The Marvelous Uses of Breathing Techniques

With the Vice Principal's concluding remarks, this month's examination came to an end.

Lin Mu and the others returned to the bus.

Seated inside, everyone's gaze fell on Lin Mu.

He was like a dazzling star, drawing the eyes of many who couldn't help but look at him.

First place in the Monthly Examination, twenty thousand Points.

What a brilliant achievement.

And this person had previously been the bottom of their class.

They were puzzled as to how Lin Mu had managed such a result.

"Lin Mu, were you hiding your strength all along, waiting until the Martial Arts Exam to stun everyone?"

"Yeah! You're way too fierce! Almost broke our school's record!"

"Got any secrets? Teach us, will you?"

"..."

They asked one after another.

A faint smile played on Lin Mu's face as he responded politely.

Li Yu sat up front, watching the scene, a light smile on her lips as well.

Though she too was curious about what had happened to Lin Mu.

But she knew everyone had their own secrets, and as a teacher, it wasn't her place to pry.

After returning to school, Lin Mu was called to the office by the principal and his team.

Looking at the stern-faced old man before him, Lin Mu's expression was utterly calm.

Bai Fan and several Vice Principals sat to the side, sizing up Lin Mu, seemingly curious about how this youth had managed to excel so.

"I've reviewed your performance thoroughly. Not bad. According to school policy, given your family circumstances, you qualify for a D-grade poverty subsidy."

"However, your combat ability is strong, and you clearly have talent in this area, so I'm upgrading you on a special basis," Principal Gu Fei said slowly.

"C-grade Subsidy!"

A flash of excitement lit up Lin Mu's eyes.

A C-grade Subsidy meant a full one hundred thousand yuan and a certain amount of C-grade Potions.

An unexpected windfall for him.

"As for the first-place reward for this Monthly Examination, you can collect it from the Academic Affairs Office later," Gu Fei said.

"Thank you, Principal!" Lin Mu said gratefully.

"It's all what you deserve," Gu Fei replied.

Lin Mu expressed his thanks again, and after a few more brief exchanges, he left.

He went straight to the Academic Affairs Office to pick up this round of rewards.

A full sixty C-grade Supplies and one hundred thousand yuan.

Plus news about the Blood Qi Medicine Pool.

The pool would open in seven days, and he had one slot.

After learning all this, Lin Mu thanked the teacher and turned to leave.

He was quite satisfied with this month's examination.

Not only had he tempered himself, but he'd also gained so many rewards.

As for those he'd injured during the exam, Lin Mu paid them no mind.

When trouble comes, meet it head-on. Someone with a system need fear no one.

Besides, he had a B-grade Contract. If things really blew up, the Virtual Combat Arena would step in.

Back home, Lin Mu washed up, lay down on his bed, and quickly fell asleep.

Early the next morning, Lin Mu had just opened his eyes when he noticed his room door was open.

He was startled.

Then he saw Chu Miaomiao's figure walk in.

Seeing her, Lin Mu was momentarily stunned.

"How did you get in?"

"The door wasn't locked, so I came in," Chu Miaomiao explained.

And when she caught sight of Lin Mu's well-built muscles, a blush crept onto her pretty face, and she quickly backed out.

But the image of Lin Mu lingered stubbornly in her mind.

"His physique is way too good!"

Chu Miaomiao thought to herself.

Lin Mu put on his clothes and walked out of the room.

He must have been too exhausted yesterday—he hadn't even closed the door.

But that was normal. No matter how powerful one's cultivation became, people still forgot things sometimes. It was human nature.

"What brings you here so early in the morning?" Lin Mu asked.

"Didn't I promise you that breathing technique before? Here!" Chu Miaomiao pulled out a scroll painting.

Seeing this, Lin Mu was slightly taken aback. He knew that breathing techniques were extremely precious—like Secret Arts, they were the secret to martial artists surpassing ordinary people.

He had been surprised when Chu Miaomiao first promised him the breathing technique.

He hadn't expected her to actually deliver.

From the look of it, she had sneaked it out. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come to his house this early.

"I can only keep this out for two hours at most. Look at it first, and I'll bring it out for you again later!" Chu Miaomiao explained.

"Two hours is enough," Lin Mu said.

He unrolled the painting. It was a landscape, with a few lines of small text in the lower left corner.

The moment he looked at it, Lin Mu's expression shifted. He sensed that the painting possessed some kind of magic—his mind was involuntarily drawn into it.

For an instant, he felt as if he were inside the landscape itself, surrounded by the majesty of towering peaks and the fragrance of the forest.

His breathing began to change.

Chu Miaomiao sat to the side, waiting quietly.

She knew that comprehending a breathing technique wasn't simple. It had taken her several days just to find a way in.

"It's all because my family watches me too closely. Otherwise, I could have left it out longer!" A troubled look crossed Chu Miaomiao's face.

She genuinely hoped Lin Mu could learn the breathing technique.

Because breathing techniques could significantly boost cultivation speed.

Under the effect of a breathing technique, both martial skills and Cultivation Methods received a boost.

That was why breathing techniques were so rare.

About an hour later, Lin Mu's mind withdrew from the landscape painting.

His expression had clearly changed.

He hadn't expected the breathing technique to be so miraculous.

"What an incredible painting. Just looking at it pulled me in completely! And in that state, my breathing changed noticeably!"

Lin Mu thought to himself.

A system notification sounded at that moment.

"Completed cultivation of the Xuanmu Breathing Technique Fragment. Obtained 147x efficiency."

Suddenly, Lin Mu felt many subtle changes in his body.

His Blood Qi Value had also increased significantly.

He now had a whole new understanding of this breathing technique.

"Interesting! This breathing technique balances the five viscera and six bowels, making it easier to enter a meditative state. It helps in both combat and cultivation! Under the breathing technique's effect, my efficiency increases by at least thirty percent. Combined with the system's effect, my cultivation speed will be far greater than before!"

Lin Mu thought to himself.

He realized that this breathing technique was like carrying medicine on him—taking it would boost his progress.

And it had no side effects.

In that moment, he understood why breathing techniques were so expensive and so rare.

Because they were basically cheating.

Some high-level breathing techniques could multiply one's cultivation speed several times over.

"No wonder they say that in Dragon Capital, some people are born at the Third Order and reach the Seventh Order in just ten years. The gap between people isn't just talent—it's resources too!"

Lin Mu thought to himself.

The more he understood this world, the clearer it became why the gap between people was so enormous.