Nascent Soul Rebirth: Starting as a Wizard

Aurora's arm trembled slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. The force of Solo's sword strike was much greater than he had anticipated.

Solo pressed his advantage relentlessly, twisting his waist and hips, retracting his longsword half a foot, and then transforming it into a horizontal slash, sweeping towards Aurora's waist and abdomen, creating a whooshing sound.

Aurora parries with her sword raised.

"Clang!" Another loud sound rang out.

Aurora felt a slight numbness in her wrist, and her feet were involuntarily pushed back half a step by the force.

"Hey! Young Master Solo's strength seems to grow with every gust of wind!"

A middle-aged knight watching the battle stroked his beard and chuckled with interest.

"His appetite must have increased dramatically, right? Look at that."

"You're almost as old as I was when I was twenty. Looks like you've really mastered some breathing techniques?"

Upon hearing this, Patton immediately coughed, put on a stern face, and said seriously:

"Hey, you can't say things like that. Breathing techniques are a secret skill passed down through generations of the Viscount family. I'm not qualified to teach it to you without permission."

However, seeing how diligently Solo was figuring things out on his own, I noticed that his posture was rather awkward when he practiced.

I only offered a few pointers on the key points of exertion and how to coordinate breathing rhythm with movements. It's all thanks to the young master's high comprehension and willingness to put in hard work that he has made such significant progress.

These words were clearly an attempt to shift blame, completely absolving the suspect of privately passing on family secret techniques.

However, the "reasonable" explanation for Solo's rapid progress also serves Solo's purpose.

This paved the way for his subsequent "self-realization" to reach a deeper level.

The other knights were all shrewd enough to understand the implication, and they all smiled and tried to smooth things over.

"That's right, that's right. Instructor Patton is just a warm-hearted person and can't stand seeing young people take the wrong path."

"There are no outsiders here, so who among us would dare to go out and spread rumors?"

On the field, Solo launched a fierce and rapid attack, which was powerful and imposing.

But ultimately, he is young and lags behind Aurora in terms of skill and experience.

This was indeed the truth; Solo was using knightly swordsmanship, which was completely different from the swordsmanship he had learned in his previous life.

To make such rapid progress is truly remarkable.

After Aurora regained her footing, she began to demonstrate her solid skills.

He no longer resorted to direct confrontation, but instead used more refined footwork and more experienced sword circle control.

Gradually neutralize Solo's offensive and look for an opening to counterattack.

Finally, in the instant after Solo's powerful strike and as he was slightly slow to recover, a glint flashed in Aurora's eyes.

The longsword in his hand suddenly shot out like a nimble snake, its tip precisely pointing below Solo's tsuba, and then with a flick of his wrist, he twisted it!

"Snapped!"

A subtle yet irresistible rotating force came, and Solo felt a violent tremor in his hand, causing his five fingers to involuntarily loosen.

The longsword flew out of his hand, spinning several times in the air.

With a "whoosh," the sword plunged into the mud a few steps away, its hilt still trembling.

"Good!" The surrounding knights cheered in unison for the clean and decisive disarming strike.

Solo shook his numb right hand, his face showing no frustration, but rather thoughtfulness and admiration, and said frankly:

"Amazing, I lost. That last twist was perfect in both force and angle."

Although Aurora won, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her breathing was a little more rapid than usual.

He sheathed his sword and stood there, his gaze towards Solo filled with even greater surprise and admiration:

"Young Master Solo, please don't say that. Your strength is... quite frightening. Last time I sparred with you, although you were heavy, it was nothing like what I feel today."

I overheard a passing merchant say that some people in this world are born with special physical attributes, their stomachs are like furnaces, and everything they eat can be transformed into strength and power.

"Instructor Barton, how much special training have you given Young Master Solo? How much magical beast essence have you fed him?"

Patton chuckled, a hint of pride and satisfaction in his expression.

"I didn't give him any special treatment. It's because Young Master Solo is capable. During the escort mission a while ago..."

On several occasions when he led patrols, any monsters or half-monsters he encountered on the road that dared to provoke him basically became the young master's meat in the pot.

Those guys' flesh is far more vigorous and full of life than ordinary livestock. Young Master, you're cleaning and eating it yourself—that's real, hard-earned "nutritious food"!

The conversation naturally turned to the practice of breathing techniques.

Seeing the harmonious atmosphere, Solo pretended to ponder, his brows furrowed slightly, and spoke with a hint of uncertainty and confusion:

"Actually, recently during practice, I sometimes have a... very strange feeling, I can't quite put my finger on what it is, it's like deep inside my body."

Especially the area below the heart and above the navel, sometimes feels slightly warm with each breath.

Or there's a very slight, throbbing sensation, like something is 'beating,' but it's not a heartbeat.

But this feeling came suddenly and went quickly. Just when I tried to grasp it and feel it, it vanished without a trace.

"...Did I practice incorrectly, or did something go wrong?"

His description, both vague and vivid, captures the initial confusion many beginners experience regarding the most basic sense of life's rhythms before truly grasping the "path."

The moment he posed that question, the previously noisy scene fell silent for a moment.

Immediately, the knights' eyes lit up, they looked at each other, and their faces showed knowing and even nostalgic smiles.

Instructor Patton was the first to approach, lowering his voice slightly, his tone unusually serious yet encouraging:

"A mishap? No, kid! This is not a mishap! What you're describing is the 'heat' and 'movement' deep within the body that resonates with each breath."

If I'm not mistaken, you're probably already close to touching the threshold of 'life rhythm'!

"The rhythm of life?" Solo appropriately expressed his bewilderment and surprise.

"Yes!" Aurora chimed in, her voice brimming with excitement.

"That's it! That's the most primal and powerful life force rhythm inherent in our bodies."

Unlike a heartbeat or breathing, it is deeper and more subtle.

Only when you practice breathing techniques to a certain level and calm your mind can you possibly sense it.

It's like trying to hear a faint drumbeat through a thick wooden board; at first, it's intermittent and elusive.

The old knight Rex nodded slowly, his gaze distant, as if recalling his youth:

"Young Master Solo, you're right. The first time I vaguely felt something warm in my stomach was back then."

When it felt like a small flame was flickering with each breath, I thought I had eaten something bad.

Later, the instructor told me that it was a sign that the "blood and qi furnace" was about to ignite but had not yet ignited.

When we practice breathing techniques, we are not only training our breath, but also mobilizing the body's Qi and blood to create an invisible "furnace" within our bodies.

Breathing is the bellows, focused mind is the firewood, and the 'heat' and 'movement' you feel are the fire about to start.

The signs that heat and vitality are beginning to spread from the furnace throughout the body.

He further explained: "The breathing rhythm of the lungs is the surface; it should be deep, long, fine, and even, like pulling a bellows, and it cannot be chaotic."

But just having the bellows running isn't enough; the key is to use that "wind" to fan the flames of life within the body.

If you feel your breath is stagnant in your shoulder blades, or if you experience shortness of breath and a racing heart after running, it's most likely because the 'wind' and 'fire' elements haven't fully coordinated yet.

The wind didn't blow where it should have, or the heat wasn't strong enough to suppress the chaos following intense exertion.