Chapter 13: Chapter 13
Moments later, the other apprentices gradually regained consciousness. Ron noticed that none of them had become as gaunt as he had, but with deliberate comparison, the signs of depletion were still visible.
Once everyone had climbed out of the pool, Foss finally addressed the group: “Being able to wake up naturally means you’ve already learned the Ice Breathing Technique. Now head back up, eat something to replenish your strength. Pierce will give you further guidance later.”
“Yes, Young Master Foss.” The twenty answered in unison.
…
On the way back to the surface, Ron suddenly felt a hand touch him from behind, followed by a somewhat familiar voice asking:
“Ron, what happened to you? Why do you look like that? I almost didn’t recognize you just now!”
The speaker was a boy named Justin, two or three years older than Ron, who lived three or four streets away. Though they didn’t normally hang out together, they knew each other well enough by name when they crossed paths.
Ron didn’t offer much of an explanation. In truth, he wasn’t in the mood for one either. His stomach was already burning with hunger like a fire raging inside. He merely said vaguely, “You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Alright then!”
Justin didn’t press the matter further, shifting instead to ask about Ron’s condition. “How are you feeling? Do you need me to support you?”
“Thanks, but no thanks. I’m fine.”
Although the excessive use of the Ice Breathing Technique had depleted his body, Ron actually felt stronger than before in terms of raw strength. What he felt now was not weakness, but ravenous hunger.
Moreover, unlike the others who still felt cold, his resistance to the cold had already been raised to a certain degree.
This meant that his current condition was actually somewhat better than Justin’s, apart from the hunger.
…
The return trip along the same route didn’t take long. When Ron and the others emerged from the castle’s main building, they received the same support from the servants arranged by the castle steward as the first group of twenty had.
Then came the meal. Ron devoured roasted meat and bread in huge mouthfuls while simultaneously using the 【Comprehensive Body Refinement Technique】 to rapidly convert the food he consumed into Life Energy.
Although Jason considered this energy to be a hypothetical one, much like how centrifugal force was a fictitious virtual force, Ron still referred to it as 【Life Energy】.
After all, that was what Jason called it too.
Moreover, Jason was only a Junior Knight. He might not be able to deeply understand the essence of Life Energy. Perhaps, if one traveled further down the Knight’s path, this virtual energy could be refined from the illusory into the real!
Nourished by Life Energy, Ron felt as though he had come back to life. Though his body was still painfully gaunt, he looked far healthier than the skin-and-bones state he had been in down in the underground inheritance chamber.
If he were at home, he would have continued gorging himself without hesitation until he restored his condition to its peak. But under the watchful eyes of so many, he still didn’t dare go too far.
Judging from Jason’s descriptions of talent, so-called talent was likely precisely this ability to recover the body!
After all, Ron had just experienced the process of learning the Breathing Technique firsthand. Its simplicity was beyond imagination. Not just him, but all nineteen others in the same batch had learned it within a single hour.
It stood to reason that in this world, the Breathing Technique was most likely not a particularly high threshold for obtaining transcendent power. The true threshold was probably recovery ability!
In other words, so-called talent!
Suppose two people cultivated the Ice Breathing Technique at the same time. One possessed extraordinary recovery ability; as long as food supplies kept up, they could gain transcendent power in an extremely short period.
The other had weaker recovery ability. Even with sufficient resources, their body simply couldn’t bounce back. If they forced themselves to train, the outcome would very likely be exactly what Foss had warned Ron about moments ago:
They would train themselves to death!
“No wonder Jason said I might become a Formal Knight before next summer’s Aberrant Beast invasion!”
Jason’s judgment was based solely on the portion of “talent” Ron had displayed. In reality, that level of talent was far from the limit of the 【Comprehensive Body Refinement Technique】.
In this moment, Ron had a sudden premonition that the time it took him to become a Formal Knight would surpass everyone’s imagination!
…
With food and rest, roughly an hour later, by the time the third group of apprentices had received the inheritance and emerged from the castle’s main building, Ron and the others received notice that they were free to leave.
As they passed through the castle gates, Pierce was still seated on horseback. His horse, however, was being fed by a cluster of servants. Seeing Ron and the others approach, Pierce suddenly called out in a loud voice:
“Are you all full?”
“We’re all full.” The group answered in unison.
“Then go home and rest well. Tomorrow won’t be as easy as today! That’s all, dismissed!”
Receiving the order, Ron finally broke from the ranks. He didn’t plan to head straight home, intending instead to check the training ground first. He didn’t know whether Liya had gone back yet. If she was still waiting for him there, they could walk back together.
…
Leaving the lord’s castle and passing the bell tower, it was just a short distance west to the training ground. Without Pierce deliberately leading them on a roundabout route, it took Ron less than ten minutes to arrive.
From afar, he spotted a tall young woman on the open ground in front of the training ground, rubbing her hands and pacing in circles. Beside Liya, only a scattered handful of people remained, still waiting.
“Liya!” Ron called out the girl’s name from a distance.
“Ron.”
Liya immediately turned and responded, then looked at Ron with a bright, graceful gaze. When Ron drew closer, she said softly, “I knew you’d come back here.”
“Mm, let’s go home together.”
Ron didn’t say much more. Everything was understood without words.
…
Arriving at Liya’s house, Jason had already returned ahead of time and was keeping watch at the doorway. The moment he saw Ron, he asked impatiently, “How did it go? Did you learn the Breathing Technique? How long did it take?”
“I learned it. The process really was quite miraculous. I’m not sure of the exact time, but I’d guess around ten minutes or so.”
“Ten minutes?”
Hearing that number, Jason found it somewhat unbelievable, but he didn’t doubt it. After all, even the worst could learn it within an hour. Ron had exceptional talent, so what was wrong with learning a bit faster!
“Wonderful! Then did you perform your first Ice Breathing in the inheritance chamber at Sis Castle?” Jason asked again.
“I did.”
Ron didn’t elaborate on the details of the process, but Jason was already beaming with joy and couldn’t have cared less about the specifics. He just kept repeating:
“That’s great, that’s great!”
Eventually, Liya couldn’t stand her father’s endless questioning anymore and forcibly pulled the two of them inside. Seated before the warm fireplace, Jason finally calmed down and explained to Ron:
“The Ice Breathing Technique takes a tremendous toll on the body. You’ve already experienced that yourself, so I won’t dwell on it. What I want to discuss are the Ice Breathing Technique’s limitations in other regards.”
“What limitations?” Ron asked curiously, feeling a thread of tension in his heart at the same time.
He had to bear in mind that the Ice Breathing Technique was currently the only form of native transcendent power he could access. If it carried some hidden danger, that would be a serious problem.