Child of Destiny

…

Shin was inside the meditation room in the house of Professor Henry.

He was currently seated in a cross-legged position while meditating. But instead of doing his usual routine of training his Mentalism Method, he was currently focusing on the circulation of his Mental Energy and his breathing.

At this moment, Benedict had found a couple of Breathing Techniques related to Metal Elements. Since Shin had discovered that his second innate attribute was related to this element, Benedict helped Shin find a few breathing techniques and energy applications related to it.

Shin was already familiar with the regular Metal Breathing Technique due to the previous assignment that was given to him by their Practical Training Instructor, Martial King Lin Huang. Given this, he did not have any problem when he tried practicing the other breathing techniques that Benedict had brought him.

There were three breathing techniques related to Metal Energy Control that Benedict had brought. They varied from basic, intermediate, and advanced grades.

The Metal Breathing Technique that Shin was practicing could be considered a foundation rank. It helped him build a solid foundation that would help him when he changed to a more advanced technique.

And since the list of techniques used the Metal Breathing Technique as their main model, Shin would not have a hard time when changing into them.

But since Shin still hadn’t fully awakened this innate attribute, Benedict suggested to Shin to focus on building up a more solid foundation before transitioning to the basic breathing technique that he had brought.

This case was different from what happened to his Fire Elemental Attribute. During that time, some mysterious and unknown circumstances occurred, so they could not rush things just like before.

Moreover, Shin was familiar with that attribute since he had been dealing with it inside the game for a long time and his ‘Sacred Qi’ was very close to its properties.

At the same time, the Fire Elemental Attribute that he had was already awakened to the full extent, so adjusting to its prowess was more suitable than taking the normal approach.

This was the reason why Shin had no problem when skipping a few steps and went straight to practicing the Solar Breathing Technique. Moreover, this technique was somewhat created by him, so it became a more suitable breathing technique that he could use.

He even integrated his Fire Elemental Attribute successfully with his main Mentalism Method, the Four Symbol Scripture, with the help of all these factors. The Solar Breathing Technique became a tailored technique for his Celestial Vermillion Bird Method.

In comparison, the Metal Elemental Attribute that he discovered had to follow the orthodox path if he wanted to utilize its powers fully.

Building a solid foundation was always the first step along with learning the basics.

Shin had already mastered the Metal Breathing Technique, so Benedict was pretty relaxed. He found a spot, where he could lie down and sleep. He was pretty much exhausted since last night, so he had to take this opportunity to take a rest.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The air surrounding Shin was revolving around him with a steady pace as he remained seated at the center of the mediation room. The flow of Mental Energy around him was also keeping their constant stream surrounding his body while moving upwards.

Whoosh!

A few moments later, the was a subtle explosion within his body that only he could hear. But in response to it, the flow of energy around him spread outwards and continued to extend until they reached the walls of the mediation room.

Sensing something, Benedict woke up and opened his eyes. He could feel the strange change in the flow of energy within the surroundings, making him sit up and look at the center of the room.

Then he saw Shin floating in the air while his body was currently covered with a Mental Energy filled with a metallic luster. There were also small glittering lights mixed with that Mental Energy, signifying what elemental attribute it had.

“Tsk! Tsk! This kid is really a monster. He has already completed that stage after such a short period of time?” he muttered before turning his gaze to his advanced watch to look at the time. “It has only been six hours since he started the Mind Visuality Training, yet he already finished building a very solid foundation.”

Turning his gaze back to Shin, Benedict squinted his eyes and observed Shin with his special ocular skill. It did not take long for him to realize why it was the case. “So, it is because of his monstrous willpower and that strange Mentalism Method created by Grandmaster Benn.”

He could see that Shin had taken advantage of his strong mental fortitude to increase the difficulty of his Mental Visuality Training. Then he relied on his experience inside the game when applying the Metal Elemental Attribute with the Mentalism Techniques under the Sacred White Tiger Method.

Since everything was complementing one another perfectly, all steps went according to what he had expected.

“With this pace, he will awaken his second innate attribute within three days to a week at the earliest or half a month at the latest. Tsk! Tsk! What a monster!” commented Benedict before walking for everything to settle down.

He waited until the energy surrounding Shin calmed down and receded back inside his body before walking forward.

Swoosh! .

Shin steadily landed on the floor of the mediation room before slowly opening his eyes. He took a deep breath and exhaled a lot of air before turning back to Benedict. “It went according to what you have said, Senior.”

Benedict shook his head before saying. “Don’t get cocky. I know what I have said. You are supposed to build a solid foundation for an entire day, but it only takes you six hours. Do you know how much of a monster you are?”

After that, he quickly shifted the topic and instructed. “Now that you have a solid foundation, you can change to the basic breathing technique that I have brought.”

He paused for a moment and pointed at the pile of books beside Shin. “Those books are part of the famous ‘Golden Immortality Technique’.”

“It is supposed to be a body refining technique that is used by ancient cultivators. But it is studied by many experts, scholars, and researchers and converted it into a more suitable method use for the current era.”

“It is a technique that can be used by both Martial Artists and Combat Mentalists, so you will not have any problem practicing them.”

“The purposes of these techniques are to strengthen your lungs, to refine your mental energy, and finally use those energies to strengthen the body.”

“It is a very special breathing technique that needs to be regularly practiced with a series of strict physical training.”

“The breathing technique and the physical training need to come hand-in-hand and cannot be separated, or else the desired result will not be achieved.”

“Do you understand?” he asked with a strict tone.

Shin smiled and nodded his head. “Don’t worry, senior. You have already warned me enough. How can I forget about it?”

Benedict nodded and said. “I have been with the professor for a long time already, so I am very familiar with him. I am sure that he will pick the best for his students. I am confident that he will choose this ‘Golden Immortality Technique’ for you.”

“I will be supervising your training personally, so you have to come here every day from now on. I can’t let you practice it on your own to prevent unnecessary trouble.”

“You can continue doing your thing inside the game and use it as a training facility, but when you are in the real world, you have to be under a strict watch.”

Shin chuckled as he answered. “You don’t have to repeat it again and again, senior. I understand it already.”

Benedict nodded. “We can’t let you practice it alone unless we get permission from the professor.”

He then paused for a moment before asking curiously. “Actually, there is something that I want to ask you. How do you come up with that ‘Solar Breathing Technique’ of yours? It is really special.”

Shin sighed as this was the fourth time since Benedict asked him about it. He had already explained it multiple times, yet this senior could still not believe what he said.

Understanding what Shin was currently thinking, Benedict quickly added. “In truth, it really is hard to believe. This breathing technique, from what I can see, is at least comparable to advanced techniques out there.”

“It even has the potential to rival this ‘Golden Immortality Technique’ if it reaches its peak form. So, I am having a hard time believing that it was created by a junior.”

Shin shook his head and explained. “I have already said it to you before, senior. It is not like I have created it from scratch. I have realized the technique after watching a very powerful NPC inside the game worked.”

“I have gotten inspired by their work and technique, which is why I am able to create such a technique.”

Benedict sighed and nodded. He then waved his hand and continued. “Alright, you can rest now and continue again later.”

“We can call it a day once you are down two sets of the physical training,” he added before going back to his spot.

…

The sky was already dark when Shin returned to his room at the hotel where they were staying. He was completely exhausted when he arrived and wanted to quickly take a rest.

He was not even in the mood to play the game at the moment.

But when he entered his room, he immediately saw a crowd in the living room. When he took a look, he saw that they were Arthur, Leonard, Alice, Cloe, Lorraine, and the Potter Twins.

Thinking that they want to have a free meal here, Shin suddenly said. “Hey, what are you guys doing here? It is already late.”

Hearing him, the other turned to him before Arthur suddenly said. “Oh! You are finally here. Quick, come over! Let’s watch something interesting.”

It was at that moment that Shin realized that they were currently watching something on the TV. Casting his gaze over it, he immediately recognized that it was something about the game.

Curious, he forgot that he wanted to scold the group and walked over. He then took a seat beside Leonard and asked. “What is going on? Is this something important that you guys have to be here as if having a serious meeting?”

Leonard did not even turn his head when replying. “Yeah. Something big happens. A guild war is about to take place.”

Confused, Shin could not help but ask again. “Guild War? Isn’t it a normal occurrence in the game? It sounds nothing special for you guys to gather here and watch it together.”

Hearing this, Arthur clicked his tongue repeatedly and said. “Tsk! Tsk! You are already an expert within the game, yet you still don’t know about this kind of official war?”

“Let me tell you. This is not your average war. It is an official event that only happens when a guild presents a formal challenge against another.”

“And as an official event, the gaming company has to organize a special venue just for them. You can say that this war will take place in an independent space that can’t be found inside the game.”

Shin slightly nodded in understanding before asking. “So, what is so special about this so-called official Guild War’.”

“Normally, it is nothing special since something like this regularly happens from time to time when the game reaches a certain stage of progression. But this time, something makes this guild war a big event.”

“It is confirmed that the gaming company will grant the winner of this war a huge piece of land within the game as a reward.”

“It is that it is a special event that the two guilds have triggered after meeting certain conditions, and the reward for it was supposed to be that piece of land.”

“But since this thing concerns too many factors, the two guilds come to an agreement to settle the score in an official guild war. It is also to prevent the other guilds from taking advantage of them when they have been weakened by both sides.”

Leonard nodded his head and commented. “These guys are too cunning.”

On the other hand, Shin was still not fully convinced that it could be a big event and continued to ask. “So, what’s so big about it? I don’t see why everyone has to make it a big deal.”

“Tsk! Tsk!” Arthur clicked his tongue and finally answered. “Of course, it is not enough to make a big deal of it. But what makes everyone interested in it is the so-called ‘piece of land’.”

“It is not strange for a player or certain power within the game to control a certain region as long as they meet certain conditions. But from what the official report has said, this ‘piece of land’ is as big as a small kingdom.”

“Whoever wins this war will become the owner of that land. They can build their own kingdom and even collect taxes from the citizens living in their borders.”

“In short, the winner of this guild war will become ahead of everyone else when comes to wealth and influence.”

Hearing that, Shin finally understood. He could see that this guild war would break the balance between these superpowers within the game. The winner of this war would be the leader of the pack.

When his thought reached this point, Shin suddenly remembered something and suddenly blurted out. “I wonder if it is as large as my land.”

His voice was soft and quiet, but given the senses of everyone inside the room, they were able to hear him clearly.

With that, they simultaneously turned their heads to him, giving an inquiring look.

Sensing the gazes directed at him, Shin could not help but raise his head and look at them. He swept his eyes at everyone before realizing what their gazes meant.

He could forget about Lorraine, Molton, and Jillian since they were not aware of it. But the rest were a part of the Empyrean Talons, so they were supposed to be aware of what he just said.

Confused, he tilted his head to the said and looked at Arthur, Lonard, Alice, and Cloe. Seeing that they did not have any idea of what he just said, he could not help but ask. “What’s wrong? Don’t you guys know? I am a Duke now and the entire Sky Deceiving Valley is my dukedom.”

There was a complete silence that enveloped the entire room as the others could not open their mouths.

It took some time before they were able to process the words that Shin had said. They gulped swallowed hard and turned to each other before turning back to Shin with a seemingly exaggerated shout.

“WHAT!?”

……