Furan returned to her dormitory. After setting everything down, she picked up the sheet of paper labeled [Swift Wind Breathing Technique] and studied its contents carefully. She then located the skill on her interface.
[Swift Wind Breathing Technique (Uninitiated) (Proficiency: 0/10): Once learned, you can receive the assistance of the wind while moving.]
This made Furan very happy, though she didn't know why the interface didn't indicate that the version she had was incomplete.
But whatever, if it was on the interface, she'd just start practicing. She had been fed up with her frail constitution for a long time.
As a modern person, she truly couldn't imagine how adjusting the frequency and depth of one's breathing could have any miraculous effects.
But practice brings true knowledge. She followed the method recorded on the paper to adjust her breathing.
"Awoo... awoo..." It had to be said, the breathing method recorded here wasn't something an ordinary person could do. What did it mean to 'exhale all air and then force out one more breath'? It made her small face turn red from holding her breath.
However, there were results. After barely completing the breathing as required, she felt her body become much lighter, and her arms moved faster.
"There's nothing left!" While she was adjusting her breathing according to the records, she saw that it ended abruptly at about the 70% mark. At that moment, she felt a pocket of air stuck in her lungs. She tried the previous steps, but to no avail.
Finally, she let out a violent exhale to release all the air. The lack of air in her lungs made her gasp for breath violently, and it took a minute for the situation to ease.
"It really is an incomplete Breathing Technique; you get what you pay for."
It could only be said that for five silver coins, such a major flaw was expected. If she practiced it wrong, she might have died on the spot from oxygen deprivation.
Furan silently checked the interface. There had been a notification just now, but she hadn't noticed it due to her heavy breathing.
[You attempted the Swift Wind Breathing Technique for the first time and gained some insights. Proficiency +2]
She calculated the time; one practice session took about half an hour, plus ten minutes to catch her breath. Today, she would first reach the Uninitiated level for this Breathing Technique to improve her constitution... About three hours later, Furan was drenched in sweat, her skin was red, and she lay on the ground, not wanting to move. But she had finally reached the Entry level for the Breathing Technique.
[You practiced the Swift Wind Breathing Technique diligently and can now allow the wind to assist your actions. Proficiency increased; reached Entry level.]
[Name: Furan
Class: None
Attributes: Constitution 1.0, Spiritual Power 1.4
Skills: Herb Identification, Herb Processing (Proficient)
Harmony Method (Uninitiated)
Swift Wind Breathing Technique (Entry) (Proficiency: 0/100): You can let the wind speed up your movements.
Star Gazing Technique (Uninitiated)
Trait: Move With the Wind (The wind clings to your body, making your movements lighter and granting a slight affinity for the wind element.)]
It had to be said, those five silver coins were well spent. Not only did it fulfill her initial goal of improving her constitution, but it also unlocked a new section: Traits.
She tried to get up without using the Breathing Technique and felt as if something was pushing her along. She stood up very easily.
She felt it must be the 'Move With the Wind' trait at work. If she added the bonus from the Breathing Technique, her movements would surely be even faster.
But why did I get a trait from practicing this Breathing Technique, while I got nothing even after reaching Proficient in herb-related skills?
She thought about it; it might be due to the rank. No matter how incomplete a Breathing Technique was, it was something that could lead to an official rank. Its level was naturally different from herb-related skills.
Unfortunately, even after reaching the Entry level, the interface didn't directly implant knowledge into her mind like it did with Herb Identification. She had wondered if the interface could complete the Breathing Technique for her; perhaps it would at a higher level.
Speaking of which, she looked at the Harmony Method on the interface. Logically, she should get up immediately and grind through all fifty sets of materials to see if she could trigger a trait.
But as she opened and closed her palm, she could feel that her body was at its limit. Practicing the Breathing Technique consumed too much stamina. If not for the 'Move With the Wind' trait, she would find it hard even to stand right now.
Just as she was about to go to sleep, she suddenly remembered she had another skill called Star Gazing Technique.
Perfect. Lying in bed, she opened the window and could see the stars in the night sky. She wanted to see if she could practice this Star Gazing Technique while falling asleep.
Furan stared wide-eyed at the stars outside, but felt nothing.
However, the night sky of this other world was truly different. The stars were so bright, and a few large ones were even more prominent than the current crescent moon.
Gradually, Furan began to see a pattern. The positions of these stars were not fixed; several times she saw a star move to one side and then move back.
A flash of inspiration hit Furan. She remembered the diagrams she saw in 'Starlight and the Sea' this morning; some positions were very similar to the current arrangement of these stars.
She desperately tried to compare those images in her mind with the starry sky before her eyes. After discovering several differences, her Spiritual Power subconsciously corrected those positions in her mind.
Furan's eyelids drooped; she was already very sleepy, but her brain remained extremely active. Once she had matched all the positions in her mind with the images, a scene appeared before her eyes.
It was Furan's back. She was watching from a third-person perspective. Furan was standing on a wasteland, holding a sword. Among the people opposite her, there was one Furan found very familiar.
It was the apprentice who had run away as soon as he saw her after she left the hall this morning. Beside him was a man wearing a gray robe and holding a bone staff.
"Apprentice, if I were you, I would give up resistance... Of course, if you tell me the secret of your immortality, I can give you a less painful death."
Furan, who was watching the scene, was shocked. Someone wanted to harm her! She hurriedly observed the man's appearance, trying to memorize his face.
Meanwhile, the Furan who was fighting said a single word: "Richter..."
This made Furan sigh with emotion. As expected of her, she had already doxxed him. That name was most likely the opponent's name. She just needed to look for it in reality.
Then, upon hearing the name, Richter took action immediately. His staff shot out a pale ray, while his other hand, which wasn't holding the staff, unfurled a scroll. Several skeletons crawled out of the ground, carrying weapons.
However, the scene that followed left Furan stunned. She saw wind begin to wrap around her body. Furan knew she was using the Swift Wind Breathing Technique; it could be used in battle to enhance oneself.
Then, Furan moved with a speed that the spectating her couldn't react to. By the time she could see clearly, Richter's throat had been slit by her sword, the skeletons had been smashed to pieces, their bones scattered, and the other apprentice had been pierced through the body, dying on the spot.
Before she could even marvel at how strong she was...
Two notification sounds appeared.
[Through your own fumbling with the Star Gazing Technique, you miraculously witnessed a future scene. Proficiency increased to Entry level.]
[You witnessed a battle using the Swift Wind Breathing Technique and learned how to fight. Proficiency +20.]
That works too?