The Witcher: Grinding Proficiency Starting with the Witcher

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Wei left the apprentices' room and went straight to the blacksmith's shop in the castle's front yard.

Inside the forge, the heat was intense. Daniel, shirtless and wearing only a thick leather apron, wielded a hammer with his muscular arms, intently striking a red-hot iron ingot repeatedly, sparks flying everywhere.

As a martial arts instructor stationed at the castle, after the apprentices left, blacksmithing and equipment making became his daily routine.

It's both a hobby and a way to supplement the castle's revenue.

"Uncle Daniel."

Li Wei stepped forward and respectfully called out.

He walked into the blacksmith's shop, where the intense heat emanating from the furnace swept away the chill outside.

Upon hearing this, Daniel glanced at him sideways with his cat-like eyes.

"Li Wei, it's you."

Li Wei, with a respectful expression, got straight to the point: "Uncle Turka said that you are very knowledgeable in physical combat, and the greatsword I chose is also a greatsword like yours, so I came here specifically to ask you for your experience."

"Hehe, I knew you'd come looking for me."

Daniel put down the hammer, took off his heavy gloves, and placed them on the worktable beside him.

He walked over and pulled Li Wei to sit down on a stone bench outside the blacksmith's shop.

"You still have Raven Ferguson's Black Python Breathing Technique, don't you?"

Li Wei hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

Daniel sighed. "Body-training breathing techniques are different from our Witcher breathing techniques. Every step of its training is an extreme test of the physical body, as well as day-to-day and year-to-year mental torture."

He looked at Li Wei and asked, "Having read that breathing technique, you must know about the knight's so-called 'Seed of Life'?"

Li Wei nodded.

"The Seed of Life... requires extraordinary bloodline, talent, and devout faith in the gods, as well as the ingestion of a special elixir to condense. The process is extremely dangerous, no easier than the awakening of a Witcher like us."

Daniel's eyes were complicated. "It's a pity that you've already undergone the mutation from the drug. Although you haven't shown obvious cat-eye characteristics, Mavis said that your body has indeed undergone a qualitative change and it's no longer possible for you to condense the seed of life."

"Otherwise, the body-strengthening breathing method is indeed a suitable path for you."

"But it's not bad now, you're a true Witcher now."

He patted Li Wei on the shoulder, "Although we can't rely on the Seed of Life, we can still achieve it by using secret medicines and body-strengthening breathing techniques to temper our physical body."

"The reason why Raven Ferguson was able to take on three water ghosts by himself last time was largely because he drank the secret medicine left by his family, but that was only half-baked, all show and no substance."

"A true knight is no easier to deal with than one of us witchers."

Li Wei suddenly realized.

He asked some more questions about the breathing techniques for body training, and Daniel answered them one by one.

Daniel gave a final, subtle hint that after he finished watching the Black Python Body Tempering Breathing Technique, he should return the Marina statue to Lauvin's brother, Ethan.

Li Wei understood Daniel's feelings; after all, Lauwen was the apprentice he had brought back, and now that one of them had died, he couldn't help but feel guilty.

Back in his room, Li Wei unfolded the parchment containing the Black Python Body Tempering Breathing Technique.

The Black Python Body Tempering Breathing Technique is renowned for its defensive capabilities, as evidenced by Lauwen's performance.

The black mist that could withstand the sword blade was only at a rudimentary level.

The breathing method records four human body patterns, representing four hammering methods, and four corresponding breathing mantras.

Each hammer strike requires wearing heavy armor or heavy equipment.

Li Wei, having the greatsword, didn't lack in this respect.

Following the first image, he raised the giant sword with both hands and struck a strange pose.

"Inhale...exhale..."

In less than ten minutes, Li Wei felt unbearable soreness in his arms, but the system's proficiency prompts were nowhere to be seen.

He frowned and silently recited something to himself.

"System, add points!"

Immediately, 1 point of general physical skill proficiency was added to the Black Python Body Tempering Breathing Technique.

In an instant, a feeling of divine inspiration welled up in his heart, as if an invisible mentor was correcting his every subtle movement and breathing rhythm.

[Black Python Body Tempering Breathing Technique Proficiency +1!]

As the system notification appeared, a smile crept onto Li Wei's lips.

……

One month later, at the training grounds of the Witcher's Castle.

Li Wei carried a greatsword on his back and held an elven longbow in his hand. His left arm was outstretched, and his right arm was nocked an arrow, with the bowstring fully drawn.

His gaze was fixed on the target fifty meters away.

At this distance, with his current eyesight, he could clearly see every single line on the wooden target.

Place your right finger lightly.

"call out!"

The bowstring snapped back, and the arrow shot out like lightning, leaving a sharp whistling sound as it cut through the air.

The arrow feathers spun rapidly.

"Zzzzt!"

The arrow pierced the head of the wooden target with precision, sending wood chips flying.

Li Wei put down his bow, savoring the feeling he had just experienced.

If you were to imbue the arrow with the power of vibration, it would definitely be able to pierce through this wooden target.

[Archery Proficiency +1!]

Archery Skill: 19/500 (Beginner)

[Archery (White): Can draw a 45-pound bow, hitting stationary targets within 50 meters and moving targets within 30 meters with perfect accuracy. Strength increased by 0.1]

Strength: 1.6 → 1.8 (Growth with age +0.1)

[Black Python Body Tempering Breathing Method: 99/100 (Beginner)]

[Hint: Breakthrough in the Black Python Body Tempering Breathing Technique requires the Black Python Secret Medicine.]

Li Wei smoothly drew a training arrow from his quiver with his right hand.

Three footsteps of varying depths came from afar.

"Li Wei!"

He released the arrow he had just taken out, letting it fall back into the quiver.

Turning around, I saw Ashel, Daniel, and Ete.

"As expected of Li Wei, he's already a full-fledged Witcher, and he's working even harder than when he was an apprentice."

Ashel stepped forward, raised his eyebrows, and said with a strange expression, "Every time I look for you, you're either training or learning herbal alchemy from Mavis."

Li Wei smiled without saying a word.

Aite glanced at the wooden target in the distance and rubbed his chin.

"That arrow must be fifty meters long, right? The arrowhead is completely embedded in the wooden target..."

"Tsk tsk, it shoots even better than my crossbow."

"Maybe in a few years, we Witchers will produce an archer just like the Elf."

Li Wei agreed with this point.

This recognition wasn't for his future archery skills, but for the Witcher's cat's eye and bow—the two were a perfect match.

Daniel, meanwhile, was sizing up Levi.

Compared to a month ago, the latter has grown taller, almost 1.8 meters now.

With the giant sword behind him, it gradually gained a corresponding imposing aura.

"Uncle Aite, you flatter me," Li Wei said. "Weren't you busy with the gathering these past few days? What brings you here to see me?"

Aite scratched his gray hair, his cat-like eyes looking somewhat lazy.

"Daniel told me you were looking for the petrified chicken snake. Coincidentally, I saw one near Eagle Mountain a few days ago."

Upon hearing this, Li Wei's eyes immediately lit up with excitement.

"real?"

The bile of the petrified chicken snake is a key ingredient in the secret medicine needed to break through the [Black Python Body Tempering Breathing Technique].

Daniel nodded.

"Yes, I've been tracking it for a few days. That petrified chicken-snake probably hasn't stored enough food for winter; it's been making a lot of noise in the mountains these past few days."

"The calls have decreased since noon yesterday, probably because the food reserves are almost depleted."

"So, I discussed it with Turka and Aite."

"Consider this mission to deal with the petrified chicken snake as your first official demon-hunting commission with Ashel."