Two and a half months had passed since they began studying under Scholar Haide. The students in the class had made considerable progress, and as if having reached a tipping point, some had begun to break through and advance.
"Suolin, did you reach the first-order?"
On this day, when the other students saw Suolin, they felt a noticeable difference. Although they couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed, they vaguely sensed that Suolin seemed sturdier, his frame slightly more defined, and even his voice carried much more vigor.
"That's right. I advanced at home yesterday," he announced happily and with pride.
Having completed [Breathing Method Lv. 2] (Blood Law) and [Strength Burst Lv. 2] (Blood Law), and drawing upon the nurturing influence of these two Blood Law attribute abilities, he had successfully advanced his Destiny Card from rank zero to First-Order · Blood Law.
Name: Suolin
Race: Human (Mortal Body)
Status: Healthy (No abnormalities)
Talent: Agility [Good Grade]—Your reaction speed is somewhat faster than ordinary people, giving you an edge in combat.
Destiny Card: [Bursting Youth] (First-Order · Blood Law) -
Effect: [Agile Body Lv. 1]—Conditioned by the Breathing Method and Strength Burst, your body has preliminarily adapted to the circulation of Blood Law, granting greater speed and reflexes.
Ability Cards: [Breathing Method Lv. 2], [Strength Burst Lv. 2], [Empty Slot]
Skills: [Basic Swordsmanship Lv. 4], [Military Swordsmanship Lv. 2], [Secret History Knowledge Lv. 2]
————
Faced with the newly advanced Suolin, the students in the class were envious beyond measure, and even Scholar Haide offered a rare word of praise.
In the afternoon, on the training ground, a crowd of students wanted to spar with Suolin to see just how wide the gap was between a first-order and someone who had not yet condensed an attribute.
"Are you really sure you want to try? I'm afraid I might hurt you," Suolin chuckled.
"Of course! Don't get too cocky, kid—you only advanced a few days ahead of us," the other students clamored.
"How about this: the three of you come at me together. That way it's fair." Suolin pointed out three familiar classmates he often sparred with.
"Fine, you said it." The three exchanged glances and stepped onto the field together.
A contest like this drew quite a crowd of watching students. Even Iona hadn't left today, standing at a distance on the spectator stands to watch.
"Tiya, do you think Suolin will win?" Kemiya asked curiously.
"He'll probably win quite easily," the girl replied after a moment's thought.
"Huh? Is the difference really that big?" Kemiya asked in confusion.
"Before, even though Suolin was strong, facing two classmates at once would leave him in a tough spot. He'd probably have to keep maneuvering around, searching for an opening before he could win."
"Or he'd have to take a hit or two to knock one opponent off the field in a single blow, and then deal with the remaining one."
"Now you're saying he can easily handle three on his own. It's only been a few days—has the gap widened this much?"
"Yes, Kemiya." Xilutaiya shook her head slightly, then motioned for Kemiya to watch the sparring arena.
"After advancing, if the Destiny Card's attribute matches that of the Ability Cards, they influence each other, producing an amplifying effect. That is to say, even though Suolin's Breathing Method is only at the second stage, he can display power comparable to the third stage."
"At the same time, because he advanced, every aspect of his physical constitution has been enhanced—stamina, endurance, reaction speed, eyesight, strength, and so on. Even if the increase in each specific area isn't massive, when combined together, it creates a tremendous difference."
"And this is only the early stage. In time, Suolin could take on nearly half of the unadvanced students in the class all by himself," Xilutaiya explained further.
The suppression brought by an attribute rank was terrifying; only those who had truly experienced it could understand.
The battle on the field began. The three students, all of whom had reached the second stage of Breathing Method, wielded practice swords and coordinated their assault in tacit harmony. Their footwork was swift and steady, their swordsmanship proficient and agile, leaving no visible openings for the spectators.
Yet, amid such a siege, Suolin leaped lightly out of their encirclement. With a pivot of his foot, he darted forward at blinding speed, his blade snapping one student's practice sword in two before kicking him flying backward.
When the other two reacted and closed in to flank him, he dodged nimbly once more. Parrying one of their attacks with his sword, he lunged forward, seized the opponent's wrist, pulled him off balance, and planted a kick square on his backside, knocking him tumbling to the ground.
As for the last one remaining, the outcome was obvious without even fighting.
Throughout the entire clash, he had handled it with effortless ease. Had they not been classmates, and had he not refrained from direct slashing and stabbing with the edge, the fight would have ended even sooner.
Witnessing this outcome, the whole crowd was stunned. Only now did many students clearly realize the immense gap created by condensing an attribute.
"Although the Blood Law attribute doesn't offer a wide variety of abilities, its advantage lies in its comprehensive enhancement of physical constitution. In that regard, perhaps only the 'Dragon Eye' attribute can surpass it," Yelu explained to the students beside him from the sidelines.
"Senior Yelu, what about 'Blazing Sun'?" someone asked in a low voice, wanting to know whether Suolin was stronger now, or if Iona still had the upper hand.
"Blazing Sun also enhances stamina and endurance, as well as recovery speed, but its overall physical reinforcement isn't quite on par with Blood Law. However, Blazing Sun's influence spans many areas, and the domains in which its abilities can be applied are far broader than Blood Law." Yelu shook his head slightly. In his view, the current Suolin still couldn't match Iona's strength, though the gap between them had indeed narrowed.
After the sparring match concluded, every student felt the urge to advance ignited within them. Many began eagerly preparing, hoping that they would be the next one to break through before long.
After class dismissed, a crowd gathered around Scholar Haide, asking about the methods and paths to achieve their own breakthroughs. At this, Scholar Haide had no choice but to hold a dedicated lecture to explain it to everyone.
"Since you're all so concerned about this lately, I will briefly go over the advancement paths suited to your current situation."
"First, the simplest and most direct path: break your Breathing Method through to the third stage. Relying on the powerful 'Blood Law' permeation of the Breathing Method, you can allow your destiny to achieve a breakthrough." He pointed from afar toward the blackboard.
"Second, just like Suolin, cultivate two abilities of the Blood Law attribute. When both reach the second stage, their combined power will nourish your Destiny Card and trigger a breakthrough."
"The final method..." Scholar Haide hesitated slightly, but spoke anyway.
"The final method isn't particularly recommended, but if someone is truly unable to break through, they can only attempt this route."
"That is to use elixirs or curios imbued with the 'Blood Law' attribute to trigger the metamorphosis of your destiny. Needless to say, such elixirs and curios are extraordinarily rare and expensive."
"Alternatively, some of you may not wish to pursue the path of the 'Blood Law' attribute and have other plans—such as the most common Royalty School."
"When your constitution and abilities are sufficient to bear it, and a lord is willing to enfeoff you, you can share in the power of royalty from his hands, be granted a class under the 'Castle' attribute, and complete your metamorphosis."
Hearing this, Xilutaiya recalled Captain Frien, whom she had known before; he had received an enfeoffment from Baron Holin to attain the first-order Castle class.
It seemed that the paths of advancement in this world were indeed varied and rich. As for which path to take, it all depended on each individual's choice.
Chapter 53