Chapter 16: Unique Cultivation path, Comprehending Time Techniques...
As soon as the thought crossed Kranos' mind, he acted on it without hesitation. He contemplated the process while attempting to practice the technique, following the pattern outlined in the Time Condensation Manual I just have to condense orbs of mana—but that's far from easy, he thought.
Kranos knew that the first step was learning to sense mana. Fortunately, he had already achieved this through the knight's breathing technique. The next step was to absorb mana from his surroundings and form a core within his sea of consciousness.
Sitting cross-legged, Kranos began absorbing wisps of mana. Normally, one would absorb these wisps of mana to condense a dantian in their abdomen, but Kranos guided the mana along a different path—straight to his sea of consciousness—where he began shaping it.
Before long, he noticed an orb of mana starting to take form. At first, he was stunned, then filled with joy. The method works! he realized. Without pause, he continued absorbing mana from the surroundings. Several hours passed quietly through the night, and Kranos soon realized he had made significant progress.
The orb of mana was nearly complete. Compared to the wisps of time, mana was far more abundant in the surroundings, allowing Kranos to cultivate quickly to the first stage of Qi Condensation.
The moment he reached the first stage, he felt miraculous changes within his body. The pale blue orb of mana began rotating slowly, then released a strange energy from his sea of consciousness into his body.
Kranos didn't know whether this change was good or bad, but with no way to stop it, he could only watch. The instant the energy surged through him, he felt a sharp, piercing pain that nearly made him scream. It seemed to come from deep within his bones.
Clenching his teeth tightly to avoid making noise, he endured the pain, not wanting to alert his parents. After all, he didn't know if there would be any consequences for the cultivation path he was taking. After what felt like an eternity, a foul stench reached his nose. Looking down, he realized his body was covered in a thick, black liquid.
He was stunned for a moment before he could hardly bear the stench, not wanting to alert his parents. Kranos immediately dashed into his bathroom and dipped into the medicinal bath. Thankfully, the medicinal bath hadn't been thrown out by his mother. He then began scrubbing himself clean.
Once he was sure the black filth was gone, he stood up. Under the moonlight, he noticed his skin looked fairer, smoother, and even flawless, like jade.
Upon closer inspection, he realized that this breakthrough had brought remarkable changes. Can this be considered creating a path of cultivation unique to me? He muttered inwardly and then walked out of the bathroom after drying off his body.