Cornflower Witch

Chapter 53 Student Breakthrough
Two and a half months have passed since I came to Hyde University to study. The students in the class have made great progress, as if they have reached a certain critical point, and some students have begun to break through and advance.

"Thorin, you've reached Tier 1?"

On this day, when the other trainees saw Thorin, they clearly felt that he was different. Although they couldn't quite put their finger on what was different, they vaguely felt that Thorin seemed stronger, his physique was more defined, and even his voice was more powerful.

“That’s right, I advanced to the next level at home yesterday,” he announced happily and proudly.

After completing [Breathing Technique Lv.2] (Blood Law) and [Power Burst Lv.2] (Blood Law), he successfully raised his Destiny Card from zero to 'Tier 1 Blood Law' by nurturing these two 'Blood Law' attribute abilities.

Name: Thorin

Race: Human (Mortal Body)

Status: Healthy (no abnormalities)

Talent: Agility [Good], your reaction speed is several times faster than the average person, giving you an advantage in combat.
Fate Card: [The Explosive Youth] (Tier 1 - Blood Law) -
Effect: [Agile Body Lv.1], After adjusting your breathing techniques and power bursts, your body has begun to adapt to the flow of 'Blood Rhythm', gaining faster speed and reaction time.

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

Skills: [Basic Swordsmanship Lv.4][Military Swordsmanship Lv.2][Secret History Knowledge Lv.2]
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The students in the class were filled with envy at Thorin's advancement, and even Maester Hyde rarely praised him.

In the afternoon, on the training field, a group of students wanted to compete with Thorin to see how big the difference was between a first-order and a non-condensable phase.

"Are you sure you want to try? I'm afraid I might hurt you later," Thorin replied with a chuckle.

"Of course, don't get too cocky, you've only advanced a few days earlier than us," the other students shouted.

"How about this, the three of you come at me together, that's fair." Sorin pointed out three familiar classmates who he usually sparred with.

"Okay, you said it yourself." The three looked at each other and walked into the arena together.

The competition attracted many students to watch, and even Iona stayed behind, watching from the stands at a distance.

"Tia, do you think Thorin will win?" Komia asked curiously.

"We'll probably win easily," the girl replied after thinking for a moment.

"Huh? Is there such a big difference?" Komia asked, puzzled.

"Although Thorin was strong in the past, he would be in a rather awkward situation when facing two classmates attacking him. He would probably have to keep moving around and looking for an opportunity to win."

"Or, he might risk getting injured to knock one opponent off the field and then deal with the remaining one."

"Now you're saying he can easily handle three by himself? It's only been a few days, and the difference is already so huge?"

“Yes, Komia.” Hilti shook her head slightly, then pointed to the battlefield.

"After advancing, if the nature of the Destiny Card is the same as that of the Ability Card, they will influence each other and have a buffing effect. In other words, even though Thorin's Breathing Technique is only at the second stage, he can have a strength similar to that of the third stage."

"At the same time, because of his advancement, the strength of all aspects of his body has been improved, including stamina, endurance, reaction speed, eyesight, strength, etc. Although the increase in each aspect is not high, the sum of all these factors makes a huge difference." "This is still in the early stage. After a while, Thorin will be able to take on nearly half of the students in the class who have not yet advanced." Hilti continued to explain.

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The battle began in the arena. Three students, all of whom had reached the second stage of breathing techniques, wielded training swords and launched a coordinated attack. Their movements were swift and steady, and their swordsmanship was skillful and agile, leaving the other students with no openings.

However, even amidst this siege, Thorin effortlessly broke free of the encirclement, then turned and sprinted forward, cleaving one of the trainees' training swords in two with a single strike before kicking him away.

When the other two reacted and attacked, he nimbly dodged them, parried one of their attacks with his sword, and then suddenly grabbed the other's wrist, pulling him off balance before kicking him in the buttocks, sending him sprawling to the ground.

As for the last remaining person, the outcome is already known even without a fight.

He handled the entire process with ease. If they weren't classmates, and he hadn't directly used his sword to slash and thrust, the battle would have ended much faster.

The audience was shocked by the result. Only then did many trainees realize the enormous difference brought about by the condensation phase.

“Although the Bloodline attribute may not have a wide range of abilities, its advantage is that it can comprehensively enhance one’s physique, which is something that probably only the ‘Dragon Eye’ attribute can surpass,” Yero explained to the students beside him.

"Senior Yero, what about 'Blazing Sun'?" someone asked in a low voice, wanting to know whether Thorin was stronger or Iona was more powerful now.

"The Blazing Sun can also enhance physical strength, endurance, and recovery speed, but it's not as effective as the Blood Law in improving overall physique. However, the Blazing Sun's influence is far greater in many areas, and its range of applications is much wider than the Blood Law." Yero shook his head slightly. He felt that Thorin was still not as strong as Iona at the moment, but the gap between the two was indeed not that big.

After the competition, all the trainees were inspired to advance, and many began to prepare eagerly, hoping that they would be the next ones to advance.

Many people gathered around Hyde after class, asking about their methods and paths to advancement. Hyde had to hold a special class to explain this to them.

"Since everyone is quite concerned about this lately, I'll briefly introduce the advanced methods that are suitable for you at your current level."

"First, the simplest and most direct way is for you to break through to the third stage of your breathing technique, and then use the powerful 'blood rhythm' permeation ability of your breathing technique to complete the breakthrough in your destiny." He pointed to the blackboard.

"Secondly, like Sorin, one should cultivate two abilities related to blood laws. When both reach the second stage, they can work together to nurture the life card and help it break through."

“The last one…” Maester Hyde hesitated for a moment, but then said it.

"The last option is not recommended, but if someone is unable to break through, this is the only way to try."

"That is to use spiritual medicines or rare items containing the 'blood law' attribute to transform one's destiny. I don't need to tell you, you all know that such spiritual medicines and rare items are very expensive and extremely rare."

"Or, some of you may not want to follow the path of the 'blood law' nature and have other plans, such as the most common school of monarchy."

"When your physique and abilities are sufficient to withstand it, and a lord is willing to bestow a title upon you, you can share the royal power in his hands, be granted the 'castle' attribute rank, and complete your transformation."

Upon hearing this, Hiltiah recalled Captain Frien, whom she had once known. He was the one who had been conferred a first-tier castle rank by Baron Hollin.

It seems that there are many different and diverse ways to advance in this world, and how to choose the right path depends on individual choices.

(End of this chapter)