On the continent, in addition to disputes over who is the strongest, there are many time-honored "VS" debates.
Elves vs Demon Race
Dogs vs Cats
Summer vs Winter
West vs East
Aside from these, there are countless other debates, but people generally refrain from them in daily life to avoid provoking conflict with one another.
Of course, that restraint applies to daily life; the Gallery has no mercy.
Whenever they get the chance, users spend their time arguing whether this is better or that is better.
Occasionally, when things get too heated and hatred toward a group surfaces, the Orange Badge steps in directly to restrain it.
And among all these topics, there is one field that sparks the most controversy of all.
Mana Cultivation Method vs Internal Cultivation Art
Vote on which one seems better go
Mana Cultivation Method: 50%
Internal Cultivation Art: 50%
ㄴ Wow, how are both at 50%?
ㄴ Everyone knows nothing. Mana Cultivation Method is clearly better...
ㄴ Bullshit no no, what do you mean better lol
ㄴ Are you from the Central Plains?
ㄴ Nope? I’m from the Messiah Empire.
ㄴ Must be a noble.
ㄴ Not a noble, I’m a knight lol
That debate is precisely Mana Cultivation Method versus Internal Cultivation Art.
It has been an endless debate raging since ancient times, and it remains ongoing to this day.
The Origins of Mana Cultivation Method and Internal Cultivation Art
The accepted theory is that practitioners learned by taking lessons after Aris, the Goddess of War and younger sister of Aragon, God of Magic.
Of the two disciples who received guidance, one took charge of the West, and the other took charge of the East.
The West gradually fractured into various nations, while the East has maintained the name of Central Plains to this day.
In truth, Aris herself analyzed and studied the breathing of her older brother Aragon, so it is virtually Aragon’s breathing technique anyway.
End of mythology study session!
ㄴ Is Aris pretty?
ㄴ You crazy bastard hahahaha Wanna get arrested for blasphemy?
ㄴ It’s the Gallery anyway lol So is she pretty?
ㄴ Unfortunately, there were no records saying she was pretty. Supposedly she always wore a helmet because of war.
ㄴ Allfather: According to my research, her beauty is the accepted theory.
ㄴ For what reason?
ㄴ Allfather: Aragon, the God of Magic, spoke thus: "She’s a piece of shit younger sister, but she is indeed pretty."
ㄴ Aren’t they just real-life siblings? Hahahaha
ㄴ If a real-life sibling admits she’s pretty, that says everything, doesn’t it?
ㄴ The credibility suddenly shot up hahahaha
ㄴ Allfather: In fact, the two fought quite a bit. It is said that whenever they fought, mountains blew away and seas turned upside down.
ㄴ Shudder shudder
ㄴ As expected of gods;;
ㄴ Allfather: And every time that happened, the Chief God would smack them on the back.
ㄴ It was just a sibling fight on a grand scale hahahaha
ㄴ Why are they so human hahahaha
Just like in the myths, the Mana Cultivation Method is mainstream in the West, while the Internal Cultivation Art is mainstream in the Central Plains.
However, as time went on, interesting research emerged.
Geography changed the fate of breathing techniques in the West and East.
The West has many dangerous bastards above and below (Demon Race, Elves, etc.), so they had to train as many skilled combatants as possible.
Thus, they spread the easy-to-learn Mana Cultivation Method as widely as possible to bolster their military strength.
The problem is that because of this, impure individuals could also easily learn the Mana Cultivation Method.
So when rebellions broke out, peasants frequently beat up knights;;
The fact that nations fractured into their present state is also due to reasons like this.
On the other hand, the East—meaning the Central Plains—has prominent clans keeping a tight grip on Internal Cultivation Arts.
The culture is quite conservative and the terrain is favorable, so there are no major external or internal issues.
Therefore, Internal Cultivation Arts are taught only to insiders, while the majority of peasants have no idea, asking, "What’s that?"
The academic consensus is that geography divided the Mana Cultivation Method and Internal Cultivation Art.
ㄴ Oh. Thanks for the info!
ㄴ Lately, many people in the Eastern Realm use Mana Cultivation Method, is it due to cultural exchange?
ㄴ That’s part of it, plus Mana Cultivation Method is easy to learn. But its depth remains shallow all the same.
ㄴ On the other hand, Western nobles tend to practice Internal Cultivation Arts. To widen the gap.
ㄴ So Internal Cultivation Arts are the exclusive domain of highborns.
ㄴ Yep, pretty much.
ㄴ Not necessarily. Knights also frequently receive training in Internal Cultivation Arts.
Mana Cultivation Method is easy to learn, but shallow in depth.
Internal Cultivation Art is difficult to learn, but deep in depth.
This is one of the deeply ingrained perceptions regarding each breathing technique.
In truth, while half-correct, there are also many inaccurate parts.
Whatever breathing technique fits you best is the absolute best.
Look at Ash of the Messiah Empire. She reached the top spot using only the Mana Cultivation Method.
ㄴ Isn’t she just a freak?
ㄴ Yep, a total freak. Even if the process differs, as long as you’re strong, isn’t that what matters?
ㄴ Does the Hero use the Mana Cultivation Method too?
ㄴ I heard the Hero has the Holy Kingdom’s unique Internal Cultivation Art.
ㄴ The strong ones are just strong, that’s all.
Whatever the case, the strong are bound to be strong. This is akin to absolute truth.
Even so, since it is a matter tied to the pride and history of opposing factions, neither side can easily back down.
This is precisely why it devolves into "VS" debates at every opportunity.
Especially for those who wield mana, this is a field that touches upon their very self-esteem.
Whether it’s Mana Cultivation Method or Internal Cultivation Art, upvote if you got great tips~
Starting with me hahahaha
ㄴ Fr, so many legendary tips coming out hahahaha
ㄴ Thanks to this, I broke through where I was stuck hahahaha
ㄴ Shrimps getting full in a fight between whales hahaha
ㄴ Hope they keep fighting forever hahahaha
Perhaps because of this, whenever they fight, they unintentionally unleash a variety of top-tier tips.
Occasionally, many users spout nonsense, but people filter that out on their own.
After all, there was nothing better for laying bare one’s fundamental secrets than breathing techniques.
’Oh. Are they teaching the Internal Cultivation Art now?’
Ash, the strongest figure in the Messiah Empire and currently a home-defense guard, grew curious.
As usual, she was rolling around while browsing the Gallery.
Heavenly Demon had begun imparting the Internal Cultivation Art to Grylls. At first, she paid it little mind and let it slide.
The Heavenly Demon she knew wouldn’t teach a bogus Internal Cultivation Art. Even if she were a real fraud, it didn’t matter.
Because if Grylls posted on the Gallery, "Heavenly Demon was a scammer!", the truth would be exposed anyway.
Of course, one had to consider the possibility that Grylls had no talent, or that Heavenly Demon lacked teaching aptitude.
For Ash, all she had to do was sit back and watch the show. That was her initial judgment.
ㄴ Wild Grylls: Heavenly Demon-nim. I followed your instructions and got a nosebleed.
ㄴ Heavenly Demon: What?!
"What?!"
Just as Heavenly Demon was surprised, Ash could not help but be shocked as well.
Bleeding from the nose during Dantian Breathing was no common occurrence.
So, after prying into the details, Ash managed to notice something.
’Could it be that this guy Grylls is...?’
The phenomenon Grylls experienced was something Ash herself had gone through.
She possessed a constitution where mana accumulated in her body simply by breathing.
With every breath, several times more mana than an ordinary person’s gathered in her mana hole (Dantian).
Because of that, just breathing like Grylls did made her bleed from her nose.
At the time, no one realized this truth, so it was glossed over vaguely.
Because no one had ever heard of or seen such a phenomenon before.
Since it happened at the absolute basics, they initially thought she lacked talent.
However, once this stage was overcome, tremendous growth could be achieved.
Because it was an experience undergone by none other than Ash herself, she could state it with certainty.
’Is it real? For real?’
Ash fired questions at Grylls one after another.
The more questions she asked, the more she realized how similar his constitution was to hers.
However, not everything was identical. In Grylls’s case, his mana had accumulated through Spiritual Medicine.
Still, the fact that a vast amount of mana entered the body with every breath was identical.
’Is it because it’s the Forest of the Four Seasons?’
That was highly likely the case.
The Forest of the Four Seasons possessed a mana density several to dozens of times thicker than other regions.
Though it was merely a hypothesis put forward by scholars, its credibility was high.
’The mere presence of a Mature Mandrake already proves it.’
Even if the environment differed, the conditions were similar. Therefore, Ash made up her mind. She would nurture Grylls by any means necessary.
Looking at his track record up to now, his talent wasn’t too shabby either.
Above all, he was someone with more than enough reasons to become strong.
A situation where he had to grasp at straws just to survive.
’If he becomes stronger than me... ehehehe.’
Ash flashed a sly grin. It was a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Every guy she had trained until now was either utterly disappointing or ran away.
But Grylls was different. Stranded in the Forest of the Four Seasons, he couldn’t run anywhere.
To escape outside, becoming strong by his own power was his only option. Truly perfect.
’First, I should teach him how to break through to the next stage.’
Currently, Grylls’s body was in a state of supersaturation.
When mana was forced inside in that condition, his body instinctively triggered a defense mechanism.
So she intended to pass on a top-tier tip to resolve this, but an unexpected wildcard emerged.
"This person is so frustrating."
Ash slightly crumpled her pretty face.
An expression that seemed both dissatisfied and expressing sheer frustration.
’Does she really need to be this stubborn?’
The identity of the wildcard was the Heavenly Demon.
The moment Ash offered to impart a breathing technique, Heavenly Demon nitpicked at every turn.
It was close to the nuance of: "I’ve already claimed Grylls, so back off."
’She’s from the Central Plains, so it’s not like I don’t understand, but...’
People of the Central Plains were extremely sensitive regarding master-disciple relationships.
To the extent that they say a master is teacher and parent, while a disciple is a child.
In fact, Internal Cultivation Arts were secret manuals never handed down unless to someone trusted completely.
’It means she trusts him that much.’
If Heavenly Demon had been stubborn with nonsensical logic, Ash would have retorted to the bitter end.
However, Heavenly Demon countered point by point with surprisingly deep logic.
In the end, Ash chose to take a step back.
Fighting here wouldn’t help Grylls anyway.
Still, the fact that a breakthrough had to be made remained unchanged. Thus, she made a final proposal.
ㄴ Sword Matstar: Then I’ll only pass on my know-how until Grylls-ssi can achieve mana circulation. In the Central Plains, you call it Internal Energy Regulation, right?
ㄴ Heavenly Demon: If it is merely assisting up to Internal Energy Regulation, I do not mind. However, the succeeding incantations shall be taught by me.
ㄴ Sword Matstar: I have no intention of being greedy beyond that either.
She hadn’t lied. She only said so verbally, but harbored another motive.
Internal Cultivation Arts were difficult. Extremely so.
For both breathing techniques, the process up to mana circulation was identical.
But in the succeeding "incantations," a vast difference would emerge.
Unlike the Mana Cultivation Method, Internal Cultivation Arts contained somewhat philosophical content.
For example, if Mana Cultivation Method was of the format "send mana to such-and-such place," Internal Cultivation Art was far more complex than that.
’Water gushing from a valley flowing into the ocean... ugh, so frustrating.’
However, it didn’t only have drawbacks.
Just as carps living in a river and carps living in a lake differed in size, breathing techniques were similar.
While Mana Cultivation Method had many flaws regarding "enlightenment," Internal Cultivation Art did not.
Because various enlightenments were embedded within the incantations, it was easier to advance to the next stage.
ㄴ Wild Grylls: Is everything up to this Internal Energy Regulation thing identical?
ㄴ Heavenly Demon: Indeed. But did you not say earlier that you already sent internal energy to your Middle Dantian and Upper Dantian? That is what I heard a moment ago.
ㄴ Wild Grylls: I don’t know much about that, but a strange energy pierced through my heart and brain, then spread through my whole body. In that state, it returned to my lower belly.
ㄴ Heavenly Demon: Fascinating. Whether a blessing in disguise or not, it is already unlocked. Perhaps you possess potential comparable to mine.
ㄴ Wild Grylls: Can I shoot typhoon-grade palm blasts from my hands too?
ㄴ Heavenly Demon: Sigh.
"Puhat!"
Ash burst out laughing.
For Heavenly Demon to show such a pathetic reaction.
It meant Grylls was just that bizarre.
Still, seeing his positive attitude was nice.
ㄴ Heavenly Demon: First, it would be best to perform Internal Energy Regulation. Listen carefully to the advice of myself and that angular stone.
ㄴ Wild Grylls: I will take it to heart.
ㄴ Sword Matstar: Surely that "angular stone" isn’t referring to me?
ㄴ Heavenly Demon: At least you have a conscience.
Nothing to say to that. Ash nodded inwardly.
But she had no intention of giving up. Sooner or later, Grylls would look for the Mana Cultivation Method anyway.
’He’ll definitely say the Internal Cultivation Art is too hard.’
Grylls was an ordinary person. A polite ordinary person.
By Ash’s standards, ordinary people—that is, commoners—were people who could barely read.
She didn’t know much about Grylls’s upbringing, but she knew well enough that it wasn’t great.
His parents passed away in an accident, so he lived alone. In such an environment, he must have been busy just making ends meet.
The odds were high that he hadn’t received proper education. Therefore, Internal Cultivation Arts would be hard to be effective for him.
’He claims he comes from another world, but could that really be true?’
That kind of gimmick was super common on the Gallery.
Who would believe that a single bomb could blow up an entire city?
ㄴ Heavenly Demon: Internal Energy Regulation is simple. Consider it repeating what you just experienced.
ㄴ Sword Matstar: The same phenomenon as before might occur, so it would be better to keep the breathing interval long.
Ash and Heavenly Demon released top-tier tips via private messages.
Having heard those words, Grylls must have entered breathing meditation, as he didn’t post any replies.
For a very long time, too. No comments were posted for over 10 minutes.
Just as Ash grew anxious and was about to comment...
ㄴ Wild Grylls: Ah. Sorry, my stomach suddenly hurt so badly;; I’ll continue.
ㄴ Is this guy really calling out stomach aches at every turn hahahaha
ㄴ Poophead guy hahahaha
It seemed it was merely groundless anxiety.
Whether his intestines were bad or too good, things like this happened quite often.
ㄴ Heavenly Demon: If possible, it would be best to endure even if your stomach hurts. One wrong step and you could fall into a Heart Demon.
ㄴ Wild Grylls: It’s a physiological urge, but it can cause Qi Deviation?
ㄴ Heavenly Demon: Of course. There was even a fool who fell into Qi Deviation just because someone asked him how to breathe.
ㄴ Wild Grylls: What kind of ridiculous...;;
Funny as it sounded, it was a fairly famous story.
Mana circulation (Internal Energy Regulation) was a task requiring extreme focus.
Just having someone talk to you could easily break your concentration.
ㄴ Wild Grylls: I’ll keep trying for now. How long did you say I should do it?
ㄴ Heavenly Demon: Until you feel internal energy circulating through your entire body.
ㄴ Sword Matstar: Exactly as Heavenly Demon-nim said.
ㄴ Wild Grylls: Okay. Thank you.
Once again, there was silence for a long time.
This time, she wasn’t particularly anxious.
Mana circulation took quite a long time every single cycle.
So she thought that if she waited patiently, he would post a comment eventually.
Is mana circulation normally like this?
Until she saw a certain post on the Gallery.
The title was mundane, but the author was Wild Grylls.
Ash checked the post to see what on earth had gone wrong.
[Wild Grylls: Is mana circulation normally like this?]
[Wild Grylls: As advised, I’m circulating mana, but every time it completes a circuit, I have to poop. Is it normally like this?]
"...."
Ash witnessed a conundrum for the first time in her life.
"...What kind of nonsense is this?"
Heavenly Demon was of a similar mind.