In the past, to quickly expand his arsenal as a wizard, Lynn had always chosen to seek insight into spells or magical arrays.
But now, he had already mastered the basics of every spell, and there were no immediate examinations related to magical arrays.
So this time, when it came to seeking insight, Lynn's mind naturally turned to other forms of knowledge.
"Meditation method… or the White Crow Swordsmanship?"
Lynn frowned slightly, but soon relaxed and stopped overthinking.
After all, it only took a week for his Source Energy to recover.
After weighing his options, he chose to focus on the White Crow Swordsmanship.
This sword art, which could reach the attack power of a Second-Rank apprentice at its peak, might grant him an offensive means beyond the level of a Third-Rank apprentice once he refines it further!
Having made his decision, Lynn wasted no time. He shut the door to the meditation room and began his Insight.
The White Crow Swordsmanship, according to earlier evaluations, was an extraordinary discipline capable of achieving the attack power of a Second-Rank apprentice.
But because it was incomplete, both its value and its potential had been greatly diminished.
Through multiple sessions of Insight, Lynn had already supplemented it up to the second layer and had practiced it to its current limit, successfully condensing a White Crow Mana Core in his chest.
Now, when channeled through this mana core, the White Crow Sword Qi could already reach the destructive level of a Lesser Zero-Ring spell.
But due to the missing portions, its power could advance no further.
Time flowed quietly as Lynn sat with eyes tightly shut.
This Insight felt somewhat like when he had first delved into the Meditation Method. Even after the effect of Insight had ended, his mind continued to turn restlessly with new understanding.
Then, in a sudden moment, Lynn stood.
His right hand gripped the air, and the silver bracelet on his wrist shimmered, transforming instantly into a sharp, long sword.
With a slight step forward, Lynn began practicing the White Crow Swordsmanship in a rhythm unique to him.
But this time, it wasn't the second layer, it was the first, which he had long since mastered.
Sword after sword, his movements seemed at first glance identical to before. Yet upon closer inspection, every swing carried subtle differences.
The angle of his strikes was slightly askew compared to the standard forms. His footwork lagged by a half-beat.
And yet, beneath this seemingly flawed routine, changes began to manifest.
His brow, his back, his entire body trembled faintly. Sweat poured from his skin in heavy beads.
His pale skin flushed red, his breath steaming visibly in the cool air.
Lynn ran through the entire first layer of the White Crow Swordsmanship.
When he finally stopped, his undershirt was drenched through. His skin had grown dusky, covered by a faint gray residue, and a foul stench rose from his body.
"Cough… cough!"
Suddenly, he doubled over, hacking up clots of thick, yellow-black matter. As his lungs cleared, a strange gurgle echoed from his abdomen.
Without hesitation, he hurried to the toilet.
For the rest of that day, such abnormalities appeared again and again.
Lynn consumed nearly a week's worth of food in a single day, and went to the toilet almost once every hour.
Yet his mind remained clear, his energy only growing sharper. It was as though he were undergoing some bizarre metamorphosis.
Finally, by the evening of the second day, all of the changes ceased.
His state stabilized, and his entire appearance was markedly different.
His once slightly coarse skin was now smooth and fine. His musculature had grown noticeably, yet remained sleek and balanced like that of a predator perfectly adapted for speed and explosive strength.
"I never thought mastering the first layer of the White Crow Swordsmanship to completion would cause such a transformation."
In the basement, Lynn marveled.
He had reached perfection in the first layer long ago and believed his physique had already been strengthened to its utmost.
But now, after pushing his understanding of the first layer to true completion, everything changed again.
Perfection meant total comprehension.
The reason his practice after Insight had deviated so greatly from the standard forms was that he was enacting his understanding of the sword art's essence.
And because of that, the White Crow Swordsmanship unleashed its theoretically perfect strengthening effect, further elevating his physical body.
Lynn stepped before the practice targets in the basement and activated the Silver Bracelet Sword.
The iron targets were stacked as usual.
With the sword in hand, he thrust forward with all his strength!
Shhhk!
Invisible White Crow Sword Qi wrapped around the blade, piercing through the target instantly under the surge of force.
Nine iron plates, nearly half a meter thick in total, were effortlessly skewered!
"Such power… this must already touch the threshold of a Mid-Tier Zero-Ring spell!"
Lynn's heart surged with joy as he continued his tests.
Once he had grown accustomed to his newly enhanced physique, he shifted to practicing the second layer of the White Crow Swordsmanship.
This Insight had not only perfected the first layer, but had also filled out the missing pieces of the second.
Though his mastery of it remained at the beginner stage, the improvement was still significant.
After several days of training, the mana core in his chest had grown larger, and a second mana core had begun to form at his wrist.
His White Crow Sword Qi grew visibly sharper.
Before, his thrusts, empowered by the art, barely touched the threshold of Mid-Tier Zero-Ring spells.
Now, they had fully stepped into that realm, though at the weaker end.
And if bolstered by Lesser Tailwind, Lynn's thrusts could rival most Mid-Tier Zero-Ring spells!
The only pity was that he still hadn't found a way to use the White Crow Mana Core to drive spells directly.
Time slipped away in tireless cultivation.
On November 10th, 1861, in the year of Guern, just one week before the Autumn Hunt, Lynn's birthday arrived.
Coincidentally, it was both the birthday of the body's original owner and the birthday Lynn had in his previous life.
...
No. 74, Bluebridge Street.
Guests filled the front lawn.
By the long banquet table in the center, Lynn finally had a moment to breathe after dealing with the last Second-Tier member who came over to make small talk. He lifted his wine glass and took a sip.
Back when he was still living on the mountain, the school held simple birthday parties once a month for all the preparatory apprentices who shared that month's birthday.
Those were the happiest times for the apprentices, apart from the monthly rest days.
And back then, a birthday celebration was just that: a birthday celebration. Not like now, mixed with so many other things.
Scanning the crowd, Lynn noticed Adeline by the grill, chatting with Carter.
The heterochromatic-eyed maid seemed to be learning barbecue skills from him.
Despite their large age gap, the two got along remarkably well.
Lynn didn't disturb them. Instead, he glanced around and walked over to where Giggs was standing alone.
"Having a good time?" Lynn asked.
"Not bad, boss," Giggs answered, snapping out of his thoughts.
But Lynn knew the truth. Giggs wasn't part of the Golden Shadow Society's circle, nor did he have much to talk about with Adeline and the others. At this party, all he could do was eat a little while carefully avoiding offending any wizards. He was probably not enjoying it all that much.
"It was more fun back when we celebrated birthdays on the mountain, wasn't it?"
Giggs froze for a moment, then nodded with a touch of nostalgia.
Indeed, moments like this couldn't help but bring back memories of the past.
So Lynn lingered there, chatting idly with him, savoring a rare moment of peace.
After he became the de facto manager of spell array maintenance for the Golden Shadow Society, his official salary hadn't increased much, but his hidden income had grown significantly.
The White Shadow Mushroom trade that Giggs managed was no longer his main source of earnings.
He had been devoting less and less attention to it, hardly interfering at all.
Still, Giggs continued to report on time, keeping complete account books…
The two talked for a while until a maid suddenly hurried over.
"Master, someone has come to see Sir Giggs outside. He says it's urgent."
Giggs stiffened.
The two quickly went to the front gate, where they found a young man pale with fear. Sweat streamed down his face, and there were faint traces of blood on his clothes.
Lynn frowned slightly. Giggs's expression darkened as he asked:
"Nal, what happened?"
Nal trembled, stammering as he said,
"Kewen… Kewen is dead… killed by a man in black… W-we told him this was Lord Lynn's business, but he said that's exactly why he came, it was Lord Lynn's business he was after… All the goods… all the money was stolen…"
"Did he say who he was?" Lynn asked in a low voice.
"He did. He said… he works for Wizard Somlei."
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