'AI, using this training method, how long will it take me to reach 2.0 in all of my physical attributes?'
Lucian asked the AI one last critical question before beginning the process of training. Without knowing the answer to this, he wouldn't know whether spending the next three weeks fully devoting himself to training would be useless in the end if he had to wait three years for the next selection.
[Scan complete!]
[Estimated time required to reach 2.0 with all attributes: 2 weeks 3 days.]
[Training required to reach this: practise all sword techniques for 6 hours every day, practise all footwork for 2 hours every day, exercise breathing technique for 8 hours every day.]
'It seems my goal is possible!'
However, while it was possible to achieve, Lucian had his work cut out for him. Adding up all the time he needed to allocate to each of the tasks the AI had set out for him, he would need to spend 16 hours of every day training. This left him with just 8 hours for sleeping, eating, and all his other necessary daily tasks.
'Luckily this academy doesn't care about attendance, only about the final exam results; otherwise I would be in quite a spot these coming weeks.' Lucian thought to himself, thanking whichever administrator came up with this rule.
With his new schedule, he would be hard-pressed to fulfil it if he also had to attend classes every day.
'Hmm, since it's so early in the morning I guess I'll start with the least intensive task of the bunch.'
Lucian summoned the details of the breathing technique provided with the training method and examined it carefully. His gaze gradually began to become ablaze with interest the more he read into it.
A deep analysis of the technique revealed that, just like he had suspected, the moves required for practising the breathing technique were almost identical to that of the breath control methods of his previous world, but at the same time, it was much more detailed and in-depth and contained a lot more theory.
The theory combined the practicality and efficiency of controlling the breathing to minimise energy exertion mid fight, and the mysterious forces behind life force. The act of entering a meditative state enabled a person to have a much deeper connection to their inner self, loosening the channels which the life force flowed through and making it much, much easier to cultivate it.
However, even with all of this, there still existed barriers that blocked each person from fully allowing their life force to flow freely. It's said there were only two ways to break through those barriers — either through sheer talent and understanding of their life force or through pushing themselves to the limit their bodies could handle, with the easiest method of achieving this being during battle, when adrenaline and stress levels were at their highest.
'At the most basic level, it takes 60 seconds to enter a meditative state, and the host's concentration and body cannot be disturbed during this time, or else their concentration will break and they'll have to start over from the beginning…' Lucian thought to himself.
It's a good thing he was a loner in this place, or else he might have had other students coming over and knocking on his door all the time. This was one thing Lucian actually praised his predecessor for. He contemplated hanging a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on his door, just to make sure there were no odd disturbances that might break his concentration during this time, but he was already sitting down, eyes closed and arms crossed, so he decided to just take the risk.
It was his first time attempting this anyway, so he didn't exactly think things would go as smoothly as he'd like — discrepancies always occurred whenever he attempted a new and unexplored experiment for the first time; it was something he had long become accustomed to.
Lucian took a quick glance over the mental instructions of how to begin the breathing technique in his mind and immediately prepared himself. 'Deep inwards breath…' He inhaled long and hard, just as the instructions reminded him.
'Now exhale, slow and structured. Like a calm breeze on a warm summer day…' Lucian wouldn't exactly use those words to describe how he would breathe out; this was just how the AI described it in his memories. He suspected this was perhaps due to the inclusion of some memories of his predecessor being added into the mix when doing the simulated experiments to produce this training method.
'Repeat the process, keeping strict control over the breathing the entire time. Do not stray from any step…' He followed the instructions to a tee, maintaining a steady rhythm of breathing for a good 55 seconds.
Whoosh!
Then, just as he took his final exhale, it was like a floodgate had been released in his mind. His thoughts became clearer, flowing gently and naturally like water, and his senses gradually faded away as they gave way for his whole concentration to be focused internally. It was an entirely new feeling for Lucian, who had never experienced something like this before.
'It took me 5 seconds less than the stipulated time required; does this mean I have some talent in this department?' Lucian thought to himself but quickly pushed it aside. Whether he had talent or not didn't matter to him in this moment.
Like previously mentioned, he did take up pilates and yoga in his spare time to keep his body in shape, but never had he ever thought meditation would be of help to him. Before now, he was of the mind that things like meditation, relaxation and prayer were all placebos, as there were no scientific explanations to back up any theories related to them.
But now, coming to his familiar yet entirely different world, his mind was opened. Both literally and metaphorically. For the first time, he finally got a grasp of what people meant when they talked about 'life force' as an energy, rather than a concept.
Right before his eyes, or more specifically his mental gaze, he could 'see' the various different pathways and channels inside of his body that would otherwise be hidden not only from view but from any scientific instrument's view as well. In the past, he had performed various dissections of all kinds of different people, but never had he encountered something like this before.