Things got so bad that he fainted many times during training. He hadn't fainted when he was working his body to the bone, but he broke that record on his first day of breath training.
He found Thompson waiting outside of his class. The first class had finished 30 minutes earlier, but Thompson didn't want to leave without him.
It was either that or the boy wanted to see Ruff again. Arthur suspected that because Thompson didn't greet him but instead bent down to offer Ruff food and pet his fur as soon as they met.
The two of them ate their lunch and then went home. Because Thompson got a pill today too, he fell asleep. But Arthur didn't fall asleep because the ox lung pill doesn't make him sleepy.
The ox lung pill expands the lung capacity of those who take it. This way it will help trainees master the mana breathing technique faster.
However, it comes with its side effects, which is to cause a hot sensation in the chest. The sensation is like a heartburn. It irritates his lungs and causes him to cough incessantly.
Thompson fell asleep even though he was coughing loudly. It made Arthur jealous. He said, "I wish I could fall asleep."
He got his wish when he got home. Lady Vena gave him three blood pills and told him to continue exercising.
She knew that he was still in the second transformation and still needs to achieve the third and fourth transformations. So she insisted that he keep exercising and achieve them as soon as possible.
He knew she was right, but he still asked her, "What's the rush?"
She sighed and said, "You might not know this, but you are in a race against time with all the children in the Turin kingdom."
He nodded. "I know about this. Instructor Lawson mentioned it several times. But shouldn't the sixth transformation be enough? I am just seven years old. With all the time I have, I should be able to achieve that."
She shook her head. "The sixth transformation won't be nearly enough. It doesn't even meet the minimum requirements to achieve anything significant in the examination."
"If you don't achieve the seventh transformation before the competition, then you can forget about gaining anything worthwhile during the examination. In fact, you might never transcend the first mortal coil throughout your life."
He raised an eyebrow and said, "Are things that bad?"
She nodded. "Yes, they are. You are young, so there are a lot of things that you're ignorant of. I'll try not to confuse you with facts. Listen and listen well."
"The seventh transformation is the second bottleneck. Some might never cross it in their life. But some people can cross it with a little help. The boys and girls in your academy are one of those people."
"You live in a safe and rich household, so you don't know how bad things are outside of the family. But even within the family, the best that most of the people at the training facility will ever achieve in their lifetime is the ninth transformation."
"I was like them too. But I was beautiful and smart. I managed to seduce your father and trick him into impregnating me. So I became a mistress, and now I have a chance of transcending the first mortal coil."
He said, "Huh?"
But Lady Vena continued speaking without batting an eye. "The children in the training facility won't be so lucky because the Dyson family is only training them to become guards and foot soldiers for the family. Only special individuals and talented bastards will have the opportunity to transcend the first mortal coil."
"That is your fate. To achieve the second mortal coil if you are lucky. Fortunately, there is another option than relying on the Dyson family. That option is to rely on the special regional sect examination."
"In that examination, if you perform well, you will get the most important technique needed to transcend the first mortal coil on your own. You won't need the Dyson family, but you will need at least strength at the seventh mortal coil for that."
"But even that won't change your situation much. The Dyson family will still be a behemoth to you. If you truly want to spar and rise above the Dyson family, you will need to have overcome the third bottleneck and achieved the tenth transformation of the first mortal coil before the examination."
"That is how serious things are. It is difficult, but it is the only way you will be able to join a sect. It will be even more difficult because you will have to compete with the other talented kids born into powerful families. But if you achieve it, then even the third mortal coil won't be beyond you."
Arthur thought about what she said seriously and asked, "How many mortal coils are there?"
She shook her head and said, "I don't know. I only know of four possible mortal coils. The first one is the body forging stage. The second is the energy accumulation and refining stage. The third is the foundation establishment stage. As for the fourth, I have no idea what it is called. I just know that it is the strongest power in the Turin kingdom."
Arthur nodded and asked, "What stage is the Dyson family?"
"Every vassal of sects has a power at the third mortal coil. So the Dyson family has at least one person in the third transformation with a lifespan of at least 200 years old."
Arthur was surprised when he heard that. He asked hurriedly, "Does lifespan increase with transcension?"
Lady Vena shook her head and said, "Of course, silly boy. Apart from strength, transcending the mortal coils also increases life span."
"Those at the second mortal coil have an average life span of 150 years old. Those at the third mortal coil have a life span that is at least 200 years old. I heard that it can be more than 500 years. It all depends on the quality of their foundation."