"November 4, Yanan Calendar."
"Evening."
"The Divine side launched another attack on the Soah Islands, the avatars of Night and Hunting Goddess descended, and they were surrounded and defeated by the well-prepared Wizards on Jina Island."
"The pollution caused by the divine avatar engulfed almost the entire Jina Island, forcing the defending wizards to abandon the island and retreat fully..."
Tin Saint School, dawn.
The room was dim.
Atbolde was sitting on a recliner in the study.
He was holding a newspaper distributed by the School to members of the Second Rank and above during wartime, reading it aloud.
The weak daylight that penetrated the enormous force field window fell on the old man's decayed body, outlining the grotesque silhouette of roots on his lower half.
If one looked closely, they would realize that what Atbolde was sitting on was not a real recliner, but part of his own transformed body.
"...The situation is still critical."
Closing the newspaper, despite it being good news, Atbolde sighed.
At that moment, a rustling sound suddenly came from behind him.
Atbolde did not get up; a brown vine with an Ancient Tree Spring Necklace swung in from outside the window.
He took the Ancient Tree Spring Pendant and caressed it, a smile appearing on his weathered face.
Then he muttered,
"I've ultimately grown weak, this necklace, only discovering it today...
In the past, nothing within the entire manor, even underground, could have escaped my notice."
Atbolde fell silent for a moment and put away the necklace.
His lower half, which had large roots like octopus tentacles, moved, carrying him to the vast window.
Atbolde gazed out the window.
It was dawn, the sky was bright but not fully clear, and it was dark around like a moonlit night.
The lush plants in the yard were a dark, terrifying sight, raising a naturally desolate atmosphere.
However, Atbolde was unfazed.
Over the years, he had grown accustomed to everything in this small estate, familiar with every plant.
He just calmly watched the scene in front of him, those places where sunlight could not reach, and sneered in his heart.
"Since you've come... don't leave."
He turned around and whispered silently toward the yard.
Rustle—
It was as if the sound of snakes and insects crawling suddenly arose.
The next moment, from the shadows beneath him, it seemed that something invisible was spreading outwards...
Creak—
Nanao, early morning.
Colin opened the bedroom door; Renee was waiting outside.
"Master, good morning," Renee greeted respectfully and then asked, "What would you like for lunch?"
"Good morning... Hmm, how about some braised prawns, and you can decide on the rest."
Colin smiled and walked down the right-hand staircase.
The Leibo River outside was rich in seafood, cheap and plentiful, which had truly satisfied his appetite these days.
However, this was just the smallest benefit of living here.
What truly delighted him every day was the uninterrupted rapid improvement of his own strength...
Today was only the second day after the breakthrough of the Yi Guang Breathing Method.
But the amount of Blood Energy inside him had already doubled compared to yesterday, before the breakthrough!
It was four times more than the average level of a Great Knight!
Even according to the normal standards of the Enhancement Base, it had reached forty percent, almost halfway there.
Of course, ten times the Blood Energy of a normal Great Knight was just a standard... It was still uncertain what Colin could ultimately achieve.
However, the only regret was that in terms of Wizard Level, whether the Yi Guang Breathing Method had broken through or not did not greatly affect it.
Over the past two days, the pace of wizard cultivation was similar to before, now reaching 55/100.
The morning glow was brilliant, and birds were chirping loudly.
Carrying a joyful mood, Colin went to the yard to continue practicing the post-breakthrough Yi Guang Breathing Method, striving to soon complete the enhancement of his body's foundation.
On the flat ground in the yard, Renee had already laid out a dry, gray-patterned floral cloth, measuring roughly two meters square, with a large sponge underneath.
Colin stepped onto it.
The Yi Guang Breathing Method after the second breakthrough didn't differ much in practice from before, just some minor adjustments.
What really changed was the addition of a Traction Technique segment before and after the main practice... which he was now preparing to practice.
This added part of the Traction Technique, in his view, was somewhat similar to the yoga of his previous life.
The movements mainly included some stretching and pulling, along with many lying-down positions, thus requiring the support of a mat.
At the same time, spiritual power would also regularly participate.
This was the greatest difference from the ordinary Knight Breathing Method.
The difficulty of these movements was not high, but their effects were extraordinary!
The two key factors in breaking through the path of the knight—compressing Blood Energy and enhancing will—were both achieved by this Traction Technique!
Swoosh.
With his legs apart, he slowly lifted his right foot...
As Colin began to move, invisible spiritual power also spread out from between his eyebrows, carrying a specific frequency and rhythmically passing through his limbs and bones.
The Blood Energy within his body also started to tremble, then quickly began to rotate around the Life Seed under the effect of the will carried by the spiritual power, and gradually began to compress.
Unlike Magic Power, pure spiritual power could be freely manipulated.
For pure spiritual power, Blood Energy was like existing in two separate dimensions, making interference between the two difficult.
However, generally speaking, the spiritual power wielded by a wizard is not purely spiritual power.
Or rather, only inanimate objects can generate pure spiritual power.
As long as there is life and consciousness, the spiritual power will inevitably be mixed with personal will.
And will, to Blood Energy, is like wheels to a vehicle, precisely the key for Blood Energy to be obediently manipulated.
The rationale of the Traction Technique added after breaking limits in the Yi Guang Breathing Method was exactly because of this.
However, it was not limited to this.
While thinking, the speed of the rotation of the Blood Energy cyclone inside Colin gradually slowed down.
He began to feel the Blood Energy Group in his lower abdomen becoming as heavy as lead and mercury.
After a while, when the Blood Energy Group inside his body had completely stopped and his will could no longer make it budge even slightly,
Colin slowly got up, continuing to invest his spiritual power and began practicing the regular part of the Yi Guang Breathing Method.
Underneath the movements of the Breathing Method, the energy in the flesh of his body was gradually mobilized and gathered, nourishing the gradually increasing Blood Energy.
Colin's eyebrows gradually knotted, his teeth clenched, and large beads of sweat began to emerge continuously from his forehead.
If practicing the Yi Guang Breathing Method previously was merely physical torment, now after Limit Breaking, it added a torment of the spirit as well!
The Blood Energy continued to increase, and the Blood Energy Group began to expand.
Then, as if passing a critical threshold, the Blood Energy Group suddenly began to rotate on its own!
Only this time, unlike before when the will drove the rotation of the Blood Energy, it was the Blood Energy that was driving the rotation embedded with will in the spiritual power!
"Hiss—" Colin pressed his lips tightly together.
Initially, it felt tingling, as if countless tiny people were gently massaging inside his brain.
But soon, that sensation abruptly intensified.
Those tiny people vanished, replaced by a sensation as if his brain was being thrown into a constantly rotating grindstone, creating a crushing pain.
Colin gritted his teeth and continued practicing the Yi Guang Breathing Method.
These pains were not endured in vain...
Only through such a process could his profound and mystical will be effectively and continuously strengthened!
After a while, when the stockpiled energy of flesh and Blood inside his body was nearly depleted, Colin gradually stopped practicing.
Although this all seemed long to speak of, from beginning to then, it had only been an hour.
The Blood Energy Group that had revolved around the Life Seed, after being compressed, was like installing a specialized magnet inside the body, greatly accelerating the accumulation of Blood Energy.
As the energy release from the Ancient Tree Heart was relatively slow, Colin had to stop and rest for a while after practicing for some time, waiting for the Ancient Tree Heart Crystal in his chest to release energy.
Colin stood still, the sweat generated by the physical activity evaporating quickly due to the huge amount of heat, forming a misty vapor.
He gently closed his eyes, feeling the Ancient Tree Heart in his chest.
A stream of heat, still weak but stronger than before, slowly spread out and began to extend towards his limbs and bones.
This flow of heat was like a refreshing spring, and where it flowed, the dry and tired flesh immediately recovered its full vitality.
However, Colin's attention was not there, but rather on the body of the Ancient Tree Heart Crystal itself.
This crystal, which originated from a branch of the Ancient Tree of Life, had originally looked like a golden, hard gem.
However, after continuous absorption during this period, one could now peer through its hard shell and see a molten, golden liquid moving inside.
Compared to the strange liquid inside, the outer light golden hard shell seemed as insignificant as a firefly compared to the bright moon.
'It's close...' Colin retracted his attention.
Based on the current progress, it wouldn't be long before the hard shell of the Ancient Tree Heart Crystal completely disintegrated!
Feeling his limbs and bones replete with energy again, he slowly opened his eyes, ready to continue practicing.
However, the next second, Colin paused, his gaze suddenly shifting to the door not far away.
A moment later,
Knock knock knock—
A regular knocking sound rang out.