Henwell has always known that Pawari isn’t some arrogant fool.

  From the very first time Pawari challenged him, Henwell sensed the other’s real intention, to have a private talk.

  At that moment, Henwell gave a clear response, telling Pawari he wasn’t qualified to make a deal with him.

  Pawari tried several more times afterward, but Henwell rejected each attempt.

  To outsiders, it looked like Pawari was just provoking Henwell, pushing his luck.

  Finally, at tonight’s banquet, Henwell gave him a chance.

  In truth, Henwell already guessed what Pawari wanted.

  He just felt that helping him wasn’t worth the return.

  Pawari bows to Henwell. “I wish to secure a spot from you to study in the Western Federation. I’m about to break through to Grand Knight, but I need a good environment. Here, I fear I’ll never advance beyond this point.”

  Henwell tilts his head, studying him for a moment before suddenly chuckling. “Heh… interesting! Has no one discovered your secret?”

  Pawari’s heart skips a beat, but he forces himself to stay calm. “What secret do you want to know, sir? I’ll tell you everything I know!”

  Henwell rolls his eyes. “Still putting on an act for me! If you’re going to be so insincere, just leave. No recommendation from me, you can still go to the Western Federation. It’ll just be harder to get in. If you’re lucky, you’ll still make it to Guardian City.”

  ”Since you know the Western Federation helps your cultivation, I assume you’ve learned a bit about the Western Regions through other channels. Although it’s a haven for professionals, it’s not like professionals are everywhere. Talented young people like you still have a good chance.”

  Pawari remains silent. Indeed, he could go to the Western Regions on his own.

  But his maps only cover the outskirts of the Western Federation, and all his trade contacts are limited to border city-states.

  Going deeper inside requires identification papers.

  Without those, he’d be stuck at the border city-states for a long time.

  There, the nobles’ power from various continental countries means nothing.

  To get identification, he’d have to py by the rules and do some honest work.

  As the third son of the Marquis of Hornbay, he has enough wealth and might find a better way.

  But due to his special circumstances, he can’t use his family’s influence to enter the Western Federation for cultivation.

  Pawari finally speaks up. “You have sharp eyes, sir. I’m not following the traditional knight’s path. I discovered this extraordinary path from a rare ancient text. It’s simir to knighthood but fundamentally different.”

  ”That’s why I need to be in an area rich with extraordinary energy to break through, or else I risk harming myself.”

  As he speaks, Pawari summons his Fighting Spirit, bck fmes flickering over his palm.

  “This is what my Fighting Spirit looks like, or rather, it’s not just Fighting Spirit. It’s a far more powerful energy that grants me greater destructive power.”

  ”This extraordinary path is called Burning Knight. It strengthens my physique, grants strong resistance to magic, and even gives me some unique spell effects. If you could grant me three spots to study, I’d teach you everything about how to cultivate this power.”

  Henwell waves his hand dismissively. “Forget it. I don’t want it.”

  Pawari freezes for a moment, then hurriedly says, “You might not realize how strong the Burning Knight is. Fine, you win. I’ll give you the cultivation system. I only ask for one spot.”

  Henwell scoffs. “Heh… I said no. You don’t even understand what this really is. I’m curious, what mindset led you to cultivate something you don’t comprehend, without any guidance?”

  ”Burning Knight, huh? Sounds like a name you made up yourself. This profession is called Demon Soul Warrior. It’s a warrior-css profession, not a knight-css one. When you’re riding, you won’t be able to unleash this power properly. Your warhorse can’t possibly fuse with this kind of energy.”

  Pawari is stunned again. Hearing Henwell’s confident expnation, he realizes Henwell might truly know about his extraordinary path.

  “If you’ve seen this power, please tell me everything you know about this profession. I’m willing to pay any price!”

  Pawari’s hope to train in the Western Federation is also about finding a way to continue cultivating this power.

  When he was younger and reckless, he blindly took on this power, only to find it increasingly difficult ter on.

  Though it grants impressive combat strength, without a proper cultivation method to follow, he’s constantly tormented by uncertainty.

  Henwell certainly knows about this career path. During his time in the Western Federation, he’s read extensively on extraordinary paths. The Holy Spirit Church’s library is vast, and he has access to most of the texts.

  Among them is a detailed introduction to the Demon Soul Warrior. This profession is quite unique. After defeating an opponent, the warrior must perform a specific ritual to absorb the enemy’s soul and life force, merging it into their own body.

  It sounds like some dark, forbidden technique, and indeed, it originates from ancient tribal traditions.

  In battle, a Demon Soul Warrior can unleash Soul Fme, dealing both magical and mental damage to enemies. Because they absorb life force, their physique is stronger than ordinary warriors, even surpassing knights.

  But, as always, the question is: what’s the cost?

  First, very few people manage to cultivate this power to an advanced level. Not just in the future, even the Hope of the Rising Sun, represented by the Iron Knight, rarely reaches high mastery.

  Second, this power is a double-edged sword. Absorbing souls and life force pces a tremendous burden on the warrior’s mind. Without an iron will, it’s difficult to suppress the negative effects.

  Irritability and bloodlust are minor issues; severe cases can lead to split personalities.

  Moreover, absorbing too much life force damages the body itself.

  Most directly and also most secretly, it shortens the user’s lifespan.

  In short, cultivating this power comes with significant drawbacks.

  Not to mention Pawari is figuring this out all on his own, without any guidance. If it weren’t for his luck, he’d have died in the process.

  Judging by his reaction, Pawari clearly realizes the severe downsides of this cultivation path.

  There’s no shortcut in extraordinary cultivation. The mainstream professions have survived so long and remain widespread for good reason.

  Take the Demon Soul Warrior, a powerful profession that’s fallen into obscurity because this extraordinary path isn’t truly viable.

  Among extraordinary paths, don’t expect rare professions to be inherently strong. Their rarity usually signals a reason.

  You can’t just assume a rare profession is automatically powerful.

  The knight profession may seem average, but it allows practitioners to cultivate steadily to very high levels.