Chapter 645
Chapter 645 - 625: Foundation Stone
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9 min read
Considering Lu Ping’an’s age and professional experience, there is no doubt that his intensity exceeds his years in the industry.
Especially when he established the three major fields of battle-profession, life system, and flaming system, built his own professional system, and completed the "war-platform" that transformed his career abilities into tangible combat power, he could already be considered a strongman in actual combat, barely making a name for himself in the ancient city.
Moreover, he is very talented and has great potential in all fields, and even in the eyes of higher-ranking individuals, he has unlimited potential... The point is, if he does not go out of his way to make trouble, just following his current path, his strength is sufficient, and it is only a matter of time before he enters a higher level.
But he always had one shortcoming, or rather, a fatal weakness.
"My current state, to use an inappropriate analogy, is like the most advanced aircraft carrier battle group, with escort ships, drones, underwater submarines, air defense, and so on. The combat system has been set up; all it needs is constant upgrading. The only problem is that the most important aircraft carrier engine... runs on firewood."
Lu Ping’an himself knew that this shortcoming was too obvious; he just couldn’t make up for it.
The most fundamental aspect of a war-platform or war system and its effectiveness is the "power source."
The majority for Lu Ping’an’s battles are short-term, as he couldn’t afford to drag them on.
Life Bank and life-points? Those are not power sources but rather fuel storages as "backup energy sources."
The physical limit of Lu Ping’an’s body, which activates all his abnormal abilities and combat capabilities, restricts the upper limit and endurance of his abilities.
In the past, it was Big Cat Kris who noticed and pointed out this issue, but there wasn’t really any reliable solution.
It is actually a common problem. For most professionals, it’s just a matter of wearing down over time.
Even using magic potions can only slightly speed up the development of basic attributes, and there is no cost-effectiveness to speak of... Addressing the shortcomings of hardware seemingly takes time to wear down, and it’s not uncommon for middle-aged individuals who haven’t hit their decline to have higher attributes and stronger hardware than young ones.
As a rule-level strongman, the most she could do in the face of this situation is to pick out a high-quality breathing technique for Lu Ping’an to practice, using time to make up for his shortcomings and gradually upgrading his firewood engine into an oil extractor machine, eventually becoming a nuclear power system fitting for his capabilities - perhaps taking a few decades. All she could do is help pick a technique that suits Lu Ping’an to speed up his progress.
But Mr. Rust Knight is different, he... It is a true god.
It also recognized Lu Ping’an’s weaknesses, especially the fact that he seemed unlikely to practice ordinary breathing techniques.
With the eyes of a deity, when Lu Ping’an handed over the "choice" authorization to it, it naturally noticed Lu Ping’an’s strongest advantage and his weakest shortcoming and gave its "suggestion".
"In the end, it’s all the fault of the Ten Thousand Spirits..."
Some paths are only recognized as wrong after you’ve reached the end.
A chance glimpse or hearsay in the past may lead to an unconscious deviation in the future.
The power of Lu Ping’an’s "All Things Breathing Martial Arts," combined with his life system ability, greatly exceeds that of a normal system, but if you think about it, the core of his ability is eerily familiar.
The ability of Lu Ping’an to fuse, integrate, and erode other "lives" and merge them into one... isn’t this the "Ten Thousand Spirits" he once glimpsed?
What Big Cat Kris said in the past is true: only when you glimpse the "source" can you have a chance to break through the decree level; and the "truth" you glimpse is your way to a higher level.
But from another perspective, as you glimpse the "truth," you are also captured and assimilated by the "truth..."
What Lu Ping’an glimpsed - the "Ten Thousand Spirits" - indeed became the core of his combat system, but in a sense, it prevented him from practicing other breathing techniques.
Breathing techniques, in the end, are a way to introduce external pollution into the body, letting it flow within, transforming one’s physique, and allowing one’s body to gradually adapt to the pollution and evolve.
In a sense, it should be called "internal change," "individual evolution," or "active mutation."
In fact, it has a similar name in the West, but in the Eastern Country, with its traditional martial arts culture and internal power legends, people naturally connect it with "inhaling and exhaling."
After all, in Eastern culture, the belief that "breathing" brings about the power of fluidity that can transform the body has been passed down.
This "belief" and "faith" itself also make it easier for practitioners to better control this power.
Just like undergoing excessive pollution and curses, humans uncontrollably transform into some kind of magic monster, practicing breathing techniques is also a gradual transformation towards a "non-human" state, with somewhat more control over the process.
Each breathing technique is, in fact, a transformation technique, often pointing to a goal and a direction of mutation.
Many professionals have evolved and cultivated several "Breathing Techniques" along the way, eventually finding the most suitable direction for their own evolution. By that time, their Breathing Technique would often be unrecognizable from its original version.
It’s not that using the advanced version directly is impossible; rather, that kind of Breathing Technique, which targets higher-level "Polluted Creatures," could make one unrecognizable in an instant.
One could say that Breathing Techniques are essential for battle-professionals. Even those who are not battle-professionals wouldn’t reject the evolution of their own bodies since using abilities consumes the physical foundation of everything.
All this time, Lu Ping’an hasn’t had a reliable Breathing Technique. The Breathing Technique derived from the Runner Path focuses on increasing speed and endurance, offering limited help to him. Moreover, the cultivation itself requires the ritual movement of "running," which Lu Ping’an doesn’t have time for.
His original plan was to wait until his ability system stabilized and then find a suitable "engine" for his "Gao Da" setup.
However, the All Things Breathing Martial Arts, while granting him powerful abilities, also imposed enormous restrictions on him.
Breathing Techniques serve as the path of evolution and the path of biological transformation.
The All Things Breathing Martial Arts that he obtained from the Ten Thousand Spirits allows him to understand and connect with the life forms of other creatures, appearing similar in ability, yet fundamentally incompatible.
While normal Breathing Techniques involve directional mutation, Lu Ping’an communicates and establishes links with other lives to form a whole without changing each other.
He must maintain a stable state and complete the connection through the "resonance of breathing" with other lives. His body cannot run two sets of Breathing Techniques simultaneously, just as a computer cannot run two operating platforms at once, especially when one constantly upgrades and patches.
If he forcefully cultivates, it is not impossible to use one set during "All Things Breathing" and another set during his own cultivation. However, parallel use of two separate engines from different manufacturers is likely to cause problems.
Lu Ping’an himself couldn’t find a solution, or rather, he hadn’t yet realized this significant issue. He was attracted by the power of "All Things Breathing" and ignored the "warnings," not noticing the massive side effects.
However, Mr. Rust Knight not only discovered it but also provided a way to solve the problem.
"Experience the breathing of giant beasts, understand the life forms of other creatures, perfect your All Things Breathing Martial Arts, and develop a unique Breathing Technique for yourself..."
Having two systems could lead to a crash, but if one system operates within another as a "functional component," a harmonious whole is possible.
He cannot practice external Breathing Techniques, but what if he elevates his Martial Arts to an evolutionary path? Life has no reason to refuse to become stronger.
The initial Breathing Technique is simply the "imitation" of the evolutionary path of exotic life forms, merely a bit more retro.
Thus, the content of the "reward" becomes clear.
Give Lu Ping’an more opportunities to encounter "powerful lives," leading him to better understand the "path of life" and naturally perfect his own path.
The reward Lu Ping’an received was Gold-tier, so the "giant beasts" he would come into contact with were also Gold-tier.
The "pollution" from these super-monsters would flow into Lu Ping’an’s body along with the connections, causing erosion while continuously changing the way he evolves. His "Breathing Technique," his unique path of evolution, was gradually taking shape.
In a sense, Mr. Rust Knight’s generosity even amazed Big Cat Kris...
"I also want the opportunity to directly transform into a giant beast and experience the life forms of other Rule-level creatures..."
This reward made Kris extremely envious.
It’s not just about solving Lu Ping’an’s current problem and merely upgrading his "oil extractor machine" with a "nuclear power source."
He’s getting in touch with higher-level life forms and walking further along the essential path of the "Ten Thousand Spirits." This fundamental improvement is the most challenging.
"It’s not just changing the engine; it’s also adding a rocket that lifts you up a big hand."
But even at this moment, Big Cat Kris underestimated the scope of Lu Ping’an’s gains. After all, her origin lies in the Mother Goddess rather than the Ten Thousand Spirits.
As for the potential of the "All Things Breathing Martial Arts" originating from the Ten Thousand Spirits after acquiring a large amount of "nutrition," even Lu Ping’an himself could never have imagined it.
In fact, even Mr. Rust Knight couldn’t foresee what kind of monster his blessing would eventually create.
"My Breathing Technique and Martial Arts seem to be a bit abnormal..."
— End of Chapter 645 —