Qian Jin turned back to help Luolin up, nodding before lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Let me tell you a secret—I'm actually already a Ninth-Rank Warrior... Don't look at me like that.

Seriously, I wouldn't lie to you for anyone." "Brother-in-law!" "Get lost!" "How about this—do you have a sister? If you're so reluctant to be my brother-in-law, I could be your brother-in-law instead." "Damn it!" "Fine, fine. Until I see your sister again, you can temporarily avoid being my brother-in-law.

But about this Clan Guardian business..." "As long as I don't have to be your brother-in-law, we can talk about anything..." "Oh yeah! I'm set!" Luolin jiggled his large, plump legs and quickly sprinted around the training ground, drawing astonished stares from countless onlookers—how could such a corpulent body move with such speed? Ninth-Rank Warrior!

The fat on Luolin's excited face trembled incessantly. What did being a Ninth-Rank Warrior mean in Oakland? Apart from the City Guardians, whom one only heard rumors about and had never seen, and the great and lofty City Lord himself, the Ninth-Rank Warriors were the strongest!

The defending general of Oakland was a Ninth-Rank Warrior! In the entirety of Oakland City, no household’s Guardian had reached the Ninth Rank! To hire a Ninth-Rank Warrior as a Guardian was equivalent to hiring the City General of Oakland!

The Luo family’s business wasn't solely confined within Oakland City; they also maintained trade relations with other cities. Not only were the caravans sent out liable to be waylaid by bandits, but conflicts and friction sometimes inevitably arose between merchants themselves. A powerful Guardian could often directly deter those who harbored ill intentions.

"Qian Jin..." Teacher Rodriguez waved from a distance, then beckoned to Biluo, who was still meditating. "Biluo, come over here as well." Many people stared curiously at the two students standing before Rodriguez. These were arguably the two extremes among the students at the Oakland Academy of Magic and Warriors—one being the strongest, the other repeatedly breaking records for being the worst.

With a black mage's cap nearly two feet in diameter sitting atop her head and clad in an oversized black magic robe, Biluo stood timidly before Rodriguez, burying her head so deeply it nearly rested on her own chest. "You two..." Rodriguez sighed helplessly as he looked at Biluo, that problematic student, and waved his hand. "Spend more time interacting these next few days.

You have a joint trial coming up in a few days; if one of you fails, it means both of you fail." "Mhm, mhm..." Biluo nodded repeatedly, causing the black mage's hat to swing back and forth, looking as if a strong gust of wind could blow her away at any moment. A trial in the Sunset Mountain Range? Qian Jin scratched his head.

Compared to the perilous Western Mountains in the Endless World, the outer, human-developed, and demarcated safe zones of the Sunset Mountain Range were unbelievably safe. As long as nothing unexpectedly rained down from the sky, failure in the trial was almost impossible. "Teacher, you must give us a specific area this time, right?

Do you know which one?" A hint of anticipation flickered in Qian Jin's eyes. "I do happen to know that." Rodriguez pulled out two maps from his robes. "These are the trial maps; take a look.

The general direction is toward the Valley of Four Seasons. Try your best not to approach the entrance of the valley." "The Valley of Four Seasons?" Qian Jin's hands trembled slightly as he took the maps. It was near the Valley of Four Seasons?

"What's wrong?" Rodriguez noticed Qian Jin’s expression shift and quickly asked with concern, "Do you have an issue? Speak up; I can try to fight for you and see if we can change the trial location..." "No, no, no, no..." Qian Jin tucked away the map, waving his hands repeatedly in front of him. "Teacher, no need.

I think this location is perfectly fine." "Really fine?" Rodriguez pressed again, still unconvinced. "Really excellent." Qian Jin nodded emphatically, thinking to himself: This isn't just fine; this is absolutely the best! According to the ancient maps in the family records, the Peerless World's Fighting Spirit was hidden within the Valley of Four Seasons.

It was just that the ancient map didn't specify the exact location; it only provided a general search radius. Upon arriving in Oakland, Qian Jin hadn't immediately entered the Valley of Four Seasons. The Qian family books noted that this place wasn't part of the safe zones designated by the Zhence Dynasty, and moreover, the valley was highly peculiar; it seemed unaffected by the surrounding environment, possessing its own cycle of seasonal change, shifting only once every two years or so.

Qian Jin had already planned to scout the vicinity once everything was ready, figure out what further preparations were needed, and then risk entering the Valley of Four Seasons. He never expected the trial location to be so close to it; perhaps he could take the opportunity to observe the area and prepare thoroughly. "And you?" Rodriguez redirected his attention to Biluo.

"Any objections?" The black mage's big hat swayed gently from side to side. This movement was entirely within Rodriguez's expectations. As the magic student with the worst talent and the greatest timidity in the academy's history, such a response was completely normal.

"Very well, spend more time together and learn each other's strengths." Rodriguez firmly clapped Qian Jin on the shoulder, then glanced with some confusion at Mikos, who was jogging around the field looking completely dejected. "Did he not challenge you to a duel when he returned? Why does he look so lost?" "He did.

I stomped the ground once, and he conceded." "You stomped the ground once, and he conceded?" Rodriguez's face was etched with disbelief. Mikos was famously stubborn at school; even teachers stomping their feet didn't work on him, let alone a first-year junior. "Oh, yes." Qian Jin nodded dismissively.

"For that stomp, I used Eighth-Rank Fighting Energy..." "Eighth..." Rodriguez’s mouth fell open, staring at Qian Jin in shock. Eighth Rank! Heavens, was this real?

Had Qian Jin actually reached the level of an Eighth-Rank Warrior? He was only a first-year warrior student! Wait a minute!

This boy was definitely only a Third or Fourth-Rank Warrior not long ago! How could his Warrior Rank have advanced so quickly? He wasn't a Bloodline Warrior who had awakened any inherited power!

How was this possible? To jump four Warrior Ranks in such a short time? Could it be Fabredis?

That’s it! Rodriguez clenched his fists tightly, thinking excitedly: It must be Fabredis, the Guardian of Oakland City, who has been guiding Qian Jin. Perhaps he even secretly gave him a high-grade Fighting Stone to carry, allowing him to extract Fighting Essence from the stone while cultivating his Fighting Spirit to boost his Warrior Rank.

A Demon-Slaying Warrior! Rodriguez gazed at Qian Jin with excitement, much like a father-in-law appraising his favorite son-in-law. His hands involuntarily balled into fists.

A Demon-Slaying Warrior! C