During their chat, the car quickly arrived at the gates of First High. From a distance, Eric could see a crowd gathered at the entrance, led by the school's dean. With the principal absent today, the dean had come personally to greet William King, and the scene was almost as formal as when city officials visited the school.
Now, William King was just a freshman in college, but what truly commanded such respect from the school was his prestigious knight status. A year ago, the dean might not have given him a second glance. But now, William's knightly rank had elevated his social standing, making him someone of significant importance—truly a case of a meteoric rise.
...
As William got out of the car and exchanged pleasantries with the school officials, Eric and the others made their way over to their homeroom teacher, Mr. Andrew.
Mr. Andrew stood among the welcoming party, along with other teachers and quite a few students. Eric wasn't too familiar with most of the students there, but Mike whispered an explanation, "Most of them are from the advanced classes, and some are top students from the regular classes."
Mike was clearly referring to the top students in the knight track. Those standing here were the most promising knight candidates in First High this year. If it hadn't been for the fact that Eric and his group were responsible for picking up William, they wouldn't have qualified to participate in this event. Now, Eric was part of an elite group.
Since Mr. Andrew wasn't one of the school leaders, he didn't interrupt while William chatted with the officials. Instead, when Eric and his friends approached, Mr. Andrew asked quietly, "So, how did it go today? Did you learn anything useful from the reception?"
Mike was the first to nod, saying they had gained a lot. However, he then added with a tinge of envy, "But the biggest benefit went to Eric. Teacher, Eric's blood energy has increased again. It's probably higher than mine now."
"What? That's impossible," Mr. Andrew responded in shock, finding it hard to believe. Blood energy didn't increase overnight, especially for someone like Eric, who came from a modest background. How could he surpass Mike in such a short time?
Understanding the teacher's surprise, Mike quickly explained the situation in a low voice. Hearing that Eric had recklessly taken some kind of medicine, Mr. Andrew was speechless. How bold were these young people becoming?
However, since it had already happened and Eric seemed to have benefited from it, Mr. Andrew couldn't hide his joy. Nodding repeatedly, he said, "Looks like our Class 4 might really achieve something amazing this year!"
Mike already had a good chance of being accepted into a knight academy. If Eric made it too, having two students from a regular class qualify for knight schools would be a remarkable achievement.
Last year, two students from the regular classes made it into knight academies, and their homeroom teachers earned both fame and fortune. They each received bonuses of over 100,000 yuan—nearly two years' salary!
In addition to the hefty bonus, having students accepted into knight academies also meant opportunities for promotions and awards. Getting just one student into a knight academy was a huge honor, but what if Mr. Andrew could get two?
The mere thought of this made Mr. Andrew feel dizzy with excitement. Could he become the first teacher in the history of First High to guide two knights from a regular class? He couldn't help but smile, as though he could already see the day coming.
The other teachers nearby noticed his smug grin, especially the homeroom teachers from the advanced classes. Seeing Mr. Andrew so pleased, one couldn't resist teasing him, "Andrew, watch your image! The students are watching."
Mr. Andrew grinned even wider, instinctively pulling Mike and Eric closer. "Can't I be happy? Hey, Li, I hear you've been quite proud of yourself lately, telling everyone you're a shoe-in for the 'Outstanding Teacher' award this year?"
The man called Li was the homeroom teacher for the advanced class. He chuckled and replied, "Well, who else but me? Jack from my class is definitely getting into a knight academy. If luck's on his side, he might even get into Beijing or Shanghai Knight Academy."
Beijing Knight Academy and Shanghai Knight Academy were the two top knight schools in the country, collectively known as Beiwu and Nanwu. These were the dream destinations for countless students. Despite Li's boastful tone, Mr. Andrew refrained from directly contradicting him. Jack was practically guaranteed to get into a knight academy, but getting into one of the top two schools would be far more challenging.
Since Jack was present, Mr. Andrew didn't want to rain on his parade. Instead, he just smiled and glanced at Mike and Eric. In his mind, if his class managed to produce two knight academy students this year, the "Outstanding Teacher" title would surely be his!
Even if the advanced class had more students get accepted, it didn't matter. The advanced class was meant to churn out knight candidates. The real surprise would come from the regular classes. As long as Jack didn't make it into one of the top two schools, Mr. Li's achievements would pale in comparison.
Mr. Li noticed Mr. Andrew's mysterious grin and felt a bit uneasy, wondering to himself, "What's that old fox up to?"
It wasn't just Mr. Li who felt puzzled; Mike and Eric were also a bit unnerved by Mr. Andrew's grin. The way he looked at them now was almost as if they were his own sons.
Eric had a pretty good idea of what was going through Mr. Andrew's mind, and he couldn't help but find it amusing.
While they were chatting quietly, William finished his conversation with the school leaders and made his way over to the students.
He glanced around at the gathered students and smiled, saying, "Every year the students get stronger. This year's group looks even better than last year's. First High's education just keeps improving, and it's all thanks to the hard work of the teachers."
Although William was just a freshman, his words were well-spoken and respectful. The dean standing next to him beamed with pride. A compliment from an official knight was a rare and prestigious honor.
The school leadership kept close tabs on the students who had been accepted into knight academies. Though they didn't know all the details, they knew that of the five students who made it to knight academies last year, only two had actually become knights. William was undoubtedly the most famous of the group.
Because William had performed so well at South River Knight Academy, the school had specially invited him back to mentor the next generation. Luckily, his home visit coincided with the invitation, so he had agreed. Otherwise, he might not have come.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, William's eyes fell on Eric again. Out of all the students here, Eric's blood energy stood out the most to William.
Just that morning, Eric's blood energy had been relatively ordinary, but now it had surged significantly. William couldn't help but marvel at the unpredictability of life. It seemed that this year's teachers at First High were in for a surprise.
Not that William felt the need to warn anyone. He simply offered a few more words of encouragement before heading toward the auditorium with the dean.
...
Eric and the others followed the group into the auditorium. Inside, dozens of students were already seated, and a quick scan of the room showed that there were at least two hundred people present.
These were all students registered for the knight exam this year. Including Eric's group, the total number was close to three hundred.
As soon as they entered, they spotted Zhang Hao waving at them. They hurried over to join their classmates, who had already gathered.
No sooner had they sat down than Zhang Hao excitedly asked, "So, what did you guys learn from William? Is he as amazing as they say?"
Before Eric could respond, Mike chuckled and said, "We didn't see him in action, so we don't know how strong he is. He'll talk about the rest later."
Mike made no mention of the emotional regulation techniques William had taught them, nor did Yang Jian or Lucy. They didn't know if William planned to share that in public, but whether he did or not, they weren't about to offer up the information voluntarily. After all, it could give them a competitive edge, so there was no need to tell Zhang Hao.
Everyone has their selfish side, and seeing that the others kept quiet, Eric naturally did the same.
...
As time passed, William and the dean entered the auditorium together.
The moment they walked in, the room erupted in applause, and some of the girls even squealed in excitement.
Seeing this, Mike and the others were filled with admiration and awe. A strong sense of ambition surged in the hearts of many students—"This is the kind of person we should aspire to become. This is what a true knight looks like!"
For most of the students, knights were the ultimate goal, and William's meteoric rise filled them with hope.
However, Eric wasn't particularly moved. While everyone else focused on William, he lowered his head and began reviewing the knight exam schedule that the school had just handed out.
According to the schedule:
- **April 10 and onward**: Background checks begin, lasting until the **end of April**, after which qualified students will receive their knight exam admission cards.
- **May 1**: Knight candidates will go to Ruiyang City for medical evaluations.
- **May 3**: Medical results will be announced, and the Ministry of Education and various knight academies will receive the data and set the passing standards for the medical exam.
- **May 7**: Physical assessments begin.
- **May
10**: The national knight specialty exams take place.
This was the entire schedule for knight candidates. After the specialty exams, they would immediately shift their focus to the cultural exam—the standard college entrance exam.
The schedule was tight, designed to push knight candidates to their limits during the final stages of preparation. For students still in their growth phase, every day counted.
Looking at the timetable, Eric couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency. There were only about 20 days left until the medical evaluation. Would he be ready by then?
Blood energy wouldn't be an issue, but the specialty exam—particularly the part involving mental strength—was a major concern. For most students, this wouldn't be a big problem, but for Eric, his lack of mental strength was a glaring weakness. He needed to find a way to improve it in the days ahead.