Chapter 58: Chapter 58

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*【Name】: Vessel Ron

*【Transcendent Strengthening】: 12/12

*【Strengthening Level】: Level 2

*【Secret Pattern Programs】: Transcendent Body Refinement Technique (integrated from the Comprehensive Body Refinement Technique and the Twelve Sword Stances), Fire Concealment Method

*【Programs Pending Organization】: Ice Breathing Technique

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Thanks to the existence of Secret Pattern programs, the training results Ron obtained through the 【Transcendent Body Refinement Technique】 far exceeded those of the other apprentices. It was precisely for this reason that he chose a relatively balanced overall enhancement, which was 12/12.

The bodily systems corresponding to the Twelve Sword Stances advanced in unison.

If an ordinary person chose this enhancement path, they would inevitably end up constrained by resource limitations, making it difficult to raise their enhancement level.

But Ron had the sponsorship of Liya’s father, Jason, and Instructor Morris. In terms of resources, specifically specialized Ignition Potions, he was considerably more well-supplied than others.

Of course, Ignition Potions couldn’t directly improve a trainee’s physical fitness. The trainee first needed to consume large quantities of food, which would then be converted into Life Energy through the Breathing Technique. Life Energy was the direct agent of human bodily enhancement.

It was just that Life Energy wasn’t an objectively existing form of energy, but rather a conceptually hypothesized energy, behind which lay far more complex transcendent transformations.

For apprentices, however, they could entirely treat Life Energy as an objectively existing energy.

It was only by leveraging his Light Orb true form that Ron could catch a glimpse into the true nature of Life Energy. For anyone else, even if they knew it wasn’t truly real, finding concrete evidence would be exceedingly difficult.

…

After this month of training, Ron roughly categorized human enhancement levels into three tiers. The first tier was reaching one’s own limit state.

Top athletes on Blue Planet could essentially all be considered Level 1 Enhancement. It was just that because each excelled in different fields, their enhancement directions also had different focuses. As long as even one aspect reached its limit, that was Level 1.

To reach Level 2, one first needed to strengthen all bodily systems to their limits. Then, as long as a single system could exceed that limit, that would be Level 2.

Level 3 was rather simple: one only needed to bring all systems to the maximum limit that Life Energy could strengthen them to. The upper limit of Life Energy was typically tied to the Breathing Technique.

Therefore, the Level 3 Enhancement ultimately achieved also had distinctions between the strong and the weak.

As for how to become a Formal Knight, it was theoretically very simple: as long as one could form an internal combined force, even if their enhancement level was only Level 1, they could become a Formal Knight first, then turn back to strengthen their body further.

This path of advancement was actually more efficient.

Of course, for Ron, there wasn’t much of a difference, because he was currently obtaining rapid strengthening by immersing himself into the state of a Formal Knight through the 【Transcendent Body Refinement Technique】.

As long as he could form an internal combined force, he could become a Formal Knight right now.

But how to integrate the flow of force throughout the entire body to form a combined force was something that highly tested the individual.

It was somewhat akin to calligraphy. Some people, upon picking up a brush, could naturally produce works with a distinct style after just a bit of simple guidance. Others, however, could only practice and copy repeatedly, over and over again.

Only by walking the path of practice making perfect could one eventually form their own style.

When it came to whole-body combined force, Ron naturally knew quite a few theories. He also understood the principles, and more importantly, knew what had to be done to form a combined force.

But knowing didn’t equate to being able to do.

The so-called “promotion to Formal Knight” wasn’t merely a process, but rather a state that needed to be maintained long-term.

Or to put it another way, a Formal Knight was a realm of being, unless Ron was willing to control his body from a “third-person perspective” for the rest of his life.

Otherwise, he had to personally reach this realm, rather than cheating with Secret Pattern programs.

The 【Transcendent Body Refinement Technique】 Secret Pattern program he currently had, why could it let him experience the state of a Knight? In essence, from the very moment he activated the Secret Pattern program, he was a true Formal Knight who had already formed a combined force.

It was just that the moment the Secret Pattern program was turned off, he was nothing again.

Therefore, as long as Ron wanted to experience an immersive first-person perspective (Full-Immersion Control of the body), he only had two paths forward:

One was to complete the 【Transcendent Body Refinement Technique】 Secret Pattern program so that it could automatically adapt to any state of bodily movement, and even go a step further by programming all bodily movements required for combat, achieving fully automated body control.

Two was, of course, to immerse into the body and personally complete all aspects of training, becoming a true Transcendent.

Ron chose the second path with almost no hesitation!

The first path seemingly held boundless prospects, but the threshold for realization was exceedingly high. At the very least, Ron couldn’t achieve it right now.

Furthermore, this path had one most fatal flaw: a severe lack of immersion. If Ron wanted to play with automation, why would he need to fully immerse into the body? Wasn’t it more convenient from the Light Orb perspective?

The second path, on the other hand, had an extremely low barrier to entry. It only required continuous practice and refinement. As for the upper limit, once he reached the later stages and combined it with the first path, the concept of a personal talent ceiling would cease to be an issue.

…

Ron’s next primary focus, outside of daily training, would be the Breathing Technique. As far as he understood, even Formal Knights needed to continuously improve their Breathing Techniques.

The ultimate limit of the Ice Breathing Technique was that Wondrous Ice in the underground grotto beneath the Lord’s castle!

If the first-generation Lord also used the Ice Breathing Technique, then the absolute limit the Ice Breathing Technique could bring a person to was Grand Knight.

And a Grand Knight was already the pinnacle existence among transcendent Knights.

As long as he had sufficient Ignition Potions, as long as he had sufficient food, combined with a timeframe far shorter than what the locals needed, Ron was even confident he could become a Grand Knight.

By then, he might just acquire a territory for himself to play with. In the highly ordered Kingdom of Helios, only by becoming a Lord would it be possible to do some of the things he wanted to do.

Otherwise, everything would remain within a framework rigidly set by others, where the slightest deviation could invite the crushing weight of the entire system. To avoid being crushed, one naturally had to first become a part of the system.

…

“At the very latest, I can achieve transcendence before midsummer. If I’m lucky, maybe even tomorrow!”

Ron mentally calculated the timeline for becoming a Formal Knight. Having just heard Aunt Mary’s story, combined with his earlier judgment, he had a somewhat bad premonition in his heart.

“Ron’s” father, He Luo, had exceptional talent. In Jason’s words, “If he hadn’t died, he would probably have become a Senior Knight by now.”

When Ron first heard this assessment, his immediate reaction was: could it be that He Luo’s talent was so exceptional that he threatened the Lord, and then he died during the Aberrant Beast invasion?

During wartime, it was incredibly easy for a superior to set someone up for their demise.

However, during the day at the Blackstone Sentry Post, the thirst for Senior Knights that Waynes displayed didn’t seem like posturing. The Sis Territory’s current situation had genuinely been pushed to the brink of destruction.

In the past, the old Lord might have still been holding the line, but now even the old Lord could no longer hold on. The territory definitely needed new Senior Knights to step up. Perhaps it didn’t necessarily need five.

But it certainly couldn’t afford to have none at all.

Ron felt that perhaps this was the optimal window for him to achieve the Senior Rank. During this period, no one would place any obstacles in his path. The entire territory was crying out for a new pillar of strength.

But once this window closed, whether a newly minted Senior Knight would tolerate other Senior Knights, well, that would be hard to say.