Chapter 98: Breathing Skill Selection
It’s not that a Warrior couldn’t break through without learning a Breathing Skill.
Take Bard, for example. He still managed to become an Earth Tier Warrior without a Breathing Skill.
However, mastering a Breathing Skill offered a Warrior numerous advantages, such as enhanced muscle control, pain suppression, and bursts of increased power.
Duane had three Breathing Skills available to him.
The Grizzly Bear Breathing Skill could enhance a Warrior’s Strength and defense. Over time, it would also subtly make the Warrior’s physique more burly, like Kaelon’s.
The Shadow Leopard Breathing Skill focused on speed and agility.
His father, Carter, had learned this very Breathing Skill. Enhanced by Swift Step, it had allowed him to secure a place among the Celestial Tier Warriors.
As for the Cyan Snake Breathing Skill, which circulated throughout the Kingdom Legion, Warriors who mastered it possessed three main traits: tenacity, enhanced constrictive power, and poison resistance.
Tenacity referred to the ’Soft Bone Unloading Power’ trait that Warriors gained, allowing them to disperse the force of incoming blows.
A blow with eight hundred pounds of force might land with only six hundred pounds of impact after it’s been deflected;
Enhanced constrictive power meant a Warrior’s strength was amplified in a grapple—enough to crush the sternum of a Heavy Armor Warrior!
It was like a python coiling around its prey, contracting its body to strangle it to death.
As for poison resistance, the meaning was literal: the Warrior gained higher resistance to poisons and other toxins.
Duane analyzed the traits of the three Breathing Skills, ultimately setting his sights on the Cyan Snake Breathing Skill.
’The Cyan Snake Breathing Skill provides a decent boost to speed, Strength, and defense. While it’s not as specialized as the Grizzly Bear or Shadow Leopard Breathing Skills, it’s the most well-rounded overall.’
But what Duane valued most was the poison resistance.
He had a strong sense of self-preservation and was wary of anyone using underhanded methods against him.
Learning the Cyan Snake Breathing Skill would mitigate the danger of such tactics.
’The only drawback is that this is the watered-down version of the Cyan Snake Breathing Skill, not the true one the Royal Family possesses.’
Only Royal Family Members were qualified to learn the true Cyan Snake Breathing Skill; it was unattainable for commoners.
However, Duane wasn’t too concerned about that.
After all, he had his attribute panel. As his Skill Level increased and he advanced, he would receive more information for optimization.
He suspected that his version could eventually not only match but even surpass the Royal Family’s Cyan Snake Breathing Skill.
Therefore, whether it was the watered-down version or not wasn’t a major issue for him.
After some consideration, he had a Male Servant summon Raymond and expressed his desire to learn the Cyan Snake Breathing Skill.
Raymond didn’t hesitate and immediately began to impart his knowledge of the Breathing Skill.
After all, Duane was a Baron. Even if the Royal Family were to find out, the worst that could happen would be a fine, and as the instructor, Raymond would be spared.
If he had taught it to a commoner with no background, however, both of them would have been in serious trouble.
Learning the Cyan Snake Breathing Skill could be broken down into three simple steps.
First, one had to adjust their breathing to the rhythm of a flicking snake’s tongue for about five days.
The second step was to drink raw snake blood for three days, using Fighting Qi to envelop, break down, and absorb it, thereby allowing the body to begin adapting to the toxins.
The third step was to be bitten by a venomous snake. At the moment the venom entered the body, one had to circulate their Fighting Qi and adjust their breathing to assimilate and absorb the toxins into the Fighting Qi Seed within their heart, imbuing it with the characteristics of the Cyan Snake.
Finally, when the Warrior broke through to the Advanced level and the Fighting Qi Seed fully sprouted, they would possess Cyan Snake Fighting Qi.
This was the entire process for learning the Cyan Snake Breathing Skill, and just hearing it made Duane apprehensive.
After all, snakes were inherently frightening creatures. He had encountered one in the mountains before he transmigrated, and a single glance had sent a shiver down his spine.
Let alone the fact that he now had to drink raw snake blood and willingly let himself be bitten.
He even wondered if he would die from the parasites that surely infested the raw blood.
Fortunately, Raymond explained everything.
If a normal person drank raw snake blood, they would most likely experience abdominal pain, fever, unconsciousness, or even death.
But for a Middle Level Warrior who had mastered Fighting Qi, this wasn’t dangerous.
To put it plainly, under Raymond’s guidance, there was almost no danger in learning the Cyan Snake Breathing Skill.
With that, Duane suppressed his apprehension and officially began his training.
The process was somewhat similar to brewing wine. Until he drank the snake blood and was bitten by a venomous snake, his Skill Level remained stuck at the Initial stage.
After Duane completed his breathing rhythm practice and drank three days’ worth of snake blood supplied by his Territory’s Snake Catcher, his Breathing Skill’s Skill Level finally reached (Initial 89/100).
Nine days later, Raymond stood before Duane, holding a large-headed snake.
"This is a common venomous snake on the island. Its venom is rather weak. Even without treatment, it would only cause some localized pain and numbness for a few days and won’t leave any serious after-effects."
Raymond said this while controlling the long snake, squatting down to let it bite Duane’s calf.
"It is said that when Royal Family Members learn the authentic Cyan Snake Breathing Skill, they require the help of the Black-eyed Cyan Snake from the Cyan Snake Fortress."
The Black-eyed Cyan Snake is the Pruck Royal Family’s Contracted Demon Beast.
The venom of a Level 6 Demon Beast wasn’t something an ordinary person could withstand.
Only with the Demon Beast’s willing cooperation could the Royal Family’s Middle Level Warriors hope to survive.
"However, we’re learning the Kingdom Legion version of the Cyan Snake Breathing Skill, so there’s no specific requirement for the snake’s venom."
Raymond asked, "My Lord, shall we begin?"
Duane blinked, unable to stop himself from swallowing hard.
The snake before him was about two meters long with a rather large, triangular head. Its body was covered in a pattern of earthy-yellow and white, making it look a bit like a pit viper.
"L-Let’s begin!"
Raymond chuckled inwardly, surprised to see the Baron had a fearful side.
His expression remained impassive, however, as he instructed,
"Direct your Fighting Qi to your leg. Remember, the instant you’re bitten, adjust your breathing to convert and absorb the venom."
"Right!"
Fighting Qi flowed from his heart, covering his entire left calf.
Duane’s voice was firm. "Begin!"
Raymond no longer hesitated and thrust the large-headed snake forward.
HISS~
The snake let out a hair-raising hiss and lunged, sinking its fangs into Duane.
It felt like getting a shot, followed by a dull, throbbing ache.
Duane had no time to dwell on the sensation and immediately began circulating his Fighting Qi according to the technique.
Fortunately, he had already gotten a good handle on the breathing rhythm and the process of absorbing the snake blood over the past few days.
This final step went very smoothly.
Soon, he felt a cool energy generate in his leg, which then followed his retracting Fighting Qi back into the Fighting Qi Seed in his heart.
Before long, the discomfort in his leg vanished. Immediately after, he sensed that his Fighting Qi was different.
In terms of color alone, his previously blue Fighting Qi was now tinged with dark green.
"My Lord, you’ve succeeded!"
Duane laughed. "It’s all thanks to your guidance. I appreciate your help."
Raymond scratched his head. "I wouldn’t call it guidance. As long as one knows the method, learning the Cyan Snake Breathing Skill isn’t difficult."
It was a common enough Breathing Skill; the keys were knowing the method and having the Royal Family’s permission.
Duane opened his attribute panel.
The Cyan Snake Breathing Skill was now displayed under the [Basic] section. Its Skill Level had broken through, reaching (Entry 10/200).
From now on, Duane no longer needed to rely on drinking raw snake blood or getting bitten by snakes to train it.
He now only needed to circulate his Fighting Qi with a specific breathing rhythm to raise its Skill Level.
He believed the next few days would be a period of rapid growth.