[Secret Medicine] and [Dark Qi]

"Knight lunatic."

Li Wei had heard this term before, referring to knights who had gone mad due to their practices, turning into monstrous beings with a desire for blood and flesh, indulging in gluttony and excess.

He felt somewhat shaken and even doubted whether the path of a knight was the right one. According to the standards of martial arts novels from his previous life, these knight breathing techniques were undoubtedly dark arts. Should he continue practicing them?

But when he thought about the terrifying specters, the greedy and cunning noble colleagues, and the continuous wars between kingdoms, he immediately reaffirmed his path as a knight.

In this world, among all things, life and death were the most crucial.

As long as he lived, everything was possible!

Being a knight was the only way he could currently find to protect the righteous path.

"I will be careful. Thank you for your reminder, Sir Fredrick," Li Wei expressed his gratitude.

Perhaps he would have to find a way to make more money. If he continued like this, the barren Blackwater Valley wouldn't be able to sustain two knights. They might even turn into two knight lunatics, purged by the Church's "Radiant Knights."

Fredrick nodded and continued, "Next, you'll need to wear armor every day, hold a shield for weight training, and gradually increase the difficulty. This is necessary to fully utilize the power of the breathing technique in real combat. You must avoid being burdened by the armor or being unable to adapt to combat while wearing it."

"In addition, there is a formula for the Black Serpent Secret Medicine on the inheritance scroll. Young master, I hope you've taken note of it," Fredrick reminded him.

Li Wei nodded. Typically, for the practice of excellent-quality breathing techniques, corresponding secret medicines were required to accelerate progress.

The formula for the Black Serpent Secret Medicine wasn't very complicated: 50 grams of snake blood, one snake gallbladder, 10 grams of green turtle shell powder, 10 grams of ash from plants, three mandrake flower petals, one drop of dragon's blood, one drop of liquid amber, and 100 milliliters of pure water.

Except for dragon's blood, all these materials were relatively easy to find, and they weren't expensive. Snake blood and snake gallbladder could come from any snake, but different types of snakes had varying effects.

However, dragon's blood was a bit troublesome. In this world, dragon's blood didn't come from the stomachs of whales as in his previous life but from a gland inside a land-based giant beast known as the "Earth Dragon Creature."

In the tales of the kingdom's bards, Earth Dragon Creatures were considered one of the most dangerous animals in the wilderness.

They possessed immense strength, were impervious to blades and spears, and were frequent guests in the stories of knights and bards, similar to the dragons in tales of brave heroes in his previous life.

Additionally, Earth Dragon Creatures had one distinctive feature: they liked to swallow shiny things like gold coins and jewels.

In most cases, dealing with an adult Earth Dragon Creature required either a head-on battle with a giant dragon-slaying knight armed with the best weapons or, alternatively, five or more official knights using traps and poison to immobilize the creature and then hunting it down with powerful weapons like armor-piercing crossbows.

One of the legendary knights, Sir Lionheart, had one of his legendary feats before becoming legendary. He had single-handedly hunted down a fully grown male Earth Dragon Creature that had been causing trouble in the northern part of the kingdom.

Before him, three other great knights had attempted to kill this creature but had failed miserably. In fact, one young knight had perished in the process.

In the end, Sir Lionheart succeeded and found 8,000 gold coins and priceless jewels inside the creature's belly.

Hunting Earth Dragon Creatures was genuinely difficult during the era of cold weapons. As a result, the price of dragon's blood had always been high.

A small bottle of dragon's blood was worth 100 gold coins, which could buy five sets of well-crafted knight armor, twenty healthy young adult laborers, or a hundred head of cattle.

With his current financial situation as a struggling lord, even if he sold everything he had, exploited his laborers to the death, he still couldn't afford it.

"I'm just starting out now, so I don't need to use secret medicine yet. We'll take it step by step."

In the following days, Li Wei began his systematic practice, and he didn't find it boring at all.

During breaks from training, Sir Fredrick would introduce him to some foundational knowledge of knights, greatly benefiting Li Wei.

Knight breathing techniques were a way to adjust one's breathing rhythm, assume different postures, and unlock the latent potential within a knight's body. These techniques enhanced various aspects of physical fitness, including strength, endurance, speed, and overall bodily qualities. The gains from this training exceeded what could be achieved through regular physical exercises. Consequently, it was imperative to consume large amounts of food after each session, as there was no concept of "spiritual energy" in this world.

While these techniques encompassed comprehensive physical improvements, the focus differed between various breathing techniques. For instance, the Black Serpent Breathing Technique prioritized defense. Once mastered, this technique allowed knights to begin condensing their life seeds, advancing to become official knights. This advancement led to a significant boost in overall physical attributes, granting them the ability to withstand blows far beyond the capability of ordinary individuals.

Furthermore, when knights practiced the Black Serpent Breathing Technique, a thin, black, fluid-like membrane would form on the surface of their arms, making their skin as resilient as rubber. Though it couldn't render them impervious to edged weapons, it could effectively counteract most blunt force attacks.

This membrane, known as the "Black Aura," was considered a manifestation of the knight's power. The Church officially referred to it as the "Holy Relic Force," claiming it was a divine gift from the benevolent Father in Heaven.

In this age where sovereignty was granted by divine right, the Church often held sway over the rulers of major kingdoms. Li Wei couldn't help but view the Church's explanation as self-aggrandizement to facilitate their manipulation of knights. If their god was truly so powerful, why weren't the Church's priests the ones safeguarding their interests instead of knights forming the "Radiant Knight Order"?

In any case, the "Black Aura" was not exclusive to the Black Serpent Breathing Technique. It could be harnessed through other breathing techniques as well, although the quality, quantity, and effects varied. For speed-oriented techniques, the "Black Aura" might manifest on the legs, granting knights explosive speed and agility that far surpassed athletes from Li Wei's previous life.

This was the incredible power of breathing techniques, not merely a means of strengthening the body. When a knight advanced to become an official knight and unlocked the "Black Aura," they embarked on a path toward the extraordinary.

Upon reaching the rank of a Great Knight, the "Black Aura" generated by the Black Serpent Breathing Technique would cover their entire body, making it even more durable. Except for areas like the eyes, a Great Knight could make their entire body almost impervious to attacks in a short period, rivaling the resilience of land dragons.

In this era of cold weapons, this level of power was extraordinary. With such strength, coupled with armor, weapons, and warhorses, a Great Knight who possessed formidable combat skills and awareness could easily dominate the battlefield, turning the tide of a small-scale battle.

This led Li Wei to conclude that his father's death was not what it seemed. A father who had almost reached the peak of human combat potential would not have died in battle so easily. With his father's abilities, even if he couldn't defeat a multitude, he could have escaped with ease, as it would have been challenging for peers to stop him.

Legendary knights might have intervened, but it was highly unlikely. Legendary knights were elusive, transcending the ordinary, and were rarely at the beck and call of kingdoms or the Church.

In conclusion, Li Wei firmly believed that his father's death was the result of a conspiracy between the Church and the kingdom. Hence, he had to learn from this and understand that until he possessed absolute overwhelming power, he should remain within the confines of Blackwater Valley.

"Accumulate resources, build high walls, and be patient to claim the throne," the ancient saying of the founding emperor was still applicable to Li Wei. However, he didn't aspire to become a king; he only wanted to be a wealthy lord.

The game of power was not one in which ordinary individuals had the privilege to participate. Li Wei was keenly aware of his political acumen, and he felt a deep sense of self-awareness in this regard.

Regarding his political acumen, Li Wei had a high degree of self-awareness.