Without the job and status of a servant, returning to the fields, their lives would likely become even more miserable.

Many serfs and freemen starved to death every year.

In the castle, as long as you didn’t encounter a perverse lord, at least you didn’t have to worry about food and clothing. If you managed to work your way up to the position of steward, that was the highest status a commoner could ever hope for.

“Who would have thought that one day, so many people would be counting on me, Edward Thompson, to make a living.”

His thoughts drifted.

He began to zone out, and soon, snake-like script formed from smoke appeared before his eyes.

The snake script changed; it was no longer the previous text, but something new: “Task completed, reward: Dou Qi sublimation.”

Edward Thompson was excited and prepared to claim his reward, but suddenly realized he didn’t know how to receive it. Just as he was about to figure out where to claim the reward, the snake script before his eyes scattered into a cloud of smoke, then quickly reformed into a new message.

“Task: A serious crisis has occurred in the peanut depot of the territory. Large areas of peanut fields have undergone unknown mutations, and the farmers are at a loss, facing imminent crop reduction. As the lord, you should resolve this. Reward: a sprite worm.”

“A new task, and the reward is a sprite worm—now that’s a good thing!” Edward Thompson was delighted at first, but then immediately frustrated. “But what about the previous task’s reward? Where is the Dou Qi sublimation? Who can tell me how to claim this reward?”

At this moment, Edward Thompson was extremely annoyed.

He tried to sense his own Dou Qi, but nothing had changed. He kept at it until the water cooled, but still didn’t receive the task reward.

He even began to seriously doubt whether he was hallucinating.

Maybe the smoke didn’t exist at all.

After getting dressed and leaving the bathroom, Edward Thompson wore a gloomy expression, which sent Thomas, who was waiting outside to serve him, into a flurry of wild thoughts.

“Master, you don’t look well, is it…”

“I’m fine. Go about your business. I’m going to the study to read for a while.” Entering the study, Edward Thompson tried to calm down and read.

But his mind was in turmoil, and he just couldn’t settle down.

So he changed into a set of training clothes and began practicing in the castle’s small garden. He was studying “Basic Dou Qi,” the most widely circulated beginner’s Dou Qi manual. Aside from some great families’ specialized Dou Qi manuals, this was the best foundational manual.

Beginner Dou Qi was just a flow of energy, good for strengthening the body.

After completing a set of movements and venting his pent-up frustration, he finally felt a bit better, and his mood gradually calmed. Just then, a gentle breeze blew by, and Edward Thompson’s eyes suddenly lit up, as if inspiration flashed through his mind and he managed to grasp it.

Immediately, he performed all the training movements of “Basic Dou Qi” once more.

When he finished this time, all the beginner Dou Qi in his body seemed to reach a critical point and began to transform. It surged from the invisible meridians and poured into every cell of his body.

“Dou Qi sublimation!”

“So this is where it was waiting for me!”

Chapter 8 Earth Knight Edward Thompson

It was as if a storm was raging inside his body, boiling power surging through every part of him. The previously balanced and gentle beginner Dou Qi had now completely flooded into his cells.

It seemed to be transforming within the cells, and when the new Dou Qi returned from the cells to the meridians, it had already changed completely.

The newly born Dou Qi had become intermediate Dou Qi, possessing unique attributes. Edward Thompson stood quietly in the small garden, motionless. His mood was like flowers blooming in full glory. He did his best to suppress his excitement and feel the new intermediate Dou Qi—the task was real, and it had indeed brought him Dou Qi sublimation.

He had now truly become an Earth Knight!

For Dou Qi cultivation, this was a brand new starting point. Only Earth Knights represented true extraordinary power.

“My Dou Qi attribute is fire? That clashes a bit with the water attribute of ‘Thousand Layered Waves.’ Looks like I’ll need to prepare a new intermediate Dou Qi manual… I originally thought I’d awaken the water attribute like the count’s family.” Edward Thompson was not very satisfied with the fire attribute.

Water, fire, earth, wind; lightning, ice, light, darkness.

There was also gold, represented by dragons, and wood, represented by sprites—all magical in nature.

There was no hierarchy among the attributes; they were simply different types of power. However, ever since the Tulip family had obtained their countship, they had focused on researching water attribute Dou Qi. The family’s “Thousand Layered Waves” was also a top-tier water attribute Dou Qi manual, with a wealth of cultivation insights and experiences.

This made it much easier for descendants to cultivate.

But Edward Thompson was now unsuited to practice “Thousand Layered Waves.” Forcing it would only yield half the results for twice the effort.

Fire attribute Dou Qi was, of course, better suited to fire attribute manuals.

“Marcus is wind attribute and practices the ‘Windbreaker’ manual, which also doesn’t match my attribute. Let me think… When I was at the Knight Academy, I came across a manual called ‘Flame Wave’… In a few days, I’ll have Marcus return to Coral City to fetch it for me.”

For now, the newly advanced intermediate Dou Qi needed to be nurtured and stabilized, so there was no rush to start a new manual.