I can evolve everything

The next morning.

The snowstorm in the North seemed to be raging even more than usual.

On the training grounds of Winterhold, the snow was already ankle-deep. The auxiliary soldiers responsible for clearing the snow cursed the awful weather as they laboriously swung their shovels, trying to clear the area as quickly as possible.

In a corner of the training ground, there was a figure out of place in this scene—it was Renn, who was silently carrying out his daily practice.

Raine held a longsword in his hand, practicing the most basic slashing techniques.

"Nine hundred and ninety-eight...nine hundred and ninety-nine...one thousand."

With his final downward strike, Renn stopped.

In the past, a thousand sword swings would have been enough to make him slightly out of breath.

But now, only a layer of sweat appeared on his forehead, and because Rein was slightly stimulating his breathing technique, the sweat was quickly evaporated into white mist as soon as it appeared, swirling around him.

"Too light."

Renn frowned, looking at the longsword his father had given him.

Although the longsword was quite well-made and had once been his most trusted companion, accompanying him to kill bandits, fight against Baron, and slay jackals and spiders on the border.

But now, holding it in his hand, Renn could no longer feel that sense of security he had before.

On the contrary, ever since he completed the [Organ Chapter] evolution, every time he wields this longsword today, there is always an inexplicable sense of frivolity.

The [Organs Section] not only improved his digestive ability, but also undoubtedly enhanced his various physical qualities with the life energy he received.

When the power overflows, the weapon that was originally easy to handle becomes too light.

"This sword is a bit too light for me." Renn swung it casually, and even though it was a normal slash, his movements were so fast that they left afterimages. But he was not satisfied. "The blade is too thin when I thrust. If I encounter a heavily armored unit, it will be difficult to transfer my current strength to it."

He needs something heavier.

A two-handed greatsword, or...

Renn couldn't help but think of the massive, tomb-like sword in Karen's hand. What would it be like if he were to wield that sword?

But soon, Renn dismissed the idea; that thing was still too bulky for him at the moment.

It would need to be at least twice the weight of the longsword in his hand to bear the power that his current body is unleashing.

"What are you daydreaming about, you big blockhead?"

A light, cheerful voice suddenly pierced through the wind and snow, interrupting Renn's thoughts.

Renn turned his head.

Ella was leaning against the railing next to her.

Instead of wrapping herself up like a ball out of fear of the cold as usual, she put on her usual armor, her red ponytail tied high, fluttering in the cold wind.

Ryan only glanced at her, but he could see that her face was full of a smug smile, and she looked eager to try.

"Looks like you slept well last night?" Renn asked calmly, sheathing his sword.

"Not just good, it's absolutely fantastic!"

Ella leaped lightly from the railing, landing silently.

She walked up to Ryan and even stood on tiptoe to show the height difference between them.

"I feel like I can fly on the wind right now. How about it? Want to practice?"

She defiantly raised her chin, looking like a kitten that had just sharpened its claws and was eager to find a punching bag to practice on.

"It seems you've made a breakthrough in your breathing technique," Ryan pointed out incisively.

"Hmph, you have good taste." Ella proudly patted the hilts of the swords at her waist. "Last night while meditating, I felt my body was at least half as light. Now I'm much faster than before."

She drew her slightly longer knight's sword, pointing the tip at Renn, her eyes full of mockery.

"What? Scared? If you're afraid of losing to your partner and losing face, you can beg me, and I'll go easy on you."

Looking at her like this, Ryan couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her.

This is talent.

Unlike him, Ella doesn't have any cheat codes.

Her rapid progress is largely due to her half-elf talents and the Wind Whisperer's Breathing Technique.

Perfect breathing techniques are rare.

"Perfect."

Raine drew his longsword from its sheath again, shook off the ice shards, and deliberately provoked Ella:

"I also feel that the sword in my hand is a bit light, and I need a live target to get used to the strength."

"A sitting duck?"

Ella's eyebrows shot up, as if she'd been stepped on. "You've got quite the nerve! Don't come crying to me later!"

The two walked to the cleared area in the center of the training ground.

The cold wind howled, swirling up some of the fine snow that hadn't been cleared from the ground.

"The rules remain the same?" Ella drew the short sword from her left hip with a backhand motion, assuming a dual-wielding stance. Her center of gravity was low, making her look like a wildcat with its back hunched.

"I'll stop here." Raine held his sword in one hand, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground, assuming his most familiar and skillful "Iron Wall Stance."

"That's for the weak!"

Before she could finish speaking, Ella vanished from her spot.

fast.

It was really fast.

If he didn't temporarily concentrate his life energy into his eyes, Renn would only be able to see a blurry image.

Instead of charging straight ahead, she took a strange S-shaped route to attack Renn.

The howling wind and snow around her provided cover.

"left."

After getting a better look at Ella's location, Ryan instinctively turned his body slightly to the right.

when!

Ella's longsword viciously stabbed at Renn's ribs from the side, but it was precisely parried by Renn's longsword.

"Your reaction time has gotten faster!"

When her first attack missed, Ella did not retreat. Instead, she used the recoil to quickly spin half a circle.

The short sword in his left hand flashed with a cold light, slashing straight at Renn's face.

This is Ella's usual tactic when facing enemies: using her longsword to restrain her opponent's defense, while her shortsword is the real killing move.

In the past, Ryan might have chosen to step back and create distance.

but now……

"Too light."

There was only one thought in Raine's mind.

Neither Ella's sword nor she herself felt as light to him at that moment.

Faced with the short sword aimed at his face, Renn did not back down.

He took a sudden step forward, his right shoulder slumped, and he crashed into the wall in the opposite direction.

The life energy within the body instantly increased its power.

Instead of trying to parry the short sword, Raine pressed his longsword directly towards Ella's center line.

As the saying goes, "an inch longer, an inch stronger," and as soon as Renn pressed close, Ella's short sword wouldn't even touch his neck before her chest was already exposed to Renn's long sword.

"You're cheating!"

Ella gasped in surprise.

She clearly hadn't expected Ryan to use this tactic; without careful distance calculation, it was a suicidal maneuver.

But Renn had calculated the distance precisely before acting in this way.

His sword spine would strike Ella's breastplate first, while Ella's short sword, being too short, would not be able to reach his face.

Left with no other choice, Ella had to forcibly stop her attack.

The unique features of the Wind Whisperer Breathing Technique become apparent at this moment.

In mid-air, she completely defied the principles of inertia and mechanics, twisting her waist and shifting her center of gravity, causing her to float backward three meters, barely avoiding Renn's stab.

"That was close..."

Ella landed without even kicking up any snow. She looked at Raine, her expression turning serious.

"Your strength, and your senses... how have they become so much stronger?"

Although it was only a move or two during that initial contact, just the first clash of the blades made her wrist feel numb.

That's not the power a trainee knight should have; it's more like the power of an ogre.

"He eats a lot and trains a lot," Ryan said succinctly, brushing it off.

However, this is true. As Raine's breathing technique gradually improved and his physical fitness slowly increased, his appetite also visibly increased day by day.

"Hmph, I think you've turned into a gluttonous monster."

Ella gritted her teeth and got into position again.

"Again!"

This time, the pace of the battle became even more rapid.

The sounds of intense impact echoed through the training field.

Ella dodged and weaved, relentlessly attacking Renn.

It must be said that her talent is truly amazing.

During his defense, Renn could clearly feel that every sword strike from Ella was quite tricky, and sometimes he didn't even realize the direction from which the blade was coming.

This should also be a characteristic of the "Wind Whisperer's Breathing Technique"—by subtly manipulating the surrounding air, one can deflect the opponent's perception and conceal the sound of the sword cutting through the air.

If it were an ordinary apprentice knight, they would probably be overwhelmed by such an attack.

But Rennes is different.

He is like a reef, unmoved by wind and rain.

His footwork was very small, moving at most half a foot's width each time, yet he always managed to block Ella's attack route perfectly.

Using his absolute advantage in strength, the longsword in his hand made each block take little to no wear and tear on Rein, but instead made Ella's hands go numb from the impact.

"Damn... is this guy made of iron?"

Ella grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed.

From her perspective, Ryan was a monster who defied all reason.

She knew very well about Raine's background: the Wilder family, a minor noble family in Graystone Town. This kind of family-inherited breathing technique, at best, could only be considered an excellent quality.

Her "Wind Whisperer Breathing Technique" is of perfect quality and even has the potential to advance to legendary level.

Logically speaking, as fellow apprentice knights, she should have far surpassed Rein in the quality of her breathing technique.

Therefore, the physical attributes she gained from practicing breathing techniques should be much greater than those of Rein.

But now, no matter how fast she speeds up or how she changes her moves, Renn can catch them steadily and even has the strength to counterattack.

To an outsider, although Renn was on the defensive, a knowledgeable knight would see that Renn was clearly suppressing Ella completely.

Ella felt increasingly powerless, as if she were trying to cut granite with a dagger. No matter how fast the dagger was, it couldn't cut through the stone. And the stone could easily break the dagger if it rolled even slightly.

"I'm not playing anymore! It's pointless!"

After another collision, Ella used the recoil to jump backward, panting as she sheathed her twin swords.

Her forehead was covered in sweat, and a few strands of red hair clung to her cheeks, rising and falling with her breath.

In contrast, consider Rennes.

He remained standing in the same spot. Apart from the white vapor emanating from his body becoming thicker, his breathing remained frighteningly steady.

"Is that all?" Renn sheathed his longsword, his tone indifferent.

"I'm not fighting anymore!"

Ella plopped down next to him, panting heavily and glaring at Rein with resentment.

"You freak... We're both apprentice knights, and you haven't even mastered the breathing technique much faster than me by more than a few days, so why is your stamina like a bottomless pit?"

She scratched her hair in frustration.

"I thought this breakthrough would finally defeat you and make you call me Lady Ella... but it turned out like this."

Ryan walked over to her and sat down.

"You're very fast." Renn said with a serious expression. "If we were in an open area or a complex jungle, it would be difficult for me to touch you. Those two sword strikes just now, if it were a real fight, my arm would be ruined."

Of course, this is the method that Ryan always uses to coax Ella.

"Of course!"

Hearing the praise, Ella's ears twitched, and a smug look returned to her face:

"This young lady is destined to become the number one ranger in the North. It's just that this training ground is too small, limiting my performance. If it were a forest, hmph, I could have driven you completely crazy!"

She took the linen cloth that Ryan handed her, wiped the sweat from her face, and then looked at Ryan with some curiosity.

"Seriously, Renn. Your family's breathing technique... is it really just the 'Black Rock Breathing Technique'?"

"Yes." Renn nodded.

"Strange..." Ella tilted her head, examining Rein's body. "I've heard of the Wilder family. They're known for their defense, but I've never seen anyone as tough as you. Are you a mutant?"

A slight thought crossed Renn's mind.

In Ella's eyes, his strength was due to his special physique.

But in Renn's heart, he was well aware of the source of this gap.

Ella's Perfect Quality Breathing Technique is indeed powerful; it is the culmination of countless generations of optimization by elves and half-elves.

However, the Black Rock Breathing Method he practiced, after being deduced and revised by the Misty Corridor, eliminated all redundancy.

This is no longer the breathing technique that was merely considered good in quality.

If we were to rate it, Rein's current mastery of the "Black Rock Breathing Technique" has probably surpassed perfection, but it hasn't yet reached the threshold of legendary quality.

"Perhaps it's because I'm afraid of dying."

Ryan casually joked, "People who are afraid of death will always try their best to make themselves tougher."

"Pfft, I'd never believe you."

Ella pursed her lips, then, as if remembering something, looked at the sword in Raine's hand, and the topic instantly shifted to what Ella had overheard before the match:

"But you're right, this sword really isn't suitable for you."

She stretched out her hand and gestured to show Rein's wingspan and his fighting style just now.

"Your current fighting style relies entirely on brute force and physical strength to overwhelm your opponent. This rather ordinary longsword is limiting your effectiveness. You should use a two-handed greatsword."

Ella's eyes lit up, as if she were giving advice to her toy.

"I heard there's a decent weapon in the quartermaster's warehouse, a two-handed greatsword forged from black iron, weighing forty-five pounds. It's just been sitting there collecting dust. Do you want to give it a try?"

Forty-five pounds.

Approximately twenty kilograms.

Renn made a mental estimate.

For an ordinary person, swinging a 20-kilogram iron rod a few times could break their wrist.

But for him, this weight might be just right.

"Good idea."

Raine stood up and drew his longsword from the ground.

"I'll go ask Sir Karen in a bit and see if he can come up with any ideas."

"Hehe, don't forget to lend it to me when the time comes." Ella jumped up, patted Ryan on the shoulder, and said, "Let's go eat! I'm starving after playing for so long. I'm going to eat three servings today!"

"You're treating," Ryan said expressionlessly.

"Hey! Didn't you make some money during the last patrol? You cheapskate!"

"That's my savings for getting married."

"Get lost! You blockhead, where did you get a wife from?!"

In the wind and snow, the sounds of the two playfully fighting gradually faded into the distance.