Several days later, Old Green returned to their former residence with Green.
The moment he stepped into the cottage, Green noticed the changes.
Most of the things in the cottage had already been moved away, leaving only some fixed furniture that could not be transported.
Over the past few days, Old Green had transferred all the important things to the castle.
After entering the cottage, Old Green took Green straight to the second floor, then threw the miscellaneous items downstairs, completely blocking the staircase.
All the windows on the entire floor had been sealed shut, leaving only a few lit oil lamps.
After bringing Green to the desk in the bedroom, Old Green gestured for him to sit down, then sat opposite him.
"Green, seeing this situation, you should know what's about to happen!" Old Green said solemnly.
"I need to ask you: are you sure you're ready?"
Green was just about to nod when Old Green raised a hand and stopped him.
"The Breathing Method is a technique derived from life force. Therefore, it can only be learned and used when a person is at their peak."
"The Breathing Method isn't as safe as you imagine. It could very well lead to death!"
"Do you really want to walk this path?"
Old Green's tone was stern, but it also carried a trace of concern.
Looking at Old Green's face and the worry flickering in his eyes, Green understood why Old Green had asked him repeatedly.
Old Green did not want him to take the risk.
"Danger is about to arrive. Only by mastering power can I guarantee my safety!" Green said to Old Green.
Hearing Green's words, Old Green let out a faint sigh.
Just as Green had said, the footsteps of war were already drawing near. At this point, not learning the Breathing Method would be the most foolish choice.
"Very well, Green. I'll explain the Breathing Method to you in detail!" Old Green said solemnly.
"First, the Breathing Method is a method for condensing life force. Through special movements coordinated with breathing, it gathers life force within the body. If the condensation succeeds, a person's life will undergo a fundamental transformation, granting them extraordinary power!"
"However, during this process, you must strike while the iron is hot. Once you fail, your life force may collapse. By then, condensing it again will be more than a notch harder."
"Over the past few days, your body and spirit have recovered to their peak. Now is the best time to make the attempt!"
"Adjust yourself a little longer. I'll tell you the method afterward!"
Hearing this, Green immediately closed his eyes and began taking deep breaths.
"Chip, check my condition and bring up my attributes!"
[Beep: The host is in good condition. All muscles are at peak condition. Adrenaline reserves are sufficient. Mental and will fluctuations are stable. No abnormal fluctuations detected!] [Green] [Strength: 1.3] [Speed: 1.4] [Constitution: 1.3]
Looking at the physical attributes he had improved through long-term training, Green felt a little more confident.
The stronger one's life force, the more help it would provide.
After adjusting himself with his eyes closed for several minutes and confirming that he had reached his optimal state, Green opened his eyes.
He firmly nodded at Old Green, who was watching him.
Old Green wanted to say something, but in the end, he swallowed the words and pulled a book from his robes instead.
The surface of the book was dark yellow and worn with age. The few large characters on it were already blurred beyond recognition, and it looked as though it had weathered countless storms.
"Read the contents first. If there's anything you don't understand, remember to ask me!"
Old Green handed the book to Green and reminded him.
Green nodded and picked up the book to read.
The five large characters on the cover were already difficult to make out. Green carefully discerned them and barely managed to recognize them.
"Storm Breathing Technique! Is this the method Old Green mastered?" Green thought secretly.
He opened the book. The first page contained an introduction to the Storm Breathing Technique.
After reading the first page, Green's understanding of the Breathing Method became increasingly clear.
According to the introduction, Breathing Methods had all kinds of different focuses.
Some focused on increasing strength, some on improving constitution, and some on explosive power.
In short, they were bizarre and varied, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.
The Storm Breathing Technique was different. It pursued a comprehensive qualitative transformation.
Each breakthrough in the Storm Breathing Technique brought the user a tremendous improvement in physical attributes.
However, the price was that every breakthrough carried enormous risks. The user was like someone dancing within a tornado; the slightest carelessness would tear them to pieces.
To a certain extent, the Storm Breathing Technique was an extremely radical Breathing Method.
Powerful, but carrying extremely high risks.
After finishing the first page, Green continued turning the pages.
Almost every subsequent page contained an illustration, accompanied by a special breathing method.
After reading the entire book, Green closed it.
"Green, I imagine you now understand the power of the Storm Breathing Technique and its side effects!"
"Are you sure you want to practice the Storm Breathing Technique? If you're unwilling, I can use it to exchange with the baron!"
"The Storm Breathing Technique was given to me by a Formal Knight on the battlefield. That Formal Knight had already reached the peak, but because of the terrifying backlash from failing the Storm Breathing Technique, he didn't dare break through to Grand Knight!"
"Although the baron's hereditary Breathing Method has a lower upper limit than the Storm Breathing Technique, its advantage is that it's safe and stable!"
Listening to Old Green, Green shook his head.
"I'll learn the Storm Breathing Technique. In this world, nothing comes without danger!"
Seeing Green's resolute gaze, Old Green knew that Green had made his decision.
"Very well. Then listen carefully. I'll tell you about some problems I encountered while cultivating it. The book doesn't explain these!"
Old Green stopped trying to persuade Green and began explaining everything in detail.
After Old Green finished explaining, Green took a deep breath, walked to the center of the room, and immediately lowered himself into a horse stance.
That's right—the first step of practicing the Breathing Method was taking a horse stance.
Over the course of an afternoon, the sunlight seeping through the cracks around the doors and windows gradually changed from bright to dim yellow, and finally to dark red.
Old Green sat on the Chair in the room, watching Green nervously.
But he did not dare make a sound, afraid that disturbing Green would cause the condensation of the Life Seed to fail.
After holding the horse stance all afternoon and breathing according to the Storm Breathing Technique, Green's face had turned bright red. Large beads of sweat continually fell from his forehead.
At the instant he approached his limit, a crisp voice rang out in Green's mind.
[Beep! Abnormal blood flow detected. Unknown force has entered the bloodstream. Abnormal energy is converging toward the heart. Interference recommended. Would you like to interfere?]
Hearing the Chip, Green's heart suddenly leaped with joy.
Fortunately, he could still suppress his delight, and his breathing did not become disordered because of it.
"Chip, immediately collect the relevant information, establish an energy-flow model, and see whether it can be optimized!"
[Beep! Beginning information collection!]
Outside, in Old Green's eyes, Green's movements began to change.
One entirely new movement after another, along with its corresponding breathing method, appeared through Green's body.
Throughout the process, Green would occasionally glance at the Chip's blue interface.
On the Chip's interface, a human-body model rapidly manifested various energy pathways.
These energy pathways intertwined at certain points, forming nodes one after another.
Larger energy pathways extended from these nodes, and in the end, all the energy pathways converged at the heart.
As the heart beat, these energies worked with the breathing rhythm to produce strange vibrations, ultimately transforming the entire body.
Watching his flesh continuously change, Green felt an instinctive joy welling up within him.
[Beep! Energy loss detected. Would you like to interfere and correct it?]
As the model established by the Chip grew increasingly complete, the Chip suddenly sent another message.
Looking at the Chip's interface, Green saw that in the complete human-body model, energy was faintly dispersing from five places: both shoulders, both feet, and the lower body.
"Can you do it?" Green could not help asking.
According to the original explanation, the Chip did not seem to possess such a function.
"The Chip can release designated receptor hormones to specifically stimulate certain areas and thereby produce an effect!"
Hearing the Chip's explanation, Green's eyes lit up.
From a medical perspective, the Chip's explanation was not wrong.
The blood vessels, muscles, and other parts of the human body all possessed special receptors. By releasing specific receptor hormones, it was indeed possible to interfere with normal functions.
"Interfere, but be careful!"
[Host's request received. Interference will proceed while ensuring safety!]
As the Chip intervened, Green felt more and more energy gathering around his heart. The energy continued increasing, and the pace of the Body Modification accelerated as well.
"So that's how it is. The Breathing Method isn't perfect. During the condensation of the Life Seed, energy can be lost. If one's talent is even slightly worse, the loss of Life Energy will most likely cause the condensation to fail!"
"And replenishing lost life force is extraordinarily difficult. When condensing it a second time, one is often inferior to the first attempt. No wonder condensing the Life Seed becomes harder each time."
Based on the changes in his own body, Green thought silently.
As time passed, a blue Whirlpool appeared around the heart on the Chip's interface.
Green could feel that he was only one final step away from condensing the Life Seed.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Green repeated the movements and breathing method of the Storm Breathing Technique again and again.
The blue Whirlpool grew increasingly larger, until it was about to occupy the entire heart!
Green suddenly sensed a kind of energy in the air, as though it were being drawn in by the Storm around his heart.
The energies in the air differed from one another in countless subtle ways.
After the Chip marked them with different colors, the energies flowing across the model interface became dazzlingly multicolored.
Yet at that moment, Green could feel his strength beginning to increase wildly.
The physical strengthening that had originally been nearing its end entered an entirely new stage.
In the room, Old Green watched Green's first condensation last far longer than his own.
He could not help but grow flustered, having no idea what was happening.
However, when Old Green saw the muscles continuously bulging across Green's body and his calm expression, the panic in his heart gradually subsided.
Even though he did not know what was happening, he knew that nothing bad had occurred.
No one knew how much time had passed. The light in the room grew increasingly dim.
Green, who had been continuously strengthening himself by absorbing energy from outside, also felt that he had reached his limit.
As soon as this sensation appeared, the tornado on the Chip's interface began shrinking at high speed.
A crystalline blue seed appeared on the Chip's interface.
And in reality, Green could feel an intangible source of energy appearing around his heart.
With each beat of his heart, this energy source continuously provided him with energy.
"Chip, check my attributes!" Green said to the Chip.
[Beep! Task accepted. Beginning retrieval of host attributes!] [Green] [Strength: 2.5] [Speed: 2.7] [Constitution: 3.0]
Looking at his drastically transformed data, Green could not help but secretly rejoice.
He had only just broken through, yet his strength had already reached this level. It was entirely thanks to the Chip's interference during the breakthrough.
The power of the Storm Breathing Technique had been brought into full play by the Chip, and it had even produced a special secondary enhancement.
"But what exactly was that energy in the air?"
Green did not think deeply about the question. Now was not the time to study its essence. His current strength was not enough to support an exploration of its nature.
He slowly opened his eyes.
Before Green had adapted to the dim surroundings, Old Green suddenly rushed over, seized Green by the shoulders with both hands, and pulled him into an embrace.
"You little rascal, you scared me to death!"
Hearing the concern in those reproachful words, Green's heart warmed.
"I succeeded. I'm sorry for making you worry!" Green said softly to Old Green.
Old Green did not continue questioning him. He did not have much experience himself, and perhaps this abnormal situation was normal for the Storm Breathing Technique.
"Good that you succeeded. Good that you succeeded!"
Old Green repeated the words over and over.
After Old Green's emotions settled, Green supported him, and they left the cottage.
Before you continue