Chapter 21: Breathing is Hard

After one of the most hellish experiences he had suffered across two lives, Nobu awoke to find the lower half of his face wrapped with a damp cloth, a minty aroma assaulting his senses.

Compelled by instinct, Nobu attempted to remove the cloth from his face only to find his hand grasped in another, followed by a stern, "Leave it. Whatever you were doing managed to open your Nasal Acupoint. Without using your Aura to block it out, even something as mundane as body odor will overwhelm your olfactory senses."

Following the sound to its source, Nobu found Yui staring down at him with the kind of accusatory glare that was typically associated with mothers who had learned of their child's bad behavior. This caused him to feel more than a little annoyed, but, after several seconds of tense silence, he forced himself to mutter, "Thanks..." before closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing.

Restraining a sigh, Yui's expression noticeably relaxed as she stated, "You don't have to explain right this instant, but it would help if I knew what happened. Opening your Nasal Acupoint typically takes a considerable amount of effort. It isn't the type of thing that just happens without cause..."

Though he was tempted to tell her he could only explain if she lowered her head and began calling him Master, the thought of anyone actually doing that was extremely cringe. He had heard girls call him Daddy, but, even if he were to accompany his parents on a trip to Japan, he would avoid places like Akihabara and Maid Cafes at any cost...

"I was just breathing in and out like I've been doing for the past week. Then, all of a sudden, it was like someone smacked me in the face with a brick. After that....uggghhh...."

Recalling his experience in the rocky corridor leading to the bathroom, an expression of profound disgust manifested upon Nobu's face as extreme nausea surged forward like a predator pouncing on unsuspecting prey. Before he could lurch forward and find a place to vomit, however, a golden needle manifested in Yui's left hand as she used her right to pin him down. Then, with the precision of someone who had been practicing acupuncture for decades, she deftly inserted the inordinately thin needle at a point in between his eyebrows.

Feeling a sensation similar to warm water flowing over his forehead, a relieved sigh escaped Nobu's mouth as he repeated, "Thanks..." in a sincere tone. This actually earned him a slight frown from Yui, as, for the past two weeks, most of the words coming from his mouth had been harsh, abrasive, and outright callous. She even thought her ears might be playing tricks on her, but, observing the pure and unadulterated relief in Nobu's countenance, she could tell he was being sincere.

"Think nothing of it...I was just doing my duty..."

A stark contrast to Nobu's straightforward gratitude, Yui found her own words to be hollow and insincere. Despite this, the former just chuckled in a light-hearted manner before replying, "Well, thanks for doing your duty. If not for you, my ass would have been grass a long time ago. Since I didn't get to say it before, I'll say it now. Thanks for saving me..."

Though he nearly called her by name, Nobu managed to restrain himself thanks to the pout-like frown on Yui's face. He had clearly caught her off guard, but, after what he had just gone through, he wasn't really in the mood to tease anyone. His body felt like it had endured several marathons, so, more than anything else, he just wanted to sleep...

Seeing Nobu close his eyes, Yui's frustrated expression immediately became one of concern as she hastily leaned forward to check his pulse. When she detected the usual strong and steady rhythm, a sigh of relief escaped her lips, followed by the shaking of her head as she complained, "This man is going to be the death of me..." (A/N: *heavy sweating*)

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Though it was a little annoying with Yui constantly watching over him, it didn't take long for Nobu to discover the ups and downs of the Breath Progression Technique. It turned out to be a lot more complex than he expected, but, considering it was a technique that would allow a normal person to become a superhero, he wasn't all that surprised.

The thing Nobu had difficultly wrapping his head around was his sudden and unexpected ability to inhale continuously. It quickly consumed his Aura, but, so long as he had the reserves to sustain its activation, he basically had an unlimited supply of oxygen to his body. This caused his mind to buzz in a manner similar to a runner's high, and, as a result, his mind would become crystal clear as every muscle in his body cried out in subline exaltation.

Simply put, while his Aura wasn't nearly as durable as a cultivator of the Metal Infusion Technique, Nobu's five senses, stamina, and reaction time were drastically improved with the consumption of his Aura. He would most likely need to rely on the use of external tools, but, so long as they weren't exponentially more powerful than him, he should be able to overwhelm most opponents solely due to the fact he no longer needed to take a break.

Other people had to regulate their breathing, and, the more they exerted themselves, the harder it would be to supply their body with the oxygen it needed to continue functioning. This limitation no longer applied to Nobu. Rather, he could inhale so quickly that it would only take a few seconds for him to pass out due to the sheer amount of oxygen entering his system. In other words, so long as he had the Aura to sustain it, he had functionally unlimited stamina.

Though this ability came with the extreme detriment that he would pass out the moment his Aura had depleted, such side effects were common among cultivators. After all, Aura was effectively the amount of energy a person could pull from their own vital essence, spirit, and willpower. Thus, the moment you ran out, your body would naturally shut down in order to preserve itself and prevent permanent damage. There were techniques that would allow you to overdraft these reserves, but, in exchange, you would literally be burning away your life. As for how Nobu had learned of this, well, it was only natural that Yui would discover the irregularities within his Aura when he was constantly exhausting it...

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"Keep your back straight. Even if you can inhale continuously, your posture and the way you move your body are important. The more you exert yourself, the quicker your Aura will deplete. A skilled opponent will be able to exploit this. Never give them any openings, or..."

Trailing her words, Yui sidestepped Nobu's attempt to tackle her before manifesting a pale golden crossbow and firing a blunted bolt into his back, adding, "...you will most certainly die."

Though the bolt had been blunted, the force behind it was still enough to break the skin and leave a large bruise at the point of contact. Since she had accurately targeted a nerve near Nobu's spine, the latter was forced to inhale sharply due to the sudden and intense pain. This wouldn't have been an issue for a normal person, but, thanks to his breathing technique, Nobu's brain began to buzz as he collapsed forward into the snow.

Converting the crossbow back into pure Aura, Yui approached Nobu's side, kneeling next to him as she plainly remarked, "The most important lesson any cultivator can learn is humility. Never assume you are the strongest. Prove it by defeating every opponent who stands in your way. If you can't do that, such sentiments are pure hubris...now, get up. I know you're not unconscious."

Crushing a bit of snow in the process, Nobu balled his hands into fists before attempting a sneak attack. Unfortunately, Yui had seen through his intentions from the very beginning so the only thing he managed was eliciting a monotone, "Pathetic..." as she instantaneously stepped out of his range. Then, taking advantage of the fact he was basically on all-fours, she kicked him directly in the chin, knocking away the partially frozen cloth covering the lower half of his face.

Though the attack was only enough to enrage him, Nobu's offensive capabilities were effectively crippled as he instinctually covered his mouth and nose. Unfortunately, even the aroma of the soil on his palms was completely overwhelming. As a result, he could only grimace in fury and disgust as Yui kicked him away and dangled his make-shift facemask between her thumb and index finger, saying, "In your present state, you have too many weaknesses to count. If your sense of smell gets stronger with each Rank, you may even need to order a custom mask from the Iga Clan. They use a special technique that gives them a stronger sense of smell than most canines so they commonly wear masks to conceal their identity and inhibit their sense of smell. If you save up a few hundred Koushukin(golden coins used during the Sengoku Period), you might be able to commission their craftsmen to produce one..."

Using the upper-half of his tunic in a vain attempt to filter out some of the smells, Nobu glared at Yui as he growled, "Give it back..."

Before she heard Nobu's threatening tone, Yui had every intention of returning the face mask. Now, hoping to instill just a marginal amount of discipline into him, she adopted a serious expression and said, "If you can't ask respectfully, the only way you're getting this back is if you snatch it away from me. Without power, bravado and threats are meaningless."

With Nobu glaring with even greater intensity than before, Yui's body tensed in anticipation of the attack that would come. What she didn't expect was for Nobu, through clenched teeth, to promptly reply, "May I please have my mask back?"

Though it made him feel like he was back in kindergarten, Nobu would rather swallow his pride than put up with the odors assaulting his senses. He also knew he wasn't Yui's match, so, rather than suffer in vain, his only focus was on recovering the face mask. Everything else, even his rage and indignation, could wait.

Furrowing her brows, Yui was tempted to refuse Nobu's request since the look on his face didn't even remotely match his words. Unfortunately, he had a habit of resorting to extreme measures if pushed too far, so, after a moment of consideration, she tossed over partially frozen cloth, saying, "We're done for the day. Your Aura density is already approaching a dangerous level. Go inside and warm yourself up. I'll be back in an hour or two with something to eat."

Without waiting for Nobu's response, a golden aura shrouded Yui's body as her figure flashed into the distance. She knew he needed time to calm down, so, before he did something they would both regret, she took it upon herself to vanish beyond the tree line...

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Though he told himself he wasn't following her instructions, merely seeking warmth, Nobu dragged his exhausted body into the cave before falling, face-first, onto the thatch bedding. This prompted his muscles to scream out in protest, but, ignoring them completely, he just lay in silence for several minutes before groaning, "That bitch really is a sadist..."

(A/N: Let me know what you guys and gals think about the MC's cultivation method. I have quite a number of ideas in mind regarding its progression but I'm more than willing to change things up if any of you have interesting ideas. For now, I want the MC to focus on the aspects that make him unique rather than having him follow a generic path of cultivation. He will become strong, sure, but, as he has mentioned several times till now, strength is just a means to an end. If you expect him to suddenly start behaving like the psychopathic and murderous MCs found in most cultivation novels, you're probably going to be severely disappointed. He might kill someone who is trying to kill him, but, no matter how you look at it, it isn't 'normal' to believe that wiping out entire clans and stuff is 'necessary' for survival. If you had that kind of power, you could literally just walk away and there is nothing anyone could do to stop you xD...)