Technique, which is earth-attribute and focuses on defense. It is also an advanced breathing technique."

"Both of these advanced breathing techniques, once mastered, will allow you to break through the shackles of a formal knight and reach a transcendent realm."

"But which one is more suitable depends on your own compatibility."

"You are all aware of your own talents. Having missed the golden age of cultivation, even if you obtain advanced breathing techniques, the possibility of achieving the Bronze level is extremely low. It is not surprising that none of you twenty have succeeded."

Upon hearing Roy's words, the knights all lowered their heads, their fists clenching unconsciously.

Roy's words were blunt and cruel, but they were the reality.

Formal knights like them serve their masters diligently for over a decade or two, earning the opportunity to practice advanced breathing techniques, but very few ultimately achieve the Bronze rank.

Most people give this opportunity to their children, hoping that they can make greater progress in their youth and create a brand new noble family in the future.

Roy's words merely lifted the veil of pretense, revealing the stark reality to them.

How could this not silence these official knights?

"but……"

Ahead, Roy changed the subject: "You are very lucky, extremely lucky."

"I have a secret method that can guarantee your advancement to Bronze level. As long as you have a minimum compatibility with the advanced breathing technique and can withstand the pain, you will definitely be able to advance to Bronze level."