Flame Breath

On the Golden Wall, the lowest-tier skills were written in gray.

When these skills advanced to Tier 2, their lettering turned white.

Better skills, or Tier 3 skills, appeared in green.

Higher still, for instance, the Tier 1 Golden Light Incantation, appeared in blue.

Klaun wondered what color would mark skills of an even higher tier, his heart filled with anticipation.

He'd find out once he grinded a skill to Level 5, or advanced the Golden Light Incantation.

That would probably take a long time, though.

Klaun picked up his brush again and continued drawing talismans.

He still had over ten sheets of rough paper left, so he decided to use them all.

Now that he'd learned the skill, drawing talismans again gave him a deeper understanding.

He had a better grasp of where to press harder and where the talisman lines were too narrow.

After finishing the rough paper, he summoned the Golden Wall again.

[ Talisman Drawing: 4/2000; Tier 1 ]

That wasn't right.

Klaun furrowed his brow slightly. The skill was at its lowest stage, and such slow progress at the beginning was a problem.

He'd drawn fourteen Heart-Clearing Talismans just now, and six of them had been more than ninety percent accurate, yet his proficiency had only increased by three points. Something must have gone wrong.

After thinking it over, he vaguely understood the problem.

Real talismans required specific paper and ink to carry the power of these heavenly scripts.

The waning moon slanted westward, and he had important things to do tomorrow. Klaun suppressed his eagerness to try again and went to rest.

The night passed without incident.

At the start of Mao Hour the next day, he rose early and began drawing talismans before sunrise.

He took a fresh brush and found a clean porcelain bowl. Klaun connected his consciousness to his Sea of Consciousness, and a cool sensation welled up from some unknown place.

It felt as though a piece of ice had been placed between his brows. A faint chill began to spread downward, along his arm, until it reached the index finger of his right hand.

Glistening drops of dew, shimmering with silver light, rolled from his fingertip. Before long, the liquid had covered the bottom of the bowl.

At that moment, the Moon Dew in the Crystal Ball within his Sea of Consciousness had decreased by about a tenth.

He severed the connection between the Crystal Ball and the real world, then began drawing talismans in earnest.

Moon Dew had to be stored in a white jade bottle, or its mysterious active factors would slowly dissipate. He didn't have such a vessel, so he could only use what he produced right away.

Klaun dipped the brush into the Moon Dew to wet it. Once the bristles had softened, he lifted the brush, dipped it again, and scraped it along the rim of the bowl to remove excess liquid. Then he immediately began writing on the Talisman Paper.

Thanks to the Golden Wall, he never got rusty with skills he'd already learned. He could use them right away and perform well.

When he finished drawing the Heart-Clearing Talisman and lifted his brush, the Moon Dew on the paper gave off a glow. Then the Divine Light drew in, and the glow faded.

The marks of the Dao Talisman seemed to flow faintly.

Success!

Klaun summoned the proficiency wall and, sure enough, found that his Talisman Drawing skill had increased by three points.

This feels amazing. He hummed a tune from deep in his memories and continued drawing.

Some succeeded, and some failed. In the end, he got eight Heart-Clearing Talismans from fifteen sheets of paper.

As sunrise approached, Klaun put away his tools, formed a hand seal, and welcomed the warm rays.

Church, Training Ground.

Two Exorcist Priests stood side by side, while two Crusader Order warriors in Full Body Armor stood apart on either side. The church's other staff members gathered around them.

Hamfa held out a yellowed parchment scroll in both hands and personally handed it over.

Klaun bowed and accepted it with both hands.

Nick wore a white priest's robe and held a gold-covered Holy Scripture. He chanted loudly:

"Klaun Moya, from this day onward, you officially become a proud Crusader Order warrior of the Zack Town church. May the Lord of Flame grant you wisdom to see through the dangers hidden in this world; may the Lord grant you a strong body, giving you the strength to root out evil; may you bathe in the Lord's holy light, hold fast to the sword in your hand, spread the Lord's glory, and protect the lambs who believe in Him. Praise the Lord of Flame. May we forever bask in the holy light."

"Praise the Lord of Flame. May we forever bask in the holy light!" The others pressed their hands to their chests and shouted in response.

There weren't many people there, but the ceremony still felt solemn.

Klaun gave his head an almost imperceptible shake, dispelling the inexplicable surge of fervor within him.

No wonder people said religion made people fanatical. He'd only attended one ceremony, yet already felt as though he'd been swept up in it.

Nick looked at the tall, straight-backed Guardian and nodded in satisfaction. "Klaun, you've become a servant of God. We must always remember to defend the Lord's glory. Now, the two warriors Savas and Marshall will teach you the Flame Breath Breathing Technique. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask."

"Understood, Father." Klaun performed a church salute.

"Hamfa and I have other matters to attend to. We'll leave this to you two warriors. Everyone else, you're dismissed."

Savas and Marshall bowed. "We'll make sure to teach the new warrior well."

As the crowd dispersed, Nick turned back while walking toward the church and reminded him, "Remember, the Breathing Technique must never be shared with anyone—not even your family."

Klaun stood at attention and nodded firmly. "I'll keep your teaching in mind, Father."

He turned and bowed to the two veteran warriors. "I'll be in your care. Please look after me."

Red Beard curled his lip. "You're so strong, you'll probably get the Breathing Technique after seeing it once. You don't need us to teach you. I'm going to sit over there and rest. Come tell me if you can't manage."

With that, he walked straight over to a chair at the edge of the training ground and sat down.

"Haha, the priest gave the big-bearded fellow a thorough scolding last night, so he's feeling embarrassed. Ignore him. Ask us if there's anything you don't understand." Marshall patted Klaun warmly on the shoulder and said softly:

"First, you have to learn to find stillness in motion. As you exercise, try to sense the faint stream of warmth flowing from your heart. That's a drop of blood transformed by the newly born Seed of Life. The seed is small, and it won't grow any larger. With diligent training, the Seed of Life will transform more and more of your blood, and the warm current will grow stronger."

"As this blood increases, our muscles and skin will be trained. Eventually, our internal organs and bones will also become tougher and stronger."

"They say that when all the blood in our bodies has been transformed, we'll enter a demigod realm."

Marshall winked and grinned. "Want to start practicing now and try to feel that warm current?"

Klaun shook his head and asked politely, "I'd like to learn how the realms of our Transcendentalist profession are divided, so I can set myself a small goal."

"Good thinking. Seeing the light ahead gives you more motivation." The lean warrior nodded. "Our church calls us Crusader Order warriors. Other churches and those sorcerers call Transcendentalists like us Knights. It's just a name, so don't worry about it."

"Take our church, for example. The most junior Guardians are called warriors. As our Breathing Technique advances, our bodies undergo further tempering. Our muscles grow stronger, and our skin can withstand an ordinary person's sword. At that point, we advance to become Flame Warriors."