The Candle-Holding Black Serpent and the Knight Madman

The first underground level beneath the ancient castle of the [Candle-Holding Black Serpent] and the [Knight Madman].

An Underground Secret Chamber Levi had never visited before.

The Mechanism Stone Table slowly emerged from the ground.

A worn Parchment Scroll, aged with time, lay flat and still upon it. Various crude, casually drawn stick figures had been painted on it in Scarlet Pigment. Their poses were strange and their movements varied as they formed a circle.

Outside those figures was a Great Black Scaled Serpent that seemed large enough to encircle the entire castle. Its form was abstract, its tongue flickering. An ancient candle stood upright on its lower jaw, its flame driving away the darkness and illuminating all directions.

"This is the Snake Family's inherited Breathing Technique: the Black Snake Breathing Technique. It is the foundation of the Snake Family's strength, and the Snake bloodline flowing through your body is the key to unlocking it all."

"This Breathing Technique of excellent quality is more precious than all of Blackwater Valley."

Knight Fred spoke solemnly.

Levi's breathing grew heavy. At last, he could embark upon the true path of knightly cultivation!

As far as he knew, knights classified Breathing Techniques into four grades based on their intricacy and growth potential: crude, excellent, perfect, and legendary! Of these, ninety percent were crude-quality Breathing Techniques.

Those who cultivated such crude Breathing Techniques often remained mediocre Knight Pages for their entire lives, utterly unable to set foot in the realm of knights. Being able to condense a Seed of Life and become a Formal Knight was already absurdly lucky. Becoming a Great Knight was basically impossible. Knight Fred's Serpent Vulture Breathing Technique was one such example.

Of course, an excellent-quality Breathing Technique was only the ticket to entering the realm of Great Knights. To become a Great Knight, one needed ninety percent talent, nine percent opportunity, and one percent sweat.

Perfect-grade Breathing Techniques were probably possessed only by those Ducal Families. There were not many varieties in the entire Kingdom.

As for legendary-quality Breathing Techniques, like Legendary Knights, they almost existed only in legends. There was no need to mention them.

One important characteristic of Breathing Techniques above excellent quality was that most family-inherited Breathing Techniques required the family bloodline to cultivate. Even knights did not know the exact reason. Such Breathing Techniques were also called Bloodline Breathing Techniques or Secret Cultivation Methods.

The Black Snake Breathing Technique was a Bloodline Breathing Technique unique to the Snake Family! Throughout history, some knights had stolen ancestral Breathing Techniques from other nobles to cultivate them. In the end, they either remained mediocre all their lives or suffered Cultivation Deviation, their blood vessels bursting throughout their bodies until they died.

Some said it was a curse from the spirits of those noble ancestors in heaven upon anyone who profaned their families.

But Levi was not worried about that. He had started as a noble, with the pure Snake Family bloodline flowing through him. He was an Offspring of the Black Serpent! The Black Snake Breathing Technique was too precious, so Levi did not take it out of the secret chamber. Instead, under Knight Fred's guidance, he began cultivating within it. Half a month passed just like that.

Throughout that period, Knight Fred had remained by his side. Though he did not know the Black Snake Breathing Technique, he was knowledgeable and experienced, more than capable of teaching Levi the basics.

On this day, Levi awoke from a strange posture. Though it did not appear that he had done anything strenuous, his entire body was drenched in sweat, veins bulging, face flushed red, and breathing rapid.

He felt as if the blood throughout his body were boiling, circulating and metabolizing at a rate beyond the ordinary. The energy stored within him was being frantically burned away, and an extreme hunger welled up inside him, making him want to eat an entire Snow Rabbit raw.

"Hungry!"

Levi spoke like a beast, his voice low and hoarse.

Knight Fred had long been prepared. He brought over a plate of Roasted Meat, a bowl of Goat Milk, and a large serving of White Bread Rolls wrapped around a layer of fragrant jam, along with Boiled Cabbage.

This combination of food covered carbohydrates, protein, and vitamins in every aspect. In truth, nobles in this world rarely ate vegetables. They considered vegetables grown from the earth to be lowly food, food for the poor. But Levi understood the importance of balanced nutrition, so whenever he had the servants cook, he made sure there was both meat and vegetables.

He devoured the food like a storm, wolfing it down. Once the hunger faded, his expression relaxed as well.

That meal had been twice the portion of an ordinary man, yet he was only eighty percent full.

On the Proficiency Panel in his mind, a new skill had appeared: Levi Snake—

Black Snake Breathing Technique: First Order (1/1000)...

Based on Levi's previous experience, once a skill appeared on the Proficiency Panel, it meant that he had already grasped the basics.

Next, he only needed to cultivate step by step and raise his proficiency.

At the same time, initially mastering a Breathing Technique was also the mark of becoming a Knight Page.

"Shield-Bearing Squire, Sword-Bearing Squire, Pre-Knight."

These were the three apprentice stages before becoming a Formal Knight, collectively known as "Knight Pages."

During the Shield-Bearing Squire stage, besides cultivating the Breathing Technique, one also had to learn the basics of using a shield. Whether or not one would need a shield in the future, learning to fight with one was an essential skill for a knight.

At the Sword-Bearing Squire stage, one would begin learning true sword techniques, not child's play like Basic Swordsmanship.

In this world, anything that could be called a "technique" was an extremely profound combat skill. It required years, even decades, of persistent practice, and was the most important means for knights to improve their strength aside from Breathing Techniques.

Simply put, Breathing Techniques were like internal martial arts, while sword techniques and advanced methods of using other weapons were the means of unleashing the power of a Breathing Technique—the external martial arts.

Once one achieved minor success in cultivating a Breathing Technique, one became a Pre-Knight. This was an absolutely crucial step, because next came the condensation of the Seed of Life.

If one succeeded, the sky was the limit, and one became a Formal Knight capable of sweeping through the battlefield. If one failed, trying to condense it again would be extraordinarily difficult.

"It seems Young Master has initially grasped the Black Snake Breathing Technique. Although you are far slower than your father, who grasped the basics in three days, you are still above average in the history of the Black Serpent Family."

"Also, you must have felt it. Once you truly learn a Breathing Technique, every day of cultivation consumes a great amount of food. So from now on, you must prepare enough food before cultivating. Otherwise, that exaggerated hunger will dominate your mind like a Gluttony Demon and destroy your will. Driven by the instinct of hunger, you may do some mad and depraved things. Many of the infamous 'Knight Madmen' burned alive by The Church came about this way.

"Those mad, pitiful fools were mostly commoners who dreamed of cultivating a Knight's Breathing Technique. They wanted to become stronger, to protect their families, let them eat their fill and dress warmly, and live above others.

"They walked along the edge of madness time and again, believing they were different, believing there would be plenty of luck and miracles in this world. Yet in the end, some ate their own elderly fathers, while others ate their wives and children..."

Knight Fred spoke with a complicated expression.

He himself was a knight born from commoners. He understood that feeling, which was why he was so grateful to Levi's father for saving him at that critical moment.