Free Web NovelChapter 12: Chapter 12: High Mountain Breathing Technique
In Mo Ning’s home, the Holy Spear Kingdom, human expansion had long since squeezed the living space of "Low Level Sub-humans" like goblins to the absolute limit, making them a rare sight in the wild.
This was the first time Mo Ning had seen a living goblin with his own eyes, and he couldn’t help but study it for a few moments.
Compared to the stiff illustrations in books, the real goblin gave off an impression of restlessness and hyperactivity, as if every pore radiated a cunning and untamable energy.
The goblin almost instantly sensed the scrutinizing gaze.
It whipped its head around, its bulging amber eyes locking precisely onto Mo Ning. In the dim yellow light, its pupils contracted into thin slits.
"Hey!"
A short, sharp syllable burst from its throat. Its sparse whiskers bristled with annoyance, trembling violently as its lips moved:
"You with the black hair! Rookie! What are you looking at?! Never seen a real goblin before? I’m Supervisor Fodder from the cafeteria! You better remember that!"
The instant it finished speaking, a bizarre transformation began!
Goblin Fodder’s originally short and comical figure was suddenly stretched and pulled upward, as if by an invisible hand.
In Mo Ning’s vision, its silhouette rapidly swelled and distorted, instantaneously transforming into the five-meter-tall shadow of a ferocious, sinewy giant.
The shadow was not corporeal, yet it exuded a suffocating pressure, as if the projection of a primeval beast from ancient times had descended upon them.
Even stranger was its voice.
Each word it uttered was no longer a shrill squawk, but was instead wrapped in layers of echoing reverberations. It sounded as if it were surging from all directions of a deep chasm, like countless voices roaring in unison:
"QUICKLY—BOW—DOWN—TO—YOUR—RESPECTED—SUPERVISOR—!!!"
When those two words, "bow down," exploded forth, the voice became rolling thunder!
"RUMBLE—BOOM—!!!"
The invisible sound wave, carrying a pressure so tangible it felt physical, crashed through the vast, empty hall.
The ground trembled distinctly, and suspended motes of dust rained down.
One moment, it was a despicable, comical, short, green-skinned creature; the next, it had seemingly transformed into a ferocious monster.
The shock produced by Goblin Fodder’s bizarre transformation was staggering.
For any newcomer, this violent sensory and perceptual disconnect was enough to instantly shatter their psychological defenses and force them to submit to their fear.
A violent shock ran through Mo Ning in that instant. He could barely stop himself from turning to flee the Mysterious Secret Hall of the Quiet Forest.
But a final sliver of clarity in his mind, like a star in the dead of night, firmly anchored the last bastion of his consciousness.
’I can’t run!’
He forced himself to suppress the trembling in his muscles and the impulse to retreat, standing his ground ramrod straight.
"HUUUH... HAAAAH..."
He took a sharp, deep breath, his chest rising and falling dramatically.
This was not a panicked gasp, but a deliberate, precise, and strangely rhythmic pattern of breathing.
The expansion and contraction of his chest, the friction and pauses of the air in his throat, were all instantly adjusted to a specific frequency.
It was a Secret Technique—the High Mountain Breathing Technique!
After Mo Ning was discovered to possess Spiritual Talent, he spent several months in the Holy Spear Kingdom Capital City with the other new recruits.
In an attempt to win them over, the Royal Family provided the new recruits with a wealth of resources, including full access to the Royal Library.
Mo Ning, in order to "feed" the database of his cheat, the Eye of Truth, had spent most of his time inside the library.
He had obtained this Secret Technique, which could temporarily bolster one’s spirit, from a dust-covered tome in the Royal Family’s secret collection.
As the tome was incomplete, the Royal Family had tossed it into a storage room, where he had stumbled upon it by chance.
Mo Ning had used a sliver of the Light of Truth, condensed by his Eye of Truth, to analyze the mysteries of the High Mountain Breathing Technique and had successfully reconstructed it.
At this moment, the Secret Technique he had painstakingly cultivated acted as an unshakable anchor.
After a few cycles of the special breathing technique, Mo Ning had the strange illusion that he himself had become a towering mountain.
The clarity in his mind spread rapidly, and the fear churning within him receded like the tide.
In his field of vision, the terrifyingly imposing shadow of the giant rapidly dissipated and collapsed, like mist in the sunlight.
「A moment later.」
All that remained was a small, skinny goblin with oily green skin.
Fodder was back.
Mo Ning instantly realized that this goblin was likely an Apprentice at the Black Tower Academy.
’He must have mastered some form of Level Zero Witchcraft specializing in intimidation and illusion, or perhaps it’s a Talent Ability.’
’And he’s appeared on the mandatory path for newcomers heading to the cafeteria, playing such a provocative and intimidating role...’
’It must be an assessment!’
Realization dawned on Mo Ning. ’The rumors at Lakefront Castle were true. The academy’s assessments always come when you least expect them, and they’re usually quite difficult.’
’It seems this goblin is the Assessor. Having an Apprentice test newcomers on their very first day... that’s a dirty trick.’
His thoughts even strayed a bit. ’The academy is surprisingly inclusive. Even a member of a sub-human race like goblins, who are often exiled or enslaved by Human Kingdoms, can become an Apprentice here based on talent.’
「Meanwhile.」
Goblin Fodder’s bulging yellow eyes clearly reflected the entire process: Mo Ning’s momentary stiffness, the deep breath he took, and his swift return to composure.
The comical scene he had been eagerly awaiting—of the rookie wetting himself and crying for his mommy—hadn’t happened. This brought a flicker of shock and suspicion to his oily green face.
’This kid actually withstood it?’
’And he recovered that fast?’
Fodder’s embarrassment turned to anger. He kicked off his feet and hopped onto his chair, making up for their difference in height.
He did his best to puff out his scrawny chest and shrieked in a voice even more shrill and grating than before:
"What are you spacing out for?! Rookie, you hear me? Bow—to me—your respected Supervisor Fodder!"
Mo Ning watched all this unfold calmly, completely ignoring the goblin’s commanding words.
A polite, distant smile touched his lips as he spoke. "Mr. Fodder, it’s a pleasure to meet you."
He knew the academy’s rules. There were only two classes of people within its walls: Official Wizards, and everyone else.
’The status of a newcomer and an Apprentice isn’t fundamentally different, so there’s no reason for me to bow to a goblin Apprentice.’
Besides, now that he understood this was just some kind of test arranged by the academy, he was completely unperturbed.
’Getting into a conflict with a goblin playing the role of an Assessor would accomplish nothing besides venting useless emotions.’
’A proper Wizard must calmly assess every situation and make the most pragmatic choice.’
’Right now, showing a measure of composure and courtesy is far more valuable than resisting.’
Goblin Fodder was clearly stunned again.
He had imagined the rookie might be scared stiff and beg for mercy, or perhaps retort angrily, or even pretend to be calm while failing to hide his panic.
But he had never expected the boy to so casually defuse his intimidation, and then top it off with a polite greeting.
The feeling was like throwing a full-force punch into a pile of fluffy cotton—it just sank in, finding no purchase.
The contrived rage and ferocity on his face vanished. The earlier frenzy was gone from his yellow eyes, which now glinted with a strange light.
It wasn’t hard to see that this goblin was also a superb actor.
