On the rocky outcrop, Colin pondered for a moment before refocusing his attention on the first major method of strengthening the foundation of the body presented in the crystal—
'Plant Life Energy Transformation...'
Initially, he had only seen the name and thought that Plant Life Energy Transformation might be possible through the Ancient Tree Heart within his body.
But the reality was not so simple.
The main purpose of strengthening the foundation of the body was to prepare for advancement to the Second Rank Wizard—
Only a body strong enough could bear the powerful soul of a Second Rank Wizard, and only then could the impressive force of a powerful soul be fully unleashed.
As for the extent to which the body needed to be strengthened, there were detailed guidelines in the crystal—
Life Energy had to be at least six times greater than the average level of a Great Knight!
As for the average level of Life Energy, which is also the level of Blood Energy, of a Great Knight... Colin internally compared it to the Blood Energy within his body.
He was approximately 1.7 to 1.8 times the average level.
However, in reality, Life Energy varied depending on the method used to strengthen the foundation of the body.
And among all methods of strengthening the foundation of the body, there was not one that retained the most original and purest form of Blood Energy.
...After Bloodline Transformation, it would become Bloodline Power, whereas Element Transformation was linked to Energy levels.
So strictly speaking, Blood Energy did not belong to any type of Life Energy.
This was a consensus among all wizards.
There was a limit to how much the human body could be enhanced, and this limit was the level of the Great Knight.
'Six times the average level of a Great Knight is the minimum, ten times the level of a Great Knight is the recommended level...'
The sea breeze was gentle, and Colin raised his arm, making a slight fist, as surging power flowed beneath his skin, and a furnace-like heat radiated from his body...
Yet even such power was still far from the minimum standard required for the body's foundation for advancing to the Second Rank.
This was even after he had broken through the limits of the Knight Breathing Method many times and had also gone through one synthesis...
Colin's expression was silent as he carefully reviewed the Plant Life Energy Transformation again... confirming once more that with his current conditions, it was indeed impossible to immediately begin strengthening the foundation of his body.
Wizards, in their quest to raise their Life Energy to such high levels, had developed extremely complex transformation plans.
'Perhaps, with the transformation from the Golden Paper later on, it might be possible to adapt the transformation plans recorded on the crystal to use the energy of the Ancient Tree Heart as a substitute for specific plant energies...'
'However, that is a matter for the future; at least it's not feasible right now.'
However... Colin's gaze shifted, he parted his legs to shoulder width, and began practicing the Knight Breathing Method.
Since higher-order body-related strengthening of the foundation was temporarily unattainable,
the only method related to the body that might, at the moment, accelerate the release of the warm flow from the Ancient Tree Heart, was the long-unpracticed Knight Breathing Method.
In the concealed domain formed by Silent and the Invisible Shadow, Colin practiced tirelessly, following the movements and breathing of the Yi Guang Breathing Method.
Under the effect of the Breathing Skill, his Blood Energy was slowly mobilized, moving rhythmically like the tide towards his limbs and all throughout his body... but it did not grow stronger.
His body had reached its limit.
The young Ante beside him seemed to have successfully entered a state of meditation and was completely oblivious to Colin's actions, simply sitting with his eyes closed.
Thus, about an hour passed, and a full set of the Yi Guang Breathing Method was completed.
Colin wrapped up and stood still, his heart slightly heavy.
Throughout the entire process, the Ancient Tree Heart had not reacted at all; he could only faintly feel the warmth emanating from his chest...
"The problem with the Knight Breathing Method? Or is it that the Ancient Tree Heart simply cannot be stimulated to release through external force…"
Just as Colin was inwardly pondering, a flash of Spiritual Light suddenly appeared in his mind—
"The Yi Guang Breathing Method combined with the foundational knowledge of strengthening the body might yield unexpected results."
This sudden stroke of inspiration was obviously from the Lingqi Crown... Mm, the Lingqi Crown was only an assistive tool and did not possess the capacity to think; the idea itself was still his own creation.
Colin shook his head, not dwelling on it, but followed the guidance of his own intuition, attempting to combine the Yi Guang Breathing Method with the foundational knowledge of strengthening the body contained within the crystal.
The so-called foundation of strengthening the body, regardless of the method used, and despite the differences in energy, ultimately aimed to reinforce the body itself.
Or rather, to reinforce the foundation of the body.
And this so-called foundation of the body... in Colin's view, seemed somewhat similar to the concept of essence and energy that he often heard about in his previous life, that is, vitality and energy.
"I wonder how Anna and the other are doing..."
Colin took a deep breath, his mind gradually calming, carefully researching the integration of breathing skills with the foundation of strengthening the body...
Time quietly slipped away, and before he realized it, the light of dawn had already brightened slightly in the distance, the darkness of night fading a bit.
And Colin, too, had finally made some breakthroughs.
In the faint light of dawn, he practiced the Yi Guang Breathing Method once again.
Only this time, he intentionally caused the Blood Energy in his body, which was no longer increasing, to vibrate in specific areas within himself during the practice of the Yi Guang Breathing Method, such as before the Magic Sea in his chest, and the space between his eyebrows... and so on.
Then, after the consumption of Blood Energy had reached a certain level,
The Ancient Tree Heart in his chest finally showed signs of activity.
A warm current began flowing from his chest, spreading towards his limbs and bones.
Colin's heart leapt for joy as he quickly summoned the Golden Paper.
Light golden particles converged before him, and a sheet of ancient Golden Paper, straddling the line between fantasy and reality, slowly materialized in front of him.
He waited quietly for a moment.
After about two minutes, behind the Wizard Level progress column, a faint "↑" symbol indeed appeared!
"Every transformation by the Ancient Tree Heart does seem to slightly enhance the progress of Wizard cultivation!"
Colin's mouth curved upwards slightly, and he put away the Golden Paper and began practicing the Yi Guang Breathing Method integrated with the knowledge of strengthening the body once more.
"The Lingqi Crown is indeed a more useful treasure than the Foolishness Scepter!"
His arm cut through the air, feeling a clear improvement in each movement, and Colin's heart felt increasingly exhilarated.
Compared to external objects, he still preferred the tangible enhancement of himself!
Now that he had found a method to accelerate the absorption of the Ancient Tree Heart, his earlier concerns about not having a high enough level to activate the Transmission Array were swept away at once.
Another half hour passed, and the orange sun slowly rose from the distant sea's horizon; Colin once again ended his practice and stood still.
As if sensing something, he subconsciously opened the Golden Paper and was startled to find that the progress behind the Wizard Level had already quietly increased a bit!
Feeling the warm flow in his body, which had nearly been absorbed by half,
"Indeed, the Yi Guang Breathing Method, combined with the specific energy vibration frequency recorded in the foundation of strengthening the body, not only can speed up the release of the warm flow from the Ancient Tree Heart but also accelerate its absorption!"
"But... to think the Wizard Level progress has increased so quickly again."
Putting away the Golden Paper, Colin faintly realized that if the progress of the level was due to the enhancement of his own talents, then such an enhancement most likely had an upper limit... Once the improvement of talent reached its limit, absorbing the Ancient Tree Heart would no longer result in an increase in Wizard Level.