Chapter 25: Breathing Method (1)

On the continent there are not only discussions about who is the strongest, there are also many classic comparisons that have existed for centuries.

Elves vs demons

Dogs vs cats

Summer vs winter

West vs East

There are many more debates of this type, but most are avoided in daily life because they provoke conflicts.

Of course that only applies outside the gallery.

In the gallery that kind of moderation does not exist.

Whenever they have the chance, they argue saying that this is better or that is better, and that is how they pass the time.

Sometimes the discussion heats up too much and insults or hatred toward one of the sides appear.

In those cases the main moderator intervenes personally.

Among all those debates, there is one that always generates the greatest controversy.

Title) Mana training method vs internal cultivation method

Vote which one you think is better

1. Mana training method: 50%

2. Internal cultivation method: 50%

ㄴWow, how is it possible that both are at 50%?

ㄴEveryone is wrong. The mana method is better…

ㄴWhat nonsense. Better in what?

ㄴYou must be from Zhongyuan, right?

ㄴNo. I am from the Messiah Empire

ㄴThen you are a noble

ㄴNo, I am a knight.

That is precisely the topic in question.

The mana training method and the internal cultivation method.

It is a debate that has existed since ancient times and still continues.

Title) The origin of the mana method and the internal cultivation method

The most accepted theory says that both come from Aris, the goddess of war and younger sister of the god of magic Aragon.

Aris studied and analyzed the breathing of her brother Aragon and taught it to two disciples.

One of them was in charge of the west and the other of the east.

Over time, the west fragmented into many countries, while the east kept the name Zhongyuan.

Actually, since Aris only analyzed Aragon’s breathing, technically everything comes from Aragon’s breathing method.

End of the mythology lesson.

ㄴWas Aris beautiful?

ㄴIdiot, do you want to be arrested for blasphemy?

ㄴBut this is the gallery. So was she beautiful?

ㄴUnfortunately there are no records of that. She always wore a helmet because she was at war.

ㄴAllfather) According to my research, most likely she was beautiful.

ㄴWhy?

ㄴAllfather) The god of magic Aragon himself once said that his damned sister was unbearable, but that she was beautiful.

ㄴThen they were like normal siblings hahaha

ㄴIf even her brother admits she is beautiful, then it is already clear

ㄴSuddenly that information seems very reliable hahaha

ㄴAllfather) It is also said that they fought a lot. Every time they argued, mountains disappeared and seas stirred.

ㄴImpressive

ㄴAs expected from gods

ㄴAllfather) And every time that happened, the supreme god hit them from behind.

ㄴIn the end it was just a sibling fight, but on a gigantic scale hahaha

ㄴThey are surprisingly human hahaha

Just as mythology says, in the west the mana training method is predominant.

In Zhongyuan, on the other hand, the internal cultivation method dominates.

However, over time interesting theories appeared.

Title) Geography determined the fate of both methods

In the west there are many threats above and below demons, elves, and other dangerous races.

Because of that they needed to form powerful fighters as quickly as possible.

So they widely spread the mana training method, because it is easier to learn.

The problem is that undesirable people can also learn it.

Because of that, when rebellions occur, it is not rare for peasants to beat knights.

The fact that western countries fragmented is also related to this.

In the east, that is, Zhongyuan, powerful families strictly control the internal cultivation method.

The culture is very conservative and the geography is favorable, so there are no great internal or external threats.

Because of that it is only taught to selected people.

Most peasants do not even know what it is.

Due to geography, the mana method and the internal cultivation method ended up separating.

That is the predominant theory among scholars.

ㄴGood information

ㄴLately many in the east use mana methods. Could it be because of cultural exchange?

ㄴThat too, but above all because the mana method is easier to learn. Although it is still less profound.

ㄴOn the other hand, western nobles prefer the internal cultivation method to mark differences.

ㄴThen internal cultivation is something reserved for the elite.

ㄴYes, something like that.

ㄴNot necessarily. Many knights also learn it.

The mana training method is easy to learn, but its depth is limited.

The internal cultivation method is difficult to learn, but much deeper.

That is a deeply rooted belief.

Partly it is true, but it also has many errors.

Title) The best method is the one that adapts to oneself

Look at Ash from the Messiah Empire.

She became the strongest using only the mana method.

ㄴDoes that not mean she is simply abnormal?

ㄴYes, she is definitely abnormal.

ㄴThe method does not matter. If you are strong, you are strong.

ㄴDoes the hero also use the mana method?

ㄴI heard the hero uses an internal cultivation method exclusive to the Holy Kingdom.

ㄴIn the end the strong are simply strong.

Whatever the method, the strong will always be strong.

That is an absolute truth.

Even so, since pride and tradition are involved, neither side is willing to give in.

That is why these discussions appear constantly.

Especially for those who handle mana, it is a matter of pride.

Title) If you learned any good trick about breathing, leave a like

I will start hahaha

ㄴYes, many good tips come out

ㄴThanks to that I overcame a blockage

ㄴShrimps benefit when whales fight

ㄴI hope they keep arguing hahaha

Every time they argue, they end up revealing many useful tricks.

Although there are also users who say nonsense, normally people know how to filter them.

After all, nothing reveals someone’s true level better than breathing methods.

‘Oh. Is she going to teach him the internal cultivation method now?’

Ash, the strongest of the Messiah Empire and the current guard of her own house, became interested.

As always, she was checking the gallery while resting.

At that moment HeavenlyDemon began teaching Grills the internal cultivation method.

At first she did not give it much importance.

The HeavenlyDemon she knew would not teach something incorrect.

Even if she were a scammer, it would not matter either.

If Grills later posted that HeavenlyDemon was a scammer, the truth would come out.

There was also the possibility that Grills did not have talent.

Or that HeavenlyDemon did not have the ability to teach.

For Ash, simply observing was enough.

At least that was what she thought at first.

ㄴWildGrills) HeavenlyDemon. I followed your instructions and blood came out of my nose.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) What?!

“What?!”

Just as HeavenlyDemon was surprised, Ash was also shocked.

Someone having a nosebleed while practicing dantian breathing is not common.

After investigating a little more, Ash realized something.

‘Do not tell me that Grills also…’

The phenomenon Grills experienced had also happened to Ash.

She has a body that accumulates mana even just by breathing.

Every time she breathed, an amount of mana several times greater than that of a normal person accumulated in her mana hole (dantian).

Because of that, just like Grills, simply breathing caused her nose to bleed.

Back then no one knew that fact, so they simply let it pass.

They had never seen something like that.

Since dantian breathing is the most basic of the basics, at first they thought she had no talent.

But once that step is surpassed, the growth can become terrifying.

Ash could affirm it with certainty, because she herself had experienced it.

‘Could it be true? Really?’

Ash began asking Grills more questions.

The more she asked, the more she realized that his constitution was similar to hers.

Although it was not exactly the same.

In Grills’s case, the mana had accumulated because of the elixirs.

Even so, the fact that an enormous amount of mana entered his body every time he breathed was the same.

‘Could it be because he is in the Forest of the Four Seasons?’

Probably.

The concentration of mana in that forest is several or even dozens of times greater than in other regions.

Although it is only a hypothesis from scholars, it has considerable credibility.

‘The fact that an adult mandrake exists there already proves it.’

Even if the environment was different, the conditions were similar.

Because of that Ash made a decision.

She had to train Grills no matter what.

From what she had seen so far, his talent was not bad at all.

And above all, he had an enormous reason to become strong.

He is in a situation where he must cling even to a straw to survive.

‘If he ends up becoming stronger than me… hehehe.’

Ash smiled maliciously.

It was a feeling she had not had in a long time.

The ones she had trained before always ended up being disappointing or ran away.

But Grills was different.

He is trapped in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

He has nowhere to run.

If he wants to get out, the only option is to become strong.

It is perfect.

‘First I will have to teach him how to break through the next stage.’

Right now Grills’s body is in a state of saturation.

When he tried to introduce more mana, his body instinctively activated a defensive mechanism.

Ash was thinking of giving him advice to solve it, but an unexpected obstacle appeared.

“This woman is truly frustrating.”

Ash slightly frowned her beautiful face.

It was a mixture of annoyance and frustration.

‘Does she really have to be this stubborn?’

The obstacle was HeavenlyDemon.

When Ash tried to teach him a breathing method, HeavenlyDemon began interrupting constantly.

The tone was basically “I already claimed him, so stay away.”

‘Well… being someone from Zhongyuan, it is not that strange.’

People from Zhongyuan are extremely sensitive about the master-disciple relationship.

So much that it is said the master is like a father and the disciple like a son.

In fact, the internal cultivation method is a secret that is not passed on to just anyone.

‘That means she truly trusts him.’

If HeavenlyDemon had insisted with absurd logic, Ash would have argued until the end.

But she responded with fairly solid arguments.

So Ash decided to step back.

Arguing here would not help Grills at all.

But the solution had to be opened somehow.

So she made one last proposal.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) Then, until Grills can circulate mana, I will teach him some of my methods. In Zhongyuan they call it energy circulation, right?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) If you only help him until energy circulation, I have no problem. But I will teach him the next method.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) I was not planning to go beyond that anyway.

It was not a lie.

Even if her words were sincere, she had other intentions.

The internal cultivation method is difficult.

Very difficult.

Both breathing methods are the same up to the point of circulating mana.

But after that a great difference appears in what they call cultivation verses.

Unlike the mana method, the internal cultivation method includes quite philosophical concepts.

For example, the mana method simply tells you where to move the mana.

Internal cultivation is much more complex.

‘The water that is born in the valley flows toward the sea ugh, how frustrating.’

But it is not all disadvantages either.

Just like a carp that lives in a river does not grow the same as one that lives in a lake, breathing methods are somewhat similar.

The mana method has many limitations when it comes to enlightenment.

The internal cultivation method does not.

Because the cultivation verses already contain various forms of understanding that help advance to the next level.

ㄴWildGrills) So even what they call energy circulation is the same for both methods?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) That is correct. But from what I heard, you already sent energy to the middle and upper dantian.

ㄴWildGrills) I am not sure, but I felt a strange energy pass through my heart and my brain, and then spread through my whole body. After that it returned to the abdomen.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) How curious. Perhaps it was turning disaster into fortune, but they have already opened. Perhaps you have potential comparable to mine.

ㄴWildGrills) Then will I also be able to launch a tornado-like energy attack from my hand?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Ugh.

“Pfft!”

Ash burst into laughter.

For HeavenlyDemon to react with that level of disbelief…

That only meant Grills was very strange.

Even so, his positive attitude was pleasant.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) For now it is best to start with energy circulation. Listen carefully to my advice and that irregular stone’s advice.

ㄴWildGrills) I will keep that very much in mind.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) That irregular stone refers to me?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) It seems you at least have some awareness.

There was nothing to say.

Ash nodded to herself.

But she had no intention of giving up.

Sooner or later Grills would look for the mana method.

‘He will surely say the internal cultivation method is too difficult.’

Grills is an ordinary person.

An ordinary and educated person.

According to Ash’s standards, an ordinary person in other words, a commoner barely knows how to read.

He does not know exactly what Grills’s childhood was like, but he does know it was not good.

His parents died in an accident and he grew up alone.

With a life like that, he must have been too busy surviving.

It is very likely he did not receive proper education.

That is why the internal cultivation method will not be very effective for him either.

‘He says he comes from another world, but who would believe that?’

That kind of story is a very common cliché in the gallery.

Saying you can destroy a city with a single bomb who would believe that?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Energy circulation is simple. Just repeat what you just experienced.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) Since the same thing as before could happen, it is better to leave more time between breaths.

Ash and HeavenlyDemon shared several pieces of advice in private comments.

Grills probably started practicing after reading them, because he did not reply.

And quite some time passed.

More than ten minutes without any comment.

Ash began to worry and was about to write when…

ㄴWildGrills) Ah, sorry. Suddenly my stomach hurt a lot;; I will continue now.

ㄴThis guy always says his stomach hurts hahaha

ㄴThe shitter hahaha

Apparently it was only unnecessary worry.

It was not known whether he had a weak intestine or a very active one, but those things happened to him quite often.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Even if your stomach hurts, try to endure it. If you interrupt the process you could fall into qi deviation.

ㄴWildGrills) It is a biological function. Can I also fall into qi deviation because of that?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Of course. There was even a fool who fell into qi deviation just by asking someone how to breathe.

ㄴWildGrills) What a ridiculous thing…

Even though it sounds funny, it is actually a fairly well-known story.

Mana circulation (energy circulation) requires a very high level of concentration.

Even if someone simply talks to you, it is easy for your concentration to break.

ㄴWildGrills) For now I will keep trying. Until when do I have to do it?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Until you feel the internal energy circulating through your whole body.

ㄴSwordTasteMaster) Exactly as HeavenlyDemon said.

ㄴWildGrills) Yes. Thank you.

Then quite some time passed again without him saying anything.

This time it was not as urgent.

Mana circulation usually takes quite a while each time it is performed.

So they thought that if they waited calmly, sooner or later he would write another comment.

[ Title: Is mana circulation normally like this? ]

Until they saw a post in the gallery.

The title did not seem like much, but the author was WildGrills.

Ash opened the post wondering what problem had happened this time.

Title) Is mana circulation normally like this?

WildGrills

Following the advice I am circulating mana, but every time it completes a cycle I feel like taking a shit. Is this normal?

“……”

Ash encountered an impossible problem for the first time in her life.

“…What the hell does this nonsense mean?”

HeavenlyDemon was thinking exactly the same thing.