The Cornflower Witch Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Student Breakthrough

It had been two and a half months since the students began studying with Scholar Hyde. The students in the class had made significant progress, almost as if they had reached a critical point. Some students had begun to break through and advance.

“Solin, you’ve reached Level 1?”

That day, other students noticed a clear difference in Solin. Though they couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, they vaguely felt that Solin seemed stronger, his physique more defined, and his voice more resonant.

“That’s right, I advanced at home yesterday,” he announced with joy and pride.

After completing [Breathing Method Lv.2] (Blood Discipline) and [Power Burst Lv.2] (Blood Discipline), and with the nurturing effect of these two ‘Blood Discipline’ aspect abilities, he successfully advanced his Destiny Card from zero to ‘Level 1 – Blood Discipline’.

Name: Solin

Race: Human (Mortal Body)

Status: Healthy (No abnormalities)

Talent: Agile [Good], your reaction speed is faster than average, giving you an advantage in combat

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

Effect: [Agile Body Lv.1], after adjustments of the Breathing Method and Power Burst, your body has initially adapted to the flow of ‘Blood Discipline,’ gaining faster speed and reactions.

Ability Cards: [Breathing Method Lv.2] [Power Burst Lv.2] [Empty Slot]

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

————

Facing the advanced Solin, the students in the class were envious, and even Scholar Hyde, uncharacteristically, praised him.

In the afternoon, on the training ground, a group of students wanted to spar with Solin to see how big the gap was between a Level 1 and someone who had not yet condensed their aspect.

“Do you really want to try? I’m afraid I might hurt you,” Solin said with a chuckle.

“Of course, don’t get too cocky, kid. You just advanced a few days earlier than us,” the other students yelled.

“How about this, all three of you come at once. That would be fair,” Solin suggested, picking three familiar classmates he often sparred with.

“Fine, you said it,” the three looked at each other and walked into the arena together.

This sparring match attracted many students to watch. Even Iona didn’t leave today, instead standing in the distant stands.

“Lia, do you think Solin will win?” Komia asked curiously.

“He’ll probably win very easily,” the girl pondered before replying.

“Huh? Is the difference that big?” Komia was puzzled.

“Before, Solin was strong, but when facing two opponents surrounding him, he would be quite flustered. He’d probably have to constantly move around, looking for an opportunity to win.”

“Or, he’d risk getting a minor injury to knock one opponent out of the arena, and then deal with the remaining one.”

“Now you’re saying he can easily deal with three by himself? Has the gap become that big in just a few days?”

“Yes, Komia,” Hylial shook her head slightly, then motioned for Komia to look at the battlefield.

“After advancing, if the aspect of the Destiny Card is the same as that of the ability cards, they will influence each other, providing a boost. This means that even with only Level 2 Breathing Method, Solin now has a strength similar to Level 3.”

“At the same time, because of the advancement, his physical strength in all aspects has increased, including stamina, endurance, reaction speed, eyesight, and power. Although the increase in each direction is not significant, the combined effect is a huge difference.”

“This is just the beginning. After some time, Solin alone will be able to take on almost half of the unadvanced students in the class,” Hylial continued to explain.

The suppression from an aspect level is terrifying, understood only by those who have truly experienced it.

The battle in the arena began. Three students, all having reached the second stage of the Breathing Method, held training swords and attacked in a coordinated manner. Their footwork was swift and steady, their sword skills practiced and agile, presenting no discernible flaws to the other students.

However, amidst such a coordinated attack, Solin effortlessly leaped out of the encirclement, then turned his steps, moved at a rapid pace, and with one swing of his sword, broke one student’s training sword and then kicked him out of the arena.

The other two reacted by encircling him, but he deftly dodged. After parrying one attack with his sword, he suddenly reached out, gripped his opponent’s wrist, causing them to lose balance, and then kicked them in the backside, knocking them to the ground.

As for the last remaining person, the outcome was already clear without further fighting.

Throughout the entire process, he was at ease. If it weren’t for the fact that they were all classmates and he didn’t directly use the blade to slash and thrust, the battle would have ended even more quickly.

Witnessing this outcome, the entire assembly was astonished. It was then that many students clearly recognized the immense difference brought about by condensing an aspect.

“While the Blood Discipline aspect isn’t rich in diverse abilities, its advantage lies in its comprehensive physical enhancement. Perhaps only the ‘Dragon Eye’ aspect can surpass it in this regard,” Yero explained to the students beside him.

“Senior Yero, what about ‘Blazing Sun’?” someone whispered, wanting to know if Solin was stronger now or if Iona was still superior.

“Blazing Sun can also enhance stamina, endurance, and recovery speed, but it’s not as effective as Blood Discipline in overall physical enhancement. However, Blazing Sun has a wider range of influence in many aspects, and the fields in which it can exert its abilities are much broader than Blood Discipline,” Yero shook his head slightly. He felt that Solin currently still couldn’t catch up to Iona’s strength, but the gap between them had indeed narrowed.

After this sparring match, all the students were motivated to advance. Many began preparing eagerly, hoping that they would be the next to break through soon.

Many gathered around Scholar Hyde after class, asking about different methods and paths to advancement. Scholar Hyde had to arrange a special lecture to explain it to everyone.

“Since everyone has been quite concerned lately, I’ll briefly introduce the advancement methods suitable for you right now.”

“Firstly, the most direct path is to break through your Breathing Method to the third stage. By relying on the powerful ‘Blood Discipline’ permeation ability of the Breathing Method, your Destiny Card can achieve a breakthrough.” He pointed to the blackboard.

“Secondly, like Solin, you can cultivate two abilities with the Blood Discipline aspect. When both reach the second stage, they can combine their power to nurture your Destiny Card and make it break through.”

“The last one…” Scholar Hyde hesitated slightly but still spoke.

“The last method is not highly recommended, but if someone is consistently unable to break through, they can only attempt this path.”

“That is, by using elixirs or wondrous items containing the ‘Blood Discipline’ aspect, to cause your Destiny Card to undergo a transformation. Such elixirs and wondrous items, as you know, are expensive and exceedingly rare.”

“Alternatively, some of you may not wish to follow the path of the ‘Blood Discipline’ aspect but have other intentions, such as joining the more common Royal Power School.”

“When your physique and abilities are sufficient and a lord is willing to bestow a title, you can share in the royal power they possess, granting you the ‘Castle’ aspect and completing your transformation.”

Hearing this, Hylial recalled Captain Friein, whom she once knew. He had been granted a title by Baron Holin and became a Level 1 Castle class.

It seems that the methods of advancement in this world are diverse and abundant. As for which path to take, it all depends on individual choice.

(End of Chapter)