"White Cross Body-Forging Technique? A secret technique?"
In the dim basement, Gilan's eyes lit up.
His heart pounded, and a powerful yearning drove him to slowly open the notebook.
Flip... flip.
By the flickering candlelight, the notebook's pages turned one by one.
The pages were densely covered in black ink, accompanied by diagrams of the human body. Though the contents looked quite complicated, they clearly detailed the precautions and basic principles for practicing this ancient body-forging technique.
The White Cross Body-Forging Technique stated that the human body contained four main fluids: Mucus, Yellow Bile, blood, and Black Bile. They also corresponded to the world's four basic elements: water, fire, air, and earth.
Forging one's muscles and bones and mastering combat techniques were merely the external foundations. The inner core was to strengthen the four fluids within the body. Only then could one break through the limits of the human body and attain an extraordinary physique.
These theories all originated from the renowned alchemy master Paracelsus.
Gilan couldn't help but freeze when he read this.
He recalled the "Miasma Theory" and "Mysticism Sartorialism" that the girl Maive had told him about. They, too, seemed to have originated from Paracelsus. However, Maive only knew that this figure from three hundred years ago had been a great scholar; she had no idea he had also been an "alchemist."
Gilan turned his attention back to the notebook, reading on with excitement and fervor.
Compared to external things like firearms, this was a secret technique that could directly improve him!
The later sections of the White Cross Body-Forging Technique explained that the entire practice could be broadly divided into four stages, named after Mucus, Yellow Bile, blood, and Black Bile.
When a practitioner entered the first stage, "Mucus," their strength would rise dramatically as their physique improved, eventually becoming comparable to that of a large beast. According to accounts of real events, the knights of the Healing Knights had once averaged an astonishing 2,000 pounds of punching force.
The second stage, "Yellow Bile," would increase a practitioner's stamina and indirectly improve their agility, flexibility, and speed. Again, according to accounts of real events, one knight of the Healing Knights had raced against an elite steed while wearing full-coverage armor weighing 60 pounds. He had kept running for ten minutes before finally collapsing from exhaustion and losing.
The third stage, "blood," could greatly enhance a practitioner's ability to produce blood, recover, and heal wounds. Ordinary injuries, such as sword cuts, bruises, and lacerations, could heal in just a few days. Even a broken bone would take only one to two weeks.
The description of the final stage, "Black Bile," seemed rather far-fetched. It supposedly enhanced one's spirit and willpower, but the explanation was vague, leaving Gilan utterly confused.
However, the notebook did record a few real events that could serve as reference. One was about Agni Baldwin, deputy commander of the Healing Knights. He had once single-handedly breached a town called Leia and kicked in a solid wrought-iron gate fifteen centimeters thick.
"Kicked in a city gate?" Gilan's eyes widened as he murmured in disbelief. "Is this really not some fantastical knight's tale?"
His hands trembled slightly as he held the notebook, and he struggled to calm his excitement.
But soon, he came across a few lines at the end of the notebook: the assessment left by the Scribe Espi.
"The Healing Knights, which appeared in the early seventeenth century, were an extremely mysterious military force. They rose with incredible speed and intervened forcefully in the War of Rongsa, which engulfed the entire continent at the time, playing a pivotal role in shaping the world that followed... Unfortunately, this mysterious body-forging method only worked when used alongside a secret medicine specially prepared within the order. Otherwise, it was nothing more than empty talk."
"However, with the order's mysterious withdrawal, the secret medicine was lost long ago. It is a pity, a tragedy. Today, the truth of the White Cross Body-Forging Technique can no longer be verified, nor can the powerful individual prowess of the past be reproduced."
Gilan froze, his heart sinking.
It needs to be paired with a corresponding secret medicine? He couldn't help frowning. Where am I supposed to find that?
But soon, Gilan remembered the mysterious power he possessed: Iridescence.
Those colorful points can instantly improve my firearms proficiency. Could they also let me master this body-forging technique?
Hope flared in his heart once more.
Gilan flipped back to the earlier pages and read them carefully.
The colorful number in his eyes glimmered faintly, as if in response.
It works! His eyes lit up. He immediately followed the instructions and began trying the first stage, "Mucus."
He casually laid the Double-Barreled Shotgun across the workbench, then stood in the cramped basement and stretched out his arms, striking all sorts of strange poses while continually adjusting his breathing to match several specific rhythms.
Normally, this process required taking the secret medicine beforehand and applying a special ointment to the chest, abdomen, and limbs. But Gilan had neither, so he could only practice "dry."
Before long, he began to feel dizzy, and breathing grew difficult.
It felt as if something were stuck in his throat. A needle-like pain appeared in his chest, lower abdomen, both sides of his lower back, upper arms, and ankles.
Without the crucial secret medicine, continuing like this won't just fail—it could injure me, or even leave me crippled. Gilan understood this, but he gritted his teeth and kept practicing.
Soon, an excruciating pain surged from within him and shot straight to the top of his head. Gilan couldn't catch his breath; his vision went black, and all strength left his body as he toppled backward.
Thud!
He hit the ground hard, his entire body numb and unable to move.
Gilan's face twisted with pain, turning fierce and distorted, but his eyes remained bright.
Iridescence!
He roared silently in his heart.
In his star-speckled vision, the colorful number "10" suddenly stirred. It kept decreasing and flickering until it returned to its original "0"!
Thump!
His heart gave a sudden, forceful beat!
Gilan's vision gradually returned to normal, and feeling came back to his numb limbs. The needle-like pain throughout his body vanished, replaced by a seemingly endless surge of strength.
He exhaled and slowly climbed to his feet.
But in the next moment, Gilan was startled to find mucus running uncontrollably from his nose, while his mouth kept producing saliva as though he'd just eaten a sour plum.
Soon, his throat began to itch, then his entire body. It felt as if countless ants were crawling beneath his skin. The sudden, unbearable itching tormented Gilan until he doubled over, trembling nonstop.
The intense itching only subsided after about a minute.
Gilan's face was flushed, the veins on his forehead bulging as he gasped for breath.
He straightened up and wiped the secretions from his nose and mouth, feeling that he had grown much stronger. A wealth of fighting techniques had appeared in his mind from nowhere, and his movements felt as practiced as if he'd trained for years.
It seems I've gained an initial mastery of the White Cross Body-Forging Technique and entered the first stage, known as "Mucus"!
Gilan raised his hand and clenched his fist, feeling elated.
The mysterious power I possess, Iridescence, is incredible. It can actually bypass the need for secret medicine and let me practice a secret technique directly!
He picked up the Double-Barreled Shotgun from the workbench with one hand. The firearm had once felt heavy, but now it seemed as light as air.
Unable to contain his excitement, Gilan brought his fist down.
With a muffled thud, the solid wooden workbench cracked, sending splinters flying.