Translator: CinderTL
Inside the cabin, Roland focused his mind, suppressing distracting thoughts as he carefully opened the ancient-looking book. Its cover was adorned with the image of a roaring beast's head and primitive totems, titled The Way of Ancestral Spirits and Fury: A Barbarian Class-Change Ritual.
The book's opening pages didn't waste time on flowery prose. Instead, they used direct, even crude, language to explain the core of this path to strength.
This path didn't rely on external mana or intricate runes. Instead, it required digging inward, awakening the power slumbering deep within the bloodline and primal emotions.
The key lay in two points:
1. Controlling Blood Qi 2. Harnessing Fury
However, as Roland read deeper, his brow gradually furrowed.
This seemingly "simple and direct" path had surprisingly stringent internal requirements.
The first was controlling blood qi—precisely guiding the flow and surge of one's own blood.
"Blood qi is the river of life, the tide of strength."
"Beginners must practice internal vision in stillness, sensing their bloodline like a murmuring stream. With focused intent, they should be able to accelerate its flow, halt it, or even reverse its course."
"Know this: the force of blood qi surge is linked to the explosive power of muscles and the depletion of life essence. Improper control can lead to damaged meridians at best, and at worst, the exhaustion of one's heart's blood, leaving the body emaciated and the bones brittle—"
This wasn't a simple surge of hot-bloodedness. It required an almost "internal vision" to precisely control blood flow at specific moments and within particular meridians, unleashing terrifying physical strength.
Simultaneously, one had to quickly stabilize after the burst to avoid irreversible self-inflicted damage.
This meticulous control over one's microscopic self was far more challenging than the basic knight training of hammering muscles and bones through fixed routines. It was like dancing on the edge of a knife; a single misstep could backfire disastrously.
Second was emotional mastery, particularly igniting and harnessing the destructive "fury."
"Anger is the flame that burns the heart, the edge that shatters the enemy."
"Not the ravings of madness, but using will as the furnace and emotion as fuel to ignite that fury which consumes all things...
"One must maintain a sliver of clarity within the raging inferno, directing its flames to scorch the opponent, not to burn away one's own reason."
"Those lost to fury will ultimately become beasts driven only by destruction—"
This demanded that the cultivator actively enter a state of extreme rage to unleash hidden power, yet remain firmly anchored to the lighthouse of reason amidst the storm of emotion.
This was akin to navigating a skiff through towering waves, relying on the storm's power to propel oneself forward while ensuring not to be swallowed by its fury.
Finding that balance between ignition and control, maintaining clarity amidst the chaos—its difficulty and peril were no less than mastering blood qi.
Closing the book, Roland's eyes gleamed with thoughtful light.
This method of class progression abandoned the reliance on "techniques" and "knowledge" found in most classes, instead focusing on excavating and controlling "instinct" and "inner strength."
At first glance, the barrier to entry seemed low, as if any physically robust and determined individual could attempt it.
Yet the required mastery of one's life energy and extreme emotions was likely no less challenging than mastering any advanced breathing technique or meditation method.
But for Roland, these seemingly insurmountable requirements were not entirely beyond his reach.
First was the guidance of blood qi.
In this regard, Roland was not entirely inexperienced.
The Battle Frenzy trait he had gained from his warrior class, when actively activated, produced a sensation of blood surging through his veins and power surging through his body—a feeling strikingly similar to the "blood qi surge" described in the book.
The difference lay in the method of activation: one was an instinctive, relatively crude surge, while the other required precise mental guidance and control.
"Perhaps I can start here..."
After a moment's contemplation, he stood up slowly in the silent cabin, took a deep breath, and deliberately activated Battle Frenzy.
The familiar burning sensation erupted from his chest, as if an invisible fuse had been lit. His blood flow surged, and a sense of power flooded his limbs.
But unlike before, Roland didn't allow this surging energy to run wild. Instead, he immediately focused all his mental energy inward, attempting to perceive and influence the "river of life" roaring through his veins, as described in the Way of Ancestral Spirits and Fury.
It wasn't easy at first.
The boiling battle frenzy acted like a wild horse, dragging his qi and blood in chaotic directions. The threads of his will repeatedly snapped as they tried to entwine with the surging energy.
But Roland's mental attribute had now far surpassed its previous level.
Holding his breath and concentrating, he continuously adjusted, using the instinctive impulses of Battle Frenzy as a "magnifying glass" and "booster" for sensing blood qi, rather than trying to suppress them.
He no longer tried to forcefully "rein in" this wild horse. Instead, he learned to feel its galloping rhythm and understand the flow of its strength.
With unwavering resolve, he gently nudged its direction, guiding this untamed torrent along a specific, more efficient path.
Time slipped away unnoticed in his state of extreme focus.
Gradually, a subtle transformation occurred.
The chaotic heat and power he had initially perceived began to clarify. It was as if invisible blood had transformed into a warm, tangible fluid that he could both "touch" and "guide."
He cautiously experimented, first accelerating this surging flow in his right arm, then directing it to converge in his legs—
The process remained clumsy, with a slight delay between his mental commands and his body's actual response. Yet the direction was correct, and the basic framework of control was taking shape.
After an indeterminate amount of time, when Roland successfully channeled a surge of accelerated blood qi precisely into his fist, clearly sensing its far-greater-than-normal explosive power, and then managed to firmly contain it just before the burst, without any discomfort to himself...
A line of golden text materialized naturally in his vision:
[Skill Acquired: blood qi surge, Current Level: Lv.1]
"Success!"
Roland let out a long sigh of relief as golden text materialized before his eyes, a wave of irrepressible joy surging through his heart.
He carefully focused on the subtle changes brought by the new skill, blood qi surge.
With a mere thought, a warm, potent force seemed to answer his call, flowing obediently through specific meridians within his body. It brought with it a premonition of power far exceeding his usual capabilities, yet remained utterly responsive to his will. There was no resistance or backlash as he effortlessly controlled its ebb and flow.
This precise mastery over his own life energy filled him with an unprecedented sense of control and power.
Just as he was immersed in this wondrous new experience, another string of dazzling golden text slowly materialized in his vision:
[Detected: Host has mastered the core skill blood qi surge. High-level class berserker can now be unlocked.]
[Requirements: Strength 25, Constitution 22, Spirit 4, blood qi surge Lv.3, 3/3 max-level heavy weapon skills, 0/1 max-level unarmed combat skill, 2/2 max-level throwing weapon skills, 1/3 max-level tempering technique/body tempering technique, kill 0/100 hostile targets while under the effect of blood qi surge.]
"Advanced Class—berserker?"
Though it wasn't the extraordinary profession he'd hoped for, the Barbarian, Roland felt little disappointment.
He carefully examined the golden text of the class-change requirements before him, his mind racing.
The attribute requirements were trivial; he'd long surpassed them.
Aside from needing to upgrade blood qi surge to level three and complete the kill requirement, the remaining tasks were to max out his unarmed combat skill and three tempering or body tempering techniques.
In the past, he might have spent years searching for inherited texts or seeking out renowned masters.
But now—
Watching the golden text gradually fade, Roland didn't hesitate to step through the temporary portal opened by the Secret Imprisonment Dice and began quickly searching among the shelves filled with ancient knowledge.
Finding texts on unarmed combat proved easy. Within moments, he located several volumes titled Essentials of Northern Grappling Arts, Stone-Cleaving Hand Tempering, and Flowing Shadow Combat Art.
However, locating tempering and body tempering techniques proved more challenging.
The ancient methods, which focused on building a solid physical foundation and unlocking the body's potential, seemed to be undervalued during the "Crystal Era," a time when magic and arcane arts had reached their zenith. They were dismissed as primitive and arduous paths.
Roland spent considerable time sifting through stacks of books that leaned towards energy manipulation and technical skills until he found three texts that met his requirements: the Hundred-Refined Tough-Skin Method, the Blood-Boiling Bone-Tempering Chapter, and the Mountain Breathing Body Tempering Art.
Given Roland's current combat proficiency and mastery of his body, grasping the unarmed combat techniques took only a moment.
The three tempering and body tempering techniques proved more complicated. Beyond specific breathing, postures, and mental guidance, they mostly required external materials for medicinal baths, topical applications, or consumption.
As Roland flipped through the pages, he jotted down the necessary materials and brief instructions in his notebook.
The materials sounded quite primitive, but they weren't entirely lost to this era. At least, he had heard of some of them during his time in Blackwater Territory.
Once he finished his current tasks, gathering them shouldn't be too difficult.
After tucking his notes into his pocket, Roland's thoughts continued to churn.
He recalled the various classes he had taken since his transmigration and gradually realized that many seemingly independent professions were actually connected by an implicit, coherent thread.
For example, from Stablehand to Knight's Squire, then to Apprentice Knight, and finally to Knight.
From Blacksmith Apprentice to Blacksmith, then to Enchanter, and recently to Construct Artisan.
In these sequences, the skills required by the preceding classes—such as riding, maintenance, basic forging, and rune recognition—all served as the bedrock for subsequent advanced classes.
Now, the berserker class explicitly demanded mastery of three max-level tempering or body tempering techniques.
This was a requirement never seen in other class paths outside of the Warrior path.
Could this mean that every powerful advanced or even extraordinary profession was supported by a "pre-requisite sequence" composed of several low-level classes, designed to lay a solid foundation?
"But—"
Roland stroked his chin, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.
"It seems that class progression doesn't strictly require having the preceding class. Take the Rogue class, for example—"
A bolder idea surfaced in his mind.
"Does that mean if I meet the conditions, I might—be able to skip the berserker advanced class for now, and when I meet the requirements later, directly trigger the Barbarian class-change ritual to acquire the true extraordinary profession?"
After all, even a fool could see that the attribute bonuses and exclusive traits granted by an advanced class were incomparable to those of an extraordinary profession.
With this thought, Roland refocused his attention. After putting away his notes on the body tempering technique, he turned his gaze back to the Way of Ancestral Spirits and Fury.
He delved into the second, and far more perilous, challenge of the Barbarian class-change ritual:
Mastering emotions and controlling the heart-burning, bone-corroding fury.
(End of the Chapter)
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