Apprentice

Even after about a week, the system hadn't detected any kind of downside to the new energy, and it and Ace started calling it "Mana."

According to its analyses and simulations, mana had the effect of nourishing the body in both normal and supernatural ways. In truth, not only the body but also the soul was nourished by it.

Everything seemed to be going in the right direction, but there was a problem. Mana, just like spiritual energy, could damage the internal organs when traveling inside the body without any limits, so it was necessary to find a way to circumvent that.

Some internal organs only accepted a very small amount of mana at a time, while others could accept more. It was difficult and too complicated to push his mana into each organ by a time, and even impossible because mana would inevitably touch other organs after leaving the energy core.

At that time, it was Ace who had an idea instead of the system. He thought about using the already-ready circulatory system to channel his mana throughout his body, just like blood.

The main difficulty was that he had to control it at all times since mana had no self-intelligence and would leave the arteries and veins to touch other organs if he didn't pay enough attention.

Another complication was that the center of the circulatory system was the heart, and the energy core was located behind the navel, he had to find a way to circumvent that.

[There's a mental method that makes it possible for soul power to circulate in a predetermined manner by itself, without the need for the host to concentrate at all times.]

"Really? But will it work with mana?" Ace was excited but also cautious.

[Because mana and soul power share many similarities, it might be possible. But only by trying can we be certain.]

After getting the mental method from the system, Ace immediately began to simulate it in his head.

But before he could try it, he had an epiphany and an exceptional idea. Instead of putting some sort of instinct in his mana, it could be better to put instinct into his soul power.

He already tried it once and knew that soul power and mana could affect each other. So why not guide his mana by using the already available soul power in his body?

He remembered information he once got from the system, it was a sort of diagram that showed where the human's soul power mostly accumulated in the body.

The soul power was spread in the body just like another independent circulatory system, from the head to the toes, from the brain to the marrow. After all, it was this web of soul power that made it possible for his soul to control his body. This web was curiously close to the nerve system of the body, but was way more comprehensive, as if trying to cover all the areas of the body.

The soul power "circulatory system" possessed nine central "veins" or "arteries" that were the main channels of the whole system, but there were innumerable other smaller channels. Out of remembrance, Ace decided to call them "Meridians."

The most important out of those nine main meridians was the one that spanned the brain, heart, and energy core, it was the largest and with the most soul power, and from which the other eight main meridians diverged. Ace called it the "Governing Meridian."

Since it was easier to do things by parts, he first used the mental method to engrave a basic 'instinct' in his soul power, to make his mana circulate in the governing meridian.

It was not too easy, though. He spent three months focusing and following the mental method to finally do it.

The method consisted of focusing all his will on the 'star' in his mind while also concentrating on his goal, which in turn influenced the invisible soul power surrounding it. After each session of meditation, he would manually channel his mana into the governing meridian as if to refresh the memory. His pure will then began to mark the soul power little by little.

When he finally had completed the process, his soul power began to automatically draw his mana in the governing meridian back and forth, as if his energy core was a heart.

But every time his mana circulated in the meridian, a little bit was absorbed by his body, that was the effect he wanted.

The meridians were made of soul power, but they didn't reject the mana at all, and carried it as if it was blood in its own flow.

But then he discovered that he would need to put a limit to that since his reserves of mana were limited. Either he engraved another instinct for his soul power to automatically refine more mana, or he limited the speed at which the mana circulated the meridian.

Because his soul power was a limited resource and had great importance to his survival, he decided to limit the speed of the mana circulation.

He manipulated the engraved instinct in his soul power and achieved it without much trouble. It was much easier to change than to create. Moreover, if he wanted to, he could accelerate that circulation at will.

When he finished that part, he felt accomplished.

'Thanks for your help,' he said to the system.

[I was ordered to help the host and protect him, so it was natural for me to help.]

'Can you tell me more about your creator?'

[Sorry, but no.]

'What a pity, but he is a bastard without a doubt... He threw me in this place, after all.'

After that day, Ace began to create another eight instincts in his soul power, which corresponded to the other eight meridians, so his mana would also circulate in them.

Although he could use a single instinct for that, it would be considerably more complex and it was better to do it in parts.

With the help of the previous experience, it took him eight months to engrave all of them. By then, his mana was naturally circulating the nine main meridians as if he were breathing.

However, it also caused his mana consumption to increase, so he had to decelerate it even further to avoid complications and a stable improvement rate.

During that time, he also realized that he could directly absorb the spiritual energy in the atmosphere into his meridians, without the need to suffer the discomfort of before. He could do it because many smaller meridians came in contact with his skin and pores. Even without engraving more instincts, he could still actively control his soul power to absorb the spiritual energy and channel it through his meridians.

By the end of the eight months, he also perceived a considerable increase in his soul power, an effect caused by the nourishment of his mana. Not only that, his body was also much stronger and healthier than before, and so his biological energy increased in quantity and density.

Unfortunately, as he got stronger, his body and soul power also required more mana to get stronger. Still, Ace was very satisfied with the rate he saw his capacities growing.

Half a year after he "opened" the nine meridians for his mana to circulate, he was already the strongest human in the village. Of course, he didn't discover it by competing with others, but by being able to do things others couldn't.

Like, being able to do long runs two times faster than other adult fit males, and being able to effortlessly lift double of the weight the recognized strongest in the village could.

He was not only physically stronger, but he felt that his mind was much brighter than before, and he was always feeling mentally refreshed unless he did strenuous work.

The star in his mind was much bigger than before, and he had much more soul power as well.

The quantity of soul power and biological energy in his energy core after he refined mana to the limit was double of what it once was, meaning he could store two times more mana than in the beginning.

The system also discovered a thing he didn't, his soul power and biological energy were showing a trend of "giving up" the energy core, even when they were in balance.

The system also didn't understand it very well and speculated that it was an effect of more powerful energy like mana occupying that place, the other two energies would seek a lower energy point to gather.

Ace was obviously worried that it would impact him negatively, so he tried hard to find a solution.

Unfortunately, things quickly escalated out of his control. Before he and the system discovered a way out, his soul power and biological energy suddenly began to avoid his energy core as if it were a rock in the middle of a river.

Ace almost felt his heart bleeding. He knew that it was essential for his body and soul that those two energies constantly mixed and washed each other since it was a constant process of communication.

Before he could react and try something, he felt a change from deep within his body. It was like the core of his being was being altered.

The biological energy that lost its goal suddenly began to gather in all the meridians, not only the main ones, as if called by something. It began to imitate his soul power and turn into a part of the meridians.

Different from mana, soul power not only flowed in the meridians but also formed them. And from then on, his biological energy began to both flow in them and also turn into a fundamental part of their being.

When the process ended, Ace felt like he awakened from a dream, and he felt unprecedently fresh. He didn't need the system to explain, he knew very well what happened, and some of the immediate consequences, as if he received enlightenment.

The first immediate consequence was that his body didn't refine mana in his dantian anymore but in his meridians. After entering his body through the smaller meridians, his soul power and biological energy automatically and immediately began to refine it into mana.

By the time it reached his energy core, the mana was unprecedentedly pure, which was in turn stronger.

Ace remembered some concepts from fantasy novels he once read, and wondered if he just experienced something similar to a realm breakthrough.

He shook his head and laughed, "Since no one named it, I will name it a breakthrough, in remembrance of my past.

"And since it was a breakthrough, shouldn't I name the realms as well? What do you think, system?"

[Do you want suggestions?]

"Of course!"

[What about calling the present realm of the host... Body Refining Realm?]

"Your naming sense is too weak!" Ace laughed and left his cave to look in the distance, in the sky beyond the ravine, "Although I cherish my memories very much, some realms were too poorly named.

"I want a simple name, my strength is not as high as the sky, after all, and not as broad as the earth.

"The present realm will be called... Apprentice Realm. I'm still learning, but I truly set foot in a domain completely unknown."

[What about the previous realm?]

"I was still gathering the blocks of construction and putting everything together, so... I shall name it Cycle Formation Realm. I was constructing the cycle that would lead me to truly set foot in the Apprentice Realm."

[Wouldn't it be better to call it Cycle Formation Trial? I don't think it was worthy of being named a Realm, look at the differences from now and then.]

"...You are right. So let's name it as a Trial, for the future generations that will follow my path."

[Does the host have any idea of what to do from now on?]

"I'm sure you gathered a lot of data, just transfer them to me," Ace said with a grin, "Let's find a way together."