Assessment

Austin Town is located on the southern border of the Holy Temple Alliance and has over 3,000 households, making it one of the larger towns in the city of the old land.

As the morning sun rises, its light and warmth gently touch the earth, seeming to awaken all of life. In the central area of Austin Town, inside a two-story building with a floor area of over a thousand square meters, a test is taking place.

"Tell me, why do you want to become a knight?" a deep and powerful voice, with a metallic ring to it, rings out.

"To protect humanity, protect goodness, protect the Holy Temple, and protect our loved ones," the voices of the children answering sound uniform and immature, clearly not their first time answering this question.

This two-story building is a sub-temple of Austin Town's Knight Temple, called Austin Sub-Temple, which is responsible for selecting and training children who have the potential to become knights. Today, over thirty children standing here will undergo the initial test to become a knight's page. Only after becoming a first-level knight's page can they continue to study and practice here.

The owner of the deep voice is a tall and burly middle-aged man. His name is Balza, and he is the chief instructor of the Knight Temple sub-temple. It is said that he was only a step away from becoming a true knight.

"Tell me, what is the code of conduct for a knight?" Balza's gaze sternly focuses on the children who are generally between eight and ten years old and who live in Austin Town.

The answer remains uniform and well-ordered, "Humility, honesty, compassion, bravery, justice, sacrifice, honor, persistence, benevolence, and righteousness."

Balza nods slightly with satisfaction. "Very good. You have been training here for a year. Today is the time for your assessment. The spirit force for a first-level knight's page is from ten to one hundred. Your task today is to reach a spirit force of ten or more and become a first-level knight's page. All who successfully pass the assessment will continue to study and practice here for three more years, then go to the old land to participate in the assessment for squire. Only when you become a squire like me will you truly be a part of the Knight Temple. Now, Vik."

"Yes," a tall young man walks out, taking off the wooden sword from his back.

All the children are equipped the same, with a wooden sword three feet long, three inches wide, and two inches thick. The assessment for a knight's page is also simple. There is a seemingly wooden stake in front of Balza, which is connected to a stone trough behind it, with a stone bead inside. When the wooden stake is hit, the stone bead vibrates, and the height it bounces up determines the level of the spirit force. It can be considered the most primitive tool for measuring spirit force. However, it is still accurate for spirit force up to one hundred.

Spirit power is a universal value used to assess the strength of all professions in the Holy Demon Continent, whether it be knights, mages, or any other profession. Generally speaking, ten points of spirit power is equivalent to the strength of an average adult male.

"Ah!" Vik shouted loudly, grasping the wooden sword with both hands and swinging it fiercely at the wooden stake.

"Bang." The stone bead jumped up.

Balza nodded in satisfaction, holding a register in his hand to record the results, while saying, "Jiang Hu, thirteen points of spirit power, passed. Next..."

The assessment was conducted at a fast pace, and within a moment, half of the people had completed it, with about half of them passing.

"Finn." When this name was called, Balza subconsciously raised his head, his gaze locked onto a slightly thin and weak-looking boy.

Compared to others, this boy was clearly malnourished with a thin and weak frame, but he had a stunning face that was awe-inspiring with naturally shaped, soft eyebrows, big eyes, long eyelashes, straight nose, fair skin, and moderate lips, even though he appeared to be only eight or nine years old, he was so beautiful that it would make women jealous. Especially since he had clear, blue eyes despite his black hair. If he were to wear women's clothing, he would still be stunningly beautiful.

Finn walked up to Balza, not like the others who had taken off their wooden swords first. Instead, he clenched his right hand into a fist and placed it over his heart, bowing to show respect. "Instructor."

Balza's serious gaze softened slightly as he nodded and said, "Let's begin."

"Yes, sir."

Taking off the wooden sword, Finn took a deep breath and suddenly swung the giant sword with all his might, smashing it onto the wooden stake.

There was a sound of a "puff," and the stone bead bounced. However, it clearly did not exceed the tenth scale.

Balza frowned at once. "Spirit power nine, did not pass." He could tell from the degree of the wooden sword's rebound that Finn had truly given his all, but he still could not pass the assessment to become a squire knight.

Finn's handsome face turned red immediately. He looked at Balza and said with some excitement, "Instructor, I, I..."

Balza sighed slightly and said, "You may go."

Finn urgently said, "Instructor, please give me another chance. I will definitely pass."

Balza frowned slightly and said, "But it wouldn't be fair to the others who didn't pass."

Finn fell silent immediately, but in his eyes, there seemed to be an additional quality. Balza noticed his gaze and at that moment, this squire knight instructor was stunned. What was it? Persistence? Was it one of the ten principles of chivalry? The ten principles of chivalry were also the ten spirits of chivalry, and even some true knights might not possess one of them, but this child before him...

It was also at this moment that Finn turned around and faced all the other youths present. He knelt down with a "thud" and spoke with a very sincere voice to his fellow trainees whom he had been training with for a year. "I beg of you, please give me another chance." As he spoke, he even prostrated himself.

Balza and the young boys were all stunned. For these children, who were generally only eight or nine years old and no older than eleven, they simply didn't understand why Finn was so persistent. In the eyes of most of the boys, whether or not they became squire knights was irrelevant.

Balza's eyes gradually showed something more. If it were another child, perhaps he would think that the child was too eager for quick success or cowardly, but not for Finn. This handsome young man may look thin and weak, but he was the most diligent one in the past year of training. He not only completed the daily training very well, but he also arrived one hour earlier and left one hour later every day.

As a level ten apprentice knight and instructor for ten years in Austin Town, Balza had seen many students, but Finn was the most diligent one he had ever encountered. This young man never needed to be urged, not only did he train hard every day, but he also treated everyone with kindness and never refused to help his training partners when they asked for it.

That's why Balza's eyes softened when it was Finn's turn to be assessed. He was surprised when Finn didn't pass the assessment. The only explanation for such a diligent student failing was that his aptitude was just too poor.

"The first to speak up and request a reevaluation was Vik, who was not only the first to pass the assessment but also the oldest among the group of children. 'Instructor, please give Finn another chance.'

"'Yes, Instructor, give Finn another opportunity.'

"'Instructor, Finn trains hard every day, let him try again.'

"For a moment, the voices pleading for Finn's cause almost echoed from the mouth of every young person. This was a popularity accumulated through doing good deeds, and even more so, they were just a group of children who had yet to involve themselves in matters of interest.

"Baltzar spoke solemnly, 'Silence.' The spacious hall immediately fell silent.

"'Alright, I will give him one more chance, but for the sake of fairness, Finn, you must first defeat Vik in a one-on-one battle before you can get this opportunity. Anyone who has failed will have the same chance, provided that they can defeat Vik, within three days.'

"Zelman was overjoyed. He first thanked his companions again, then turned to Baltzar and said, 'Thank you, Instructor.'

"Watching the sunny and pure smile on his face, which was as beautiful as a peerless young woman, even Baltzar, as a man, couldn't help but be slightly startled. Ignoring Zelman, he instead looked at Vik and said coldly, 'Do your best, or I will revoke your title as a squire. Do you understand?'

"'Yes,' Vik replied, drawing the wooden sword from his back. The other young people scattered around to make room.

"'Finn, be careful. I won't hold back,' Vik said, bowing to Finn.

"Finn also returned the gesture. 'Brother Jiang, please.'

"Vik shouted lowly and charged forward. The wooden sword in his hand went straight for Finn's left shoulder.

"Finn seemed very calm, and it looked like his movements were a beat slow until the wooden sword in Vik's hand had only traveled halfway. Then, with a flick of his own wooden sword, he swept it across the bottom of Vik's sword blade.

"With a 'clang,' in a situation where Vik's spiritual power was clearly greater than Finn's, his sword was surprisingly swept away.

"Seeing this, Instructor Baltzar's eyes flashed with surprise."

"Although Vik's wooden sword was swept away, his reaction was very quick. He spun his body, using the power of his waist and back to drive his arm and the wooden sword, which spun around and sliced horizontally.

"Vik's adaptation was quite impressive. It was already quite remarkable for someone his age to achieve this level. However, Long Haochen's response was even more surprising.

"When he swept away Vik's attack with one sword, he had already taken a step forward. The distance between the two was already close, and with this step, he had already arrived beside Vik. This was also the moment when Vik's body was rotating.

"How would he attack? Even Baltzar had doubts in his mind. The wooden sword was three feet long, and Finn was already close to him. It was absolutely impossible to wield it freely.

"But at this moment, Finn had already used his attack. He used the hilt of his sword.

"He lowered his body and at the same time, lifted the hilt of his sword, hitting Vik's ribcage. Finn didn't even use any force in this strike, but Vik's body had already stumbled backward, and the wooden sword he swept with just passed over Finn's head.

"'Stop,' Baltzar shouted.

"A glint flashed in Baltzar's eyes as he spoke sternly, 'Losing balance and using old moves, Vik, you lost. If Finn had used a bit more force in his strike, you would already be lying on the ground.'

"Vik scratched his head a bit awkwardly, 'Haochen, you're really cunning.'"

Finn sheathed his sword and looked apologetically at Jiang Hu, who had just managed to steady himself.

Baltzar nodded to Finn and said, "You may now attempt the second assessment."

Returning to the wooden stake, Finn's expression became noticeably more serious. Such an expression on the face of a young boy gave people an unusual feeling.

Clutching the wooden sword tightly with both hands, Finn's determination in his eyes became more intense, as if there was a faint halo emanating from him. His eyes, in particular, were so clear and resolute.

Suddenly, Finn spun around with his exceptional determination, wielding his wooden sword.

Bang! The stone beads bounced, and Finn stumbled back a step due to the recoil. The wooden sword in his hand nearly fell, and it could be seen clearly that there were traces of blood oozing from his hands.

"Spiritual energy level 11, passed," Baltzar said in a shocked voice. The difference between level 9 and level 11 may sound like just a difference of two on paper, but in the previous assessment, Finn had clearly used all his strength! To achieve such a significant increase in such a short time meant that he had tapped into his full potential.

After a brief moment of surprise, Baltzar regained his composure, telling Finn to go to the infirmary to wrap his wounds and continue with the next assessment.

"Assessment over. Those who did not pass need not come back tomorrow. Those who passed will be assigned new instructors tomorrow. You can all go home after collecting the nourishing liquid," Baltzar announced.

"Thank you, instructor!" the teenagers shouted in unison.

"Finn, stay behind."

As the teenagers left amidst cheers, regardless of whether they passed the assessment or not, they all felt happiness and a sense of fulfillment at this age.

In the spacious hall of the Austin Temple, only Finn and Instructor Baltzar remained.

"Finn, tell me, why did you choose that attack against Vik during the fight?" Baltzar asked sternly.

Finn replied without hesitation, "Because my strength is inferior to Brother Finn's, I had to look for his vulnerabilities. You taught us that the position of maximum strength when slashing is at the tip of the sword, with the strength decreasing as you move towards the hilt. When he made his second attack, I noticed that his center of gravity was in his waist, so I closed in on him and prevented him from fully utilizing his strength, breaking his center of gravity and stopping him from attacking further."

Baltzar's eyes were full of surprise. "In other words, you observed all this and figured it out on your own?" He had never taught these children practical fighting skills because, at their age, it was essential to build a solid foundation before practicing actual combat. However, Finn's calmness and accurate timing in combat were truly shocking to him.

"Alright, you can go home too," said Balzha, waving his hand. He had a vague feeling that this child had a potential that other youths did not possess.

"Sir, about my training elixir for this week..." Finn asked tentatively, his pretty face showing a hint of shyness.

"Oh, go ahead and collect it," Balzha replied.

"Goodbye, sir!" Finn walked away, full of energy and excitement.

As he watched the youth's exuberant figure depart, Balzha couldn't help but smile. "This child is pure-hearted, hardworking, and seems to have great talent for combat. He's truly a rare seedling!"

"Do you know why he could easily find his opponent's weaknesses?" At that moment, a clear and pleasant voice rang out beside Balzha. The voice came without warning, startling Balzha.

He looked to his side and saw a middle-aged man, who appeared to be in his thirties, wearing a simple and plain robe. However, he had a pair of sparkling eyes like stars. Within those eyes, a melancholic and nostalgic light shone, even a hint of pain.

"Sir, I don't know," Balza quickly bowed to the middle-aged man as he recognized him from a few days ago when he arrived at the Austin Temple. He was not sure of the man's identity and level of cultivation, but he knew he was a big shot from the Knight Division of the Moon City.

The middle-aged man withdrew his gaze and said lightly, "Because he has a spiritual power that is different from ordinary people. Otherwise, how do you think he can unleash such potential?"

Finn was very happy as he held the small glass bottle in his hand, heading towards his home with excitement.

To other children, the liquid in the bottle was just a bitter medicine, but to him, it was the reason he could join the Knight Temple.

As he walked, he muttered to himself, "Big Brother Vik is right, this element elixir is really amazing. Mom has been much better since drinking it once a week. Mom, I'm sorry. You taught me that a man must provide for his family, but if I fail the assessment today, I won't be able to bring back the elixir for you to drink. I don't want to lose you. I'm willing to do anything for you."

If Balza heard Finn's words, he would be surprised and amazed.

The element elixir was a medicine distributed by the Knight Temple, with the effect of stabilizing and enhancing the foundation of children under the age of fifteen. Finn almost failed the assessment today because he had never drank the elixir! He saved it all for his mother. A year ago, he was just a very weak little boy. A year later, he broke through the barrier of spiritual power level 10 with his persistent effort and the support of his mother being able to drink the elixir.

For a child who was only nine years old, the difficulty was even greater than becoming a knight through the quasi-knight assessment. What kind of talent and effort does it take to achieve this!

The sunshine fell on Finn, shining with a golden luster, just like his heart of gold.