Chapter 183: The Trial of Faith

Chapter 183: The Trial of Faith



[Ding! Detected host's Inner Breathing Technique, reaching the minimum level to integrate and enhance the Bearclaw Breath Technique. Do you wish to merge them? Note: Merging will overwrite the original Bearclaw Breath Technique and Inner Breathing Technique.]



Li En's sharp senses noticed the word 'enhance', so he didn't hesitate for a second. In his mind, he silently affirmed, 'Yes!'

The next moment, two streams of heat merged, one from the outside in, and the other from the inside out, intertwining as one.

Although he had anticipated this outcome, Li En was still incredibly excited when he experienced it.

This should be his second significant gain from his advanced studies with Master Gunther, aside from unlocking the close combat skill effect 'Precision'.

However, he didn't know how much this merging of breathing techniques would improve his abilities.

[Ding! Initiating fusion. Fusion in progress.]



Apparently, the system had accelerated the fusion process.

Otherwise, according to Li En's estimation, this fusion alone might have taken several days.

But now, in just a few minutes, the merging and enhancement were complete.

[Ding! Bearclaw Breath Technique and Inner Breathing Technique successfully merged and modified. Please name the new breathing technique.]



Naming? Li En was taken aback.

This was a bit of a headache; he was notoriously bad at naming things.

The new breathing technique, after the merging and modification, was a seamless blend of the Bearclaw Breath Technique and Inner Breathing Technique. The original Bearclaw technique formed the foundation, but the Inner Breathing Technique had upgraded and transformed it into a new breathing method that integrated both internal and external aspects.

This modification and adaptation seemed to be a personalized adjustment based on Li En's current situation.

The once-generic Bearclaw Breath Technique had been tailored to become a specialized breathing technique.

If expressed in percentages, the new breathing technique retained about 60-70% of the original Bearclaw technique, while the remaining portion was entirely transformed.

Given this, Li En decided to name it 'Inner Bear Breath Technique'.

[Ding! 'Inner Bear Breath Technique' successfully named. Related secret techniques of the original Bearclaw Breath Technique have also been adjusted accordingly.]



[The initial skill level of the merged 'Inner Bear Breath Technique' is lv5 (0/2000).]



"Phew, the skill level of the new breathing technique remains at lv5," Li En nodded.

Regarding the first statement—'Related secret techniques of the original Bearclaw Breath Technique'—Li En understood that it referred to the secret technique 'Roaring Strike'.

However, the fusion process consumed all the experience points Li En had accumulated over several months after becoming a formal knight, training the Bearclaw Breath Technique at lv5.

From this perspective, breathing techniques are the most challenging skills to improve. Even with the assistance of refined blackwood oil, enhancing them requires years of arduous practice.

After the transformation, Li En felt a stir in his heart.

He was eager to experience the new breathing technique, 'Inner Bear Breath Technique', and compare it to the previous Bearclaw Breath Technique.

So, while still in the seawater, Li En stood on the seabed and began practicing the first form of the Bearclaw Breath Technique, a single-leg lunge with a bow stance, slowly coordinating with his breathing.

Soon, Li En felt the difference between the two techniques.

Firstly, in terms of breathing, if he were to use the original Bearclaw Breath Technique, training underwater would be impossible. Trying to breathe directly in the seawater would likely result in near-fatal choking.

However, the adapted Inner Bear Breath Technique allows for this.

At this moment, Li En utilizes external respiration through his skin, enabling him, and he can practice the new Inner Bear Breath Technique in the seawater, giving the technique a versatile feel, as if it could be practiced anywhere.

Simultaneously, he keenly senses the mysterious energy within him, like a warm current, subtly intensifying as he practices the Inner Bear Breath Technique, with its flow rate slightly increasing. The speed of energy circulation also quickens.

Interestingly, this mysterious energy seems to guide Li En through its pace of circulation. It's as if the energy is instructing Li En on the most efficient and suitable postures for his new breathing technique.

This fills Li En with delight.

Additionally, he can't help but admire the genius who created the Inner Breathing Technique. They ingeniously transformed a generic breathing technique into a personalized one through the integration of internal and external breathing.

As Li En experiences and operates the new Inner Bear Breath Technique, he recalls Master Gunther's previous words, "When you feel the energy within you, try to guide it into your sword!"

Li En's heart stirs.

Master Gunther's intention is to direct this mysterious energy into the sword.

Evidently, this is the key to the fourth training task, "Kill thirty Coastal Plesiosaurs within an hour."

And so, Rain attempted to channel the mysterious energy within his body towards his Glowing Greatsword while underwater.

When he focused his consciousness on this mysterious energy, it did have some effect, as the energy began to move from his body towards his arms. However, it didn't entirely obey Rain's commands.

Once it reached his arms, it stopped listening and instead swam back and forth in a repetitive motion.

It was like a child struggling to catch a slippery and robust eel in a rice paddy, using all their might and ingenuity, only managing to grab its tail without being able to pull it out of the hole.

Rain fell silent, deep in thought. He guessed that the reason for this difficulty was likely due to his lack of familiarity with the new Bear Sovereign Breath Technique. Is there a faster way to improve proficiency than adding attribute points?

Rain decided to allocate some skill points to the Bear Sovereign Breath Technique.

However, after some consideration, he first checked the system notification:

[You have practiced the Bear Sovereign Breath Technique, and your understanding of it has increased!]



[Your skill, Bear Sovereign Breath Technique, has improved, and you have gained 5 experience points.]



Just thirty minutes had passed, and the Bear Sovereign Breath Technique had only increased by 5 points. In other words, it would take twenty days of ten hours of practice each day to raise it to Level 6.

But the key issue was that even a peak knight's physical condition couldn't sustain ten hours of breath technique training daily; two or three hours would be the maximum.

Therefore, the time required was actually much longer.

Obviously, without special drugs or methods, improving the Bear Sovereign Breath Technique could only be achieved through gradual accumulation and refinement.

This time, without hesitation, Rain added 1 skill point to the Bear Sovereign Breath Technique.

On the attribute panel, his remaining skill points decreased from 6 to 5, and the Bear Sovereign Breath Technique instantly jumped from Level 5 to Level 6 (1/3000).

As the Bear Sovereign Breath Technique reached Level 6, fragments of scattered training memories related to it were instantly imprinted into Rain's mind.

These scattered memories flashed through his mind like scenes from a movie, and then, like a natural instinct, they merged with the memories of his muscles and tendons.

When Rain opened his eyes again, it was as if he had endured half a year of grueling practice of the Bear Sovereign Breath Technique.

He immediately felt his blood circulation accelerating, as if he were forging iron next to a blazing furnace in a blacksmith's shop. His muscles and tendons also became more resilient and robust.

But the most significant change was that the mysterious energy within him was rapidly moving and strengthening, the roundworm, was not just a single thread but had multiplied into several threads, eventually forming a thin strand.

Rain tried again, guiding this energy to his greatsword, and it was noticeably more effective.

After several attempts, he finally succeeded once! This time, a barely perceptible faint light glowed from the Glowing Greatsword.

Rain knew this must be what Master Gunther had mentioned.

"Splash!" Rain burst out of the water and shouted to Basque on the shore, "Basque, I want to try again! Throw a few roundworms down here for me!"

Hearing Rain's shout, Basque nodded, "Alright, Rain!"

In fact, Basque had been waiting on the shore for a long time, anticipating Rain's next challenge.

He had a hunch that Rain might complete the task today, though it was possible he'd fall short by one or two worms.

After all, the day before, Rain had killed twenty-six Coastal Marauders within an hour, just four short of the task's goal of thirty.

Not only Basque but also several other young people nearby, who were also practicing killing Coastal Marauders, were drawn to Rain's sudden shout as he emerged from the water.

They all turned their heads, focusing their attention on Rain at the water's surface.

Over the past few days, they had witnessed Rain's increasing speed in killing the Coastal Marauders, approaching the task's requirement of thirty. Now, they wanted to see if this newcomer would complete the fourth training task on this very day.

"Plop!"

Basque threw a roundworm into the water not far from Rain, caught off guard, was momentarily stunned, but he quickly recovered and swung his double-handed greatsword, dealing a heavy blow to the hard head of the nearest Coastal Marauder. A gash opened, and strands of light red blood seeped into the sea.

However, because Rain couldn't fully control the thin strand of mysterious energy, the damage inflicted was not significantly different from before.

It was only slightly stronger than before, likely due to the Bear Sovereign Breath Technique reaching Level 6.

"Sizzle!"

The next swing! Still unable to control the energy!

The greatsword merely added another deep wound to the Coastal Marauder.

But on the third swing! Rain succeeded in controlling the energy!

The Glowing Greatsword, with a barely perceptible glow, slashed towards the midsection of the Coastal Marauder! "Ssss!"

With this strike, the creature's tough scales and exoskeleton beneath its skin offered little resistance, and it was cleaved into two pieces!

Rain felt like he had been using a rusty, blunt kitchen knife to cut meat, but now, it was as if he had switched to a brand-new 'Twin-Star' brand knife.

Action: Rain was initially surprised by the power of this mysterious energy, but soon after, he was overjoyed! Previously, it took him at least two minutes to kill a Coastal Madfish, but now, with the ability to harness this mysterious energy, he could achieve a one-hit kill.

This was a qualitative change and improvement!

Just now, Rain had killed the first Coastal Madfish in just ten minutes.

Facing the second attacking Coastal Madfish, Rain felt a bit excited, as he hadn't fully experienced the power of his previous strike, and it had ended so quickly! This time, he was determined to savor the feeling.

In less than three minutes, Rain had killed five Coastal Madfish! But in the sea, Rain, holding his greatsword in hand, still seemed to be savoring the difference in the energy.

However, Rain's killing efficiency had even stunned Basque on the shore. Basque quickly threw another roundworm into the sea.

Although Rain had killed the Coastal Madfish at an incredible speed, it was impossible for him to intercept all the madfish rushing towards the roundworm. So, the previous roundworm had already been swallowed by the Coastal Madfish.

However, this was the madfish's last meal. In less than three minutes, Rain had killed the Coastal Madfish.

The other young people on the shore were also astonished by Rain's efficiency. Basque threw the second roundworm in less than three minutes.

Could it be that Rain had killed four or five Coastal Madfish in just three minutes?

Impossible!

Perhaps the number of madfish he attracted was too small, only three of them?

For a moment, everyone looked at each other in shock. But soon, they stopped their actions and focused their attention on Basque's second roundworm, counting the number of madfish it attracted.

One... Two... This time, there were six madfish! They silently remembered this number in their hearts.

Next, they naturally turned their attention to Rain's performance.

However, Rain discovered that harnessing the mysterious energy was still inconsistent, and its power in combat was immense but not enduring.

After killing five madfish with the mysterious energy, Rain had nearly halved its power. In other words, if he were to use it again, the energy would be almost depleted.

Indeed, after three minutes, Rain had killed six more madfish, completely depleting the mysterious energy.

The people on the shore watched in disbelief at Rain's killing speed.

How could it be so fast?

Even the private child of a goddess might not be this fast! But without the mysterious energy's boost, Rain's killing speed decreased significantly. However, completing the goal of killing thirty madfish within an hour was still achievable.

So, Rain continued to kill the madfish while silently observing.

He realized that this mysterious energy seemed to originate from his flesh, and its production was rather slow.

Rain estimated that if he wanted to restore the previous level of mysterious energy, it might take some time. Perhaps practicing the Bear Sovereign Breath Technique could accelerate the recovery.

However, it was highly unlikely to recover and reuse it in the same battle once it was exhausted.

With the previous eleven madfish as a foundation, Rain successfully completed the goal of killing thirty madfish in this training session.

When Rain emerged from the sea, he found that Master Gunther and the others were waiting for him on the shore.

"Well done, Rain. You have completed the requirements of the fourth training task," Master Gunther said with a smile, looking at the drenched Rain.

Rain smiled and asked, "Master, can I proceed to the next training now?"

"Don't rush! Take a few days to solidify your progress," Master Gunther replied with a smile, not immediately agreeing to Rain's request to continue the next training.

Hmm?

Rain was a bit helpless.

After some thought, Rain asked, "Master, can you at least introduce the subsequent training first?"

The surrounding young people stopped their actions and listened intently.

Master Gunther found Rain's eagerness for the next training a bit odd, but he attributed it to Rain's curiosity. So, without further thought, he began to introduce it:

"The fifth and final training task."

"I prefer to call it the 'Faith Trial,' and it's a way to truly grasp and master the Force."

Rain suddenly had a realization. The mysterious energy within him was called the Force.

It sounded so familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

Was it the Jedi Order? Rain had a sudden thought.

Indeed, it was quite similar!

In a past life, a certain blockbuster movie had portrayed the Force as a unique energy generated within the body.

Master Gunther continued, "If you choose not to undergo the 'Faith Trial,' it's also fine."

"After returning, take a few days to solidify your progress. The 'Faith Trial' merely accelerates this process."

Rain understood the fifth task was dangerous, but it was also very effective, saving him years of time.

After some thought, Rain didn't hesitate and said, "Master, I want to give it a try!"

"I want to try to complete the 'Faith Trial'!"

"However, the 'Faith Trial' specifically requires..." Gunther Master's expression turned solemn as he said seriously, "to slay a Coastal Plesiosaur!"

"Hiss!"

A collective gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd.

Basque, in particular, wore a look of sheer horror.

Soon, whispers filled the air.

"A Coastal Plesiosaur? That's a large-scale feral beast, as powerful as a Great Knight among humans!"

"No matter how strong Rain is, he can't possibly match a Great Knight!"

"Has anyone ever completed this 'Faith Trial'?"

"This is way too difficult. Compared to the previous four tasks, they seem like child's play. This is the real deadly training."

".

Basque, being a native of the Golden Coast, was well aware of the Coastal Plesiosaur's formidable combat power, having witnessed it firsthand.

A fully grown Coastal Plesiosaur that came ashore had the strength to destroy an entire human town.

Its thick scales, nearly the size of a child's fist, provided defense far superior to that of a Coastal Marauder. A regular Knight's attacks on these scales would be like tickling.

Unless aided by giant crossbows or bronze cannons, even a Great Knight would struggle to drive away or defeat such a beast.

Hearing the whispers around him, Master Gunther glanced at Rain and noticed his calm expression. He nodded slightly, impressed.

After a moment's thought, Master Gunther looked at Rain and said, "Rain, you must have felt the Prime Force within you, but it's probably difficult to wield it freely, right?"

"Yes, Master," Rain nodded.

"Only by believing in yourself and having a firm and clear faith can you wield it freely!"

"It's not easy for a person to develop a firm and clear faith out of thin air."

"That's why cults rely on repeated prayer rituals to strengthen their followers' faith. With each ritual, their faith is established and reinforced!"

"This is why cultists can eventually harness the power of evil gods. They abandon belief in themselves and instead believe in evil deities."

"We, on the other hand, need to go through difficult battles and challenging trials to solidify our faith and make it pure!"

"When your faith is unwavering, you will believe in the sword in your hand, believing it can cut through anything!"

"If you understand this principle, you can harness your body's primal power and become one with the sword."

Rain nodded silently.

He understood the purpose of the 'Faith Trial.'

It was similar to what Lagre had once mentioned about the Barbarian's life-and-death trials, but with a different objective.

Master Gunther's 'Faith Trial' aimed to help an individual solidify their faith, enabling them to wield the Prime Force freely. The previous four training tasks were all in preparation for this trial, increasing the chances of success. Rain thought.

"However, Rain, don't think about the 'Faith Trial' for now. What you need to do is stabilize and adapt to the new breathing technique."

"In a month, once you've adjusted, we'll proceed with the final task," Master Gunther said with a smile.

"Master Gunther, can I choose to slay the Coastal Plesiosaur in three days?" Rain asked, his voice tense.

He understood Master Gunther's intention and knew that the master's arrangement was the most reasonable one.

But...

"Hmm?" Master Gunther's eyebrows furrowed, his expression displeased.

He had finally found a promising talent, and he had just explained all this to ensure Rain would take a steady approach.

Three days.

Three days weren't enough even to stabilize the new breathing technique, let alone enhance one's strength and speed through it.

Not to mention, the risk of facing a Coastal Plesiosaur now was several times higher than it would be in a month.

Upon hearing Rain's words, most of the onlookers' expressions changed from admiration to disbelief, as if saying, 'Rain, are you getting carried away?'

A few couldn't hold back and muttered, "What's Rain thinking? Why the rush?"

"I thought Rain was a level-headed person, but I never expected..."

"Yeah, it's the first time I've seen Master Gunther say so much, and Rain doesn't seem to appreciate it."

".

Rain knew that making this request would leave a bad impression on Master Gunther.

But he had no choice; he was running out of time.

"Master Gunther, in three days, I have to leave and return to Myester County."

"So, I don't want to leave with any regrets!"

"Please trust me; I won't play with my life!"

Rain looked intently at Master Gunther as he spoke.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end