Chapter 22 : Magic Legends, Black Qi Body Tempering
Chapter 22: Magic Legends, Black Aura Body Tempering
“You actually memorized the breathing rhythm chart!”
Inside the cultivation room of the small courtyard, Eve Sova looked at Leo in front of her.
She had just discovered, to her astonishment, that this student of hers could recite the breathing rhythm chart flawlessly, without missing a single word.
Only now did Leo realize that the long passage in the 《Knight’s Handbook》—which had looked like gibberish—was actually the tool for learning the Breathing Technique—the breathing rhythm chart.
Only those who had already begun learning the Breathing Technique would know this.
And since Leo rarely interacted with others, he had no channel to obtain such information.
Unexpectedly, the thing he had painstakingly memorized back then had now proven useful when learning the Breathing Technique.
It seemed that some necessary social interaction was still required—at the very least, to have access to certain information channels.
Leo thought to himself, while Eve Sova still found it hard to believe. “You memorized this entirely by yourself during this time? This breathing rhythm chart is not simple…”
Back then, it had taken her several months to memorize it, and she had lost quite a bit of hair in the process.
Eve Sova began introducing the history of the Breathing Technique.
It turned out that a long, long time ago, the Breathing Technique had been an extremely complex and profound discipline.
In the past, knights could only pass it down through direct teaching—word of mouth and hands-on instruction.
Until a century ago, a learned and highly creative Legendary Knight, Newton Knight, summarized and systematized the original Breathing Techniques.
He also created something called the breathing rhythm chart.
He condensed and summarized hundreds of common breathing and energy circulation methods used in training.
Then, through phonetic expressions, he represented these methods in written form.
From that point onward, learning the Breathing Technique became much simpler.
This breathing rhythm chart was like the musical staff in music—revolutionarily becoming the key for ordinary people to learn the Breathing Technique.
As for the great knight Newton who invented the breathing rhythm chart, it was said that in his later years, he became fascinated with another, more mysterious power—magic.
“What happened to this Newton Knight later?” Leo asked curiously as he listened to Eve Sova’s explanation.
“No one knows. Some say he died. Others say he changed his name and settled in a village. There are also rumors that he truly discovered the secrets of magic and went to another world.”
“The secrets of magic…” Leo had never heard of mages or wizards existing in this world.
Perhaps the world he could currently access was still too small.
Leo touched the Bone Flute hanging close to his body.
Perhaps this object was related to magic.
The Danlun Kingdom, a place that existed in legends, might hold traces of magic’s existence.
Leo stopped thinking further, because Eve Sova had already begun getting to the main point.
“I didn’t expect you to have already mastered the breathing rhythm chart. That makes things much easier. Next, I’ll directly teach you the energy circulation method of the Breathing Technique. Close your eyes, focus completely, and feel the changes the rhythm brings to your breathing.”
Eve Sova slowly closed her eyes and began to chant softly, “Lusimondopaarama…”
Her voice sounded almost mechanical.
As the breathing rhythms continuously flowed from her mouth, her breathing pattern changed noticeably.
At the same time, a layer of mist-like gaseous substance, resembling black fog, gradually appeared over her body.
The entire process lasted about a minute.
“Did you see clearly?” Eve Sova stopped chanting. “This is the most classic knight Breathing Technique of the Danlun Kingdom—the Furnace Breathing Technique.
What I just taught you was the first stage—the breathing rhythm for Black Aura Body Tempering.”
Eve Sova handed over a palm-sized glass bottle filled with a strange gray-black liquid.
“This is a body-tempering potion used to assist cultivation. Once you master the Breathing Technique and become a Quasi-Knight, you can receive one bottle from the castle’s alchemy room every month. Next, I’ll apply it to your body, and you can try following the breathing rhythm I just taught you.”
Eve Sova walked up to Leo and had him remove his squire robe.
The moment he took off his upper garment, Eve Sova froze for a moment.
In this world, relationships between men and women were not as conservative as in his previous life.
There was no strict rule about physical contact, and moreover, Eve Sova was Leo’s instructor.
However, the last time she had examined Leo’s body,
in her mind, he was still that skinny little boy.
But now, what appeared before her was a body as strong as a sculpture.
Aside from his somewhat pale skin due to lack of sunlight,
every muscle on Leo’s body was full and well-defined.
The lines between muscles were like they had been carved by blade and axe.
Beneath the thin layer of skin, veins bulged slightly, displaying a powerful sense of strength.
Eve Sova had grown up in the castle, immersed in training swordsmanship and the Breathing Technique.
She had little concept of relationships between men and women, only having heard maids discuss such topics when she was young.
But at this moment, seeing Leo’s nearly perfect physique, her heart suddenly trembled.
Realizing her lapse, Eve Sova pursed her lips, dipped her finger into the potion, and pressed it onto Leo’s chest.
Leo noticed the momentary shock on Eve Sova’s face.
To be honest, he was a bit worried that this teacher—who liked to put on airs and wasn’t always reliable—might mess something up, so he reminded her, “Teacher, I’m starting.”
“Oh… alright, begin.”
Immediately, Leo began to regulate his breathing according to the rhythm Eve Sova had just recited.
At this moment, his Spirit attribute of 1.4 began to take effect.
After maxing out the 【Mount Control】 skill, Leo’s mental strength had far surpassed that of ordinary people. The most obvious manifestation was his memory.
In a short period of time, for such a long breathing rhythm like the one Eve Sova had just recited, he could almost remember it perfectly after hearing it once.
At this moment, the scene Eve Sova had demonstrated replayed in his mind, and he began chanting according to her rhythm and speed.
“Lusimondopaaramakabudozan…”
As Leo chanted, his breathing also began to adjust.
Eve Sova hadn’t expected Leo to remember the breathing rhythm so clearly on the first attempt, reproducing it without the slightest error.
Back when she had learned the Breathing Technique, the breathing rhythm chart had caused her a great deal of trouble.
But Leo seemed to handle it effortlessly.
As he continued chanting the rhythm, Eve Sova used her potion-dipped fingers to quickly apply it across his body.
Her cool fingertips traced across Leo’s skin.
Only now did Leo truly experience the marvel of the breathing rhythm chart—each rhythm corresponded to a unique breathing method.
Through these specific breathing patterns, the body entered a special state.
It felt as though a switch had been activated through a special method, allowing the body to enter a state of absorbing energy.
A faint, elusive energy in the air seemed to enter his body through his breath.
Eve Sova followed Leo’s rhythm, continuously moving her fingers to the corresponding positions.
With the assistance of the potion, Leo felt a force seeping into his body, slowly flowing within.
Until he had completely recited the breathing rhythm that Eve Sova had just demonstrated.
Leo opened his eyes.
“How is it? Do you feel anything?” Eve Sova asked.
Leo clenched his hand, feeling a stream of power slowly flowing within his body.
However, at this moment, Leo was somewhat puzzled. He spoke to confirm, “Teacher, did you slow down just now?”