Chapter 6: Practitioner

Luck was currently immersed in understanding the knowledge within the book.

After rereading the book, he wanted to give a better attempt to learn a technique. 

The human brain was very sensitive at a young age — allowing him to memorise information quite quickly. It was an ability he was definitely going to make use of in this life.

It only took an hour for him to completely memorise everything. The book was massive, however, it was comprised of mainly pictures. There were small amounts of writing that he could fortunately understand. This was probably so the vast majority of uneducated children here can learn the techniques.

The book explained how there are 5 stages for a practitioner — bronze, silver, gold, diamond, and mithril.

Then there are techniques within the book that need to be refined to reach these stages. 

Rather than combat techniques, Luck had figured out that the book teaches body training methods. The core of these body training methods is the breathing rotations. 

The book warns you that you shouldn't learn multiple body training methods that are incompatible as it would hinder the breathing rotations.

The body training methods varied by how it improved the body over time. 

For instance, the bear body training method focuses on the explosiveness exerted by your muscles, whereas the serpent body training method focuses on the flexibility and intricate usage of the muscles. 

In addition to this, the body training methods have a main focus on where it trains — a speciality. 

For example, the bear focuses on the upper body and arms, while the lion focuses on all the limbs. 

In essence, all of them would make the body stronger, however, the utilisation of life essence would be the clear distinguisher. Eventually, at the highest level, the efficiency over the manipulation of life essence would become nearly equivalent.

Thinking about it from this perspective, Luck realised how much of an idiot that kid was. He learnt two body training methods that didn't even complement each other, as the tiger focuses on explosive power whereas the serpent focuses on precision and flexibility of the muscles.

Luck knew that the efficient way of learning would be to learn the methods that would complement each other — such as the tiger and lion which are obvious picks due to their similarities.

As the life essence is channelled through the breathing rotations, these body training methods would truly show its power — the spirit and ferocity of the animal almost leaking out of the children that fights. 

As your body becomes more suitable for the breathing rotations as a result of the body training method over time, the utilisation of life essence becomes more efficient. This is why learning too many body training methods was unwise.

After Luck had realised the purpose of the book, he had already selected which body training methods he would learn. 

He decided to learn two of them.

The first one he selected was the spider body training method. This one had immediately caught his eye. 

Unlike the rest that focuses on power, speed, stealth and defence, this one's speciality was actually the senses. 

Luck could figure out the advantages of such a training method immediately as a scientist. Spiders are amazing yet ominous creatures. Their abilities stem from their efficiency as a hunter. They can detect prey and predators with their senses. They are also very quick when attacking, either by pouncing or jumping, with some even applying deadly venom to their prey.

However, this body training method primarily focuses on improving the reaction speed and mind, with movement and muscle training as a secondary goal.

Despite the explosive nature of such movements, this body training method is actually for stability, dexterity and the intricate usage of muscles. 

'In simpler terms, the secondary goal of this body training method is to help the coordination over my body.'

This meant Luck had to eliminate the other body training methods that focused on the explosive nature of the muscles like the bear or tiger, however, he didn't complain.

After carefully thinking, he selected the owl as his second body training method.

Luck had been in a small dilemma between this body training method and the serpent.

They were similar and had both suited his tastes. After careful consideration, he had decided on the owl.

This was due to the body training method not focusing too much on the muscles which was beneficial as it won't hinder the breathing rotations between the two.

The owl body training method mainly focuses on the hands, with stealth and other senses like hearing being its speciality.

He had decided on the owl since the serpent heavily focused on the flexibility of the muscles. Luck felt it may not have complemented the spider body training method as much as he'd like.

After making sure these two methods were suitable for each other, Luck exclaimed,

"Let's try them out!"

According to the book, when doing a body training method, you have to correctly do the breathing rotation in tandem. 

Although Luck didn't have any life essence to utilise, that wasn't the point. Breathing rotations at its simplest form was meant to change the heart rate and your body's functions.

Unlike the rest of the training methods Luck had analysed, the spider body training method had to do the opposite. With the explosiveness of those body training methods, the breathing rotation causes the individual's heart rate to rise.

However, the breathing rotation he was doing was meant to slow it down instead.

"First, I have to hold my breath for the longest amount of time without any panic or resistance from my lungs. Then I need to exhale in small bursts whilst..."

Luck spent the first few minutes trying to achieve a calm state of mind. He wanted to perfectly grasp the breathing rotation first before he does the body training method.

After a while of practising how to properly do the breathing rotations, he attempted to lower his heart rate.

Minutes quickly passed. 

Placing his palm on his chest and feeling that his heart rate was slow enough, Luck decided to do the body training method in tandem with his breathing rotations.

Luck followed the pictures in the book of the man performing the set of moves. 

Imitating the moves and breathing accordingly, Luck eventually entered a state of pure concentration.

As time passed, Luck's body had been completely drenched in sweat. His face had become much paler, looking like he was a walking corpse.

The veins on his head and temples were bulging, while the shaky movements of his limbs showed the fatigued state he was in.

Finishing the final set of his breathing rotation, Luck couldn't help but collapse on his back from exhaustion.

The spider body training method lasted for around 15 minutes. 

Not only did he need to follow the strenuous movements within the book, but he also had to be in a state where his concentration never faltered to train his mind. 

The breathing rotations made breathing and maintaining concentration an intense challenge.

Throughout the entire process, his lungs felt like it was about to burst due to the lack of oxygen he was taking in.

As he rested on the ground, light popping sounds suddenly emanated from within his body as a sticky substance felt like it was clogged in his throat.

"Heuk!"

Luck immediately vomited out the black substance.

Seeing the black substance next to him, Luck mumbled with a hint of surprise.

"This must be the impurities contained within the body..."

Luck couldn't help but make a comparison with life essence and qigong in his previous life. They seemed very similar and served similar purposes to strengthen the body.

After a few seconds of recovering his stamina, Luck got up and stretched his limbs. He felt like he had just completed a marathon.

'If the previous owner of this body had such a weak constitution, it made sense how he was so pathetic. This requires a ridiculous amount of endurance. You also had to complete at least one cycle of the body training method with the breathing rotation for it to be effective. If he had a sickly body, it probably meant he couldn't complete a cycle, therefore stopping him from getting any stronger.'

'Fortunately, my body is adequate to complete a cycle due to the benefits of my Alpha Cells that boost my recovery and endurance.' Luck thought.

Luck didn't feel much changes to him, however, the state of his body had proved that this technique was very effective. 

Now that Luck had completed a whole cycle, he felt minuscule changes to his body.

This had made Luck feel extremely delighted.

He hadn't expected to see any improvements for at least a month. And that had been a generous thought as it would have taken much longer if he were to consider normal training in his previous life.

However, just from one session, he already felt the improvements to his body. 

This effectiveness was at least 10 times compared to working out normally!

Luck decided to do the owl body training method later. He knew his body wouldn't be able to exert its full potential in his current state.

...

Somewhere in the Sanctuary.

In a training room with various straw dummies and pieces of worn-out equipment on the floor, a group of children was currently talking with each other.

"Hey, I heard the next trial will be happening soon."

A boy exclaimed in disbelief. "What? This early? Where'd you hear that from?"

"Hehe, I actually know a guy that's friends with one of the Dragons. He told me!"

"Damn! It has only been a week or two since the third one! How unfair!"

"With the difficulty increasing in each one, it's starting to feel impossible! You best become a practitioner soon, or else you might not come out alive!"

"Tsk. I know! But it's so difficult to acquire life essence! I thought I was going to die at the aptitude ceremony, but fortunately, I woke up with minimal injuries!"

"Can't we just not participate?" A girl suddenly asked.

"Yeah, you can. If you want to get punished by Lord Thel that is. I still remember that kid who hid himself only to be found and made an example of by Lord Thel! His expression after he returned from his punishment still haunts me..."

The girl who made that suggestion felt a shiver. "Yeah... I guess that isn't an option."

Sighing, a timid boy spoke, "I just hope I'm in a group with strong people."

Hearing him, everyone nodded in agreement.

"I just hope I'm not in the same group as that leech. Thinking about how he had survived each trial and was the sole survivor of every one of them really gives me chills."

"Oh? You're talking about that lucky kid? Hehe, I witnessed something amazing a few days ago. In the Crucible, Sol had actually lost to him!"

"You can't be serious! He's at the bronze stage! How could he possibly lose?" A boy spoke with a shocked expression.

"Haha. He had won by using underhanded tactics." The boy spoke with a hint of mockery as he explained how the fight went...

"Hahaha." 

The group of children laughed.

"Do you think he already paid him back for the humiliation?" A boy asked.

"Who knows? Probably. Sol had always been extremely ruthless, always picking on the weak and acting like a dog against the strong." A boy nonchalantly said.

"You're too loud! What if someone hears you?" The timid boy spoke with worry.

"Haha! I'm also at the bronze stage, why would I be afraid?" He replied with confidence.

"Speaking of Sol, he isn't very active these days. He's usually stealing some food from the weaker children, however, recently, he's only taking his portion and immediately leaving. And in the aptitude ceremony, he looked like he had just seen a ghost, being extremely vigilant and fearful of something!"

"Maybe someone stronger is targeting him?"

"Perhaps..." A boy mumbled. 

"You reap what you sow I guess."

After talking with each other for a few more minutes, the group of children eventually left the training room.

Just outside, in a dark corner of the cave, a figure had walked out of the shadows.

"Hm, a trial?" Luck mumbled with a thoughtful expression.

He had been listening to their entire conversation unbeknownst to the children.

'So we will have a trial soon... I have a vague understanding of them. From what I've gathered so far, it seems Lord Thel places children in life or death scenarios to unlock the children's latent potential. Fighting to survive would definitely be a big motivator for the children to become stronger.'

'If I were to guess, such scenarios would be how you acquire life essence. In battle, at the precipice of death, life essence would be stimulated.' Luck thought. 

This was the only logical conclusion he could think of as to why the cloaked man was putting the children in dangerous situations rather than safely guiding them.

It was as if the lives of the children didn't matter in the slightest. Whether they lived or died, they were expendable to him. 

He just needed results. 

It didn't matter if he was doing it in the most cruel way possible.

As long as it was fast and effective, that was all that mattered.