Whale Breathing Method Initiation

Vivian stood atop the platform, and with a single glance, she took in the situation below.

She quickly noticed Duke. Even she had not expected him to grasp the first movement of the Stance Training so quickly.

After seeing that Duke was still persevering, Vivian stepped down from the platform and came over.

Duke was completely focused on regulating his breathing, doing his utmost to maintain the stance. He did not notice Vivian approaching at all.

He tried to hold on as long as possible, but every second felt agonizingly long.

When he could no longer endure it, his whole body felt drained of strength, and he dropped onto the ground.

Only then did Duke realize that he was drenched in sweat, his clothes practically wringable.

He turned and saw Vivian in full armor. He hurriedly got to his feet. "I've made a fool of myself before you, Miss Vivian."

"It's your first time. One minute is already very impressive." Vivian's cool voice came from within her heavy armor.

Duke was still gasping for breath. Hearing that, he seemed to think of something, but he did not dare show it and could only wipe the sweat from his forehead.

He had not expected Stance Training to consume so much stamina. It was even more exhausting than a hard battle.

"George, give him more guidance." After giving the order, Vivian left.

As soon as she said that, the others nearby gave Duke a few more looks, some of them envious.

Nearly two hundred people were practicing the breathing method, while Nightingale only had around twenty people.

Miss Vivian had specifically arranged for someone to instruct Duke. Clearly, she thought highly of his potential, making many people exceedingly envious.

After resting briefly, Duke immediately began practicing the second movement of the Stance Training.

With George by his side now, he had to seize this opportunity and master all twelve movements of the Stance Training as quickly as possible.

As long as the Whale Breathing Method appeared on the Skill Tree, he could grind this breathing method all the way to the top.

By the end of the day, Duke had only mastered the first four movements of the Whale Breathing Method, yet he was already completely exhausted. Even lifting a finger felt difficult.

Still, he was considered one of the fastest. Most people had not even mastered the first movement, while only a very small number had grasped one or two movements.

Although the training was grueling, the treatment at the manor was excellent.

Duke and the others would be staying at the manor during this period. The beds here even had mattresses stuffed with goose and duck feathers, making them incredibly soft.

This was something only nobles could enjoy. Commoners could at most spread some dry straw and call it a mattress.

Six people stayed in Duke's room, all of them participants in the selection for personal guards.

They introduced themselves to one another and roughly learned each other's names and backgrounds.

Among them were both commoners and nobles. One person had even risen step by step from slavery to become a commoner before eventually coming here.

His name was Xiwen. He looked unremarkable and was rather short, but his body was solidly built, with well-developed muscles in his arms and back.

Duke paid a little more attention to him. He knew how difficult it was for a slave in this era to become a commoner.

Theoretically, it was almost impossible. The fact that Xiwen had not only escaped slave status but also made it here was enough to show he was no ordinary person.

The group did not chat much. They were all exhausted, and before long, snores filled the room.

Duke's constitution was a little better than the others', and he recovered faster as well. He woke before dawn.

He quietly slipped out of the room and seized the time to continue practicing Stance Training.

Duke began with the first movement, reviewing what he had learned yesterday.

The Whale Breathing Method had not yet been fixed onto the Skill Tree, so he needed to practice repeatedly to avoid forgetting any details.

After a while, the door behind him opened, and Xiwen came out.

Xiwen was clearly stunned when he saw Duke practicing Stance Training. He had not expected anyone to be even more hardworking than him.

Xiwen had mastered two movements yesterday, and he began practicing nearby as well.

The two of them seemed equally determined. Neither slacked off, and they only stopped when most of the people in the manor had awakened.

Duke could clearly feel that practicing Stance Training today was much easier than yesterday. His muscles seemed to have become more flexible.

There did not seem to be any increase on his physical attributes panel, but he could directly feel that his body was more comfortable.

The manor provided an extremely lavish breakfast. Three meals a day, with unlimited beef, mutton, bread, pickles, and more—everyone could eat as much as they wanted.

Most of this group were commoners. They had never enjoyed such treatment before, so they all stuffed themselves, savoring the feeling of full bellies.

Quite a few nobles did the same. Many nobles only had the title of nobility, while their actual lives were not much better than those of commoners.

After breakfast, training continued.

According to the manor's arrangements, only breathing method training would be conducted for the first seven days. Other training content would be added gradually afterward.

George continued guiding Duke. He no longer needed to watch anyone else and was solely responsible for instructing Duke.

Duke was diligent and determined to begin with, and with George's guidance, he improved at a tremendous pace.

Three days later.

Changes began to occur on the Skill Tree in Duke's mind. A branch extended outward, and a tiny green bud appeared upon it.

[Whale Breathing Method: LV1 (0/1000)]

After three days of training, Duke had mastered all twelve sets of Stance Training for the breathing method.

The moment he completed the twelfth set of Stance Training, the Whale Breathing Method was fixed onto the Skill Tree.

At the same time, a warm current appeared in Duke's abdomen, where a Life Seed condensed.

When he practiced the Whale Breathing Method again, after about an hour, a faint strand of Battle Qi appeared in his abdomen.

Under the control of his mind, this strand of Battle Qi moved throughout his body and could be directed at will.

This strand of Battle Qi could not do much, but once he accumulated enough Battle Qi, he could use it in actual combat.

Duke glanced at the proficiency of the Whale Breathing Method. Completing an entire round of practice only increased it by one point, while each practice session took an hour.

At this rate, even if he practiced the breathing method for ten hours a day, it would still take a hundred days to grind the Whale Breathing Method to level two.

What was more, it was difficult to practice the breathing method for ten hours a day. His current body could not withstand such intensity; five or six hours was already the limit.

Perhaps he would be able to practice for longer in the future, but it would still be slow.

Knight training had extremely high requirements for aptitude. The overwhelming majority of people could not even complete the step of condensing a Life Seed.

And among those who successfully condensed a Life Seed, many remained Low-Tier Knight Squires for their entire lives, unable to advance any further.

Upon reaching the third level of the Whale Breathing Method, one could step into the ranks of Mid-Tier Knight Squires. At the fifth level, one could become a High-Level Knight Apprentice, and at the seventh level, an Official Knight.

Duke thought about it. The Whale Breathing Method had a total of nine levels. If LV1 corresponded to the first level and LV2 to the second, then his cultivation speed truly was somewhat slow.

His aptitude for knight training was rather poor, because those with good aptitude generally only needed a month to cultivate from the first level to the second.

Duke could only raise the progress of the Whale Breathing Method thanks to the existence of the Skill Tree.

If he relied on his original cultivation speed, he probably would have struggled to reach the second level even in his lifetime.