New Technique

***Another day in a ruined world***

All three of them woke up early to begin their hunt for some food to eat at breakfast.

Their bodies were all in pain from the training yesterday, except for Sergio Von Croy, since he was already used to it.

After they ate some breakfast, they started training again.

'My body's still not used to this environment. I need to think of a way to maintain my strength inside Fang Shi.' Liu Kai thought as he felt sluggish.

'Oxygen is essential for the muscles to keep it going. After inhaling air, the heart will pump the blood all over your body that carries the oxygen and delivers it to the muscles.

The oxygen will break down glucose that creates energy for the muscle to keep going. Human bodies need more oxygen when they are active. The lungs and heart rates increase to keep up with the body's needs. So what I basically need is to help my body to intake more oxygen.' Liu Kai remembered all of this, so he opened his mouth while moving. He's trying to expand his lungs to inhale a lot more oxygen in the air while moving from building to building.

He was trying to create a breathing pattern to support his body inside of Fang Shi. With the air thinner, the intake of oxygen is much more challenging.

'But if I can train my breathing to intake more air than what I usually can. There may be a chance for me to move better and last longer, even when fighting inside of Fang Shi. Let's give it a try.' Liu Kai thought to himself.

Jin Chow and Sergio Von Croy rested for a while to catch their breaths while Liu Kai continued to move and practiced formulated breathing techniques.

[You've learned a new technique]

The voice rang in Liu Kai's head.

It was quite surprising for Jin Chow and Sergio Von Croy to see Liu Kai move like that, since he was the one who had the most challenging time keeping up and was always at the back just yesterday. But now, it looks like his body had already adjusted to the environment.

The breathing technique that Liu Kai was using is the secret to his endurance. It's far from perfect, but the results can already be seen.

Liu Kai continued to practice the breathing technique he created to assist his body with what it needs. He can feel his heart throbbing in his chest. His body that consumed nutrients from giant bugs was accepting the strain he's putting himself in.

****

After eating lunch, they had their sparring session. Jin Chow and Sergio Von Croy will fight first, and whoever wins will fight Liu Kai. Liu Kai will then fight the one who lost the first match regardless of his first match outcome.

They created this pattern to make sure that they can fight each other.

Liu Kai tried to use his breathing technique while fighting, but it resulted in him losing focus of the match, and ended up losing both of his matches today.

He now has a 2-1 score with Sergio Von Croy while a 0-1 score with Jin Chow, who both won against him. Sergio Von Croy also won his match against Jin Chow.

"Something's changed." Sergio Von Croy noticed something different from his fight against Liu Kai, so he asked what was wrong.

"Liu Kai, I saw that you weren't focused on the match. What were you hoping to accomplish?" Sergio Von Croy asked curiously.

"It's a breathing technique that I created that allows the body to perform better, stronger, and last longer. If I can master it, I think I can move my body the way I want it to the same degree as when I wasn't inside Fang Shi." Liu Kai explained passionately.

Sergio Von Croy and Jin Chow, who also heard it, were surprised by what Liu Kai said.

"Whoa! Can you teach me how to do it!?" Sergio Von Croy curiously asked.

"Yeah! Me too! I want in on that breathing stuff." Jin Chow excitedly asked as well while putting his arm around Liu Kai's shoulder at the same time.

"Okay, I guess?" Liu Kai agreed, wondering if he could even explain the method to them.

Liu Kai taught Sergio Von Croy and Jin Chow how to do the breathing techniques. He also guided Jin Chow and Sergio Von Croy to create patterns best suited for them.

**The Next Day**

As soon as they got up, they tried to use the breathing techniques they created the previous day.

With the addition of the breathing techniques, their training became much harder. They needed to continuously use their techniques while still being cautious of their surroundings to avoid any threats.

Even when sparring with each other, they used them, while their minds processed every situation during battles to get used to it.

When driving a vehicle for the first time, it's challenging to remember the function of all parts of the car that you need to use to navigate it. Aside from that, you need to focus on the things in front of you while controlling the vehicle. But as time goes by, your mind gets used to it so you can drive subconsciously while only focusing on the road.

Just like driving, they also need to train their bodies to get used to their breathing techniques while concentrating on other things that they are doing like in combat. It needs to be second nature to them.

Sergio Von Croy quickly adapted to the breathing techniques because of his prolonged stay inside of Fang Shi. In contrast, Jin Chow was having a hard time.

He sometimes slips and falls to the ground or loses his balance when standing on branches of trees. Thankfully, both Liu Kai and Sergio Von Croy were always there to assist him whenever he made a mistake.

Liu Kai was far from mastering the techniques but can already do it subconsciously. He gave it his all to focus on his training and slowly got better as time went by.

In their next sparring session, Jin Chow lost both of his matches because he still hasn't mastered using his breathing techniques while simultaneously fighting.

Liu Kai and Sergio Von Croy had a close fight, but Sergio Von Croy still ended up as the victor.

They repeated this training method for the next few days and improved a lot.

Jin Chow can now subconsciously use his breathing techniques while staying focused on other things.

Sergio Von Croy was catching up with Liu Kai to master the breathing technique. However, Liu Kai was unbothered and only focused on slowly learning his own.

But then Liu Kai had an idea. More benefits from the breathing techniques. What if, instead of using it on his entire body, couldn't he just concentrate on his breathing to make only a few parts of his body stronger?

Reducing the strain on the muscles that aren't used, he can allocate the breathing technique on a specific body part which is needed.

Liu Kai, excited by his thoughts, quickly put his theory to the test. He used his concentrated technique to strengthen his body and shifted it to the parts only needed to move while he relaxed his muscles on the rest.

It needed incredible precision and focus, but it motivated Liu Kai to do it and master this new technique that he invented.

Another few days passed in which they never stopped their training routines.

Within those days, you can already notice everyone's improvement.

After Liu Kai discovered a new breathing technique, he taught it to both comrades and added it to their training regimens.

Jin Chow mastered the first part of his breathing technique and practiced the concentrated breathing, which shifted the muscle strength to a single piece of his body to another while moving.

Sergio Von Croy also mastered the first part and slowly got the hang of concentrated breathing.

On the other hand, Liu Kai had already mastered the first part long ago and concentrated breathing a few days ago.

Their respiratory systems became like a machine that sucked tons of air wherever they went.

They trained their mind and bodies' day in and day out, not stopping even when they ate or slept. Before they knew it, two weeks had passed by in a flash.

All three of them have mastered their respective breathing techniques, and by this time, they can continuously execute them without a second thought. It has become second nature.

They also became adept at concealing their presence when powerful enemies are nearby to avoid needless conflicts.

Having raised their overall power from their rigorous training and matches, the scores have turned out like so…

Liu Kai now has won 20 and lost 8 of their recorded sparring matches.

Sergio won 19 and lost 9.

While Jin Chow won 17 and lost 11 of their recorded sparring matches.

It seems that Liu Kai gained the most out of their training. Even having no previous background or training before they met, he showed dominance over the other two, who trained under the Monarchy.

But of course, it was because he gained help from the system. He learned that eating bugs and using his skill 'Berserk' every day can raise his stats.

Liu Kai checked his stats window.

[View stats]

[Status Window]

Agility: 81 (+10)*

Power: 72 (+10)*

Stamina: 43 (+10)*

Mentality: 45 (+10)*

Durability: 41 (+10)*

Perception: 47 (+10)*

*Added while 'Breathing Technique' is activated.

'My agility and strength are far above the rest.' He thought after carefully reviewing the numbers.

Aside from the points he gained from consuming giant bugs, the aftereffect of 'Berserk' played a vital role in increasing his agility and power.

[View all skills]

[SKILLSET OVERVIEW]

-Berserk (Passive)

-Alter (Passive)

-Probability (Active)

-Concentrated Breathing (Active)

[Techniques]

-Master of Body (1st part/Breathing Technique)

-Master of Body (2nd part) (LOCKED)

-Master of Body (3rd part) (LOCKED)

-Master of Body (4th part) (LOCKED)