Chapter 25
Breathing Technique (1)
The continent had countless long-standing “versus” debates, not just arguments over who was the strongest.
Elves vs. demons.
Dogs vs. cats.
Summer vs. winter.
West vs. East.
There were many others, but most people avoided discussing them because they tended to cause conflict.
Of course, people only restrained themselves in everyday life.
The Gallery showed no mercy.
Whenever they had the chance, users wasted time fighting over which side was better.
When things occasionally became too heated and turned into outright hatred, the Moderator would personally step in.
And among all these disputes, one subject caused more controversy than any other.
Title: Mana Cultivation Method vs. Internal Energy Cultivation Method
Vote for whichever one you think is better.
- Mana Cultivation Method: 50%
- Internal Energy Cultivation Method: 50%
└ Wow, how are they both exactly fifty percent?
└ None of you know anything. Mana cultivation is obviously better.
└ Cut the crap. How is it better? LOL
└ You’re from the Central Plains, aren’t you?
└ No? I’m from the Messiah Empire.
└ Then you must be a noble.
└ I’m not a noble. I’m a knight. LOL
The debate was none other than mana cultivation methods versus internal energy cultivation methods.
It had continued uninterrupted since ancient times and remained an ongoing controversy even now.
Title: The Origins of Mana Cultivation and Internal Energy Cultivation
The accepted theory is that both were taught according to the teachings of Ares, the Goddess of War and younger sister of Aragon, the God of Magic.
Of her two disciples, one took charge of the West, while the other took charge of the East.
The West gradually fragmented into many different nations, but the East still retains the name “Central Plains.”
However, Ares herself developed her technique by analyzing and researching the breathing method of her older brother, Aragon.
So technically, both are basically versions of Aragon’s breathing technique.
That concludes today’s mythology lesson!
└ Was Ares pretty?
└ You lunatic, LOL. Do you want to get arrested for blasphemy?
└ This is the Gallery anyway. LOL. So, was she pretty?
└ Unfortunately, there are no records saying she was beautiful. Apparently, she always wore a helmet because she was constantly at war.
└ Allfather) According to my research, the prevailing theory is that she was beautiful.
└ What evidence is there?
└ Allfather) Aragon, the God of Magic, once said this: “She may be my damn little sister, but she is pretty.”
└ Aren’t they just a completely normal pair of siblings? LOL
└ If a real brother admitted his sister was pretty, that says everything.
└ That suddenly sounds incredibly credible. LOL
└ Allfather) The two of them apparently fought quite often. Whenever they did, mountains were blown away and seas overturned.
└ Holy crap.
└ Gods really are something else...
└ Allfather) And every time, the Chief God smacked them both on the back.
└ So it was just a sibling quarrel on a larger scale. LOL
└ Why do they sound so human? LOL
Just as the myths suggested, mana cultivation methods were dominant in the West, while internal energy cultivation methods were dominant in the Central Plains.
However, as time passed, an interesting theory emerged.
Title: Geography Changed the Fate of Breathing Techniques in the West and East
The West is surrounded above and below by dangerous races—demons, elves, and various others—so it needed to produce as many capable fighters as possible.
That was why easy-to-learn mana cultivation methods were spread as widely as possible to strengthen the overall military force.
The problem was that this also made it easy for undesirable people to learn mana cultivation.
As a result, whenever a rebellion broke out, there were frequent cases of peasants beating knights half to death.
This was also one of the reasons the Western nations fragmented into their current state.
Meanwhile, in the East—in other words, the Central Plains—the great families tightly controlled their internal energy cultivation methods.
Their culture was also extremely conservative, and the geography was favorable enough that they faced relatively few internal or external threats.
Therefore, internal energy cultivation methods were taught only to trusted individuals, while most peasants did not even know what they were.
The academic consensus is that geography caused mana cultivation and internal energy cultivation to develop separately.
└ Oh. Knowledge gained.
└ A lot of people in the East use mana cultivation these days. Is it because of increased cultural exchange?
└ That too, and because mana cultivation is easier to learn. Its depth still seems relatively shallow, though.
└ Meanwhile, Western nobles tend to use internal energy cultivation methods. That way, they can widen the gap between themselves and commoners.
└ So internal energy cultivation is basically reserved for important people.
└ Yeah, pretty much.
└ Not necessarily. Knights are often taught internal energy cultivation methods too.
Mana cultivation methods were easy to learn but shallow.
Internal energy cultivation methods were difficult to learn but profound.
These were among the most deeply rooted perceptions surrounding the two types of breathing techniques.
They were half true, but also contained many inaccuracies.
Title: The Best Breathing Technique Is Whatever Suits You
Just look at Ash from the Messiah Empire. She reached the position of the strongest using only a mana cultivation method.
└ Isn’t she just an abnormal exception?
└ Yeah, she is. But even if the process is different, isn’t being strong all that matters?
└ Doesn’t the Hero use mana cultivation too?
└ I heard the Holy Kingdom has its own unique internal energy cultivation method for the Hero.
└ In the end, strong people are simply strong.
Title: Upvote If You’ve Ever Gotten Useful Advice from a Mana vs. Internal Energy Argument
I’ll start. LOL
└ Seriously, all kinds of useful tips come out during those arguments. LOL
└ I was stuck at a bottleneck, but thanks to them, I broke through. LOL
└ While whales fight, the shrimp get fat. LOL
└ I hope they keep arguing forever. LOL
Regardless of the method, a strong person was strong.
That was practically an absolute truth.
Even so, neither side could easily back down because the debate involved the pride and history of their respective factions.
That was why the argument turned into a versus match whenever the opportunity arose.
For those who wielded mana, the subject was especially tied to personal pride.
Perhaps because of that, whenever people argued, they often unintentionally revealed all kinds of valuable tips.
There were plenty of users who occasionally spouted nonsense, but most people knew how to filter them out.
Nothing made people expose the limits of their knowledge more easily than a discussion about breathing techniques.
‘Oh. Is she finally going to teach him an internal energy cultivation method?’
Ash, the strongest person in the Messiah Empire and the current stay-at-home security guard, became curious.
As usual, she had been lying around while browsing the Gallery.
The Heavenly Demon had begun teaching Wild Grylls an internal energy cultivation method.
At first, Ash did not think much of it.
The Heavenly Demon she knew would never teach an internal energy cultivation method incorrectly.
Even if she truly were a scammer, it would not matter.
The moment Grylls posted, “The Heavenly Demon was a fraud!” in the Gallery, the truth would be exposed.
Of course, they also had to consider the possibility that Grylls had no talent, or that the Heavenly Demon lacked the aptitude to teach others.
From Ash’s perspective, she simply had to watch quietly and enjoy the show.
At first, that was what she thought.
└ Wild Grylls) Heavenly Demon, I followed your instructions, but my nose started bleeding.
└ Heavenly Demon) What?!
“What?!”
Just as the Heavenly Demon had been shocked, Ash could not help but jump in surprise.
It was extremely rare for someone to suffer a nosebleed while practicing abdominal breathing.
After questioning Grylls in detail, Ash realized something.
‘Don’t tell me Grylls is the same...?’
Ash had experienced the exact same phenomenon.
She possessed a constitution that accumulated mana simply by breathing.
Every time she inhaled, several times more mana than an ordinary person’s would gather inside her mana hole—her dantian.
Because of that, merely practicing controlled breathing had been enough to give her nosebleeds, just like Grylls.
At the time, no one had understood what was happening, so the matter had been brushed aside.
After all, it was a phenomenon no one had ever heard of.
Since it happened during the most fundamental stage of training, people initially assumed she simply lacked talent.
However, once she overcame that stage, her growth became explosive.
Ash could say so with certainty because she herself had experienced it.
‘Could it be true? Is he really...?’
Ash bombarded Grylls with question after question.
The more she asked, the more she realized that his constitution was similar to hers.
They were not completely identical, of course. Grylls was currently carrying mana accumulated through an elixir.
Even so, they were alike in that a massive amount of mana entered their bodies with every breath.
‘Is it because he’s in the Forest of Four Seasons?’
That was probably the most likely explanation.
The mana density in the Forest of Four Seasons was several—or perhaps even dozens of—times higher than in other regions.
It was merely a hypothesis proposed by scholars, but it was highly credible.
“The existence of a fully mature Mandrake already proves it.”
Their environments might have been different, but the conditions were similar.
That was why Ash made up her mind.
She would raise Grylls somehow.
Judging by his actions so far, his talent did not seem particularly bad either.
More importantly, he had more than enough reasons to become stronger.
He was in a situation where he had to grasp at any straw he could find just to survive.
‘What if he becomes even stronger than me...? Hehehe.’
Ash smiled wickedly.
It was a feeling she had not experienced in a long time.
Everyone she had trained until now had either failed to satisfy her or run away.
Grylls was different.
He was trapped in the Forest of Four Seasons, so there was nowhere for him to flee.
His only way out was to become stronger on his own.
It was perfect.
‘First, I should teach him how to break through to the next stage.’
Grylls’s body was currently oversaturated.
When he tried to draw in more mana while in that state, his body had instinctively activated its defensive mechanisms.
Ash had intended to teach him a useful trick to resolve the problem, but an unexpected obstacle appeared.
“This woman is seriously frustrating.”
Ash’s beautiful face twisted slightly.
Her expression seemed to be a mixture of dissatisfaction and exasperation.
‘Does she really have to be this stubborn?’
The obstacle was the Heavenly Demon.
The moment Ash offered to teach Grylls a breathing technique, the Heavenly Demon began objecting to everything she said.
Her attitude was practically, “I already claimed Grylls, so stay away from him.”
‘I can understand it, since she’s from the Central Plains...’
People from the Central Plains were extremely sensitive about master-disciple relationships.
They even said that a master was both teacher and parent, while a disciple was no different from one’s own child.
Internal energy cultivation methods were secret arts that would never be taught to someone who was not deeply trusted.
‘That must mean she trusts him that much.’
Had the Heavenly Demon stubbornly insisted on some ridiculous argument, Ash would have fought her to the bitter end.
However, the Heavenly Demon refuted Ash’s points one by one with surprisingly sound reasoning.
In the end, Ash chose to take a step back.
Fighting here would not help Grylls in any way.
Even so, they still needed to open a path for him.
That was why she made one final proposal.
└ SwordMaster) Then I’ll only teach Mr. Grylls my techniques until he can circulate his mana. In the Central Plains, you call it energy circulation and breathing, right?
└ Heavenly Demon) If thou merely intendest to aid him through energy circulation and breathing, then this lady has no objection. However, this lady shall be the one to teach him the mnemonic verses that follow.
└ SwordMaster) I have no intention of going that far either.
Ash was not lying.
That was what she said aloud, at least.
Internally, she had other plans.
Internal energy cultivation methods were difficult.
Extremely difficult.
The process was identical for both types of breathing techniques until one reached mana circulation.
However, a large difference appeared in the mnemonic verses that followed.
Unlike mana cultivation methods, internal energy cultivation methods contained rather philosophical teachings.
For example, while a mana cultivation method might simply instruct the practitioner to direct mana toward a specific area, internal energy cultivation methods were far more complicated.
‘The water rising from the valley flows into the sea... Ugh, how frustrating.’
However, they did not have only disadvantages.
Just as carp raised in a river grew differently from carp raised in a lake, breathing techniques worked in a similar way.
Mana cultivation methods were severely lacking when it came to attaining “enlightenment,” while internal energy cultivation methods were not.
Their mnemonic verses contained various insights, making it easier to advance to the next stage.
└ Wild Grylls) Is everything the same up to that energy circulation and breathing part?
└ Heavenly Demon) Indeed. However, didst thou not say that thou hadst already sent internal energy into thy middle and upper dantians as well? That is what this lady heard earlier.
└ Wild Grylls) I’m not sure about that part, but some strange energy passed through my heart and brain, then spread throughout my entire body. After that, it returned to my lower abdomen.
└ Heavenly Demon) How peculiar. Perhaps fortune truly arose from disaster, for those pathways have already opened. It may be that thou possessest potential comparable to this lady’s own.
└ Wild Grylls) Does that mean I’ll be able to shoot hurricane-level palm strikes from my hands too?
└ Heavenly Demon) Good grief.
└ Heavenly Demon) For now, it would be best for thee to begin energy circulation and breathing. Listen carefully to the advice of this lady and that jagged stone.
└ Wild Grylls) I’ll take it to heart.
└ SwordMaster) Surely that “jagged stone” isn’t referring to me, right?
└ Heavenly Demon) At least thou seemest to possess a conscience.
“Pfft!”
Ash burst out laughing.
For the Heavenly Demon to react with such utter exasperation...
That only proved how absurd Grylls could be.
Still, it was nice to see him staying positive.
‘She’s not wrong.’
Ash nodded inwardly.
However, she had no intention of giving up.
Sooner or later, Grylls would come looking for a mana cultivation method.
‘He’ll definitely complain that internal energy cultivation is too difficult.’
Grylls was an ordinary person.
A polite ordinary person, but ordinary nonetheless.
By Ash’s standards, ordinary people—peasants, in other words—were people who had barely managed to learn how to read.
She did not know much about Grylls’s upbringing, but she already knew it had not been a good one.
His parents had died in an accident, leaving him to live alone.
In that kind of environment, he must have been too busy trying to survive.
There was a high chance he had never received a proper education.
That meant an internal energy cultivation method would probably be difficult for him to understand properly.
‘He claims he came from another world, but could that possibly be true?’
That kind of character setting was extremely common in the Gallery.
He claimed that a single bomb from his world could destroy an entire city.
Who would believe something like that?
Apparently, Ash’s concerns had been unfounded.
Whether Grylls’s stomach was unusually weak or unusually healthy, situations like this happened quite often.
└ Heavenly Demon) Energy circulation and breathing is simple. Thou needest only repeat what thou experienced earlier.
└ SwordMaster) The same thing as before might happen again, so you should leave a longer interval between each breath.
└ Heavenly Demon) It would be best to endure it even if thy stomach begins to hurt. If thou art careless, thou mayest fall prey to an inner demon.
└ Wild Grylls) It’s a natural bodily function. You can suffer qi deviation because of that?
└ Heavenly Demon) Of course. There was once a fool who fell into qi deviation merely because someone asked him how to breathe.
└ Wild Grylls) What kind of idiot does that...?
Ash and the Heavenly Demon shared various useful tips through private comments.
Grylls appeared to begin the breathing exercise after reading them, because he stopped replying.
For a very long time.
More than ten minutes passed without a single comment.
Just as Ash grew anxious and prepared to leave another reply—
└ Wild Grylls) Ah, damn. My stomach suddenly started hurting really badly... I’ll keep going.
└ Seriously, his stomach hurts whenever he gets the chance. LOL
└ What a poop machine. LOL
It might have sounded ridiculous, but this was actually a well-known issue.
Mana circulation—energy circulation and breathing—required an extraordinary degree of concentration.
Even someone speaking to the practitioner could easily break that concentration.
└ Wild Grylls) I’ll keep trying for now. How long did you say I should continue?
└ Heavenly Demon) Until thou feelest the internal energy circulating throughout thy entire body.
└ SwordMaster) The Heavenly Demon is right.
└ Wild Grylls) Okay. Thank you.
For the first time in her life, Ash encountered an impossible problem.
“...What kind of nonsense is this?”
The Heavenly Demon apparently felt the same way.