"Breathe in! Breathe out! Focus your mind! Watch the rhythm!"
At this moment, Weilin had taken off his shirt, revealing the meager muscle definition he'd barely developed after so many days of training. He sat cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed, breathing deeply, the muscles across his body trembling in time with his breathing rhythm.
"Wrong! Your abdominal muscles are shaking incorrectly!" Leilin flicked his wrist, and a wooden sword cracked down hard against Weilin's lower abdomen.
Weilin's face contorted in pain. His lower abdominal muscles clenched tight. Hoo! Two streams of white air shot out from his nostrils.
"Did you remember it? That's the feeling!"
Leilin patted the wooden sword in his hand.
"Hoo..." After completing a full round of Breathing Technique training, Weilin let out a long breath. Tiny black impurities drifted within the white vapor. He opened his eyes.
"Are you a pig? Something this simple — it takes you ten days just to get the basics?!"
Leilin launched into a torrent of abuse, and Weilin could only rub his head with a bitter smile, apologizing profusely.
After so many days of training, he could clearly feel the improvement in his physical condition. Moreover, under the effects of the Breathing Technique, he could now sense a faint current of warmth flowing continuously through his body.
The intoxicating sensation of this power drew Weilin in immediately. Even if Leilin wanted to kill him right now, he wouldn't leave no matter what.
"Go. A thousand standard swordsmanship movements, then five thousand deep squats!" Leilin pointed casually, and Weilin immediately scurried off, eager to comply.
"Who would have thought — a guy I casually started teaching actually has some real talent!"
Watching Weilin drenched in sweat in the small training yard, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Leilin's mouth.
This Weilin was clearly well-suited for the path of a Knight. Leilin privately reckoned that without his Chip, even he himself probably couldn't have mastered the improved Cross Sword Breathing Technique within ten days and grasped a wisp of vital spirit. Yet Weilin had done it!
"Though, this body's talent for knighthood was never particularly impressive to begin with. Comparatively, Weilin's speed puts him among the absolute top geniuses of Knights. I just wonder about his soul aptitude?"
An ordinary person's soul aptitude wasn't externally visible. Without specialized wizardry or auxiliary tools, even Leilin couldn't immediately gauge someone's magical potential.
"Looks like I'll have to stay here a while longer..."
Leilin's expression darkened. Though he had previously decided to go out and search for traces of other Wizards, the sudden emotional outburst of his warlock bloodline had delayed his plans.
Right now, Leilin could only slowly vent his various emotions through ordinary means on one hand, while on the other he was actively brewing potions more advanced and effective than the Tranquility Potion to suppress the symptoms in his body.
The plans that lay beyond the Dark Extreme Region concerned Leilin's future and the acquisition of a high-level Meditation Method. He couldn't allow himself to venture out in an extremely emotional state — otherwise, he would most likely end up provoking the wrath of countless others, just as he had when seizing the essence of the
Before he knew it, over six months had passed.
Weilin, without realizing it, had fully awakened his Life Energy and become an official Knight. The entire process had gone so smoothly that even he himself hadn't noticed.
The poor kid, seeing that he couldn't even take a single blow from Leilin, still believed he was merely an ordinary person, working tirelessly toward the goal of becoming a Knight.
The only visible effect of his advancement was that he went from being unable to withstand even one strike from Leilin to managing to endure a single blow before collapsing.
As for Lombart, Leilin hadn't seen him recently. Apparently, the persistent young man had joined a merchant caravan heading to another city, still hoping to try his luck.
Unfortunately, Leilin had seen plenty of dreamers who went out into the world to struggle before. Ninety out of a hundred would die a violent death out there. The survivors would become beggars, cripples, or turn to thievery and crime.
Only a scant one percent could achieve success.
Leilin had heard Weilin mention this in passing and promptly forgotten about it.
"Hyah!"
Weilin swung the massive steel sword in his hands, its edge gleaming with a sharp cold light, and roared as he charged at Leilin.
"Die!" He brought the great sword slashing sideways, whipping up a powerful gust of wind.
Leilin, on the other hand, held a wooden sword and shook his head. "Too many wasted movements!"
He thrust lightly forward. The wooden sword glided ahead slowly, penetrating the enormous curtain of metallic light.
Though it appeared incredibly slow, the wooden sword deflected lightly, sending Weilin's steel sword spinning to one side. Then it stabbed directly into the space beneath Weilin's arm!
"Ugh..." Weilin grunted and collapsed to the ground.
"Terrible! Absolutely terrible!" Leilin criticized without mercy.
Teasing this kid during his daily research breaks was one of Leilin's few remaining amusements.
"Sir! Can't you at least go a little easier on me?!"
Weilin panted heavily, sitting on the ground and complaining. "Every single time, I get taken down in one hit! Heavens! I feel like I haven't made any progress at all..."
"Less talk! Get back to training. Today, as punishment for not lasting a single round against me — add a thousand push-ups!"
Leilin suppressed his laughter and put on a stern face.
In truth, Weilin's progress was remarkably fast. He was already close to advancing to Great Knight. Part of this was due to the excellent effectiveness of the Breathing Technique Leilin had given him, and part was inseparable from Weilin's own talent and relentless effort.
Leilin reclined on a lounge chair nearby, watching Weilin drenched in sweat. His mind, however, was already immersed in the Chip.
"Beep! Based on real-time monitoring, the subject's adrenaline secretion has entered a low-trough phase. The mental stability curve is leveling out. Estimated time to return to normal levels: 341 hours!"
Through the analytical charts and research curves provided by the Chip, Leilin was delighted to see that, thanks to his multifaceted efforts, his emotional instability was steadily subsiding.
"At this rate, does that mean in another ten days or so I'll have completely suppressed this episode..." A faint smile appeared at the corner of Leilin's mouth.
"Boss! Is the boss here?"
At that moment, a young man's voice called in: "We want to buy something — is the owner of Fire and Hammer here?"
Hearing this voice, even Weilin paused in his training. "Good heavens! Someone's actually come to the boss's shop? Has the sun risen from the west?"
Because of Leilin's unreasonable pricing, this weapon shop's wares, though exquisitely crafted, barely sold a few pieces in an entire year.
"What nonsense! Go greet the customers!" Leilin rapped Weilin on the head with the flat of his sword.
Only then did Weilin remember that his official role was still the shop's attendant. He quickly threw on a white shirt and trotted out to receive the guests.
Leilin felt a twinge of curiosity and followed him outside.
"Welcome, noble lady! Please, come in!"
Weilin bowed deeply and ushered in a noble young lady dressed in a flowing aristocratic gown, her hands adorned with all manner of bizarre rings, while shooting Leilin a glance that clearly said "big catch."
Behind the noble young lady was a silver-haired elderly man who looked like a butler, and behind him stood two young guards wearing ring mail forged from interlocking iron rings. The earlier shout had clearly come from one of the guards.
On the guards' shoulders sat a large crest bordered with sun vines, featuring a longsword, a shield, and a crown at its center!
Leilin was well-versed in heraldry and knew that in any human society, a family that used a crown as its emblem belonged to the highest echelon of the nobility!
"Interesting! A noble young lady? Protected by a
Leilin observed the group with great interest. The butler behind the young lady was clearly at the level of a Third-rank Apprentice, and he carried the energy fluctuation of a low-grade Magical Item on his person.
The two guards behind him were also Knights.
Even the noble young lady herself radiated a fluctuation of energy particles, with strength comparable to a First-rank Apprentice. Her hands were covered with all manner of enhancement rings.
But at this moment, all four guests looked somewhat surprised by the bowing and scraping Weilin — not every small shop used a Knight as its server!
And Weilin, blissfully unaware, was enthusiastically introducing items to the young lady: "Noble lady, if you're heading to the Crow-crying Wasteland, I'd recommend this steel sword! It's top-grade craftsmanship — you can hack away a thousand times without a single nick. And if you pair it with these arrowheads, it'll be even more perfect..."
Weilin's spittle flew everywhere as he opened another display case, revealing a cluster of gleaming, newly-finished triple-edged premium steel arrowheads with a blue-green metallic sheen.
This display of eagerness bordering on servility made Leilin secretly amused. The two guards behind the young lady actually turned their faces away, almost too embarrassed to watch this person who was disgracing the honor of Knights.
In truth, had their master not been standing right there, they would have drawn their long swords and taught this kid who knew nothing of chivalry a lesson long ago.
"Take a look," the noble young lady said to the old butler behind her.
The Third-rank Apprentice butler stepped forward. His wrinkled hands caressed the steel sword, then he flicked a finger against an arrowhead. A look of surprise crossed his face. "The quality is excellent! It could even rival the works of Master Yoda..."
"Oh?" The young lady's face showed a trace of surprise. This was the first time she had seen this butler praise something so highly. And Master Yoda? That was a master craftsman renowned throughout the capital of the Eastern Domain for his weapon-forging — widely sought after and celebrated!
"Who forged these weapons?" the young lady asked, looking at Weilin. After all, the bulging muscles on his body were quite misleading.
As for Leilin, who concealed himself far too well, he was naturally overlooked.
"Oh, these!" Weilin was just about to boast on behalf of his boss when he suddenly caught Leilin's warning glare and quickly changed his tune. "Well, that's a trade secret, of course!"