"Breathing techniques are esoteric breathing patterns. With the right breathing technique, you can build your muscle better, maintain your Stamina, get faster or even strike harder. It's a fundamental that is often overlooked by many, however true swordsmen start with their breathing pattern. There are multiple breathing techniques but I will teach you the one I'm most familiar with."
~Whoom~
Fire lit up as Lia finished, she had circled Leon with a pile of firewood and set it on fire.
"Normally, I shouldn't be doing this but we don't have time. To use a particular breathing technique, you have to feel the essence of its nature, most times visualising it can help, but it takes a lot of time. But when you are directly facing it, that works much better."
She entered the fire and bent down.
~tap~
~tap~
~tap~
~tap~
She tapped with two of her fingers, several specific points on his back. "I have opened the necessary pathways for fire breathing, now go ahead. Inhale as much oxygen as you can and the moment it's about to go down your lungs, stop it, don't lose control of that oxygen until you are sure it's not going down the regular way." She said as she stepped out of the fire.
Leon stared into the fire and heavily inhaled, he squeezed his nose and all his neck together such that his veins were popping out of his head and his upper head was reddening.
~Keeeugghkk~
~cough!*cough!!~
He choked and coughed out hard, grabbing his neck.
"Try again, you must get it before dawn, it'd improve your training." She said and went under the leaf tent.
Leon looked at her with cussful eyes and then inhaled hard again.
...
[You have unlocked a new stat]
[Perseverance]
[Perseverance has increased by 1]
[Perseverance has increased by 1]
[Perseverance has increased by 1]
[Perseverance has increased by 1]
[Perseverance has increased by 1]
[Perseverance has increased by 1]
[Perseverance has increased by 1]
...
From midnight till dawn the notification did not stop appearing but Leon paid no attention to it as he was consumed in his trial and error.
[You have gained a little resistance to heat]
'It's like a burning sensation, every time I let it down my lungs it's as though my throat, lungs and inside are burning, it must be a wrong pathway which is why she said I shouldn't let go... hold it in
At this point, all his veins were showing on his forehead, from red, the colour of his forehead had turned to dull purple, he lost count of how long he had been holding it. What struck him more was the intensity of the pain, he was sure that if what he was doing right now was possible in reality, he would feel the same amount of pain he was feeling, which made Age Of Aron more of a reality to him.
As the sun fully rose to the skies, all the fire around him had burnout.
[You have opened a new breathing pathway]
[You have gained a substantial amount of resistance to intense heat]
[You have established fire breathing]
[You have gained a little resistance to fire element attacks both physical and magical]
[The strength of your mental prowess has increased a bit]
Leon felt a massive surge of relief as the burning sensation I'm his lungs went opposite directions and cooled down, his head slowly went back to normal colour and his veins sank back in. He panted heavily and began to sweat.
"Don't forget!! Use it even as you are panting!!" Lia's voice rang loudly from behind him.
He immediately changed his breathing pattern and used the fire breathing technique as he panted. It was hard but he kept at it. He placed his hands below his nose and felt the warmness of his breath. He looked at Lia.
[You have completed Lia's task]
[You have learnt the fire breathing technique]
[Your Affinity with Lia has increased by 100]
"Good, you at least have what it takes," she said, then went opposite where Leon was seated and grabbed a wooden sword which she threw at him.
He caught it and stood up, 'She's not even going to give me time to rest? I've not been able to log out since I started these three days quests'
"You will maintain fire breathing at all times during this fight," she said and took an inside stance, pointing her sword, horizontally forward.
~takh~
~takh~
~takh~
They started another round of sparring, and Leon blocking with fewer mistakes than before.
'I suddenly can withstand the impact' Leon was surprised.
~Whish~
Lia suddenly flew backwards, as her feet landed softly on the ground...
"Moonlit sword: fourth form: Lonely Moon"
She swung at Leon a barrage of crescent slashes. Each slash wrapped in her aura and briefly dispersed a maroon-coloured crescent moon as they approached him. Leon was overwhelmed, with no time to think he jumped out of the way.
[You have received 322 damages]
[You have received 411 damages]
[Your HP has fallen below half]
[You have received 428 damages]
[You have entered a critical state]
[You have entered bleed state]
[Shilgami: Discerning eyes has captured the brief moment]
[However, it is still incomplete]
[Shilgami: Discerning eyes has levelled up]
"We are not stopping, I told you. The real sparring starts now"