I can evolve everything

After seeing her old friend off, Karen quickly prepared to leave with Ryan, then closed the basement door behind her, leaving the only remaining grandfather and grandson of the Wilder family in the darkness for the time being.

When Karen led Ryan and Ella out of the dark passage and back into the study, it was pitch black outside.

The old knight didn't speak, but silently walked to the desk, opened the drawer, rummaged through it, and finally picked up a seal representing the sheriff's authority.

He ran his thumb along the lines on it, brought it close to the candlelight, examined it carefully, and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the seal.

"Let's go and call the adjutant."

After a moment, Karen spoke.

The sorrow of parting from an old friend in his voice had been sealed away, replaced by his usual coldness.

"We'll tell him that Sheriff Harold Wilder, who conspired with a necromancer, is now dead. He's temporarily in charge of Ironwood Town."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Half an hour later.

The adjutant named Hans did not slack off in the slightest because it was the middle of the night. He had already changed his clothes and was standing in the study with trepidation.

He looked at the mess in the room—broken windows, split bookshelves, and Sir Karen, a figure renowned throughout the border region—and cold sweat streamed down his fat face.

"M-Sir, I really had no idea about this..." Hans stammered, trying to exonerate himself, fearing that the knight in front of him would behead him on charges of being an accomplice at any moment.

"I know"

"Then Lord Harold, oh no, Harold's remains..." Hans asked cautiously.

Karen interrupted him, her tone completely flat:

"He's buried in the basement of this mansion. Please give him a proper burial; that was his wish. After everything is done, seal the entrance. No one is allowed to go down and disturb him until the Knights arrive to investigate."

"Yes! Yes!" Hans nodded and bowed hurriedly.

"Listen." Karen stood up, her tall figure casting a large shadow on the wall:

"We need to go to the nearest Northern Knights' headquarters. Everything that happened here—the necromancer, Baron, and the dead adventurers—needs to be reported to the Knights. Until a new sheriff's appointment is issued, I, on behalf of the Dawnblade Knights, hereby appoint you as the temporary sheriff of Ironwood Town."

The old knight walked up to Hans and patted the fat knight on the shoulder.

"If I find out that something went wrong in town during this time, or that someone took advantage of the dead to make a fortune..."

Karen didn't finish her sentence; she simply pressed lightly on the hilt of her sword.

Hans's knees buckled, and he almost knelt down: "Don't worry! I swear on my life, not even a fly will get into that basement!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After finishing their errands, the three of them did not return to the Ash Furnace Inn, but instead spent the night in the deserted sheriff's residence.

Karen believed that this matter was urgent, and that after they woke up the next day, they would immediately return to the tavern to retrieve their horses and head to the Knights of the North.

So this was also the last night that Raine stayed in Ironwood Town.

The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, occasionally crackling with a pop or two.

Ella was already curled up asleep on the sofa, covered with her trench coat, and clutching her dagger in her arms.

The half-elf sleeps very alertly; its ears will twitch at the slightest sound.

Ryan sat on the rug by the fireplace, poking at the embers with a spittoon.

"Can't sleep?"

Karen sat opposite him, polishing the greatsword by the firelight.

The old knight showed no sadness on his face; that emotion seemed to have been severed along with the sword he wielded in the basement.

"There are some things I can't figure out, Sir. It's about breathing techniques." Ryan looked up, the firelight illuminating his young face.

"About breathing techniques?" Karen asked without looking up. "Go ahead."

Renn pondered for a moment, organizing his thoughts: "Yesterday in the swamp, when I threw that sword at Mars... I didn't just activate my heart. I felt I could control that heat, forcibly channeling it into my right arm."

He extended his right hand and clenched it into a fist.

"The feeling was strange. It was like compressing all the strength in my body. Although my arm hurt a lot, like it was about to explode, the power that burst out... was at least three times greater."

"What did you say?"

Upon hearing this, Karen immediately stopped wiping her sword.

He looked up, his usually cold and hard face now showing no sign of astonishment, even more so than when he learned that Harold had been having an affair with the necromancer Mars.

"So, you've temporarily channeled a large amount of life energy into your right arm?"

"That should be it," Renn nodded, "though only for a moment."

Karen lowered her sword, leaned forward, and stared intently at Renn as if he were a monster.

"Raine, do you know what you're saying?"

The old knight held up one finger, pointed to his heart, and then to his arm.

"The basics of breathing techniques are to ignite the fire within your heart. It's like building a large reservoir in your chest. For beginners, all you can do is open the floodgates and let the water flow throughout your body."

"It's a holistic strengthening. Wherever the water flows, that area becomes stronger. That's called immersion."

Karen's tone grew increasingly serious, as if what Ryan was saying was something extraordinary.

"If you want to strengthen a specific part, such as your arm, you must first use your life energy to cleanse the meridians and muscles there day after day until the channels there are wide and strong enough to withstand the impact of high-pressure water flow."

"This is the step after you've mastered the basic breathing technique, where you train other parts of your body to complete the cycle."

"You've only been practicing for a few days! Logically speaking, your arm shouldn't have adapted to the life energy yet. Forcing it in will most likely result in ruptured blood vessels, and your entire arm might even explode."

At this point, Karen grabbed Ryan's right hand and squeezed his muscles.

"Strange... I have a slight muscle strain, but my meridians are fine."

The old knight frowned and fell into deep thought.

Raine didn't speak, but waited quietly.

Contrary to what Karen said, after completing the [Heart Chapter] evolution, Raine seemed to have a natural way of channeling life energy into his arm without harming himself.

Therefore, Renn knew why.

The evolution within the [Misty Corridor] not only gave him power, but also subconsciously made it seem as if Raine himself had fully integrated the [Heart Chapter].

Although his body was new, his understanding of this breathing technique was already honed through countless trials.

After a long while, Karen released Ryan's hand, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke.

There is only one explanation.

The old knight looked at Renn with a complicated expression.

"To integrate and apply knowledge"

"Some people are born for the sword. Your control over your breathing is far beyond that of ordinary people. You're not guiding energy; you're commanding it."

"You skipped the process of figuring out the riverbed and directly grasped the essence of water flow. I've never seen such a talent before."

Karen patted Ryan on the shoulder.

"Remember this feeling, Ryan. Since you've gone this far, it means your path is different from ours. Don't go around telling everyone about this; in my experience, many geniuses are among the first to die."

"Understood, Sir."

Renn nodded, his mind clear.

really.

The evolution of the cheat system essentially involves maximizing the proficiency of a skill, or even optimizing it in some way.

Since mastering the Heart Sutra allows him to briefly unleash his full power...

So, what if they evolved limbs?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

late at night.

The mansion was completely silent.

Renn lay in bed, not asleep, but slowly drifting into meditation.

He closed his eyes, and that familiar feeling of weightlessness came over him.

The gray fog churned, and the corridor reappeared.

He strode to the wall covered with inscriptions of his own attributes.

Below the line 【Black Rock Breathing Technique - Heart Pump Chapter (Lava Amplification)】, part of the previously blurry wall has now lit up.

That's a diagram showing the flow of life energy.

Starting from the heart, five main branches extend out, leading to the limbs, trunk, bones, organs, and brain.

At this moment, all six branches were grayed out, and their specific appearances were not visible.

Ryan reached out and gently touched the branch of his right arm with his fingertips.

hum-

New lines of text appeared on the wall.

[Prerequisites met: Heart pumping]

Branch Selection:

[Breathing Techniques - Upper Limbs], [Breathing Techniques - Lower Limbs], [Breathing Techniques - Internal Organs], [Breathing Techniques - Brain], [Breathing Techniques - Skeletal System], [Breathing Techniques - Trunk].