Chapter 472: The Rebirth of Dou Qi

When they came, there were nearly a thousand knights, but upon returning, the number had grown to one thousand five hundred. For the first time during the pioneering decree campaign, the Coral Island Knights had grown significantly in size.

Liszt himself had enlisted nearly sixty Earth Knights, ten of whom were elite Earth Knights.

The total number of Earth Knights in the territory had increased to seventy-nine, enough to form six knight squads with some to spare. Maintaining too many knights was a heavy burden for Black Horse Island during its construction phase, but the territory’s development still depended on them, as knights were the cultural elite.

Though Liszt was actively training his own knights, he still relied on the support of knights who had sworn loyalty to him during the transition.

Development and construction are never simple tasks that can be done impulsively.

As the final batch of supplies and serfs were loaded onto the ships, the knights led their horses aboard in turn. After guiding Hiddleston and the eight little ones into the cabin, Liszt dragged the unstable, lethargic land bird Loki aboard. The bloodline fruit’s effects were taking hold, altering its lineage.

Half an hour later.

The final sailboat departed the port, sailing into the azure sea.

The pioneering decree of 152 officially came to an end.

Standing at the ship’s bow, watching the coastline fade into the distance, Liszt felt ambitious, eager to return and forge a new future for his territory.

At this moment.

He first called up the smoke mission.

With the war over, the serpent tongue shifted: "Mission complete. Reward: the rebirth of mana."

"Hmm?" Liszt’s eyes narrowed, taken aback by the reward’s description. "What does the rebirth of mana mean? I recall rewards like the sublimation of mana, which helped me become an Earth Knight, and the bottleneck of mana, which pushed me to elite Earth Knight status."

Now, the reward was the rebirth of mana.

"Is it suggesting my mana is shifting toward 'dragon mana' because of the magic power seed’s growth, or that my training with the seed has triggered a leap toward advanced mana?" He sensed the surge of mana within him, deep in thought.

No matter the result.

This marked a major leap in his personal power.

As a noble’s son, he had gained extensive cultivation knowledge from his father, Lee William, and his grandfather, Marquis Merlin.

He thoroughly understood the progression from intermediate to advanced mana.

Mana, a type of magic power, earns its name from how it manifests at the advanced stage.

Low-level mana is the chaotic, attribute-less accumulation of nutrients in the body. Cultivating it only makes one a squire, with no major strength gains; intermediate mana, however, shows qualitative changes. Only with it can one traverse the land, earning the title of Earth Knight.

Likewise, a sky knight earns his name by soaring through the skies.

He depends on advanced mana’s air-like lightness, which lifts his body as if blending with the sky. At the stage of advanced mana, mana truly exhibits the nature of "mana," clearly distinguished from magic power, and with more significant qualitative changes.

Water-attribute advanced mana flows like a stream through the meridians; wind-attribute mana gusts like a breeze through them.

Similarly.

Fire-attribute advanced mana blazes like flames through the meridians.

With the advanced mana manual, one can fully unleash the entire power of advanced mana, and in battle, it can even trigger changes in the weather.

When a water-attribute sky knight fights with a thunder-attribute sky knight, that area will definitely be filled with thunder and lightning, and heavy rain.

"Whether this rebirth brings dragon mana or advanced mana, I’m eagerly anticipating it!"

"Let’s begin!"

As he waited eagerly, the smoke before his eyes transformed.

Forming new serpent tongue script: "Mission: Seventeen thousand new serfs have arrived in your territory. Your territory now boasts twenty-two to twenty-three thousand inhabitants. The existing Flower Town and Port Town are no longer sufficient to accommodate them. Please establish a new town to accommodate your people. Reward: Peas that produce rhizobia."

The sudden increase in serfs.

Creating a new town is essential.

Even without the smoke mission reminder, Liszt would have planned it this way. He was thrilled by the mission reward: peas that produce rhizobia.

Rhizobia, crucial agricultural microorganisms, form nodules on leguminous plants, enabling symbiotic nitrogen fixation, significantly boosting the nitrogen levels plants require, and helping to boost plant yields. Liszt has planted numerous soybeans and peas on Black Horse Island, hoping to use them to produce rhizobia and improve soil fertility.

However, the results have been underwhelming. Many sprouted soybeans and peas appear thin and frail, and when uprooted, their roots lack nodules.

Evidently, most leguminous plants remain uninfected by rhizobia.

Liszt recalls that on Earth, cultivating leguminous crops necessitates artificial rhizobia inoculation. His only option is to gather a small quantity of rhizobia and blend it with the seeds. Inoculation success is uncertain, and the results show minimal success.

Naturally occurring rhizobia remain too scarce.

"With rhizobia-producing peas, I’m confident we can gather sufficient strains and implement widespread artificial inoculation across the territory!"

...

The journey from the mainland to Coral Island takes roughly ten days by sea.

Liszt spent this time diligently taking medicine, eating meat, and focusing on his cultivation. On the third day of the voyage, he finally sensed a new transformation in his mana.

Previously, his mana had been tainted by the impure magic power expelled by the magic seed, leading to a gradual transformation. Evolving into a new intermediate fire-attribute mana—stronger, slower to dissipate, more profound, and quicker to break through—leading him to believe it had become dragon mana.

But he doubted it. Dragon mana’s power should surpass this. Besides, the magic seed hasn’t yet spawned a Fire Dragon, so how could it now produce dragon mana?

It’s merely a unique form of intermediate mana.

And now, this unique intermediate mana has undergone another change, like a process of liquid sublimating into gas. However, the mana itself has not expanded, only becoming lighter and more flexible. When circulating in the meridians, it gives him the sensation of riding the clouds and mist.

It’s as if the mana has become a flame.

Burning along the meridians, without a burning pain, only a sense of comfort and ease.

"This is... the process of intermediate mana gradually changing into advanced mana. It seems that I have already started to break through the constraints of the Earth Knight and advance to a Sky Knight!"

It should have been a moment of trembling excitement, but he had expected it.

So at this moment, his mind is calm.

Still focused on cultivation, continuously circulating mana, accelerating this change. For many elite Earth Knights, the gradual shift from intermediate mana to advanced mana requires the unity of essence, energy, and spirit to continuously impact and break through, gaining a glimpse of the sky.

Yet he cultivates so calmly, the change in mana directly comes to fruition, without any obstruction.

"Is my talent too exceptional, and the barrier to advancement nonexistent? It feels a bit too self-satisfied. More likely, it’s because my mana has been altered by the magic seed, which has led to the disappearance of the barrier to advancement... After all, I am now considered a reserve dragon knight!"

He suddenly opened his eyes, his body slightly undulating with the swaying of the ship.

Just feeling that by slightly circulating the changing mana, his body can fly, a wonderful sensation.

"When the voyage ends, this change will also be completed. At that time, I will fully become a Sky Knight! A seventeen-year-old Sky Knight—everyone will be shocked! Although there is still a gap from the sixteen-year-old Sky Knight, the dragon knight candidate, it’s not far away!"

Thinking of this, he could no longer contain himself.

All the joy and pride were vented with laughter: "Hahahahaha!"