26: Chapter 26 New Features of the All-Encompassing Furnace Breathing Technique: Insight!

Deep within White Cliff Castle, inside Rowan's private meditation room.

Thick stone walls cut off all outside noise; only the crucible on the central workbench emitted a low hum.

The viscous potion inside the crucible could be seen boiling, its colors constantly shifting.

From dark gold to crimson, and finally to its current stable state—a golden-white reminiscent of molten dawn.

Rowan focused intently on the changes in the medicinal liquid, slowly stirring with a long silver spoon at a constant frequency and angle.

Every stroke carried a unique rhythm, guiding the heat of the furnace and the medicinal properties to blend uniformly.

'Radiant Griffin heart blood' was the main ingredient, now refined into the purest medicinal essence, resembling a small golden snake swimming through the liquid.

Over a dozen precious supplementary materials, including Silver Moon Vine, Halo Stone powder, mandala flower pollen, water condensed from morning dew, and Moonlight Grass juice, had long been added in strict order and timing.

A strange scent filled the air, sometimes fragrant, sometimes bitter, and sometimes like burning metal.

His breathing was long and steady as the Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique circulated naturally within him. Strands of Dou Qi were precisely channeled through his fingertips, tapping specific runes on the crucible's outer wall to fine-tune the local temperature.

This time, he had carefully re-studied the essence of 'Hecate's Cauldron Alchemy,' hoping to increase the success rate of the potion brewing.

Time passed bit by bit.

The furnace fire gradually weakened, and the churning bubbles in the crucible subsided. The golden-white liquid became clear and viscous, with specks of radiance flickering like breathing within it.

A rich yet gentle scent, seemingly a blend of radiance and snow, spread through the room.

"It's done."

Rowan's eyes lit up.

Various eerie colors continued to blend and swirl.

The light gradually faded.

At the bottom of the crucible lay about one standard dose of a liquid resembling liquid gold.

He carefully scooped it out with a jade spoon and poured it into a prepared crystal bottle.

The secret medicine entered his throat, not dissolving but sinking into his stomach like a ball of warm flame.

Then, it exploded outward!

A torrent of energy, carrying the Radiant Griffin's characteristic heat and light attributes, instantly swept through his limbs and bones.

Rowan let out a muffled groan as his skin took on an abnormal golden-red hue and his veins bulged slightly.

He immediately sat cross-legged, circulating the Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique with all his might.

An invisible vortex seemed to appear within his body, greedily devouring and transforming this external energy.

[Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique Proficiency +2]

[Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique Proficiency +2]

Feeling the significantly strengthened Dou Qi within him, the corners of Rowan's mouth curled up slightly.

He was lucky this time; with one portion of Radiant Griffin heart blood, carefully prepared supplements, and stable brewing, he succeeded twice out of three attempts.

At least for the next two months, he wouldn't have to worry about secret medicines.

After cleaning up and changing into dry clothes, Rowan went to his exclusive cultivation room at the top of the castle.

It had a wide view and was far from the bustle.

Sitting cross-legged on the cold stone floor, he took out the leather scroll he had obtained from Parker.

Shadow Wolf Breathing Method.

The scroll was ancient with frayed edges, containing instructions on how to construct a basic Dou Qi cycle and techniques for using Dou Qi to enhance stealth, explosiveness, and short-distance maneuvering.

Rowan focused his mind and began following the diagrams and mantras on the scroll, attempting to guide his Dou Qi along a path completely different from that of the Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique.

This path focused more on developing the subtle meridians in the legs and spine, emphasizing instantaneous contraction and propulsion, with a Dou Qi nature that leaned toward the soft and swift.

At first, it was somewhat sluggish, as the sensation of conflicting routes arose.

However, the traits of the Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique began to manifest; like a master harmonizer, it slowly dissolved the conflict and guided this newborn strand of Dou Qi to circulate.

A crude but complete prototype of the Shadow Wolf Breathing Method's Dou Qi cycle was preliminarily established within Rowan's body.

Just then, the familiar system panel silently surfaced in his vision:

[New Breathing Technique circulation pattern detected: Shadow Wolf Breathing Method (Excellent)]

[Activate the Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique's smelting function to extract the Shadow Wolf Breathing Method's [Trait]?]

[Yes/No]

Rowan was delighted. With a slight thought, he chanted internally:

"Yes!"

Instantly, the Shadow Wolf Dou Qi cycle he had just established collapsed like a line of snow thrown into a blazing fire.

But it did not dissipate; instead, it was dominantly devoured, decomposed, and refined by the Myriad Manifestations Furnace Dou Qi.

Fragments of intent regarding 'Shadow,' 'Stealth,' 'Instantaneous Explosion,' and 'Weakness Insight'—like stripped-away essence—flooded Rowan's perception, beginning to merge and reconstruct with the Myriad Manifestations Furnace's original framework.

Text scrolled rapidly on the system panel:

[Smelting in progress...]

[Analyzing the core traits of the Shadow Wolf Breathing Method...]

[Stripping redundant circulation paths...]

[Extracting essential intent: Shadow Affinity, Explosive Dash, Weakness Insight...]

[Merging with the existing technique framework...]

[Fusion complete!]

[Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique has gained a new trait.]

[Insight (Blue)]:

Effect: By attaching Dou Qi to your eyes in a specific manner, your vision and perception will enter a state of high concentration.

In this state, dynamic vision and detail-capturing abilities are significantly enhanced.

After observing a stationary target or engaging with a moving one, there is a certain chance to perceive their defensive weak points.

As the notification ended, Rowan clearly felt a subtle change in the Dou Qi within his dantian's sea of qi.

The originally pure, icy Dou Qi now seemed to have a faint shadow-like texture deep within its core.

It wasn't a change in color, but a supplementary property, giving the Dou Qi a touch of flowing trickery and penetrating sharpness alongside its condensed coldness.

[Current Myriad Manifestations Furnace Dou Qi Traits]:

1. Frost (Blue): Dou Qi carries an extreme cold attribute, capable of freezing, slowing, and enhancing ice-based skill effects.

2. Insight (Blue): Can activate Weakness Insight vision, significantly increasing the ability to capture openings.

"Let's try it..." With a thought, Rowan attempted to mobilize the newly acquired [Insight] trait.

A strand of Dou Qi, a blend of icy cold and the new trait, flowed gently toward his eyes along the path that had just been solidified through smelting.

There was no pain, only a slight coolness.

The next moment, Rowan opened his eyes.

The world had changed.

Everything familiar in the meditation room seemed to have been wiped clean of surface dust, revealing deeper textures.

The dust motes slowly floating in the air, originally invisible to the naked eye, became crystal clear, allowing him to even roughly judge their falling trajectories.

Light also seemed to have layered, with faint, flowing halos appearing at the edges of objects.

He looked at his own palm and could "see" the faint glow of Dou Qi circulating like a stream beneath his skin.

He could even detect a slightly sluggish Dou Qi flow at a knuckle due to an old injury.

He looked at the wall.

Where his gaze focused—at a point where stone bricks met and several fine cracks intersected—a tiny, extremely faint dark red halo appeared in his [Insight] vision.

He understood in his heart that it was the weakest point of the wall's structure, where the stress was greatest!

Rowan sucked in a breath of cold air, suppressed the shock in his heart, and stopped the flow of Dou Qi.

His vision instantly returned to normal, but the brand-new perception from that brief glimpse was deeply etched into his mind.

This [Insight] trait was by no means as simple as just enhancing eyesight.

In battle, if one could see through the weak links in an opponent's Dou Qi circulation, or even the stress concentration points of their armor defense...

Its value was immeasurable!

Just then, the system panel flashed again:

[Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique Proficiency +24]

"What?!" Even with Rowan's composure, he couldn't help but have his pupils shrink as waves of shock rose in his heart.

Twenty-four proficiency points!

This was almost equivalent to the results of half a month of hard cultivation without any secret medicine assistance!

Just one successful smelting, having Drained the essence of an Excellent-grade Breathing Technique, had actually brought such a massive boost!

He understood immediately.

So that's how it is...

The rapid advancement path of the Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique isn't just through conventional cultivation and secret medicine stimulation..."

"Smelting other Breathing Techniques, Draining its essential intent, and perfecting its own framework is its true way to grow!"

"Breathing Techniques of Excellent grade or higher, which carry their own traits, are the best resources!"

"This is the correct way to use the Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique!"

This discovery opened a brand-new door for him. On the path of a knight, Dou Qi cultivation is the foundation. Most people can only practice one Breathing Technique.

Yet the unique characteristics of the Myriad Furnace meant that constantly searching for, obtaining, and smelting more Breathing Techniques with different traits would become a shortcut for his strength to soar!

After the euphoria came swift, calm reflection.

Breathing Techniques are incredibly precious everywhere.

Especially those of Excellent grade or higher with special traits; they are strictly controlled by major powers and families and are never easily leaked.

Opportunities like obtaining the Shadow Wolf Breathing Method this time are rare and cannot be forced.

"It seems I'll need to pay more attention to information and channels in this regard in the future..."

Rowan's eyes flickered as rumors of Ice Lake City's black market and certain dangerous areas flashed through his mind.

While the path to increasing his strength became clearer, problems regarding his territory also flooded his mind.

What exactly are those people from the Crimson Knights trying to do?

He stood up and walked to the window of the meditation room, overlooking the quiet White Cliff Territory under the night sky.

In his amber eyes, Dou Qi circulated slightly, and a faint glimmer of [Insight] flashed through the depths of his gaze.

Is it in the west?

...