Calm suppressed the turbulence in his heart and spoke in a low voice, his tone unprecedentedly solemn:
“A Class holder represents a transformation of one's life level. It requires meeting three core conditions, and not a single one can be missing.”
At this point, Calm looked at Matthew with a subtle gaze. He could feel that Matthew's constitution had already reached the level of the weakest Black Iron Rank Class holder!
After all, it was absolutely impossible for an ordinary person to withstand a blow from a half-step Silver Rank expert.
By all rights, this was completely impossible due to the limitations of one's life level.
He could only chalk it up to a “bloodline awakening,” which was, after all, a form of life level transformation. He even had a faint feeling that once Matthew became a Black Iron Rank, he might be able to fight the weakest Brass Rank.
With those thoughts in mind,
Calm suppressed his shock and continued to speak of the unquestionable laws in his tone as an instructor.
“First is the matter of the breathing technique.”
“A breathing technique is a means of channeling internal life energy, tempering the body, and expelling impurities from within. Because of differences in talent, physical foundation, and even bloodline, the density of 'impurities' in everyone's body varies drastically!”
“Some people have great talent and few impurities. Running a compatible breathing technique for a period of time can clear most of them, reaching a state of 'unobstructed flow'.”
“Alternatively, if the quality of the breathing technique is high, clearing the impurities in the body and reaching a stage of smooth circulation will be relatively easier and take less time.”
“And to cross the threshold of a Class holder, the breathing technique must reach a critical juncture—when circulating it, the bones and channels of the entire body must be completely unobstructed, and the energy flow must be smooth and unimpeded. That is enough.”
“But this is merely the beginning, the lowest threshold to satisfy the first core condition.”
“Yet this threshold alone is enough to stop ninety percent of people! In a village like ours, I'm afraid you are the only one who can cross it!”
Hearing this, waves of emotion surged in Matthew's heart.
‘The bones and channels of the entire body are completely unobstructed, and the energy flow is smooth and unimpeded...’
The state the instructor described was exactly how he felt when running his breathing technique after reaching the Novice level.
It perfectly explained why he had always felt a sense of blockage before reaching the Novice level. Back then, the little snake exhaled by Matthew's breathing technique had never been able to take shape.
The reason turned out to be that there were too many impurities in his body, causing a "blockage."
‘So... this feeling is 'smooth and unimpeded'? This is the threshold of the Black Iron Rank that the instructor spoke of?’
Everything suddenly clicked for Matthew.
This meant that when it came to the breathing technique, he had already crossed the chasm that blocked countless others without even realizing it!
This realization shook his heart to its core.
Previously, he had only attributed this smoothness to the panel's assistance and his skill breakthroughs. He had never deeply considered that this in itself was one of the core signs of becoming a Class holder.
Calm rubbed his temples, looking visibly tired. Seeing that Matthew was still digesting the information about the breathing technique, he waved his hand, giving Matthew no extra time to overthink, and continued:
“The second point is constitution. For an ordinary person to withstand the transformation of their life level, they must have a sufficiently tough body as a foundation.
“Normally, at least one of your attributes—Strength, Agility, or Constitution—must reach the lowest threshold of a Black Iron Rank Class holder, but...”
Calm took a deep look at Matthew, a hint of complexity in his tone:
“You have clearly already met the standard, and perhaps even exceeded it by a lot. To be able to take a furious blow from the half-step Silver Rank Flynn head-on, only backing away without taking injury—such a physique is definitely not something an ordinary Black Iron Rank can achieve. You can skip this part.”
Matthew's heart tightened. Just as he was about to ask about the specific numerical standards, Calm continued to speak, his voice low but clear:
“As for the third, it is combat techniques.”
He paused, seemingly organizing his words:
“Simply having a strong physique and an unobstructed breathing technique is not enough. The reason Class holders are Class holders is that they can combine life energy with a certain skill to unleash power far exceeding that of ordinary people.
“This kind of combat technique can be swordsmanship, saber techniques, archery, or even setting traps, concocting herbs, or even some special auxiliary abilities.
“But no matter what, only by combining combat techniques, the breathing technique, and constitution can one complete the qualitative change of their life level and advance to a true Black Iron Rank Class holder.”
He looked at Matthew, his mind already clear. This youth's breathing technique was smooth, his physique met or even exceeded the standard, and his swordsmanship was only a step away from developing a combat technique.
“Once you successfully advance, your... well, most people's bodies will undergo a thorough cleansing and reshaping by life energy. At that time, Strength, Agility, Constitution, and other aspects... will usually experience a significant overall leap.”
Speaking to this point, Calm's tone became subtle once more, carrying a trace of uncertainty.
“But for you... I'm not sure, because you seem to have had a bloodline awakening, and your life level has already broken through.”
Having said that, without waiting for Matthew to ask questions, he walked toward his room, implying that if Matthew had any doubts, he could ask tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Matthew was absorbing this fresh knowledge, his thoughts spinning rapidly.
The instructor's three core conditions—an unobstructed breathing technique, a standard-meeting constitution, and the integration of combat techniques.
He now had the first two, only lacking this final crucial link.
“Perfect integration of life energy with a certain skill...” Matthew murmured to himself. In his mind, the sword strike he had witnessed when he first crossed over and the fiery glimmer on Flynn's scythe instantly surfaced.
That wasn't an ordinary reflection, but the external manifestation of life energy driven by the breathing technique, merging with the weapon and the combat technique!
‘Perhaps I can also look for combat techniques in the direction of this manifestation.’
A faint trace of understanding grew in Matthew's heart, along with a surge of joy!
That was, upon breaking through to the Black Iron Rank, his physical attributes would experience another rise!
As for the instructor's misunderstanding, he had no intention of correcting it. After all, no one could explain the matter of the panel.
But Matthew knew very well that he hadn't experienced any bloodline awakening; it was purely the support of his cheat!
Therefore, when he broke through, there would definitely be a massive improvement.
The path ahead was clear, and his goal was defined.
Becoming a Class holder was the first step onto the true stage of this extraordinary world, and this step, to him, seemed within arm's reach.
When he looked up from his thoughts, the seat across the stone table was already empty.
Instructor Calm had quietly departed at some point. Matthew stood up and stretched his body, which had grown somewhat stiff from sitting for so long.
“Combat techniques... I'll start tomorrow.”
Matthew muttered to himself, then slung his backpack over his shoulder and hurried home. After a long, exhausting day, his stomach was already growling with hunger.
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