Cafeteria Two.
*Gulp.*
Staring at the five massive Iron-Spine Boar legs and ten pounds of Golden-Horned Rhino meat piled up in front of her, Luna couldn’t help but swallow hard.
“Is…
is all of this really for me?
Honestly, I’m not even that hun— *Grrrrrggh.*”
Before she could even finish her sentence, her stomach let out a thunderous, protesting growl.
A bright red flush instantly crept up Luna’s pale cheeks.
“It’s all yours.
I’m already full.” Asher chuckled, pushing the mountain of medium-rare meat closer to her.
“Eat up.”
“Okay,” Luna squeaked, her voice as quiet as a mosquito.
With practiced elegance, she pulled a delicate handkerchief from her pocket, tucked it neatly into her collar, and picked up her knife and fork.
She began to cut the meat into tiny, polite bites, constantly glancing around the cafeteria as if terrified someone was watching her.
Asher’s brows furrowed slightly, but he quickly smoothed his expression.
“You need to understand something,” he said patiently.
“Whether you’re here at the academy or out in the real world, other people’s opinions don’t mean a damn thing.
The only thing that matters is your power!”
He leaned forward.
“If you are strong enough, no matter what you do, people will find a way to justify it for you.
But if you’re weak?
You could do everything perfectly, and they’ll still tear you apart over the tiniest imaginary flaws.
Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
Luna froze, her polite chewing coming to a sudden halt.
A spark of realization flickered in her eyes.
After a long moment of silence, she gave a firm, solemn nod.
“Thank you, Master.
I think I understand.”
The moment the words left her mouth, her entire aura seemed to undergo a subtle but profound shift.
“Good,” Asher nodded approvingly.
Luna set down her knife and fork and licked her lips.
“Master, I’m going to start eating for real now.
It…
might be a little bit fast.”
“Please, don’t worry about it,” Asher waved a hand dismissively.
“I’m your master.
Do you really think a little bit of fast eating is going to shock me?
I’ve seen it all.”
The very next second, Asher’s eyes bulged out of his head like saucers.
He watched in absolute horror as an entire Iron-Spine Boar leg vanished in less than thirty seconds!
Three minutes and three seconds later…
“Master, I’m finished.
We can go now.” Luna gently picked up her handkerchief and dabbed the corners of her mouth.
“Master?
Master?”
“Huh?”
“I said I’m all done, Master.”
“Oh.
Right.” Asher nodded mechanically, his gaze locked onto the spotless, empty plates in absolute disbelief.
‘I completely let my guard down!’
He knew her SSS-Class **[World-Devouring Behemoth]** talent would give her a fast metabolism, but he never expected it to be *this* fast!
If he had encountered someone eating like this at a buffet in his past life, he would have called the police.
*Phew…*
Letting out a long, heavy breath, Asher forced his racing heart to calm down.
“Let’s go.
I’m taking you to the Grand Archive.”
The two of them quickly left the cafeteria, one after the other.
The moment they stepped out the doors, the entire dining hall plunged into a deathly silence.
A full ten seconds passed before someone finally whispered, “Am I hallucinating?
Instructor Asher wasn’t the one who ate all that monster meat…
it was that perfectly polite-looking girl?”
“They were only in here for, what, ten minutes?
And she finished all of it?
How is that even…”
“It wasn’t ten minutes,” another voice muttered blankly.
“From the moment they sat down to the moment they left…
it was less than five.”
The Grand Archive.
Despite the ancient-sounding name, there wasn’t a single physical book inside the building.
The Archive itself was a massive, futuristic hemispherical dome.
The interior was divided into three floors, with the ground floor being the most spacious and the top floor the smallest.
All of the cultivation techniques and combat spells inside were stored purely in digital, holographic formats.
In the era of the Magical Beast Invasions, this was the only foolproof way to preserve humanity’s accumulated knowledge.
Standing before the Archive’s entrance, two beams of blue holographic light swept over Asher and Luna.
**”Beep!
Level Two ID Token detected.
Identity: Level Two Instructor Asher.
Access granted.”**
**”Beep!
Level One ID Token detected.
Identity: Practical Combat Exam Candidate Luna.
Access granted.”**
The heavy, circular mechanical doors slowly slid open.
Asher stepped inside first, with Luna following closely behind.
With a soft *swish*, the two of them were instantly teleported into a room about the size of a standard classroom.
All four walls were lined from floor to ceiling with glowing, simulated bookshelves packed with holographic texts.
**”Welcome to the First Floor of the Grand Archive,”** a smooth, AI-generated voice echoed through the room.
**”This floor is open to all Combat Exam Candidates and Instructors.
There are currently 3 Cultivation Breathing Techniques and a total of 369 Combat Spells of various classifications available for selection.
Please note: You may only select one Breathing Technique and one Combat Spell.”**
“Master, what should I choose?” Luna instinctively looked to Asher for guidance.
“Let’s look at the Cultivation Breathing Techniques first; they’re the most important foundation,” Asher said with a wry smile.
It was honestly a bit pathetic that one of Magnolia’s top-ranked academies only had three basic breathing techniques for its students to choose from.
But it couldn’t be helped.
Cultivation methods were the absolute bedrock of a mage’s power, making them obscenely valuable.
The fact that the First Magic Academy offered even three choices to regular students was actually incredibly generous.
Out in the real world, even the most garbage-tier breathing technique fetched an astronomical price, assuming you could even find someone willing to sell one.
“Display the details of the three Cultivation Breathing Techniques.”
The moment Asher spoke, three translucent holographic screens materialized in the center of the room.
**[Lesser Cosmic Breathing Technique]**
* **Grade:** Mortal Tier, Mid-Grade.
* **Creator:** Grandmaster Temur of the Education Council (Tier 6).
Created based on ancient manuscripts.
* **Description:** Guides magic power into the core and circulates it through the mana veins.
When cultivated to the maximum level, the user’s mana flow will become smooth, continuous, and near-endless.
**[Nine Gates Breathing Technique]**
* **Grade:** Mortal Tier, Mid-Grade.
* **Creator:** Grandmaster Guyi of the Fiore First Magic University.
* **Description:** Opens the nine magical gates within the body.
When cultivated to the maximum level, the user’s total mana storage capacity can be multiplied by up to nine times!
**[Extreme Compression Breathing Technique]**
* **Grade:** Mystic Tier, Low-Grade.
* **Creator:** Unknown.
* **Description:** Continuously compresses magic power to its absolute physical limits, allowing the user to unleash devastating, explosive bursts of force!
* **Warning:** This technique contains a major flaw.
Practicing this method will irregularly and continuously drain the user’s latent potential.
It is highly likely to overdraw physical lifeforce and stamina.
Choose with extreme caution!
‘A Mystic Tier technique?!’ Asher was genuinely stunned.
He never expected to find a Mystic Tier, Low-Grade manual sitting on the very first floor.
Even the absolute best technique available on the *second* floor of the Archive was only Mystic Tier, Mid-Grade—which happened to be the exact technique he was currently practicing!
Cultivation techniques were strictly categorized into four tiers of rarity: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Mortal.
Each tier was further divided into High, Mid, and Low grades.
The *Extreme Compression Breathing Technique* was literally two entire grades higher than the other two options.
It should have been a no-brainer, but…
Asher quickly zeroed in on the warning label attached to it.
‘Drains latent potential…
highly likely to overdraw physical lifeforce…’
A flash of understanding crossed his eyes.
No wonder a Mystic Tier manual had been dumped on the first floor.
It was fundamentally flawed.
Under normal circumstances, a human’s potential was strictly limited.
Once you squeezed it dry, the technique would start cannibalizing your lifeforce and blood essence.
Best case scenario, you’d end up crippled by a severe illness.
Worst case scenario, you’d drop dead on the spot.
But…
Asher’s eyes suddenly lit up with a terrifying, fanatical gleam.
For an ordinary person, potential was indeed a finite resource.
But for Luna?
Draining and stimulating her latent potential was *exactly* what she needed!
One man’s poison was another man’s treasure.
For the host of the dormant SSS-Class **[World-Devouring Behemoth]**, the *Extreme Compression Breathing Technique* was nothing short of the absolute perfect match!
*Thump!
Thump!
Thump!*
His heart rate spiked with wild excitement.
Without a single second of hesitation, Asher pointed at the glowing screen.
“We’re choosing this one!
The *Extreme Compression Breathing Technique*!”