"Miss, it's time for you to return to your room and rest!" The door suddenly burst open, revealing Knight Enke standing expressionlessly at the entrance, addressing Christie.
Christie tightened her grip on Ron's arm and softly replied, "I'll be staying here tonight. You can go home."
Enke frowned, clearly displeased, and said sternly, "No way! Miss, Ron is only your fiancé. Premarital intimacy is absolutely forbidden."
At these words, Christie's face darkened. Just as she was about to retort, Ron raised his hand, signaling her to stop.
Ron slowly stood up, gently lifting Christie from his lap and placing her in a chair. Only then did he turn around, disdainfully glaring at Enke.
"Why did you enter without knocking, Knight Enke?"
"I came to escort the miss back to her room," Enke responded flatly.
"I didn't ask why you came. I asked why you entered without knocking." Ron enunciated each word slowly, ensuring Enke understood the question.
Enke sensed something amiss as Ron's hand had already gripped the hilt of his sword.
"This is the Moore family's estate. What I do here is none of your concern. But if you want to fight, I'm more than willing," Enke retorted.
"So, you know this is the Moore family's estate?" Ron smirked. "Do all the knights here lack basic manners like you?"
"Do they not understand common courtesy? Do they dare to boss around their lord and then have the audacity to claim it's none of my concern? Why don't you go outside and ask around, find out what my name is now?"
"My name is Ron Moore. After the wedding, my surname changed to Moore. Understand?"
"A dog raised by the family dares to bark at its master and shamelessly tells the master to mind his own business. Where do you get the nerve? Who gave you this confidence? The Night Performer?"
Enke's expression shifted, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword. He replied coldly, "You seem to forget your place."
"No, it is you who forgets your place!" Ron jabbed his sword into the ground, his voice dripping with mockery. "My dear Knight Enke, I know exactly what you're trying to do. But please, go home tonight. My fiancée will be staying in my room. Thank you for your concern!"
"What do you mean by that? Weren't you just about to fight? Come on, let's see what you've got!" Enke taunted, his face filled with scorn.
"Don't get me wrong," Ron maintained his smile. "I do want to fight, and I know you do too. I'm sending you home not because I'm backing down. I'm considering the fact that you have a wife. Go home and say your goodbyes."
"Tomorrow morning, meet me on the lawn at the estate gates. I'll be waiting with the duel contract signed. To be honest, I have little interest in these childish contests. If we're going to fight, let's make it a life-or-death battle."
"Hope you don't mind, but your wife might become a widow after our duel."
"Of course, if you don't dare to sign the contract, I won't force the duel. After all, carrying the label of a murderer, whether or not I go to prison, would be bad for my reputation. And I do value my reputation."
"You're quite arrogant! I like that!" Enke said with an angry laugh. "Since you insist on a duel, I'll gladly oblige. I'm sure the miss wouldn't mind finding a new fiancé. See you tomorrow!"
With that, Enke turned and left, his face full of disdain.
Christie, deeply worried by the sudden decision for a life-or-death duel, walked over to Ron and grabbed his hand. "Enke may not be part of the knights' order, but his strength is very real. He's been awakened to Qi Force for many years, at least at Silver Rank Five."
"You've only just awakened your Qi Force, and challenging him to a duel is far too dangerous. Besides, weren't you just asking me to keep this a secret? Why are you suddenly so eager to duel him now?"
Ron chuckled nonchalantly. "Who told you that the longer someone trains in Qi Force, the stronger they become?"
"Don't worry! Enke is as good as dead. When I, Ron, say something, not even the Pope himself could save him. As for keeping secrets... well..."
"Some people just don't know their place and keep provoking me. What can I do about that?"
"Besides, I promised you that I would protect you. Since he dared to trouble you, he should be prepared to pay the price. That's why I set up the duel for tomorrow. I want everyone in the Moore family, from the highest lord to the lowliest servant, to see what happens when someone dares to mess with my fiancée!"
Hearing this, Christie couldn't help but embrace Ron, planting a firm kiss on his cheek. "Are you a god sent to protect me?"
"Gods can't protect anyone!" Ron replied with a smile. "Rather than praying to gods, you should take action yourself. I'm willing to protect you, but I hope you can also change a bit—stop depending on others, stop trying to please them."
"Pleasing others won't earn you respect or security, only disdain. Just like with that knight who just left, Enke."
Christie was stunned by Ron's words, taking a moment to process them. After a while, her eyes slightly red, she softly said, "You're right, Ron. From now on, I'll work on improving myself and stop trying to please others."
"I'm glad to hear that," Ron said with a satisfied smile. "It's getting late. You should go rest."
"Aren't you coming with me?"
"I've just awakened my Qi Force. I still have a few things to deal with. You go ahead and sleep."
Understanding that Ron had important matters to attend to, Christie nodded and obediently went to bed.
Ron, however, walked into the study, leaning back into the soft chair, closing his eyes to rest. Only now did he have the time to check his status.
On the Talent Dashboard, there was now an additional line of text: You have 288 Qi Force available, which can be converted into primary Talent Skill Points. Each Qi Force point can be exchanged for one Skill Point.
"One Qi Force can be exchanged for one Skill Point? Is Qi Force really that valuable? Then what level is 288 Qi Force upon awakening?"
"Whatever the level, the less consumed, the better."
Ron calculated that the primary talent had four skills, each requiring 5 Skill Points, totaling 20 Skill Points.
Since he had already upgraded once, he only needed 19 more Qi Force.
Seeing his 288 Qi Force, Ron didn't hesitate to exchange 19 Skill Points and applied them all to his primary talent.
Now, looking at the skills again:
[Power Loan]: Active Skill LV5
You can temporarily borrow 80% of the target's strength to enhance yourself.
If you defeat or kill the target within fifty minutes, you will permanently gain 45%-55% of the target's strength, depending on the target's condition.
If you are defeated or killed, you will lose 20%-100% of your strength, which will be transferred to the target. The loss is determined by your condition.
One-day cooldown. The same target can be repeatedly Power Loaned.
[Bet]: Active Skill LV5
You can temporarily increase your strength by betting on yourself.
If you defeat or kill the target within fifty minutes, you will permanently gain 60%-80% of the target's strength, depending on the target's condition.
If you are defeated or killed, you will lose 70%-100% of your strength, which will be transferred to the target. The loss is determined by your condition.
Three-day cooldown. This skill can be used repeatedly, but the maximum betting rate cannot exceed 6.42.
[High-yield battles]: Active Skill LV5
You can transfer your strength and attributes to a target without any time limit.
If the target defeats or kills an enemy, you will gain 40%-100% of the enemy's strength, depending on the enemy's condition.
If the target you invested in is defeated or killed, you will lose 20%-100% of your investment, depending on the target's condition.
One-day cooldown. The same target can only be used three times.
[Acceleration Fund]: Passive Skill LV5
[Power Loan], [Bet], and [High-yield battles] immediately cool down, but each use requires a deposit.
The deposit percentage decreases with each level: LV1: 30%, LV2: 25%, LV3: 20%, LV4: 15%, LV5: 10%.
Note: "Strength" here includes physical strength and Qi Force, but not magic.
After carefully reading these skills, Ron couldn't help but laugh.
"If used correctly, these skills aren't particularly dangerous. For example, using them during a duel would make me unstoppable."
"[Power Loan] and [Bet] can both be used in life-and-death battles, while [High-yield battles] is a godsend. If used wisely, I could grow stronger even while lounging at home."