Chapter 2 [Black Snake Holding a Candle] and [Knight Madness]

 The basement level of the castle.

 An underground secret room that Levi has never been to.

 The mechanism stone table slowly poked out from the ground.

An old, old-looking parchment lay quietly lying flat, with various scrawled random patterns of little figures painted on it with scarlet paint, with weird postures and different movements, forming a circle.

Outside these little people, there is a large black-scaled snake that seems to be able to surround the entire castle. The large snake is abstract in shape, spitting out letters, and has a simple candle standing on its lower jaw. The candlelight dispels the darkness and shines in all directions.

“This is the Snake family’s ancestral breathing method: the black snake breathing method. It is the strong foundation of the Snake family, and the Snake blood flowing in your body is the key to unlocking it all.”

 “This excellent quality breathing method is more precious than this Blackwater Valley.”

 Fred Knight said solemnly.

 Levi breathed heavily, he could finally embark on the path of true knight training!

 As far as he knows, knights divide breathing methods into four levels based on their sophistication and growth potential: rough, excellent, perfect, and legendary!

 Among them, 90% of the breathing methods are superficial breathing methods.

Practice this superficial level of breathing method, and many people can only be mediocre at the stage of knight attendants throughout their lives, unable to step into the realm of knights at all. Being able to condense the "Seed of Life" means you are lucky enough to become a formal knight. It is basically impossible to become a great knight. For example, this is the case with the "Snake Vulture Breathing Technique" practiced by Fred Knight.

Of course, excellent quality breathing techniques are just a stepping stone to becoming a great knight. To become a great knight, you need 90% talent, 9% opportunity, and 1% sweat.

 Perfect level of breathing techniques are probably only possessed by those duke families, and there are not many in the entire kingdom.

As for the breathing method of legendary quality, like the legendary knight, it almost only exists in legends, so it’s okay not to mention it.

An important feature of the breathing method of excellent quality and above is that most of the breathing methods inherited by families require family blood to practice. The specific reasons are not clear to the knights. This type of breathing method is also called "bloodline breathing method" Or "esoteric practice."

The Black Snake Breathing Method is a bloodline breathing method, unique to the Snake family!

Historically, it happened that some knights robbed other nobles of their ancestral breathing methods. The final outcome was either a life of mediocrity in practice, or they went crazy and died of bursting of blood vessels throughout their bodies.

 Some people say that this is a curse cast by the heroic spirits of the noble ancestors in heaven on those who blaspheme their families.

But Levi is not worried about this. He starts as a noble, with pure blood of the Snake family flowing in his body, and is the "son of the Black Snake"!

The Black Snake Breathing Technique was too expensive, so Levi did not take it out of the secret room. Instead, under the guidance of Fred Knight, he started practicing in the secret room. This lasted for half a month.

During this period, Knight Fred has been accompanying him. Although he does not know the Black Snake Breathing Technique, he is well-informed and can teach Levi well enough to get started.

On this day, Levi woke up in a strange posture. It seemed that he had not done any strenuous exercise, but he was sweating profusely, with bulging veins, a red face, and shortness of breath.

He felt as if the blood all over his body was boiling, circulating and metabolizing at an unusually fast rate. The energy stored in his body was being burned crazily, and he felt an extreme hunger that made him want to eat a whole snowshoe rabbit alive.

"Hungry!"

Levi said like a beast, low and hoarse.

When Knight Fred saw this, he was already prepared and brought over a plate of barbecue, a bowl of goat's milk, a large white bread roll with a layer of fragrant jam, and boiled cabbage.

 Such a food combination that covers carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins. In fact, nobles in this world rarely eat vegetables. They think that vegetables grown in the ground are inferior food and food for the poor. However, Li Wei knows the importance of balanced nutrition, so every time he asks his servants to cook Meat and vegetable combination. He inhaled the food and wolfed it down. His hunger disappeared and his expression relaxed.

The meal he just had was twice as much as a normal man's, but he was only eighty percent full.

  New skills have appeared on the proficiency panel in his mind:

 Levi Schnake————

Black Snake Breathing Technique: Level 1 (1/1000)

 …

According to Levi's previous experience, once a skill appears on the proficiency panel, it means that he has already started.

 The next thing to do is to practice step by step to improve your proficiency.

At the same time, preliminary mastery of breathing techniques is also a sign of becoming a knight's squire.

“Shield-bearer, sword-bearer, quasi-knight.”

 These are the three apprenticeship stages before becoming a formal knight, collectively called "knight squire".

  In the shield-wielding squire stage, in addition to practicing breathing techniques, you also need to learn basic shield use. Regardless of whether you need a shield in the future, learning to use a shield to fight is a required skill for knights.

 At the sword-holding squire stage, you have to start learning real sword skills, not just basic sword skills.

In this world, what can be called "skills" are extremely advanced combat skills, which require years or even decades of continuous practice. They are the most important thing for knights to improve their strength besides breathing.

To put it simply, the breathing method is an internal martial arts technique, while sword skills or other advanced weapons use skills are the means to exert the power of the breathing method and are external techniques.

 When you have achieved some success in the breathing method, you will be a quasi-knight. This is a crucial step, because next, you must gather the "seeds of life".

 If it succeeds, then the sea and the sky will be brighter, and he will become an invincible official knight on the battlefield; if he fails, it will be even more difficult to reunite again.

“It seems that the young master has initially mastered the Black Snake Breathing Technique. Although it is much slower than your father’s initial mastery in three days, it is above the average level in the history of the Black Snake family.”

“In addition, you should also feel that after you truly learn the breathing method, you will consume a lot of food every day for practice, so you must prepare enough food in advance before practice.

 Otherwise, that exaggerated sense of hunger will dominate your mind and destroy your will like a gluttonous demon. Driven by your hunger instinct, you may do some crazy and depraved things. This is how many of the notorious "knight lunatics" who were burned to death by the church came to be.

These crazy poor people are basically civilians who want to practice the knight's breathing method. They want to become stronger to protect their families, keep them fed and clothed, and live a life like a human being.

They walked on the edge of madness time and time again, thinking that they were different and that there would be a lot of luck and miracles in the world. In the end, some ate their old fathers, and some ate their wives and children..."

Fred Knight said with complicated eyes.

 He is a knight born as a commoner. He knows that feeling, so he is very grateful to Levi's father who saved him at the critical moment.

 (End of this chapter)