The Bizarre Wizarding World

Certainly, the most eye-catching object was the familiar sharp black spear that Orkot carried on his back.

"Orkot has arrived as well. Greet the adults in front of you," the white-bearded elder continued, his tone noticeably softer than when he had addressed Onions.

"Of course, Elder Conmonds." Orkot removed his helmet, revealing his handsome face and a pair of deep green eyes.

"Respected Wizard Sir," Orkot greeted with a bow to Colin.

Colin nodded lightly, his gaze sweeping over Orkot and Onions, as well as the elders in front of him, and he suddenly realized—

The people of the Wood Family, although varying slightly in hair color, shared the same deep green color in their eyes, except for Onions, whose eyes were an unusual dark red.

Colin immediately understood why Elder Conmonds' attitude towards him had been what it was.

But he didn't mind it, nor did he say much, even though the spear had come into Orkot's possession.

Colin continued drinking tea, simply waiting for the rest of the Great Knights of the Wood Family to gather so he could begin asking about the Giant Mountain Breathing Skill.

"Sir, there's something I'm not sure if I should mention," said Conmonds, noticing his gaze and suddenly speaking up to explain, "The spear you once gave was lost by Onions to Orkot in a bet a few days ago."

Onions, who had been looking down, raised his head slightly, his lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.

"Mhm." Colin took a sip of tea, replying lightly through his nose.

Conmonds let out a sigh of relief, seeing that Colin was not too interested in conversing and chose the time to fall silent.

After a short while, all the Great Knights of the Wood Family had arrived.

Colin set down his tea and began to inquire, "I would like to know, does the Giant Mountain Breathing Skill have a stage beyond that of a Great Knight?"

His words fell, and everyone present showed surprise.

Colin scanned the faces around him, carefully observing their reactions.

Yes, the Giant Mountain Breathing Skill might indeed have a stage beyond that of a Great Knight—this was an anomaly he had perceived during a year of research!

Unlike other Breathing Skills that felt complete at the Great Knight level, the Giant Mountain Breathing Skill at that stage always left one feeling somewhat incomplete, even somewhat fragmented.

Take, for example, the White Light Breathing Skill, which also has three characteristics and can be cultivated to the Great Knight level.

This Breathing Skill, up until the Great Knight level, was always about laying the foundation, with external manifestations merely being enhanced visual acuity.

However, once at the Great Knight stage, upon a breakthrough, the cultivator's vision would fundamentally change, granting "Infrared Vision."

But the Giant Mountain Breathing Skill's most distinctive feature—the enhancements it provides to the body—begins to manifest right from the Basic Level Knight stage.

Even when breaking through to the Great Knight level, it does not undergo a transformation like the White Light Breathing Skill, and there doesn't seem to be a clear upper limit to the physical enhancements.

Cultivators of the Giant Mountain Breathing Skill showed no qualitative difference between the traits that appear at the Intermediate Knight level and those at the Great Knight level.

However, due to the limited number of samples, this difference is not the main reason Colin had arrived at previously.

He surmised that the Giant Mountain Breathing Skill might have a subsequent stage mainly because of its performance at the Great Knight level.

At this stage, as Knights who practiced the Giant Mountain Breathing Skill continued to grow in strength and their bodies became increasingly larger, their physical forms would gradually begin to bear the strain.

Colin speculated that when these Knights reached a height of just over three meters, their strength would peak, then rapidly decline from prosperity to decay and destruction.

This could be a design flaw, but Colin preferred to see it as a foundation for some potential breakthrough.

"Master Colin... The manuscript I originally gave you was indeed the complete Giant Mountain Breathing Method; we have never heard of a new stage beyond the Great Knight."

Conmonds was the first to speak, looking at Colin with a very puzzled gaze: "And, as far as I know, on the path of knighthood, the Great Knight is the end. There has never been a higher realm, has there?"

If this statement hadn't come from a respected wizard, Conmonds would definitely have been unable to hold back his scoffing heart.

A new stage beyond the Great Knight?

What a joke; from ancient times to the present, on the path of knighthood, there have only been four realms: Basic Level, Intermediate, Advanced Knight, and Great Knight!

Colin saw the expressions of those present were genuine—they truly knew nothing about this.

After pondering for a moment, he spoke in a calm voice, "Take me to see the original Giant Mountain Breathing Method."

"Also, tell me about this Breathing Skill. I need to know everything about it."

"Of course, my lord." Conmonds quickly nodded without any hesitation.

In the presence of someone who could annihilate his family with a flick of his hand, he would even dig up treasured artifacts from the ancestral burial ground and present them with both hands, let alone just looking at the original Breathing Skill manuscript.

"Lord, do these Great Knights still need to follow?" Conmonds stood up and suddenly asked.

"If they have other matters to attend to, then they need not follow; if not, they may come with me... the elders as well."

Colin said briefly, lifting his chin slightly to signal Conmonds to lead the way.

After about ten minutes, the group entered a very hidden chamber from an unassuming house.

By this time, only three elders remained by Colin's side, aside from white-bearded Conmonds, there was also a middle-aged man, and another old man as elderly as Conmonds.

As for the knights, there were now only three left: Onions, Orkot, and a middle-aged man who was visibly smaller in stature than the others.

He seemed to be a knight of the uncle generation to Onions and Orkot, judging by the call.

The chamber had no tables or chairs, just a row of bookshelves and some treasures carefully stored in boxes made from different materials.

Colin began to read the now yellowed original Giant Mountain Breathing Method.

Conmonds hadn't lied to him; the original of the Giant Mountain Breathing Method was identical to the copy he had been given before.

Not a single word was different, and even the layout and page numbers were the same.

However, the origins of the seemingly ordinary Giant Mountain Breathing Method were much more fantastical.

"According to our family's historical records, more than three hundred years ago, our Wood family was just an ordinary small family. We didn't cultivate the Giant Mountain Breathing Method, but a normal knight's Breathing Skill called Swift Wind, which could only reach the level of Advanced Knight.

Yet, in the cave demon tide more than three hundred years ago, everything changed."

"Our ancestor, Alec Wood, when he slew a black-winged creature that had turned into a strange insect-like dragonfly monster, had a book of the Giant Mountain Breathing Method fall out from the creature's abdominal wound."

Conmonds narrated the past, but even he found this story quite bizarre, and he added at the end:

"As for the origin of the Giant Mountain Breathing Method, this is how ancestor Alec recorded it; as for the true circumstances—it has been more than three hundred years, and we no longer have a way to know..."

Colin looked at the ordinary material of the Giant Mountain Breathing Method original in his hands, with no particular marks on it, and also couldn't help furrowing his brows.

Such paper material would not only be vulnerable to a monster's stomach acids but likely would be easily dissolved even in plain water.

Could it really be that he was overthinking it?