When he woke up, it was already noon.
Lunch was seafood paired with flatbread; after eating, he went to the Meditation Room, lit the incense, then sat down cross-legged, turned the hourglass upside down, and began to meditate.
Time, like the fine yellow sand in an hourglass, gradually slipped away.
The Meditation Room was very quiet, with only the constant rustling sound of the sand leaking and Colin's subtly unnoticeable breathing.
After some time had passed, he slowly opened his eyes, moved his head a bit, and then looked at the hourglass.
"About five hours have passed," he judged silently after a careful observation.
Then he stood up, stretching his slightly stiff limbs.
Initially, the original owner's limit for meditating each day was about seven hours. Later, with the appearance of the Golden Paper and pushing the Meditation Method to its limits, the daily meditation cap had been reduced to six hours.
Now, after breaking through a limit with the Circulation Meditation, the daily cap had been reduced by about an hour, necessitating only around five hours.
However, the reduction in time did not mean there was less increase in Magic Power each day. He clearly felt that after breaking through one limit, the increase in Magic Power from these two meditation sessions was more than before.
To estimate accurately, though, he still needed to check the Golden Paper.
With a bit of anticipation, he summoned forth the Golden Paper.
Particles of pale gold converged before him.
[Rank: Basic Level Wizard Apprentice (55/100); Basic Level Knight (69/100)]
He felt a surge of joy in his heart.
The figure in the Rank section of Basic Level Wizard Apprentice had changed from 54/100 to 55/100.
"The same as last night, it increased by one point... This means that with each meditation session, I can improve by one point in my Rank progress!"
"Now, I am only 45 points away from the limit of Basic Level Wizard Apprentice. In terms of days, that's 45 days, a month and a half. And there's still two and a half months until the assessment, so there's plenty of time!"
Colin's heart finally settled, as if a great weight had been lifted.
He stood in place for quite a while before he calmed down.
Unfortunately, there was no one to share his feelings with.
"Now what should I do?" he pondered, sitting back down cross-legged.
"Or rather, how should I allocate the remaining Limit Breaking Points?"
"Bright Crystal Making, Ignition Technique, Sunlight Breathing Technique... It seems these are the only ones that have reached their limits..."
After a moment of contemplation, he summoned the Golden Paper and focused his thoughts on the Sunlight Breathing Technique.
The Ignition Technique was the first to be dismissed; it was merely a trick, and breaking its limit probably wouldn't offer a significant improvement. Of course, he could choose to enhance it later when he had the means, but there was no need to rush it.
As for Bright Crystal Making, he had initially planned to improve it first.
But then he vaguely recalled something Charlie had said to him — "I will come to find you again."
So with a shift in his thoughts, he decided to first break through the limit of the Sunlight Breathing Technique, so that at least when Charlie came to find him, he could be somewhat stronger.
However, he later thought that since it was only a question of a single Magic Stone, even if he improved later, the difference would only be a day or two. So in reality, there was no need to be overly concerned.
Just like breaking the limit with the meditation method, as the Limit Breaking Points were consumed, a flood of complex knowledge surged through his mind.
Only this time, the process was much shorter than when he had broken through the limit of the Meditation Method. After about twenty minutes, Colin opened his eyes.
He got up, walked out of the Meditation Room, and went to the side of his bed to begin practicing the Sunlight Breathing Technique after breaking the limit.
The movements of the Sunlight Breathing Technique after breaking through were far more complex than before, and the timing of the breaths syncing with the movements had become much more precise.
After a while, Colin finished the sequence and stood still, exhaling a long breath, sweat dripping down from his chin.
He lifted a hand to wipe the sweat away while summoning the Golden Paper.
[Rank: Basic Level Wizard Apprentice (55/100); Basic Level Knight (79/100)]
"Practicing just once increased it by a whole ten points!" Colin felt somewhat surprised.
He knew he could practice the Sunlight Breathing Technique at least seven or eight times a day. If he had started practicing the limit-breaking technique from the beginning, it would take him just over a day to reach the limit of Basic Level Knight.
After a short rest, he persisted and continued to practice the Breathing Skill.
Finally, when the moon was high in the sky,
He felt a surge of heat burst from his chest and spread to all his limbs; his muscles slightly expanded as if soaking in a hot spring.
Several minutes passed before he regained his senses and summoned the Golden Paper.
[Rank: Basic Level Wizard Apprentice (55/100); Intermediate Knight (1/100)]
Indeed, he had successfully broken through.
Colin jumped in place, then walked over to the bed, bent down, and lifted the frame to test his strength.
After bustling about for a while, he had a clearer understanding of his own power.
Then, glancing at the time, he dismissed the thought of continuing to practice the Sunlight Breathing Technique, took a quick shower, and went to the Meditation Room to start making Bright Crystals.
Time sped by swiftly.
Life resumed its regular pattern.
In the mornings, he made Magic Crystals, in the afternoons he practiced the Sunlight Breathing Technique, and in the evenings, he meditated. In between, he used spare moments to practice old witchcraft and learn new ones.
On the tenth day in the afternoon, in the stone house,
Colin stood by the bed shirtless, legs apart, eyes tightly shut.
His bulging muscles trembled non-stop like rolling pythons, skin reddening, and white heat steaming off his body.
After an indeterminate amount of time, he slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a white breath that was visibly clear in the air.
Pale golden particles converged; he looked at his Knight Rank with a calm expression.
With the aid of breaking the limit in the Sunlight Breathing Technique just once, he had soared from Basic Level Knight all the way to the Advanced Knight stage within a mere ten days.
The Life Seed coalesced in his chest after igniting his Blood Energy was brimming with vitality, filling his body with strength.
During this time, he had come to understand the unique aspects of the Sunlight Breathing Technique.
Unlike other Breathing Skills, which enhance either strength or speed, or agility or explosiveness, the Sunlight Breathing Technique improved these aspects in a more balanced manner, without any particular area standing out exceptionally.
But uniquely, it significantly boosted his stamina!
Looking at it this way, the old Apprentice who sold him the book hadn't deceived him.
Only, it wasn't quite accurate; the improvement in stamina did indeed strengthen that aspect.
But for Colin now, the real value of the Sunlight Breathing Technique was giving him a few extra hours each day.
He only needed five hours of sleep each night to stay energized throughout the day.
Not only that, but his abundant stamina slightly improved the efficiency of his meditation and increased his daily output of Magic Crystals.
As usual, after a quick shower, Colin got dressed, took with him the Bright Crystals he had saved over the past few days, and went out to the shop to sell the crystals.