Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Chapter 104 Understanding the Mysterious Stone Carvings, Choosing a Breathing Technique

"Our course will begin with the basics of biology."

Daisy opened her lesson plan, her tone returning to its icy tone, as if the brief incident had never occurred. "Don't find this boring. In this world, the foundation of mysticism is often built upon extremely mutated flesh and blood."

This part of the knowledge is the most complex and tedious. Learning it first will help you solidify your understanding when you encounter topics like alien dissection and potion synthesis later.

She wrote several complex Old Victorian terms on the blackboard, then turned and said, "First, read through the first chapter of the book yourselves, and preview the basic theories of flesh mutation. In half an hour, listen to the explanation with your questions in mind."

After saying that, she pulled out a chair, sat down, and began to peruse one of her thick ancient books, ignoring everyone else.

Once she calmed down, the young man who had spoken to Xilun earlier immediately came over.

His eyes were fixed on the bluish ointment on the back of Xilun's hand, his tone filled with barely suppressed jealousy and envy.

"Dude, you're quite the expert! Did you and Miss Daisy know each other before?" the young man asked in a low voice, his face full of gossip.

Xilun opened the book and replied without looking up, "I wouldn't call myself an acquaintance, we were just classmates."

The young man didn't believe it at all and curled his lip.

Two other male trainees nearby also moved closer and began to whisper among themselves.

"I didn't pay these five pounds to learn any of that bullshit biology; I enrolled in this class specifically so I could see Miss Daisy up close!"

"Who isn't!" another chimed in. "I always thought that upper-class heiresses like her were arrogant and haughty. Who knew Daisy was not only young and beautiful, from a prestigious family, but also so kind!"

"Yes, seeing that an ordinary student had a minor hand injury, they actually took out such precious alchemical ointment to show their concern. My God, I wish I were injured!"

He found the buzzing like flies amusing, but he couldn't be bothered to correct these lust-driven guys.

He shut out all external distractions, lowered his head, and began to read the obscure text on the parchment book with utmost concentration.

Half an hour passed quickly. Daisy closed the ancient book, stood up, and prepared to begin her formal explanation.

Just then, the young man in the plaid suit who had come to pick up girls suddenly let out an exaggerated scream.

"Ouch!" He clutched his stomach, his body contorting dramatically into a shrimp-like shape, his face contorted in pain. "Teacher! Teacher Daisy! I—I think I ate something bad this morning. My intestines feel like they're all twisted up. I feel so awful!"

Daisy paused in her work of organizing lesson plans, clearly not expecting this situation to arise.

She frowned, looked at the man groaning in pain, and said calmly, "If you're not feeling well, turn left after exiting the restroom; it's at the far west end of the first floor."

The man's face stiffened; this was not the script he had envisioned.

He immediately intensified his performance, shaking his head like a rattle-drum: "No—no, teacher! I don't think this is just ordinary diarrhea, I might have acute colic! I think I have to see a doctor right away!"

He looked up at Daisy with an extremely pitiful expression: "But, teacher, I'm really unfamiliar with the streets around the club. Could you—could you have the mercy and accompany me to the nearby clinic? I'm afraid I'll faint on the way—"

The man had a clever plan: as long as he could lure the young lady out under the pretense of going to the doctor, they would have a chance to be alone together.

However, upon hearing this, a hint of coldness flashed in Daisy's blue eyes.

She stood still, not even moving an inch, looking down at the man who was still performing.

"Since you're so ill, you definitely need to see a doctor," Daisy said coldly and without emotion. "Go outside right now, hail a steam taxi, and tell the driver to go to the nearest Red Cross clinic. He knows the way."

"By the way, if you don't even have the strength to stand up, I can ring the bell now and have the club's security come in and carry you to the car. Medical expenses are your own responsibility."

The man's hand, which was clutching his stomach, froze completely. His face turned pale and then flushed, extremely embarrassed.

This is completely different from the script I imagined! What happened to the kindness and consideration I was promised? This woman is colder than a rock!

Under the watchful eyes of Xilun and the others, the man could no longer maintain his act. He coughed twice, slowly straightened up, and his face flushed red.

"Um—I suddenly feel a little better. Since the teacher is so busy, I'll go buy some medicine myself—"

He grabbed his hat, and like a dog whose tail had been stepped on, slunk out the door and fled the library filled with an awkward atmosphere.

Watching the fleeing figure, Daisy snorted coldly.

She turned around, picked up the chalk again, and faced the remaining students: "Now, turn to the first page."

In the somber classroom, the gaslight emitted an extremely faint hissing sound.

Xilun sat at the rough wooden desk, his long fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the parchment, his deep eyes churning with unsettling thoughts.

Daisy's cool and clear explanation seemed to slightly dispel the thick fog shrouding the mysticism, presenting those bizarre theories of flesh and blood mutation to him in an extremely rational way.

Xilun benefited greatly from his first systematic learning experience.

It wasn't that his knowledge of ancient Victorian mutated creatures would immediately come in handy, but rather that as he stared at the distorted, complex vocabulary on the blackboard, a strong sense of déjà vu suddenly flashed through his mind.

He vaguely realized that these symbols of knowledge, which were regarded as the ultimate truth, and these textual structures, which were strictly sealed by the occult community, were related to this.

It seemed to share a certain hidden and profound similarity with the classical literary characters I had glimpsed by chance in some miscellaneous books.

The feeling was like two broken puzzle pieces miraculously fitting together at the edges after bridging a long cognitive gap.

The bell rang softly in the depths of the corridor as the students dispersed in twos and threes, their conversations fading into the distance.

Xilun remained seated, his back ramrod straight, like a frozen sculpture.

He pondered for a long time, and an extremely bold idea grew wildly in his mind like weeds.

He wanted to see the real, mysterious stone carvings.

Blindly wading through the quagmire of basic theories is far too inefficient; he needs a more direct and impactful way of understanding things.

There are two very obvious advantages to doing this.

First, this is a classic example of a result-driven action.

Only by witnessing firsthand those stone inscriptions that represent the pinnacle of mysticism could he construct a clear final model in his mind and know what kind of goal he wanted to achieve.

Secondly, this kind of intuitive visual impact and cognitive challenge is more suitable for enhancing his learning motivation and can accurately position his next learning direction, avoiding getting lost in the vast sea of ​​literature.

Having figured this out, Xilun exhaled a breath of stale air, and his eyes regained their stagnant calm.

He stood up, neatly arranged his lesson plan and stuffed it into the inner pocket of his trench coat, then strode out of the classroom.

After walking through a corridor covered with a thick red carpet, Xiren arrived at the magnificent lobby on the first floor of the club.

A huge crystal chandelier cast a soft and luxurious light, and the air was filled with a faint blend of cigar and expensive perfume scents.

Xilun walked to the large brass countertop and gently tapped the polished marble surface with his fingers.

"Good evening, sir. How may I help you?"

The receptionist, dressed in a custom-made uniform, immediately stood up straight, a flawless professional smile on her face, and a sweet and polite voice.

"I would like to request permission to view the mysterious stone carvings on the fourth floor," Xilun said calmly, without any unnecessary pleasantries.

A hint of surprise flashed in the receptionist's eyes, as it was rare for a newly baptized person to make such a request, but her excellent professionalism made her respond immediately.

"Of course, sir." She took a parchment form with the club's logo from the drawer and handed her a dip pen. "Then, please tell me the name of the mysterious stone carving you wish to visit, and I will submit it along with this application form. We will notify you as soon as it is approved."

"You can leave your name and current address. If you do not come to the club during this period, we will notify you by express mail."

Xilun took the pen and signed his name and the address of the Golden Rooster Hotel on the form with flowing strokes. His handwriting was strong and powerful, exuding a sharp edge.

"My understanding of the Extraordinary Breathing Technique is still very limited."

Xiren put down his pen and calmly looked into the receptionist's eyes. "I'd like to know if the club has any brochures or publicly available documents that could help me quickly understand the breathing techniques recorded in the stone carvings?"

The receptionist paused for a moment, then nodded in sudden understanding.

She turned and walked toward the huge walnut bookcase behind her, stood on tiptoe, and took out a small booklet wrapped in black velvet from a locked compartment on the top shelf.

"Sir, here is what you requested."

She handed the booklet to Xilun with both hands and explained in a low voice, "This is a summary personally compiled by President Lund, who spent a lot of effort collecting the cultivation insights of nine senior mentors in the club and combining them with his own understanding."

"It contains general information about the four mysterious stone carvings currently stored on the fourth floor, as well as the characteristics of their corresponding breathing techniques. This does not involve the core cultivation path; it is merely a guide. You can take it back and examine it carefully."

Xilun took the booklet, his fingers touching the rough yet textured leather cover, feeling a slightly cool sensation on his fingertips.

He tucked the booklet close to his body and nodded slightly.

"Thanks."

The downtown area late at night.

Room 302, Golden Rooster Hotel.

Xilun casually hung his trench coat on the back of the chair, drew the heavy curtains, and completely shut out the shouts and curses of the drunkards and the roar of the steam pipes outside.

He struck a match and lit the gas lamp on the table.

A dim, yellowish light spread throughout the cramped room, dispelling the chill in the corner.

Xilun poured himself a glass of cold water, drank it all in one gulp, then pulled out a chair and sat down, carefully taking the black booklet out of his pocket.

Turning the rough cover, a pungent smell of stale ink mixed with a faint aroma of preservatives wafts out.

The first breathing method immediately came into view.

The title is "The Sleep of the Stone Statue".

Xilun's gaze swept over the tiny characters, word by word.

According to the booklet, this guiding technique originated from a very special mutated creature in modern times.

Those creatures inhabit the desolate stone forests of the northern continent, maintaining a static posture year-round, their appearance resembling a sculpture carved from stone that has weathered for thousands of years.

But in reality, it is a living creature with extremely slow vital signs.

Because of its unique way of life, this creature possesses an outrageously powerful defense, and can even be completely immune to the erosion and resistance of low-level energy.

To practice this breathing method, you need to lower your heart rate to freezing point, allowing your blood and qi to stagnate and settle within your body, thereby giving your skin and flesh a high degree of tempering.

At higher levels, the body's surface resistance will be greatly enhanced, as if it were covered with an invisible, hard stone armor.

Xilun stared at the words, his brows furrowing slightly.

The Stone Statue's Sleeping Breath is indeed a top-tier defensive technique. If it were any other newly baptized person, they would definitely regard it as a treasure.

But for him, the appeal of this technique was greatly diminished.

He not only possesses the "Iron Wall Breathing Technique" at the master level, but also has the "Black Scale Pattern" talent of the Garuda Serpent fused into his body, making his physical defense far superior to those of his peers.

If he continues to rely solely on defense, his methods will become too simplistic, lacking the explosive power to deliver a decisive blow.

Although the special tempering of the skin and flesh can also bring about an increase in strength, overall, it is not very attractive to him.

In particular, this breathing technique requires the sap of the stone statue, a resource that is difficult to collect.

He shook his head and turned the page.

Xilun continued flipping through the pages, his eyes gleaming, his brain working at high speed as he began to meticulously ponder the breathing method that truly suited him.

His situation is extremely special and cannot be measured by conventional standards.

He silently listed his core criteria for selecting cultivation methods:

Ideally, it should have low resource requirements.

Although he had just made a windfall of over thirty pounds, in this extraordinary world where even a single bottle of advanced magic potion could cost tens or hundreds of pounds, he was still a complete pauper and simply couldn't afford the expenses of those cultivation techniques that required precious materials.

Secondly, it requires a high level of comprehension.

What others fear most about being obscure and difficult to understand is a natural barrier for him.

Furthermore, it must be easy to learn.

Once you successfully cross the threshold of entry, the deep red panel on your retina will record it as data, and further improvement will no longer be an unattainable dream.

Finally, mastering it is extremely difficult.

The more difficult a technique is to master, the higher its potential and the more terrifying the qualitative change in one's physical strength.

With such stringent selection criteria, Xilun patiently read through the remaining three breathing techniques.

The second type emphasizes agility, but requires constant immersion in a highly toxic liquid, which he immediately ruled out.

The third type, which can produce hallucination interference, requires extremely high mental strength talent, and subsequent cultivation requires a large amount of expensive hallucinogenic crystals, was also crossed out by him.

Until his gaze fell on the slightly faded handwriting on the last page.

Xilun's gaze froze instantly.

He stared intently at the words on the paper, his breathing becoming heavy involuntarily, and his heart pounding powerfully in his chest.

After a moment's thought, a tiny smile appeared on his lips, the satisfaction of a hunter who had finally found the perfect prey.

He closed the booklet, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

He chose one of the breathing techniques.

Its name is "The Great Sea Whale Guiding Technique".