Matthew pondered for a moment, thinking of his previous speculation regarding the value of the Shadow Wolf carcass, and asked, “Instructor, I have a question. This wolf is quite large, and its dressed weight after skinning and gutting must be over a hundred pounds. But is only a very small portion of this meat actually infused with life energy?”
“You're very observant, and your guess is basically correct,” Calm replied.
“Although the flesh, bones, and muscles of large magical beasts like the Shadow Wolf are stronger and contain more life energy than those of ordinary beasts, the actual 'essence' that significantly aids a Class holder's rapid recovery is indeed concentrated in only one area—”
“And that is the purest heart meat surrounding the heart. In an adult Shadow Wolf, the portion that can truly be called 'magical beast meat' is only about seven or eight pounds.”
“This one of yours is quite large, so you should be able to get about ten pounds out of it.”
Instructor Calm's explanation was much more detailed this time. Perhaps he had previously felt that Matthew was still a long way from slaying a magical beast.
Hearing this, Matthew was not particularly disappointed; after all, he had already prepared himself mentally.
Ten pounds of magical beast meat is still pretty good.
Who would have thought that the one I picked off would turn out to be the largest of the pack?
Then, he said to Calm, “Once I carve out the meat, I'll send some over to you. The heavy snow has blocked the roads, and who knows when that friend of yours will be able to make it here.”
Calm did not stand on ceremony. He nodded and accepted the gesture graciously. “Alright, then I won't hold back. Thank you.”
Seeing this, a faint, barely noticeable sense of joy welled up in Matthew's heart.
Favors and gifts had to go both ways for a relationship to remain stable and grow closer.
Giving Calm some of the precious magical beast heart meat was both a way to thank him for his usual guidance and for meeting them tonight, as well as a means to maintain and deepen their connection.
“It's the least I could do, Instructor,” Matthew replied with a smile.
I have this bow to thank for such a harvest today.
At this point, a question arose in Matthew's mind. Although he had some guesses, he felt it was safer to ask and make sure.
“Instructor! There's one more question I'd like to ask. Is a person... only allowed to have one combat technique?”
Upon hearing this, Calm immediately shook his head. “Of course not. As long as you have enough comprehension and resources to keep up, you can absolutely practice multiple different combat techniques at the same time.”
“However, my advice is to master only one at the Black Iron Rank, and wait until the Brass Rank to learn a second. This is to avoid wasting time and delaying your advancement.”
“After all, no one can guarantee that spending time on it will definitely lead to comprehending another combat technique.”
Matthew nodded. He wasn't particularly worried about this. With an abundant supply of magical beast meat as a resource guarantee, combined with the assistance of his attribute panel, he had more than enough confidence to develop new combat techniques while simultaneously raising his strength!
Afterward, the two of them discussed the details of what had transpired in the forest.
Thinking of Aidan's quick-wittedness in the forest, Matthew felt a slight appreciation for his talent.
“Instructor, I plan to pass the White Snake Breathing Technique on to Aidan. He's following me now, so it would be good for him to learn something to defend himself.”
“But is it alright for me to pass this breathing technique on?”
Hearing this, Calm had no reason to refuse Matthew's proposal.
First, Aidan was a local born and raised in the village, someone whose background they knew inside out. If he could actually learn it, it would bring nothing but benefits to the village.
Second, Matthew was already a Class holder, which meant he had both the qualification and the capability to instruct Aidan.
“You can pass it on. I bought the White Snake Breathing Technique with gold coins back in the day; it's not a particularly rare thing,” Calm explained.
“When I chose whom to teach back then, it wasn't because I wanted to keep it to myself. It was simply because the village's resources were limited, and practicing a breathing technique has rather high requirements for one's Constitution and comprehension. Even if I taught it to most people, they would struggle to make any progress. Instead, forcing themselves to practice would only waste too much energy, place a heavy burden on their bodies, and interfere with their daily labor, which defeats the purpose.”
Matthew nodded in agreement, fully concurring with this view.
Based on his own experience, once he started running the breathing technique, his food consumption would spike dramatically. An ordinary person simply couldn't bear such a burden.
He was even more aware that because he had the assistance of his attribute panel, he only needed to focus on practicing, allowing him to highly efficiently convert food energy into strength progression.
But for others without sufficient comprehension, forcing themselves to practice would only waste precious food without yielding any real progress. Instead, it might break down their bodies and ruin their livelihoods, which was indeed not worth the cost.
Thinking of this, a more practical question arose in his mind.
“Instructor, I've already reached the Black Iron Rank. What requirements do I need to meet next to break through to become a Brass Rank Class holder?”
Calm pondered for a moment. He didn't answer Matthew's question about the advancement conditions for the Brass Rank directly. Instead, he spoke in a slightly emotional, explanatory tone:
“You're asking me about the specific requirements for the Brass Rank... To be honest, I crossed that threshold in quite a daze myself. However, someone once told me a few things that are perfect to pass on to you now.”
He paused and continued:
“In our lands, we call ourselves Class holders. But in our neighboring countries, they don't use that term. They use the word 'Knight' to name this extraordinary path.”
“Their ranking system is also much simpler, with only two main ranks: Knight and Grand Knight. And it's said that the powerhouses who can be called 'Grand Knights' over there actually have strength roughly equivalent to our... Gold Rank Class holders.”
When Calm mentioned the “Gold Rank,” a clear trace of awe was present in his voice. He withdrew his gaze and looked at Matthew.
“I'm telling you this because below the Gold Rank or Grand Knight level, there are no fixed requirements. For the most part, once your breathing technique and physical constitution reach a certain level, you will break through naturally.”
“As for how to break through to the Gold Rank, that is unknown.”
As Matthew listened, his mind began to race.
So that's how it is... Below the Gold Rank, one only needs to focus on practicing their breathing technique and honing their combat techniques.
The breathing technique is used to temper the physical body, while combat techniques are used to harness the life energy within.
The two complement each other. Once the body's strength and the quality and quantity of life energy accumulate to a certain critical point, the breakthrough will happen naturally.
“No wonder so many people get stuck and can't advance,” Matthew murmured.
“So the breakthrough is this hardcore... There are no shortcuts at all; it relies purely on day-after-day of bitter cultivation and accumulation. It's entirely a prolonged test of talent and resources.”
Just then, a teasing voice spoke:
“By the way, did you feel that sense of relief when you broke through to the Black Iron Rank? That feeling of your entire body being completely renewed.”
Hearing this, Matthew nodded, a trace of confusion appearing in his eyes as he looked at Calm.
Rate on N.U.
