After demonstrating the simplified version of Wind Roar Fist, the chief instructor called on Duke to give the crowd a demonstration. It turned out Duke, being a hand-to-hand combat specialist, had already learned it from the chief instructor.
Duke stepped forward and performed a set of martial arts Victor Wang didn't recognize.
Unlike the chief instructor, who demonstrated with a single strike, Duke threw punch after punch in rapid succession. Each fist carried fiery elemental afterimages.
He hadn't yet figured out how to incorporate additional Pyro transformations, but the trail of blazing remnants alone made the air around them hot and oppressive. Maybe just using the heat to scorch enemies was enough?
The last punch was unlike the rest—its fiery afterimage expanded dramatically until it reached the size of half a person. Then, as the Pyro element fully converted into flame, it swelled even further—transforming into a massive fireball.
Is the fireball the final form of all Pyro skills?
Victor Wang recalled countless games and stories—Firebolt, Fireball, Explosive Fireball, Chaos Fireball, Black Fireball, Superheated Fireball, Heat-absorbing Fireball, Splashing Fireball, Mad Fire...
As long as it's effective, right? Simple and efficient is the best approach.
"What a pity about this giant fist. If I could make it move—grab an enemy in its palm—I'd be unstoppable," Duke said wistfully.
Yikes, Victor Wang thought. A sentient elemental construct, but scaled up? Isn't that just "Heavenly Manifestation of the Dharma Body"?
He sucked in a cold breath. Truly, brainstorming with others yields more than brooding alone. He was now itching to try forming his own wind-based construct.
As for why Duke didn't think in that direction—well, throwing out a few giant flaming fists was enough to drain his elemental energy. He couldn't even consider forming an entire elemental avatar. This was exactly why most Vision holders stuck to predefined combat skills—without sufficient power, wild creativity was nothing but fantasy.
"And I've been debating whether to call this move Fire Fist or Blazing Fist. Got any suggestions?"
"Flame Roar Fist sounds good to me," the chief instructor chimed in.
Duke scratched his head, not daring to object.
The chief instructor demonstrated a few more techniques, then, with half an hour left in the session, finally declared free practice.
Victor Wang immediately tossed swordplay aside and dove into practicing Wind Roar Fist with glee.
Soon, he produced his own fist-shaped phantom.
He then tried to form a humanoid construct. After expending a massive amount of elemental energy, he succeeded in creating an afterimage of himself. But when he tried to make it move, the effort proved excruciatingly difficult.
Most people used body-bound elemental energy to form afterimages precisely because it was as natural as radiating body heat. It didn't require mental effort to shape the elements.
But to make a fixed-shape phantom move like a real person—lifting its legs, swinging fists, gripping swords—was far harder than creating a basic elemental shape.
Worse still, all that elemental and mental expenditure just to make the phantom wiggle felt meaningless to most.
Victor shifted his focus. The wind-element afterimage began to dissolve into wind. From where its sword had been, a Wind Blade shot out in a direction of his choosing.
Elemental energy and elemental constructs were two distinct concepts. Except for Geo and Cryo, most elements didn't form intricate shapes easily. But pure elemental energy could be molded into any shape—though it came at a high mental cost, regardless of element.
Victor Wang thought, Isn't this like a budget version of the Debt Collector?
As he sprinted, he conjured four wind-element phantoms. Each fired a Wind Blade toward the center.
The only benefit of this trick was the ability to attack from multiple directions. If he could also learn the Debt Collector's invisibility, maybe he could blindside enemies with a surprise assault.
Still, Victor Wang wasn't ready to give up. Even if Dharma Body Manifestation had no combat value—it was cool.
No ability? Fine. But if you have the power and don't try something awesome, are you really alive?
He began radiating his protective elemental aura outward. The phantom grew thin and started to dissipate. Panicked, Victor Wang pumped more elemental energy from his body—only to realize his reserves were depleted.
Out of options, he tapped into external wind energy. Normally harder to control than personal energy, it was fine for simple attacks like Wind Blades—but forming a detailed humanoid construct? Much harder.
With intense mental focus, Victor Wang drew in ambient Anemo energy, slowly thickening the aura around himself. When it reached a sufficient density, he expanded it outward.
The onlookers watched in astonishment as the phantom steadily grew.
Two meters.
Three meters.
Finally, a towering 3.5-meter-tall green phantom wearing a cloak—with a 2-meter sword in hand—stood motionless, drawing the gaze of the entire training field. Even the instructors glanced over.
Three-point-five meters. Far short of Victor's expectations. Any larger and the construct would thin out and deform. Besides, he was mentally exhausted.
As his body staggered, the green giant scattered into glowing specks, floating upward into the sky.
Several Vision holders were stunned.
Duke exclaimed, "How do you have so much elemental energy?!"
"With enough training, we can all have that much." An anemo-element girl—someone Victor had never spoken to—approached. "But you really spent that much energy just to make that thing? Wind's nature is motion—inward pull and outward push. Constructing objects? That's Geo or Cryo's job."
Victor, still lightheaded, replied, "Don't you think it looked cool?"
"..."
"So cool! Freaking awesome!" Duke chimed in excitedly.
"Heh... One day, I'm gonna make it move."
"What a waste." The wind-element girl shook her head and walked away, ignoring the two of them.
Not far away, Sidney gave a bitter smile. He had originally pushed for a sword duel with no elemental powers for safety. In hindsight, that restriction might've saved him.
Just talking elemental energy—he could only cast Gale Blade a handful of times. Not nearly enough to keep up with Victor Wang.
Exhausted, Victor left on time for once.
...
On the morning of the Knight selection, the chief instructor—rarely seen in full dress—wore a ceremonial hat with a white brim and a brown-black crown, pinned with a shining badge. He stood on the easternmost podium, preparing to address all reserves before the selection began.
"Joining the Knights of Favonius is not a luxury. When the people are threatened—be it by monsters, the Fatui, or Stormterror—we must take up arms to defend our home and our nation!
"Nor is it a guaranteed career. If you abuse your authority or shirk your duties, no matter who you are, you'll be expelled—the farther, the better!
"But joining the Knights is an honor. It means your strength has been recognized. And completing your duties well is also an honor. Some of you may be assigned to patrols, guard shifts, or logistics. Don't look down on those roles—or the people who do them.
"There will always be work no one wants to do—but someone has to. Some may dream of glory, yet spend years in silence. Others might not be ambitious, but if they do their jobs well, they deserve our respect."
The instructor scanned the crowd. He paused slightly when his eyes landed on Sidney. Then he declared, "Assistant instructors—begin the selection!"
The ten assistant instructors stood far apart in a line, each holding a randomized list of names.
When someone was called, they replaced their sword with a wooden one, then demonstrated Favonius Bladework against the instructor, who would defend but not attack.
Each candidate got three attempts. Afterward, the instructor would jot down an evaluation.
The selection would last six hours. Results would be posted by 6 p.m.
Victor Wang and five others were to be evaluated personally by the chief instructor.
The first was a Geo-element white-haired girl.
The second, a dark-haired Electro boy.
To Victor's eyes, both had decent sword skills—nothing glaringly wrong, but nothing particularly impressive either.
Third up was Sidney. Victor rated him as "commendable"—they had been evenly matched, after all.
Seven days of practice hadn't made Victor into some overpowered protagonist. Sidney had real skills. If either of the first two had fought him, Sidney likely would've crushed them.
Fourth was Duke. Not terrible, but barely scraping a pass. In a ranked system, he'd be out for sure.
The chief instructor snorted, "It's a good thing you don't use weapons. Otherwise, I'd make you redo training for another term."
"I tried my best! I'm just not cut out for swordplay..."
Next came the Anemo girl. Her swordsmanship was nimble and graceful—much like Ellin's—but her physical prowess gave her an edge.
She's probably the best among the six, Victor thought.
She only used one of her three chances, then wrapped up quickly.
Last was Victor Wang. Performing as expected, he had no trouble.
All that was left was the waiting. Victor wasn't too concerned with rankings. Passing meant new recruit training—and that meant Gale Blade, maybe even a session with Captain Jean.
At 5 PM, the selection ended.
Compared to previous sessions that accepted only fifty recruits, this round had eighty spots—due to casualties during the dragon disaster and the campaign to clear monsters blocking major roads.
Vision holders didn't take up those slots, so this batch had accepted eighty-six new Knights.