Ron wanted to ask more questions, but seeing the other's gloomy expression, he chose to temporarily suppress his doubts.
He knew very well that in this strange and terrifying dark world, knowing too much sometimes wasn't a good thing.
After saying goodbye to Andre and returning to his dorm, Ron was still unsettled, those eerie scenes continuously flashed in his mind, making him feel bouts of nausea.
"Where on earth did Locke get that kind of forbidden potion..."
He muttered to himself, then opened the system panel to check his status:
[Ron Ralph]
[Age: 15]
[Current Combat Profession: Knight's Squire (One Star)]
[Current Life Profession: Magic Potion Apprentice (One Star)]
[Attributes: Constitution 1.4 Spirit 1.6 Magic Power 0.4]
[Skills:
Basic Magic Potion Making (Proficient), Basic Meditation (Beginner), Slime Splash (Beginner), Magic Potion Refining (Beginner), Herb Recognition (Beginner), Basic Swordsmanship (Beginner), Breathing Body Refining (Beginner)]
[Special Talent: Dual Soul, Sun's Protection - Remnant]
[Power Level: Knight's Squire]
"At least I have a golden finger, no need to take those crooked paths." Ron looked at the steadily improving data, feeling slightly comforted.
Moreover, with the current pace of meditation improvement, there's hope to advance within this month, and then many problems will be easily solved.
Just then, a muffled sound from Darrend's neighboring room interrupted Ron's thoughts.
"Damn Sound Wave Magic! Why did it fail again..." The angry curses came through the wall.
Ron couldn't help but smile wryly and shake his head, the neighbor's determination was indeed admirable.
Although he failed every day, he never thought of taking shortcuts, but if this continues, he likely wouldn't pass the apprentice evaluation.
But he didn't have time to worry about other people's affairs anyway...
As night fell, the Black Mist Jungle was enveloped in silence.
But in some hidden corners, people were still engaging in shady dealings.
"Did you hear? Another servant died over at Tower Three."
"Sigh... Marcus has been studying some curse witchcraft lately, and his methods are particularly vicious..."
"Tsk tsk, but being his servant at least guarantees one's life. Although every night it's quite uncomfortable, it's better than those unlucky ones who become experimental subjects and demon dung..."
Scattered conversations came from the end of the corridor, where several luxuriously dressed, flamboyantly adorned female servants were gathered.
They carried a bit of arrogance on their faces, after all, in this world where the strong prey on the weak, clinging to a powerful person can be considered a form of capital.
Ron stood behind the door, his enhanced five senses from body refining clearly heard the whispered conversations through the door.
Although most were trivial gossip, occasionally he could hear some useful information.
"That Locke is really foolish, actually looking for a black market merchant to buy illicit potions."
"But it has nothing to do with us anymore, those guys only target candidate apprentices nearing the deadline. Anyway, those people are all destined to die, might as well earn some more..."
"Black market merchant..." He silently noted this term in his heart, having one more channel is always a good thing.
Footsteps gradually faded away, and the corridor fell silent once more.
And in places he couldn't see, those servants who deliberately spoke loudly soon respectfully gathered before a gray-robed figure after leaving the dormitory area.
......
Early the next morning, as dawn broke, Ron lost the desire to sleep. Thinking he had time today, he quickly got out of bed.
Since there was still plenty of time before he had to go work at the herb store in the apprentice market, he sat down at the desk and opened Andre's notes on "Corona Swordsmanship."
This is a special swordsmanship that complements the "Crown Breathing Technique," emphasizing guiding body movements with breath, making the sword momentum as fierce as the sun.
One could say the school was generous to these candidate apprentices, the single rooms in the dorm area, though sparsely furnished, were spacious enough for him to practice swordsmanship with ease.
"Start with the most basic opening move." Ron picked up a wooden sword and stood in the center of the room.
[Basic Swordsmanship Training Begins]
[Use Crown Breathing Technique to guide your movements]
After two body refining exercises, he had a profound understanding of the rhythm of the "Crown Breathing Technique."
This rhythm not only guided spiritual power but also made every movement of the body full of strength.
Taking a deep breath, he began practicing the most basic slash according to the tips in the notes.
Initially awkward, as his breath gradually aligned, the movements became smoother and more fluid.
Each sword swing was synchronized with the breathing rhythm, inhaling to build momentum, holding breath to focus, and exhaling to slash.
The wooden sword traced paths in the air, creating faint wind sounds.
[Basic Swordsmanship Experience Points + 1]
[Basic Swordsmanship Experience Points + 1]
[Basic Swordsmanship Experience Points + 1]
...
"Progress at the beginner stage is indeed fast."
Ron looked at the data on the panel, a slight smile appearing on his face.
This swordsmanship's perfect integration with the "Crown Breathing Technique" allowed him to practice with ease, together with the speed boost of the Knight's Squire profession on swordsmanship skills.
Each swing according to the proper rhythm felt like he was gaining a deeper understanding of the swordsmanship.
It felt as if his muscles were memorizing a kind of special rhythm, making every movement powerful.
"This gives me a new idea..." Ron mused, "Using breathing to guide the sword, feels like it could be applied in actual combat."
He continued practicing the basic slash, the wooden sword's path becoming rounder and more fluid.
Under the correct breathing guidance, even the simplest actions contained a special rhythm.
While engrossed in practice, a sudden knock on the door interrupted his training.
"It's me." Andre's deep voice came through.
Ron put away the training wooden sword, casually wiped his sweat with a towel, and went to open the door.
Opening the door, he found the Thirteenth Prince looking quite anxious.
"There's something I must tell you." Andre said, closing the room's door and speaking in a low, urgent tone:
"Just now I found out, the reason Locke took such a risk was because he received some information."