Chapter 130: Chapter 130

Having only made contact with the inheritance ice crystal twice in total, Ron naturally couldn’t master the 【Ice Armor】 Secret Art right this instant. However, he was confident that it wouldn’t be long before he did.

After all, every single process and change resulting from the interaction between the Transcendent Secret Patterns and his Body Secret Patterns had been meticulously recorded. If he hadn’t received so few inheritance sessions, he could have even attempted to practice it on his own right now.

Light Orb Perspective.

Ron repeatedly retraced the inheritance process. Gradually, he couldn’t shake the feeling that those Transcendent Secret Patterns which had suddenly emerged to interlace with his Body Secret Patterns seemed somewhat familiar.

So, he directly pulled up two “interfaces”: the Secret Pattern transformation processes from when he had previously received the Breathing Technique inheritance.

Upon comparing them, he immediately made a crucial discovery.

It turned out that the Transcendent Secret Patterns involved in 【Ice Armor】 were, without exception, all traceable within the Secret Pattern transformations from the Ice Breathing Technique inheritance!

What did this mean!

It meant that 【Ice Armor】 was very likely just a component of the Ice Breathing Technique. Or rather, when the Ice Breathing Technique was researched and cultivated to a sufficient degree, one might naturally acquire the 【Ice Armor】 Bloodline Ability!

“So the Breathing Technique itself is a form of bloodline modification!”

To phrase it another way, as long as one deeply mastered the 【Ice Breathing Technique】, it was ultimately possible to obtain all related Bloodline Abilities. Going even further, one could potentially trace the essence of the bloodline back to the level of the Eternal Ice itself.

Ron had no idea what level the Eternal Ice truly represented, but at the very least, he now knew that bloodlines were not set in stone. They could be continuously upgraded, reinforced, and even swapped out for other bloodlines down the line.

From this, he could tentatively envision what the true powerhouses of this world were actually like.

First, they undoubtedly possessed powerful Bloodline Abilities. Second, they quite possibly maintained several backup bloodline protocols, granting them formidable capabilities tailored for different scenarios.

In this paradigm, the physical body was merely the foundation. Layered atop it would be Transcendent abilities akin to magic, such as 【Ice Armor】 or 【Icy Touch】.

Furthermore…

“Can’t a single person possess multiple bloodlines simultaneously?”

The term “bloodline” seemed to imply exclusivity. In Ron’s view, whether it was a Breathing Technique or a Bloodline Secret Art, they were all simply human body modification protocols.

Since they were modification protocols, why couldn’t one have several?

Theoretically, this possibility absolutely existed. Which meant that in reality, there was a considerable probability that such individuals truly existed!

However, the human body was ultimately finite. It couldn’t endlessly accommodate every conceivable Transcendent ability. So how exactly did one go about mastering that boundless array of Transcendent powers?

Was it by grasping the essence of bloodline transformation itself, achieving something akin to the legendary seventy-two transformations? Or was it by looking beyond bloodlines entirely, seeking a method to directly manipulate 【Transcendent Factors】? [1]

As far as Ron’s own inclinations were concerned, he leaned toward the latter. He believed the latter’s potential for growth was far greater. After all, no matter how versatile bloodline transformations became, they would eventually hit a ceiling.

Beyond the human body, the broader world had no such limits, or at the very least, its limits far exceeded those of the physical form.

…

The investigation of even a single Bloodline Secret Art had deepened Ron’s understanding of this world considerably. If he could obtain more Bloodline Secret Arts or Breathing Techniques, so much the better.

Who knows, he might even be able to forge an entirely new Breathing Technique better suited to himself!

Regardless, having more research samples was always a good thing. The more one knew, the deeper one’s comprehension of the world became, and the clearer it was which course of action was most advantageous.

Of course, due to the existence of the “Wizard’s Curse,” knowing too much could also invite misfortune that much faster. Ron had yet to witness the “Wizard’s Curse” firsthand, let alone ascertain its underlying mechanism.

But even if it were real, expecting him to abandon his exploration of this world was simply impossible. At most, he would exercise a measure of restraint.

After all, if a person lost their curiosity, what difference was there between them and an inanimate object!

…

Rising from his bed, Ron utilized the inheritance ice crystal once more. But after finishing this time, a sudden thought struck him:

“If I master the Secret Art right now, would I immediately gain the 【Ice Armor】 Bloodline Ability in my current state?”

Developing a bloodline was something only Intermediate Knights needed to do. Doing so at the quasi-Knight stage seemed far too premature. However, considering that Mental Combined Force was likely tied to reaching the Senior ranks, Ron felt somewhat reassured.

Reality wasn’t a video game. It didn’t hardcode various levels where you were forced to reach Level 1 before you could advance to Level 2. In reality, the various tiers most likely came into existence only after someone had already achieved the feat, at which point the rank was retroactively defined.

Afterward, based on the difficulty of the process, a reproducible technical route was charted out for others to follow, and thus the Knight’s Path was born.

According to Ron’s understanding, he didn’t need to advance to Formal Knight before he could acquire a Transcendent Bloodline, nor did he need to reach the Intermediate rank before he could achieve Mental Combined Force.

For the former, the most obvious examples were the Transcendent families that already existed in this world. There were always people born with Transcendent Bloodlines. Ron was merely pushing slightly ahead of the traditional Knight’s Path schedule, which was perfectly reasonable!

As for Mental Combined Force, while it was unlikely to propel him directly to the Senior ranks, it would in all probability grant him certain special abilities.

Still, as a precaution, Ron planned to consult Captain Monte regarding the bloodline question. Naturally, he would prefer it if Jason could answer him directly.

It was just that Jason had only been a Formal Knight for a few short years. As things stood, Jason’s understanding of bloodlines might not even match Ron’s own!

…

Having made up his mind, Ron put away the wooden box, lay back down on his bed, and let his body rest while his consciousness returned to his true form to continue his Secret Pattern analysis and research.

And so, the night quietly slipped away.

…

The next day, the Martial Tournament continued.

The Apprentice Individual Combat matches had all concluded yesterday. Today featured the Team Battles. However, before today’s matches commenced, Ron would still honor the challenge he had agreed upon with Foss the day before.

After a night’s interval, Ron’s capabilities had already been dissected and analyzed countless times by the quasi-Knights. The opponent Foss had arranged for him today was a young quasi-Knight with resolute eyes and a composed, steady expression.

As expected, Ron lost. The man’s strength far exceeded his projections. The sheer weight behind his strikes and his blistering speed nearly rivaled Ron’s state when he erupted with his full Whole-Body Force. Under such circumstances, Ron didn’t even possess the qualifications to wear the man down through attrition.

This was the kind of quasi-Knight who had already achieved a Knight-grade physique and was only lacking in Whole-Body Force progress; the kind who stood closest to becoming a true Formal Knight.

Ron’s opponent today was also not inferior to him in Whole-Body Force progress, and was in fact faintly superior. Ron could assess himself with relative accuracy, but when it came to others, he could only make rough estimates mid-combat.

Coupled with the man’s youthful appearance, Ron had no doubt that the quasi-Knight was aiming for one hundred percent Whole-Body Force, meaning a complete mastery of the Sword Stance state, in order to save himself time in the future.

“No shame in this loss!”

Ron was thoroughly convinced of the outcome of this match. Although his opponent was technically a quasi-Knight, the man could easily be regarded as an Intermediate Knight Seed. Ron was genuinely outmatched.

But that was only for now. Ron firmly believed that he would surpass the man in the future!

And that future was not far off!

…

[1]: A reference to the legendary “Seventy-Two Transformations” (七十二变), a famous supernatural ability from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, allowing the wielder to shapeshift into virtually any form.