Wednesday, April 9th.
When Eric arrived at the school gate, Mike and Lisa were already there, but Jack had not yet shown up. Next to them stood a middle-aged man, and a seven-seater van was parked nearby.
Seeing Eric approaching, Mike quickly introduced him. "Eric, this is Mr. Zhang, the driver assigned by the school to take us today."
The middle-aged man was the driver arranged by the school. Eric greeted him politely, and Mr. Zhang nodded in return.
After a few brief exchanges, Mike sized Eric up and said with some surprise, "Eric, you seem to be in great shape! I thought you'd be like me—too excited to sleep last night."
Today, Eric did look refreshed, and his eyes even seemed to have a bit of a sparkle.
Eric smiled and said, "Do I? Maybe it's because good things lift your spirits. I did wake up a bit late today."
Hearing this, Mike didn't give it much thought and shifted the conversation to their plans for picking up William. After a while, Jack finally arrived, looking like he hadn't slept well the night before either.
Without wasting any time, the group quickly got into the van and headed for the train station.
...
At the Yang City train station.
They asked the driver, Mr. Zhang, to stay with the van outside while Eric and the others walked into the station to wait for William King's arrival.
There was still some time before the train arrived, so the group stood near the exit, chatting casually.
After a bit of conversation, Eric asked, "The four of us are all striving to become knights, but up until now, I've never actually seen a real knight. I've been looking up information on knight exams recently, even searching online, but I've never found anything specific about how someone actually becomes a knight. Mike, do you know much about this?"
Hearing the question, Mike thought for a moment before replying, "You probably didn't pay much attention to this stuff before, so you're not familiar with it. For us high schoolers, our main goal is to get into knight academies. Becoming a real knight comes after you're in school. As for how one becomes a true knight, you won't find that kind of information online."
"As far as I know, to become a knight, you either need to have a family member who's a knight or you have to attend a specialized knight training program…"
Mike paused, then added, "But not a regular program like the ones here in Yang City. I'm talking about officially licensed ones. By law, the instructors of knight programs have to be at least mid-level knights themselves. In a place like Yang City, there are no such programs. In fact, even across the entire Southern Jiang Province, there aren't many."
"There's also another route, which is the most common one: getting accepted into a knight academy."
Mike continued, "Aside from these three methods, I don't know of any other ways. And for us, at least until we get into a knight academy, we don't really have access to any of them."
Eric nodded and then asked, "So how many of this year's high school graduates do you think will actually become knights?"
Before Mike could answer, Jack chimed in with a grin, "Probably none from Yang City. In fact, I doubt anyone from Rui City, where we live, will become a knight either. Last year, only three students from all of Southern Jiang Province managed to become official knights before graduation. This year, it'll probably be about the same. Those who become knights in high school are true prodigies!"
There was a trace of envy in Jack's voice. To them, the idea of becoming a knight before college seemed almost unimaginable.
Eric was about to ask more questions when a voice suddenly interrupted, laughing, "No need to put yourself down. Sure, becoming a knight in high school means you're a genius, but everyone starts from a different point."
The group looked up to see a young man standing nearby, someone who looked to be about their age. He was casually dressed, with his hands in his pockets, and sported a buzz cut. Though his appearance was unremarkable, his eyes were unusually sharp.
The young man smiled and said, "You guys are students from Yang City First High, right?"
Hearing this, Mike quickly asked, "Are you William?"
The young man smiled and nodded, saying, "No need for formalities. Just call me William, or William bro. We're basically the same age, and I'm only a step ahead of you."
This confirmed his identity: he was William King, the person they had been waiting for.
William was only one year older than them, and if he had been in an advanced class, Mike would have probably recognized him. But since William had come from the regular class, Mike had only ever seen his photo on the school's honor board.
With William's confirmation, Mike relaxed and quickly introduced himself, "Hello, William bro. We're seniors at First High…"
One by one, the group introduced themselves. William was friendly and didn't seem bothered by the formalities. After a bit of small talk, the conversation returned to their earlier discussion.
"When I said everyone starts from a different place, you probably understand what I mean, right? The students who become knights while still in high school all come from wealthy families. Either their parents are knights, or they have powerful supporters in their families. And those supporters are usually at least Level 4 knights."
"For those of us from ordinary families, once we get into knight academies, there's no need to feel inferior to them. We can acknowledge their talent and strength, but don't let that make you doubt yourselves. If you lose confidence, the road ahead will be much harder."
There was a note of personal experience in William's words, and the group all nodded in appreciation.
Eric had been observing William the entire time and noticed that he had an open, friendly personality. His easygoing manner put Eric at ease.
As they continued walking out of the station, they chatted about various topics.
William casually asked a few questions, and when he learned that everyone's blood energy was over 110 units, he couldn't help but express his admiration. "Students these days just keep getting stronger! Back when I was in your shoes, there weren't many students with blood energy over 110 units."
Hearing this, Mike took the opportunity to ask, "William bro, what do you think the blood energy standard will be for Southern Jiang Knight Academy this year?"
William smiled, clearly aware that this was the question all knight candidates were most concerned about.
After a moment of thought, he said, "The standard changes every year based on the situation. Last year, students didn't have as much blood energy as this year. I heard that the Knight Academy affiliated with Southern Jiang did a recent assessment, and there were a lot of students with over 120 units of blood energy."
"I think the minimum standard for the physical exam this year will be 110 units. But to have a good chance of being accepted, you should aim for at least 115 units."
Hearing this, Mike's face lit up with relief, but Jack and Lisa looked a bit more concerned.
William noticed and smiled, reassuring them, "Of course, this is just my guess. It might not be that strict. You're all already over 110 units, and there's still time before the physical exam. There's a good chance you can increase it further."
"Why do you think the knight exam and the academic entrance exams are scheduled so close together? It's because everyone is still growing, and you're all progressing every day. Today you might be at 110 units, but tomorrow you could be at 111. Who knows?"
The group nodded, feeling a bit more at ease.
Once outside the station, William didn't immediately get into the van. Instead, he stood there for a moment, reflecting. "Back in high school, my only goal was to get into a knight academy. I had to get in, no matter what. I gave up a lot to make that happen. But after I got in and learned things I hadn't known before, I realized just how precious those carefree days were."
Even though William was only a first-year college student and just one year older than them, his words struck a chord with the group.
During their high school years, they had poured everything into getting into knight academies. Once admitted, they would have to work just as hard to become actual knights. And even after becoming knights, the journey didn't stop—they would have to keep striving for greater strength. For students from wealthier families, the pressure was relatively lighter. But for someone like William, who came from an ordinary background, the hardships were much greater.
After reflecting, William smiled and said, "Let's not take the van. Sitting too long has made me stiff. If you guys don't mind, why don't we walk for a bit?"
Everyone was thrilled by the suggestion. The reason they had eagerly volunteered to meet William was to get as much time with him as possible and learn from his experience.
Mike quickly ran over to explain the situation to Mr. Zhang, the driver, before hurrying back to join the group.
...
As they strolled along the street outside the station, William smiled and said, "Let's find a place to sit down and talk. There's no rush since we don't have to be at school until the afternoon."
No one had any objections, and Mike led the way to a nearby café.
Eric noticed that William was quite talkative and seized the moment to ask, "William bro, if you don't mind me asking, what level of knight are you now?"
There wasn't a single knight candidate who wouldn't be curious about this, and both Mike and Jack perked
up their ears to hear the answer.
William glanced at them, smiling. "Why are you guys so hung up on that?"
No one said anything, but it was clear that they were eager for the answer.
William chuckled and said, "I'm just a Level 1 knight. I only recently passed the physical test. But this is just the beginning. True strength isn't defined by being a Level 1 or 2 knight."
His words filled the group with renewed determination. Each of them silently vowed to become true knights one day.
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