Matthew closed his eyes, striving to cast aside all distracting thoughts.
At first, the shocking sight of Instructor Calm exhaling white vapor by the bonfire, along with his reminders about “focusing the mind,” “guiding,” and “rhythm,” still echoed in his mind.
He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, attempting to quiet his mind.
“Feel the natural rhythm of your own breathing...” he muttered to himself, focusing his attention entirely on his breath.
When inhaling, he felt the cool air rush into his nasal cavity and fill his chest.
When exhaling, he felt the warm breath slowly flow out.
After a few breaths, he tried to lower his focus, concentrating on his abdomen.
When inhaling, he imagined the breath like flowing water sinking down there. When exhaling, he imagined that warm air rising from his abdomen, slowly traveling upward along the center of his chest and belly, and finally exhaling from his mouth and nose.
“The mind leads, and the breath naturally follows...”
At first, aside from the sound of his breathing and the slight rise and fall of his body, there was no other special sensation.
But he did not grow impatient. He simply repeated the process, striving to capture the “rhythm” and the sensation from “deep within” that Instructor Calm had mentioned.
Time passed bit by bit. Before he knew it, just as Matthew's mind became completely immersed, almost forgetting his surroundings, he suddenly felt something.
Deep within his abdomen, a faint, extremely weak sensation of warmth seemed to emerge.
He immediately rallied his focus and gathered his strength, and a thin wisp of mist curled around his cheek.
However, since Matthew's eyes were closed, he could only feel the warmth slowly dissipating from his body, along with a warm sensation on his cheek.
Just as his heart stirred and he attempted to systematically pull back that warm current curling around his cheek following the breathing rhythm, the moment he inhaled, the faint connection suddenly seized up and snapped.
It was as if a thin thread had quietly snapped the moment it was pulled taut.
Matthew's breathing rhythm involuntarily faltered. He woke from that deep state of concentration, opened his eyes, and saw the thin mist before him slowly dispersing.
“Is this the source of that warmth from just now?”
“But I still failed.”
Yet, there was little frustration in his heart. Instead, a trace of unspeakable excitement welled up.
In his past life, he was no genius either, and he knew well that the first step was always the hardest.
To think that during this very first official attempt to sense the breathing technique, he could actually induce a faint wisp of white vapor—this far exceeded his expectations!
“It's still because of my solid foundation.” Matthew looked down at his hands, feeling the strength and solid Constitution within him that far surpassed those of an ordinary adult.
This was clearly the attribute enhancement brought by the system panel, laying a physical foundation far beyond ordinary people. It gave him deeper strength to accumulate “qi” upon his first contact with the breathing technique, and even allowed him to initially trigger its outward manifestation.
“But this also consumes a lot of energy.”
Feeling the emptiness in his body, Matthew took out the jerky and black bread he had prepared earlier, washing them down with clean water as he chewed in large mouthfuls.
Though his first attempt at the breathing technique was brief, it consumed far more mental and physical strength than he had anticipated. The faint but continuous warmth in his abdomen also seemed to accelerate the depletion of his body's energy reserves.
“It seems that when I practice the breathing technique in the future, I must prepare food beforehand or replenish it immediately afterward,” Matthew noted, reflecting on his experience as he ate.
After eating, he felt much of his physical strength return, but his mind had endured a busy day, coupled with the intense focus required to practice the breathing technique just now.
At this moment, his mental energy was like a pond from which a large scoop of water had been taken. Though not dried up, the water level had visibly dropped, requiring time to slowly fill back up.
Manifesting in his body, Matthew felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him, and he fell into a deep sleep.
This sleep was exceptionally deep, completely dreamless.
The mental exhaustion from his first attempt at the breathing technique far exceeded his expectations, as if his entire brain had undergone a high-intensity workout and desperately needed a thorough rest to recover.
...
The next day, when he woke up, the sky was already bright. He realized he had slept for a very long time, far past his usual waking hour.
This was clearly a natural reaction to the excessive mental exertion from his first attempt at the breathing technique the night before. Fortunately, after a night's rest, Matthew did not feel any discomfort.
Sitting up, Matthew stretched his neck and shoulders, his bones letting out a faint cracking sound.
The faint “sense of qi” and the briefly manifested mist from last night were completely imperceptible now, as if they had been nothing but an illusion.
It was at this moment that Matthew suddenly remembered something. He dressed quickly and dashed out the door, without even completing his daily routine of checking the traps.
Although there was no clock, based on the height of the sun outside and the usual bustle of the village, he knew very well in his heart that he was late.
He ran along the village path toward the square.
Fortunately, his physical fitness was robust, and it didn't take long for him to reach the square.
On the square, Instructor Calm's figure was already standing.
Beside him stood two other people—two sturdily built young men.
Matthew recognized them. They were members of the village hunting squad, one named Rayson and the other Hal. Both were outstanding figures among the young adults and held a certain level of reputation in the village.
Had it been the Matthew before participating in the village training, he wouldn't have even had the chance to speak with them.
Matthew quickly ran up to Instructor Calm and said apologetically, “Instructor, I'm sorry. I'm late.”
Instructor Calm's expression remained calm. He shook his head and said in a peaceful tone, “No matter. When first attempting the breathing technique, the mental consumption is immense. Oversleeping is a common occurrence.”
Calm did not delve into the reason for Matthew's lateness. Clearly, from Matthew's state, he had already deduced the general situation.
He then turned slightly, gesturing toward Rayson and Hal beside him, and said to Matthew:
“These are Rayson and Hal.”
“Starting today, the three of you will learn the breathing technique together.”
As Calm spoke, he inwardly evaluated Rayson and Hal as mere background runners.
Although Rayson and Hal's physical conditions were considered outstanding in the village and they possessed a certain degree of comprehension, their “excellence” was ultimately within the mortal realm.
Compared to Matthew, who was suspected of having a bloodline awakening and whose physical fitness touched the extraordinary, the gap was simply too vast.
Next.
Calm explained the breathing technique once more, only in greater detail this time.
“The rhythm of breathing can be summarized as ‘three long and two short’—three deep, slow inhalations, and two short, powerful exhalations.”
“With each breath, there are corresponding points throughout your body...”
“The abdomen...”
To Matthew, this explanation was like the finishing touch.
His first attempt yesterday was mostly groping in the dark following the vague sensations of “focusing the mind” and “guiding.” Hearing the concrete descriptions of the rhythm like “three long and two short” and “continuous without interruption” now, his mind suddenly cleared.
“Watch closely.”
Having finished his explanation, Instructor Calm said no more and demonstrated once again.
Matthew watched with bated breath. The pure shock of seeing it for the first time yesterday had now gained a layer of clear understanding. He mapped this specific breathing rhythm and the form of the vapor to the instructor's explanation just now, committing it to memory.
Meanwhile, Rayson and Hal were already dumbfounded. They had never seen such a magical sight, and their eyes were filled with disbelief and intense yearning.
Instructor Calm withdrew his stance, and the white vapor dispersed.
He looked at the three of them, his gaze lingering on Matthew's face for a brief moment. Seeing him lost in thought, Calm nodded slightly in his heart, then said to Rayson and Hal:
“Now, the two of you try to quiet your minds and feel the rhythm according to the ‘three long and two short’ pattern first. Do not rush for success; find the rhythm of your breathing first.”
Rate on N.U.
