Cross Slash Fourth Order, Special Effect: Elementary Ripple (Please Follow-up Reads)

Cross Slash Fourth Order, Special Effect: [Elementary Ripple] (Please Follow-up Reads)

So far, every Breathing Technique Levi knew of was connected to all kinds of creatures, and those creatures often became the heraldry of noble families, emblazoned upon their coats of arms.

For example, the Snake Family's "Candle-Holding Black Serpent," the Rock Bear Family's "Rock Giant Bear," the Frost Wolf Family's "Silver Frost Wolf," even the Black Mountain Family's "Mountain-Carrying Black Whale," and the Royal Family's "Emerald Dragon."

Without exception, every Breathing Technique was connected to creatures that did not actually exist in this world.

To proclaim the nobility of their bloodlines, the great families would invent all sorts of legends and tales, dressing up their family emblems as the protagonists of those stories.

For example, the Black Serpent Family's "Candle-Holding Black Serpent." Ever since Levi was young, his father had constantly impressed it upon him: the "Candle-Holding Black Serpent" was the serpent of hope that brought candle flame and light to a world of chaos and darkness, the holy serpent that saved the world!

But after practicing a few other Breathing Techniques and witnessing some incredible phenomena, Levi had faintly begun to form certain guesses in his heart.

Only, to verify those guesses, he would still need to see more Breathing Techniques in the future, perhaps even after becoming a Legendary Knight.

The dagger the Phantom Demon Knight had used to assassinate Levi was a short blade about a foot long, its end curved and coiled like a snake's tail.

"There's most likely poison smeared on this dagger. I'll have to be careful. But the craftsmanship is honestly just so-so. The material is very good, though. It seems to have been smelted with some rare metals. I can melt it down and make a short dagger suited to me. That'll make it convenient for self-defense too," Levi muttered to himself. With his current Third Order Forging, this was not much of a problem.

"This mask looks a little like those beak masks from the Black Death period in medieval Europe. Most likely, it can provide some protection against poison gas."

"And this bag of lime. Damn, that's sinister. Good thing I reacted quickly and didn't give him a chance to make a move, or I really would have been in danger."

Levi inspected the assassin's tools one by one, and the more he looked, the more he felt the force behind this was not ordinary.

"When Knight Fred comes back, I'll ask him. He traveled to many places when he was young and has seen a lot. Maybe he knows something."

After a sleepless night, Levi did not dare sleep, so he simply practiced his Breathing Techniques.

After experiencing this assassination attempt, Levi became even more vigilant.

He felt that sleeping openly in a bedroom that was easy to find was far too unsafe. He decided that starting today, he would build a Sanctuary inside the castle whose location only he and Fred knew. He would stockpile supplies inside, set up some alarm mechanisms, and sleep there at night.

To survive in this dark age, no amount of caution was too much.

In the morning, after Levi finished practicing his Breathing Techniques, the clamor of the Militia came from outside. He walked out and found a soldier's corpse lying there, already cold.

"Lord, someone killed Boke last night."

A Militia captain's face was full of fear and disbelief. His own soldier had died silently in the cold night, and he had known nothing about it.

Levi knew this had most likely been done casually by that assassin when he infiltrated the place.

"Cremate Boke, then send some food and money to Boke's wife," Levi said to the steward.

"No matter who the murderer is, I will find him and give my people an explanation."

"And from now on, increase the patrols. At night, all of you had better stay alert! Otherwise, don't blame this lord for being ruthless!"

Levi's gaze was icy as he looked at those soldiers.

He did not tell these people what had happened last night. After what had happened, he could not guarantee there was no mole among his subordinates.

This assassination incident did not stop Levi's cultivation. Since his Breathing Techniques were all currently stuck at bottlenecks, he began focusing on training the only sword skill he had mastered, Golden Cross Slash!

After this crisis, Levi understood the importance of strength even more deeply.

If he had not advanced to a knight, then even if he had discovered the assassination attempt, what could he have done? He still would have been doomed.

It was precisely because he had practiced an excellent-quality Breathing Technique, gaining strength beyond that of ordinary knights as soon as he became one, and because he had also practiced Frost Wolf Breathing Technique to make up for his shortcomings in speed and agility, that Levi had survived.

Levi felt that the path he had chosen was correct.

He wanted to practice even more Breathing Techniques, strengthening his body in every aspect—speed, strength, constitution, endurance, defense, and more. He wanted to master more combat skills and more life-saving methods, making himself a thorough Polygon Warrior, giving himself an invincible 5A panel comparable to Platinum Star, becoming a man who came with an invincibility buff the moment he appeared.

Perhaps the level of Breathing Techniques was very low, but by crushing everything with quantity, Levi felt that maybe one day, he could truly become extraordinary through his physical body! After two days of mad training, on a sunny, breezy morning, Levi stood in the training grounds, his arm trembling rapidly. The strength of his entire body gathered there, and a whip-like sound of tearing air rang out. In his right hand, Frostmourne's blade swept the air aside, stirring up rings of rippling waves.

Then, a force many times more advanced than Vibration Power traveled from Frostmourne into an iron plate a full half-finger thick.

Crack.

Frostmourne was like a blade stabbing through a layer of cowhide.

With Frostmourne's tip as the center, the iron plate began to split open and curl outward, as though pierced by an armor-piercing round, revealing a fist-sized breach.

Frostmourne's blade also gave off waves of mournful ringing, as though even the sword itself could barely withstand such force.

[Golden Cross Slash Proficiency +4][Golden Cross Slash has broken through to Fourth Order, special effect born: Elementary Ripple]

Levi was instantly overjoyed.

"Ripple Power! Hahahahahaha!"

"Heh heh, this is my Ripple Power!"

The excitement in Levi's heart was beyond words.

That terrifying killing power, an effect that was practically like cutting through iron.

This was the Ripple Power Fred had spoken of.

And Levi had actually mastered it in only three years.

"Of course, the greatest credit still goes to the Proficiency Panel. With my talent, if I wanted to master Ripple Power, it would take at least fifteen years. You have to know, even Knight Fred took a very long time to master it. My talent is far worse than Knight Fred's."

Levi knew himself well and did not become arrogant or complacent.

"I, Levi, have achieved what I have today entirely thanks to the Proficiency Panel!"

Levi sighed inwardly.

With a thought, he opened the Proficiency Panel.

Levi-----

Black Snake Breathing Technique: Fourth Order (56/20000) Special Effect: Elementary Defense
Frost Wolf Breathing Technique: Third Order (321/10000)

Golden Cross Slash: Fourth Order (1/20000), Special Effects: Advanced Vibration, Elementary Ripple...