The Cornflower Witch Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Successive Advancements

“Lia, which path are you planning to take?” One afternoon, the group gathered at the training ground.

“Blood Discipline, or Jade Nectar?” It wasn’t just Scholar Hyde asking; the other companions were also curious about Hylial’s choice.

“It should be Jade Nectar,” Hylial said. She originally had thoughts of ‘Glorious Moon’ but currently lacked the secret knowledge for ‘Glorious Moon’, so she had to put it aside for now.

It was a pity Madame Faran wasn’t home; she wanted to ask the madame for her experience and lessons learned from her advancement choices. Otherwise, she could have stepped into the ‘Level 1 – Jade Nectar’ stage at any time.

Perhaps this was the pleasant burden of choice; while others were anxiously trying to break through, she was deliberating which advanced path was superior.

“What about you all?” Her advancement would likely take a few more days, but the situation for the others in the field was varied.

She didn’t know much about Komia’s ‘Mist Shadow’ cultivation, but Komia only needed to break through ‘Illusionary Eye’ to Lv.2 to advance to ‘Level 1 – Mist Shadow’ with the Meditation Method.

Kaelen’s breathing method had just broken through to Lv.2, so she probably had some time before advancing.

Mick and Lei were very close to Lv.3 in their breathing method proficiency and completion, but they still lacked the most crucial insight for a breakthrough. This gap was like forging steel, still needing those last few tens of degrees of heat to melt the iron blank.

Hylial remembered the ‘Blood Wine’ Scholar Hyde had awarded her when she placed first in the previous assessment.

It was time to bring it out. She wasn’t short of money now and didn’t need to sell the Blood Wine for living expenses. It would be perfect for the others.

The next day, when Hylial brought the ‘Blood Wine’, Mick and the others were somewhat surprised.

Having spent over a month together, even hunting and exploring, their relationships were naturally good. But even so, Blood Wine, worth nearly one Gold Coin, or 100 Silver Coins, was a huge sum. Talil, in her previous job, would have to work for about 3 years, without eating or drinking, to afford it.

“Alright, no need to be polite. Since I’m offering it, I certainly don’t lack this bottle of wine.” The girl gently raised a finger, signaling them not to worry too much.

“The three of you drink a little every day, and combined with the ‘Breathing Method’ training, you should be able to break through to the third stage of the breathing method in about a week,” she estimated.

As for herself, her breathing method had already broken through some time ago, now at [Breathing Method Lv.3] and [Dew Prayer Method Lv.3], which was why Scholar Hyde had asked her recently.

“Thank you.” Mick and Lei wanted to say more, but couldn’t find the right words to express their gratitude, only feeling a gentle warmth inside.

During this period, the students had clearly divided into three groups: the first, the four noble students led by Iona; the second, the six commoner students led by Solin; and finally, Hylial’s five-person team. Coincidentally, the three leaders were the top three in the class.

Iona consistently ranked first, but she didn’t interact much with the other noble students, often training alone. Solin and Hylial, on the other hand, often moved with their companions, sharing their insights and experiences. Compared to the noble circles, the commoners were more united.

In the following days, Hylial continued as usual, attending classes, discussing and tutoring with classmates, and then helping Madame Faran tend her flower garden.

…On the fourth day after providing the ‘Blood Wine’, Mick was the first to complete his advancement breakthrough.

Name: Mick

Race: Human (Mortal Body)

Status: Healthy (No abnormalities)

Talent: Activated Blood [Good]: The pulse of the blood is active, making it easy to perceive and cultivate abilities related to ‘Blood Discipline’.

Destiny Card: [Passionate Youth] (Level 1 – Blood Discipline) –

Effect [Strong Physique Lv.2]: Through the adjustment of the breathing method, your body has gradually adapted to the flow of ‘Blood Discipline’, gaining a stronger physique and power.

Ability Cards: [Breathing Method Lv.3] [Empty Slot] [Empty Slot]

Skills: [Basic Swordsmanship Lv.4] [Military Swordsmanship Lv.3] [Wilderness Survival Lv.2] [Secret History Knowledge Lv.3]

——

After his advancement, it once again sparked a wave of discussion among the students. Many students seemed to see hope, becoming more diligent and eager.

On the seventh day, Lei also broke through and completed his advancement.

Name: Ray Jean-Mill

Race: Human (Mortal Body)

Status: Healthy (No abnormalities)

Talent: Burly [Good]: Physique and bone structure are naturally three times stronger than average.

Destiny Card: [Burly Youth] (Level 1 – Blood Discipline) –

Effect [Strong Physique Lv.2]: Through the adjustment of the breathing method, your body has gradually adapted to the flow of ‘Blood Discipline’, gaining a more burly physique and power.

Ability Cards: [Breathing Method Lv.3] [Empty Slot] [Empty Slot]

Skills: [Basic Hammer Skills Lv.4] [Military Hammer Skills Lv.2] [Secret History Knowledge Lv.2]

——

If Mick’s advancement was understandable, as he had always been among the top in class combat training and everyone had anticipated it, Lei’s advancement made many people restless. After all, everyone thought this guy was a bit dense, so how could he regulate the pulse of the phase and skillfully master training and combat techniques?

“By the way, have you noticed that in the recent assessments, Lei is no longer at the bottom of the class?”

When he first enrolled, Lei’s grades were always at the bottom. Although everyone thought he was tall and strong, they didn’t pay much attention, as for transcendant cultivation, intelligence and comprehension were essential. You didn’t have to be extremely smart, but at least not too dull.

Lei’s advancement this time shattered everyone’s long-held impressions. Many people finally realized how much this person had improved.

“It must be the effect of Lia tutoring him.” Everyone immediately thought of this.

Everyone had always seen Lia tutoring a few poor students, but didn’t think it held much significance. Even if a poor student improved, how much stronger could they get? Now, Mick’s and the others’ Secret History scores, though not at the bottom, were only average, far from the top.

Just as Scholar Hyde said, countless subtle accumulations eventually led to a qualitative change.

The practice of the breathing method, the acquisition of extraordinary knowledge, and countless adjustments during training allowed both of them to find the most suitable way for themselves when they finally advanced. And the same ‘Level 1 – Blood Discipline’, Mick’s and Lei’s destiny card effects were even slightly stronger than Solin’s.

Perhaps wanting to release long-suppressed frustrations, or perhaps wanting to test their true current strength, after three days of adapting to their new phase status, Mick challenged Solin.

“Oh, it seems you couldn’t resist either, hehe.” Solin gladly accepted.

“Actually, even if you hadn’t said anything, I was planning to challenge you these past two days. After all, our experiences are similar, and we both advanced on the ‘Blood Discipline’ path.”

After speaking, the two walked side by side towards the dueling ground. At this moment, all the students gathered to watch, and even the instructors in the training ground came over to observe with interest.

Ordinary people didn’t have Hylial’s strong observational skills. Everyone just thought that since both had recently entered ‘Level 1 – Blood Discipline’, their strength shouldn’t be too different, so they were especially curious who would be stronger.

“Is that so? It seems my decision today was a good one.” Mick gripped his sword with both hands, his eyes fixed on his opponent, and he answered slowly.

Once in the dueling arena, the two wasted no more words. Instead, they calmly and patiently prepared, intending to unleash their full strength in the competition.

Both around seventeen years old, hot-blooded and impetuous, neither would admit to being inferior to the other, nor would they deny the results of their hard work and sweat during this period.

“Alright, let the combat competition begin!” the instructor ordered.

Gripping their longswords, the two stomped their feet and charged at each other with swift speed. At this moment, both their strength, speed, and technique reached their peak.

(End of this chapter)