Chapter 35: Not Treating Her as a Beast, Nor as a Human!
Xiao Wu's current Soul Power level is fifteen.
Although she hadn't deliberately trained her physical body, with soft skills as her specialty, her physical foundation was naturally not bad; her toughness and flexibility far exceeded those of ordinary people.
Therefore, Lin Yang skipped basic physical training and directly began teaching her the Breathing Technique.
Surprisingly, however, Xiao Wu's adaptability to Sun Breathing was extremely poor.
Modern Sun Breathing was no longer a simple method of drawing in oxygen and strengthening the physique.
Instead, based on Lin Yang's own circumstances, it was a new type of cultivation method that blended Soul Power and mental force into one.
Its complexity was naturally much higher than the previous Sun Breathing.
The difficulty of cultivation had also increased manifold.
But he hadn't expected that even with talent like Xiao Wu's, she actually couldn't even grasp the basics.
Once she attempted to circulate the Breathing Technique, the Soul Power within her body would riot chaotically, as if it would explode inside her the next second.
Lin Yang could only have Xiao Wu stop immediately.
Xiao Wu, who had been full of confidence just a moment ago, was now like an eggplant hit by frost, her little face drooping, looking deeply discouraged.
She completely lacked the high-spirited momentum she had just shown.
At this time, Lin Yang also consoled her, saying,
"Don't be in a hurry yet; it's possible your constitution isn't suited for Sun Breathing."
"Then what should I do?" Xiao Wu said somewhat dejectedly,
"Does that mean I'll never be able to learn the Transparent World?"
Lin Yang thought for a moment: "I also know several other basic Breathing Techniques; perhaps there's one suitable for you."
"Basic Breathing Techniques?" The Little Rabbit raised her head, her face full of curiosity,
"What's the difference between them and your Sun Breathing?"
"Basic Breathing Techniques are divided into five types: Flame, Water, Thunder, Wind, and Stone. They are all derived from Sun Breathing."
"Although they aren't as comprehensive as Sun Breathing, each has its own unique characteristics."
Lin Yang briefly introduced the characteristics of the five Breathing Techniques to Xiao Wu.
Flame Breathing is fierce and blazing, Water Breathing balances offense and defense, Thunder Breathing is swift and sharp, Wind Breathing is violent and powerful, and Stone Breathing is steady and solid.
Thinking back to when he first joined the Demon Slayer Corps, he had come into contact with all five of these basic Breathing Techniques. Unfortunately, his adaptability to them wasn't high, and his strength progressed slowly.
Out of necessity, he could only go to Mount Kumotori to learn the Hinokami Kagura.
Unexpectedly, he actually possessed an extraordinary talent for Sun Breathing.
After mastering it, he reached the 'Constant State' without the slightest effort, and from then on, his strength soared.
Thinking of the past, a hint of nostalgia flashed in Lin Yang's eyes.
Immediately after, he began teaching Xiao Wu a new Breathing Technique.
Given this Little Rabbit's restless personality and her own characteristics, Wind Breathing or Thunder Breathing would be more suitable.
After a simple test, Xiao Wu was indeed more suited for Wind Breathing.
"Hiss... Is it okay like this?"
Xiao Wu breathed rhythmically through her nose and mouth, as if carrying a unique cadence.
She clenched her fists and felt that her strength seemed to have increased slightly, though not significantly.
Lin Yang gave her a sidelong glance: "You're still far off. Talk to me after you've cultivated the Breathing Technique to the 'Constant State'."
"Oh!"
Xiao Wu pouted but didn't complain.
She was inexperienced in the ways of the world, but she wasn't truly stupid.
The method of this Breathing Technique was clearly some kind of special secret technique, and she could feel its extraordinary potential.
Lin Yang intended to teach, and the Little Rabbit intended to learn.
From the border of the Reth Kingdom to the Lima Plains, throughout this journey, Xiao Wu's performance did not disappoint her talent.
Not only did her mastery of Wind Breathing become more proficient by the day, reaching the 'Constant State' quickly,
But under Lin Yang's guidance and reminders, she also began to try and use Wind Breathing as a foundation to grope for her own derived Breathing Technique.
Undoubtedly, Breathing Techniques possess extremely strong inclusiveness and extensibility.
Everyone's physical fitness and personal habits are different; even if they use the same Breathing Technique, there will be vast differences.
For example, Water Breathing, as the Breathing Technique with the lowest threshold,
Some use it like surging waves, continuous and unending; others can't even slash out a single splash.
Those with even stronger talent would jump out of the framework of the Breathing Technique to create a derived Breathing Technique with a strong personal color.
This kind of derived Breathing Technique might not be the strongest, but it is absolutely the most suitable for oneself.
The current Xiao Wu was walking on this very path.
Because she didn't use weapons, Lin Yang didn't teach her fixed Sword Forms; instead, acting as a sparring partner, he let her realize her own combat style through battle.
Progress in this area... could be described as rapid!
The reason was also very simple: Lin Yang would truly use lethal force.
He didn't treat Xiao Wu as a Soul Beast, nor did he treat her as an ordinary little girl, and he certainly wasn't there to be a protective knight.
What he wanted was a companion who could overcome trials together, not a burden who only knew how to weep.
Along this journey, almost every bone in the Little Rabbit's body had been broken.
At her worst, nearly half of the bones in her entire body were shattered.
Of course, after every injury, Lin Yang would use a Soul Bone skill to completely heal her.
Regarding Ah Yin's matter, Lin Yang didn't plan to hide it, nor could he.
He could still remember now, when the Little Rabbit learned that he was still accompanied by a Blue Silver Emperor that was once a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast,
That little face was written with shock and disbelief.
Especially after hearing that this senior had even taken the initiative to sacrifice herself, only to end up trapped in a stone cave for years,
A strong sense of indignation welled up in the Little Rabbit's eyes.
With such a cautionary tale before her, the Little Rabbit didn't dare to harbor any laziness.
Even when facing Lin Yang's hellish training, she gritted her teeth and endured it.
The two of them traveled like this, stopping and starting; the Little Rabbit's strength increased greatly, and her Soul Power even successfully broke through to level sixteen, not far from level seventeen.
But a journey that originally only required half a month took nearly a full month to reach their destination—Suotuo City.
The Lima Plain is the most fertile plain within the borders of the Barak Kingdom.
One could naturally imagine how prosperous Suotuo City, known as the "Granary of Balak" and standing in the middle of the plain, was.
At the east gate of Suotuo City, a travel-worn carriage wobbled its way into the urban area.
Xiao Wu poked her head out from the carriage, looking around curiously, and couldn't help but cry out in amazement,
"So many people!"
"Mmm... what's that smell? It's so fragrant."
Lin Yang ignored her look of finding everything novel, asked a passerby for the location of a nearby carriage rental shop, and then drove the carriage over.
When leaving the carriage at the shop, Lin Yang specifically left a few extra gold coins.
He instructed the attendant to give the horse a good scrubbing and feed it top-quality fodder and clean spring water.
On this long journey from Pelagi City to the Calamity Mountain Range and then to Suotuo City, this old horse had suffered quite a bit along with the two of them.
Having reached their destination, it was only right for it to eat something good.
After settling the carriage, Lin Yang took Xiao Wu to find an inn.
Don't overthink it; they only took baths and changed into a set of clean clothes.
Lin Yang wore a set of black martial attire; the style was simple, with tight cuffs and a slightly short hem, but it perfectly set off his tall, straight posture and steady temperament.
Combined with a height that far exceeded his peers, no one would ever imagine that he was only seven years old.
Xiao Wu beside him was slightly shorter, but the light pink cherry blossom dress she wore made her look extremely cute.
A long, slender Scorpion Braid swung behind her, swaying with every step, adding more of the liveliness of a girl next door.