The Grand Archive, First Floor.
“I choose the *Extreme Compression Breathing Technique*!”
Almost the exact second the words left Asher’s mouth, Luna made her decision without a single shred of hesitation.
**”Please confirm your selection,”** the AI Assistant intoned.
On the holographic screen, the other two breathing techniques instantly dissolved into pixels of light, leaving only the *Extreme Compression Breathing Technique* glowing brightly in the center.
“Confirmed.”
**”Combat Prep Candidate Luna has confirmed the selection of the [Extreme Compression Breathing Technique].
Registration complete.
Access granted.
You may enter the Virtual Simulation Room to begin learning at any time.”**
Neither Asher nor Luna found the AI’s instructions strange.
The Grand Archive didn’t store physical books; all knowledge was encrypted within the academy’s digital network, meaning students had to learn their chosen skills via virtual reality simulations.
“Let’s pick out your combat spell next.
Then you can head into the simulation room and learn both at the same time.” Asher smiled, clearly very pleased with how unconditionally Luna trusted his judgment.
Luna nodded.
“Display the combat spells.”
*Swish!
Swish!
Swish!*
The walls of the room were instantly plastered with hundreds of glowing holographic panels.
Exactly 369 different combat spells populated the screens, densely packed and dazzling to the eye.
**[Wave-Rider Fist]** – *Grade: Mortal Tier, Low-Grade…*
**[Aura Forging Arts]** – *Grade: Mortal Tier, Mid-Grade…*
**[Storm-Piercer Spear]** – *Grade: Mortal Tier, Mid-Grade…*
Staring at the dizzying array of categorized techniques, Luna instinctively turned to Asher again.
Knowing exactly what she needed, Asher spoke up.
“Filter the results.
Show me the top three highest-graded unarmed melee combat spells.”
The AI Assistant processed the command in a fraction of a second.
The hundreds of panels vanished, leaving only three distinct techniques floating in the center of the room.
**[Star-Shattering Fist]** – *Grade: Mystic Tier, Low-Grade…*
**[Thunderclap Kick]** – *Grade: Mortal Tier, High-Grade…*
**[Flaming Dragon Palm]** – *Grade: Mortal Tier, High-Grade…*
The moment the three spells appeared, Asher’s eyes instantly locked onto the *Star-Shattering Fist*.
Another Mystic Tier, Low-Grade manual.
Having learned his lesson from the breathing technique, Asher immediately scrolled to the very bottom of the spell’s description.
Sure enough, a small line of warning text hovered at the end:
*Warning: Portions of this manual are fragmented or missing, resulting in a drastically reduced power output.
Choose with caution.*
‘Just as I thought.’
Asher wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
If it were a complete, flawless Mystic Tier combat spell, there was no way it would be sitting down here on the first floor.
‘Drastically reduced power output, huh?’ Asher lowered his head in thought, but a confident smirk quickly tugged at his lips.
He had already made his decision.
“Choose the *Star-Shattering Fist*.”
If his **[Insight]** system could perceive the flaws in magical plants and provide the exact solutions to fix them, it could absolutely do the same for a combat spell.
All he had to do was fill in the missing fragments of the manual.
“I choose the *Star-Shattering Fist*,” Luna echoed, not asking a single question as she locked in her decision.
After the AI confirmed her choice, the glowing screens dimmed, and a sleek mechanical door slid open at the back of the room, revealing a brightly lit corridor.
“The Virtual Simulation Room is right through there,” Asher said, pointing toward the door.
“Go on ahead and start your training.
Once you’ve mastered the basics, come find me in our classroom.
I’ll be waiting for you there.”
After seeing her off, Asher exited the room and left the Grand Archive.
The flaw in the *Star-Shattering Fist* had sparked a brilliant idea in his mind, and he desperately needed to test a theory.
…
Academic Building, Floor 33.
Class 18.
*Phew…*
Taking a deep breath, Asher closed the classroom door behind him.
He stood in the center of the room, focused his magic power, and mentally commanded, ‘**[Insight]**!’
The very next second, a familiar holographic interface materialized before his eyes.
Seeing the data populate the screen, a surge of wild joy hit his chest.
It worked!
**[Name]**: Asher
**[Level]**: Tier 3, Level 3
**[Magic]**: B-Class Enhancement Magic **[Horned Python]**
**[Breathing Technique]**: *Cosmic Breathing Technique*
**[Combat Spell]**: *Army Breaker Fist*
**[Flaw 1]**: The host’s breathing technique contains 123 structural errors, resulting in severely low ethernano absorption efficiency.
**[Flaw 2]**: The host’s combat spell contains 216 execution errors, resulting in poor kinetic energy conversion.
**[Flaw 3]**: …
**[Solution 1]**: Optimize the breathing technique.
Based on the host’s current power level, 23 errors can be successfully corrected at this time (Markers generated).
Specific optimization mapping includes…
**[Solution 2]**: Optimize the combat spell.
Based on the host’s current power level, 37 errors can be successfully corrected at this time (Markers generated).
Specific optimization mapping includes…
Asher inhaled sharply, his eyes widening in shock.
He was currently practicing a Mystic Tier, Mid-Grade technique, and it still contained over a hundred structural errors?!
That was completely absurd!
If a Mystic Tier manual was this flawed, didn’t that mean a bottom-tier Mortal manual probably had thousands of errors?!
Shaking his head, he decided not to dwell on the terrifying implications.
He focused all his attention on the specific optimization pathways provided by the system.
Even though the system mapped out every single flaw, trying to fix all 123 of them at his current Tier Three level was basically suicide.
It made perfect sense—just because you understood the theoretical steps of a complex brain surgery didn’t mean you handed the scalpel to a first-year medical intern.
His current micro-control over his mana just wasn’t refined enough yet.
The 23 errors the system highlighted were the only ones he had the physical and magical capacity to safely correct right now.
‘Let’s start with the breathing technique.’
Following the system’s holographic blueprint, Asher sat cross-legged on the floor, closed his eyes, and carefully directed the flow of his magic.
Some of the mana traveled through his usual, familiar veins, but the system had charted entirely new, highly unorthodox shortcuts for the rest.
If any other instructor saw what Asher was doing right now, they would think he had completely lost his mind.
Mana veins were the most vital, fragile part of a mage’s anatomy.
Forcing chaotic energy through untested pathways?
One tiny mistake, and he would cripple himself for life!
That was exactly why established breathing techniques were so fiercely protected and strictly adhered to.
What Asher was doing completely shattered all established laws of modern magic theory.
Time ticked by slowly.
Without realizing it, Asher had been sitting in deep meditation for over two hours.
Yet, there wasn’t a single trace of exhaustion on his face; in fact, a faint, feverish excitement practically radiated from him.
‘Twenty-one…’
‘Twenty-two…’
‘Twenty-three!’
The exact moment he painstakingly realigned the twenty-third structural error in his mana flow…
*Boom!*
Asher’s body violently jolted.
He felt as if his entire core had instantly collapsed into a hyper-dense black hole.
With every breath he took, the ambient ethernano in the air rushed madly into his body like a tidal wave.
This terrifying phenomenon lasted for a full minute before the turbulent energy finally settled, and the classroom returned to absolute silence.
A few seconds later, Asher snapped his eyes open, a brilliant, piercing light flashing in his pupils.
He felt incredible.
His Tier Three, Level Three bottleneck was completely loose—he felt like he could break through to Level Four at any given second!
Not only that, but his baseline mana absorption speed was easily double what it used to be!
Right on cue, the system chimed in his mind.
**”Corrections applied.
The [Cosmic Breathing Technique] has successfully upgraded to a Mystic Tier, High-Grade technique!”**
“This is completely unbelievable,” Asher muttered, his breathing growing ragged.
A Mystic Tier, High-Grade breathing technique!
Even on the restricted third floor of the Grand Archive, there was only *one* Mystic High-Grade manual in existence, and access was exclusively reserved for Level Three Instructors and Department Directors.
The gap between a Mid-Grade and a High-Grade technique might sound small, but out in the market, the price difference was easily multiplied by fifty!
And he had just brute-forced an upgrade by fixing a measly twenty-three errors.
This was the ultimate cheat code!
If he managed to get stronger and fix all one hundred and twenty-three errors…
didn’t that mean his *Cosmic Breathing Technique* could eventually evolve into an Earth Tier, or even a legendary Heaven Tier manual?!
*Gulp.*
Asher’s throat went bone-dry.
He swallowed hard, forcing himself to take several deep breaths.
It took him a few minutes to finally cool his boiling blood and calm down.
However, just as he recentered himself and prepared to repeat the process with his *Army Breaker Fist* combat spell…
A loud, aggressive commotion erupted in the hallway outside.
A split second later, the classroom door was violently kicked open, slamming against the wall with a deafening crash.
“Where the hell is Asher?!
Drag your ass out here!”