Chương 31: The First Breath

The return journey to the frontier outpost was far quieter than the march into the forest. Every member of Leon's group had successfully completed their tenth compatible hunt, and deep within their bodies, the dormant Spirit Blood Seeds had finally transformed into true Ancient Spirit Blood, each one silently circulating through its owner's veins like a newly awakened heart. No one spoke much as the exhaustion of nearly a full day of hunting caught up to them.

Even Ethan, normally incapable of remaining quiet for long, walked beside Leon in comfortable silence. The moment the gates of the outpost came into view, General Kaelen was already waiting. The silver-feathered general stood with his hands behind his back, watching the returning hunting parties one by one until his eyes immediately settled on Leon, taking in the bruises, bandaged ribs, fresh scratches, a torn sleeve, and the fact that he was limping with Ethan supporting him.

"What happened to you?" Kaelen asked, his face perfectly blank. Before Leon could answer, Lyra stepped forward and saluted.

"Permission to report, General."

"Granted." She explained everything—the Grade Two beast, Leon's experimental attack, the total failure of his Yin-Yang Strike, the brutal counterattack, the impact with the tree, and the rescue—omitting absolutely nothing. Kaelen listened without interrupting, his expression unchanging, until a heavy silence lingered between them for several seconds after she finished. The general slowly turned back toward Leon.

"... You really took my words to heart, huh." Leon blinked, trying to gauge the tone.

"... Sir?"

"I warned you not to throw your life away," Kaelen paused.

"You somehow interpreted that as throwing yourself against the biggest beast you could find." Ethan immediately burst into laughter.

"I told you!" Leon scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"... In my defense, I learned something."

"I know," Kaelen sighed, shaking his head.

"... That's somehow the worst part." A few nearby veterans couldn't suppress quiet chuckles as the general pinched the bridge of his nose before finally waving a dismissive hand.

"Go get treated. And Leon..." Leon stopped in his tracks.

"Yes, General?" Kaelen looked directly into his eyes, his voice softening.

"Curiosity is one of your greatest strengths. It can also become the reason brilliant people die." Leon gave a small, respectful nod.

"I understand." Kaelen held his gaze for another moment before nodding once himself.

"I hope."

Fortunately, Self-Reliance Mode had already repaired most of the serious internal damage before the camp physician even examined him. The healer looked over the remaining bruises before shaking his head in disbelief.

"I've seen people bedridden for weeks after injuries like these." Leon smiled awkwardly.

"I heal quickly." Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"... Apparently." Within half an hour, the group gathered once more in the central training yard. Unlike the previous days, every recruit present now possessed a genuine Spirit Blood, and General Kaelen stepped aside to cede the floor.

"Today's lesson belongs to Lyra." The young Feather Race veteran stepped into the center of the training field, looking around at the assembled recruits.

"Congratulations. You've completed the qualification of the Foundation Realm." Several smiles appeared across the ranks before she immediately raised a finger.

"Don't celebrate yet. The difficult part begins now." She allowed the excitement to settle before continuing.

"The Foundation Realm of Body Tempering consists of two phases. The first is obtaining a spirit blood, also known as Bloodline Nourishment. You've already completed it, though you can continue nourishment to level up your spirit blood to a desolate or even immemorial level. This makes future cultivation faster and your control better." She pointed toward her own chest.

"The second is Bloodline Awakening." Leon listened intently, matching her words to his own internal models.

"This distinction exists for the same reason Immortal Cultivators require both a Spirit Root and a Dantian," Lyra explained, drawing two circles in the dirt with the tip of her boot.

"A Spirit Root is merely the prerequisite, while the Dantian is what allows proper cultivation." She erased the marks before drawing another pair.

"The Spirit Blood serves the same role; it is only the prerequisite, and the awakened Bloodline is what allows true strengthening." Miller frowned, raising his hand slightly.

"If we already have Spirit Blood... what exactly is missing?"

"A good question," Lyra smiled, picking up a handful of dirt before letting it fall slowly between her fingers.

"Your Spirit Blood already attracts Qi naturally. Even now, every one of your bodies is continuously drawing tiny amounts of Qi from the surrounding world." Everyone instinctively looked around at the empty air.

"You simply can't feel it yet," she continued, pointing toward the drifting grains of dirt.

"The problem is that almost all of it escapes. Imagine trying to fill a bucket with no bottom. The water enters, and it immediately leaves. Your bloodline receives almost nothing." Leon nodded slowly. That engineering problem made perfect sense to him.

"So our goal is to stop the leaking."

"Exactly," Lyra smiled approvingly.

"The first stage of Bloodline Awakening is the weakest form of activation. It doesn't increase your strength; it simply prevents the Qi your Spirit Blood attracts from escaping too quickly." She sat cross-legged on the ground, instructing the recruits to copy her posture. Leon folded his legs beneath him, tuning his focus to her voice as Lyra closed her eyes.

"Your lungs already breathe—in," she inhaled, "and out," she exhaled.

"Your Spirit Blood also breathes. It inhales Qi, and it exhales Qi." She opened one eye to check their forms.

"The problem is that both rhythms naturally occur together." She drew two identical waves in the dirt to illustrate the concept.

"When your lungs inhale, your Spirit Blood inhales. When your lungs exhale, your Spirit Blood exhales." She tapped the peak of the drawing.

"The Qi enters, and immediately leaves. Sage Breathing deliberately forces those two rhythms out of phase. When your lungs inhale, your Spirit Blood exhales. When your lungs exhale, your Spirit Blood inhales." Leon immediately pictured two mirrored sine waves, their opposing peaks and troughs canceling each other out perfectly. Lyra smiled as though reading his thoughts.

"Think of two waves constantly pushing against each other. The opposing rhythms create equilibrium, so the Qi no longer rushes out. It lingers around your body as an incredibly thin film—so thin that you cannot see it, but long enough for your Bloodline to begin feeding." A murmur spread through the recruits as the concept clicked. There was no force, no compression, and no complex circulation; it was just pure balance. Lyra nodded.

"Exactly. The Bloodline will do the rest. It only needs time—a lot of time." General Kaelen stepped forward once more to reinforce her words.

"Do not rush. The Foundation Realm rewards patience." He glanced briefly toward Leon before adding, "... Especially you." Quiet laughter spread through the group, and even Leon smiled at the callout.

"Now," Lyra said, signaling the end of the lecture.

"Close your eyes. Forget your muscles, forget your thoughts, and simply breathe. Follow the method I tell you and try to understand the frequency of your Qi breath, then adjust your breathing to that frequency to complete your sage breathing." The training yard gradually fell silent as dozens of recruits inhaled and exhaled together. For the first time since arriving in this world, Leon stopped trying to aggressively seize power; he simply closed his eyes and took his first balanced breath.