Chapter 12 - Opening the Meridian (2)

Nathan started using the remaining half of the mana in the orb Theodore had previously digested to clear the poison.

The progress of eliminating the toxin consumed the first mana orb, but a lot of poison remained.

Nathan instructed Theodore to swallow the second mana orb.

Theodore felt confused; he sensed that something was wrong. However, he followed Nathan's guidance due to his trust in his teacher from his future memory. Moreover, interrupting the process of opening his meridian could cause harm to his body.

After Theodore consumed the second mana orb, Nathan continued to use the mana to clear the toxin.

Only a quarter of the original poison remained; he hoped the mana contained in the last mana orb was enough.

Nathan then fed Theodore with the remaining mana orb and resumed removing the toxin in his disciple's meridian.

Sweat and tension emerged on his forehead as the mana diminished more and more.

Fortunately, before he consumed all the mana from the orb, he sensed that all the toxin was clear.

Nathan investigated the situation in Theodore's meridian again. He felt at ease when he found no trace of poison remained.

It was fortunate that the mana from the mana orb was sufficient. If the contained mana was insufficient, Nathan was doubtful about his choice.

Nathan was unsure what he would choose between him willing to consume his mana with the possibility of worsening his injuries or him delaying his disciple cultivation with the possible mutation of the poison.

It was best to leave this question unanswered.

After examining his disciple's condition, Nathan withdrew his hand from Theodore's back.

Theodore soon exited from his meditation state and opened his eyes.

"Teacher, is there anything that went wrong?" Theodore worriedly asked. He could feel there were unexpected situations while Nathan opened his meridian.

Nathan did not plan to deceive Theodore, so he nodded in response.

When Nathan was about to explain the situation, he realized that there was excretion from Theodore's body, emitting a strange smell, still covering his disciple's body.

"There is indeed something wrong, but I have already solved it," Nathan said to reassure Theodore. He then suggested, "It's a long story. Let's talk about it after cleaning ourselves."

Theodore embarrassingly nodded to agree, noticing his situation.

Nathan and Theodore then separately walked to their room to clean themselves.

...

When Nathan and Theodore returned to the garden, they changed their clothes, but their style remained unchanged.

"I found a poison contaminated in your meridian." Nathan started the conversation after they both sat down.

"The name of the poison is the Stiff Embrace," Nathan said as he explained the role of the toxin from his previous investigation.

'So my talent in cultivating mana could have been better.' Theodore thought to himself blankly.

Listening to his teacher's explanation, he understood the viciousness of the poison he had suffered.

In his previous life, when he chose to join the Roxarth Academy, the person who opened his meridian was not Nathan but a regular 2nd-rank mana user who worked as an instructor. It was normal for the poison to be undetected.

He reminisced about the countless hardship he suffered and the various bottleneck he experienced due to his low talent.

Theodore mourned for the previous suffering that this untraceable poison caused him as he tightly clenched his fist.

He then considered the possible mastermind that wanted to cause him harm. The only person he could think of having the motive and ability to do such a thing was his uncle, Dante Hale.

'It was no wonder uncle allowed me to leave the Hale mansion. With this poison, without having Nathan as my teacher, I would have limited achievement in this life.' Theodore thought with hatred.

Nathan, who was sitting beside Theodore, noticed that his disciple's expression was wrong, so he consoled, "I had already cleared the poison from your meridian; it will not affect you in the future."

Theodore also shortly recollected himself. He bowed deeply to his teacher and gratefully said, "Thank you so much. Thank you for giving me a new life, teacher."

Nathan hurriedly helped Theodore up. Seeing Theodore's gratitude, he felt slightly guilty about his previous selfishness.

Theodore did not know his teacher's thoughts; he reflected that his teacher might not know, but his action today was very significant to him.

His talent would be better than in his previous life, and he could practice mana faster. He could avoid many detours due to the kindness Nathan gave him today.

He also faintly anticipated the result of measuring his talent in this life that he had yet to test.

'It could only be better.' Theodore thought, hopefully.

At this moment, he also had more expectations for his future than before. He could feel the world before him was much brighter today than the previous days.