The two did not rush into training but instead patiently waited on the side, planning to discuss Manu's experience after his meditation was complete.
As time slowly passed, Manu's aura grew increasingly formidable, and his body seemed to ripple with waves of spiritual power.
At this moment, Rhett was merely an ordinary person, with only his consciousness traversing this space—he hadn't brought along his spiritual sea from his mind. As a result, he couldn't sense the level of power Manu had reached.
After an hour.
The glow around Manu gradually stabilized, becoming softer and brighter, and the spiritual fluctuations he emitted also became more even. He slowly opened his eyes, gazing down at his own body in amazement, and murmured:
"Incredible... I feel better than ever! Just one session of meditation has increased my spiritual power more than all my previous efforts combined! This is astonishing! Even in my previous life, with the most advanced technology, enhancing a person's spiritual power required top-tier tech, immense resources, and the endurance of intense pain. Yet the results would still be far inferior to this."
"Amazing meditation technique… no, it's more accurate to say this world is amazing. The meditation technique seems like a tool that aligns with the path of this world..."
Rhett nodded in agreement, acknowledging Manu's observation. Just as the chemical reactions and physical constants in this world differed from those on Earth, scientific research here would be impractical and challenging. If the meditation technique were brought to Earth, it likely wouldn't work as effectively—or perhaps not at all.
Taylors, unable to contain his excitement, rubbed his hands together before clenching them into fists. He eagerly asked:
"Grandpa Manu, can you tell me how it felt to meditate?"
Manu thought for a moment before replying, "Hmm, there wasn't anything particularly different. I just felt that my spiritual power increased rapidly during meditation, to the point where I could extend it beyond my body..."
He paused, glancing around with a puzzled expression before continuing hesitantly, "Could it really be this easy to cultivate?"
"Of course not!" Taylors exclaimed, his mouth twitching slightly as he explained, "You should know that in reality, it can take years or even decades to break through a minor level."
"Hmm?" Manu frowned, clearly puzzled. "Then why was my progress so fast? Did something go wrong? Please enlighten me."
"During your meditation, the gray mist in the surrounding world was absorbed into your body. Didn't you notice anything unusual?" Rhett interjected.
"Gray mist?" Manu's eyes lit up with realization, and he relaxed his furrowed brow as he glanced around at the world. He then shook his head and said, "Perhaps it was because it was my first time meditating—I assumed everything was normal, and the slight sensation on my skin felt natural."
"That makes sense, given that you haven't experienced real-world cultivation, making it hard to compare," Rhett said thoughtfully. "In that case, Taylors and I should give meditation a try."
"No problem. I'll explore this world a bit more, particularly around the world's barrier, to see if I can discover anything new!" Manu said, still feeling both pleased and curious about the changes in his form.
Seeing Rhett and Taylors both sit down and close their eyes, Manu's expression finally calmed down. He leaped lightly into the air, his unique spiritual form allowing him to soar effortlessly as if propelled by a rocket.
Manu flew through the gray mist like a white streak in the sky, circling the world without finding anything new on the ground.
Finally, he ascended further, only to hit the world's barrier as if colliding with a solid steel plate. This barrier, however, was more akin to a semi-transparent glass, with faint light emanating from its inner and outer surfaces. Pressed against the barrier, Manu could barely make out the outside world—a void of darkness, except for the distant, massive, and oddly shaped planet that gleamed brightly. There were no asteroids, stars, or any other celestial objects typically found in the natural universe. Manu still preferred to call it a planet, though it was merely a term.
Flying slowly along the world's barrier, Manu kept his eyes fixed on the surrounding darkness.
Perhaps due to his now much stronger spiritual power, he could see further than before. This realization came when he noticed details on the planet outside, such as the sharp, crown-like spires on its surface. He decided to call it the "Crown Planet"...
As he flew slowly, his focus remained intense, like a scientist during his research, eager to make a new discovery.
Time passed, and Manu's eyes shone brightly in the darkness. Despite the continued void before him, he remained patient. Suddenly, a red light flickered in the darkness, drawing closer toward him…
Manu blinked in surprise, confirming what he saw before quickly turning back toward the ground.
Back on the surface, Rhett and Taylors had just finished their meditation and opened their eyes to see Manu returning with a look of urgency. Surprised, Rhett asked:
"Manu, you seem worried. Did you find something?"
"Yes, I saw a point of firelight drifting toward our direction. It's still quite far, so I couldn't make out what it is," Manu replied cautiously.
Upon hearing this, Rhett's brow furrowed in concern. His mind instinctively leaned toward the worst-case scenario—could it be an intruder who discovered this newborn world and was planning to invade?
He instinctively tried to manipulate the elements with his spiritual power, attempting to form a stone platform to lift himself into the sky. But to his shock, he found that the elemental energy in this world was incredibly weak, almost non-existent! No matter how much effort he put in, he could barely sense a few elemental particles. Under such conditions, casting a spell, let alone forming a simple stone block, was nearly impossible.
"This is bad, Father! It seems like this world has no elements!" Taylors cried out in panic after trying to sense the elements himself upon ending his meditation. "What do we do? Without elements, it's like a mage's hands are tied—we wouldn't be much stronger than ordinary people. If that firelight is an intruder, how will we fight them?"
Rhett took a deep breath, his gaze steady as he placed a hand on Taylors' shoulder and spoke firmly: "Don't panic. Whatever that is, we can be sure it won't bring about the world's destruction. If it did, there wouldn't be a future."
Manu nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Let's wait and see. After all, we can end this simulation at any time, and even if we return to the point of termination, the simulated world can be restored. But speaking of which, the lack of elemental power here indicates that this world is like an infant—its foundational energy is too weak, so the scarcity of elemental power is to be expected. However, if you practice breathing techniques here and use the gray mist to accelerate your progress, even if your aura isn't strong, your physical abilities should improve significantly."
Taylors' eyes brightened as he looked to his father. "That makes sense. Father, do you remember the breathing techniques?"
"Hmm… I do remember one…" Rhett said thoughtfully. "It's a mid-level breathing technique given to me by Prince Hoggus's bodyguard. I memorized it in case the spatial ring was damaged and I needed to teach someone the technique in an emergency."
"That's great! Father, please teach me!" Taylors licked his lips in excitement.
"No problem," Rhett agreed before turning to Manu. "Please continue to monitor that firelight. If anything unusual happens, report to me immediately!"
"Understood!" Manu replied earnestly before soaring back into the gray mist.
Rhett wasn't watching Manu's departure; instead, he gazed into the seemingly endless gray mist, lost in thought. From the recent meditation experience, he realized his spiritual power had just reached the peak of a Level 3 Mage—any further, and he would be on the threshold of becoming a Magus.
But this final step felt like an insurmountable barrier, like trying to break through the weight of the universe itself. It was far more challenging than breaking through in the real world.
Initially, Rhett thought the problem lay within himself. But after speaking with Taylors and learning that he faced the same issue, Rhett came to a realization—the weakness of the world's foundation likely limits the development of its inhabitants. The current upper limit of the world's barrier might be a low-level peak!
"If that's the case, I wonder how much time has passed between this point and the future… It can't be a short period…" Rhett speculated. Though he was deeply curious about the mysteries of this world's history, he knew that the current information was still too limited. He would have to explore the truth in future simulations…
Setting aside his complex thoughts, Rhett turned to Taylors and patted his shoulder. "Listen carefully—I'm going to teach you the breathing technique now…"
Taylors nodded eagerly, like a pecking chicken. "I'm ready!"
An hour later.
Rhett and Taylors, both panting, stopped their strange, twisted movements and rose from their crouched positions. Though they were drenched in sweat, their bodies now sported streamlined muscles—not bulky but far more powerful in quality. Their physiques were now a blend of aesthetics and combat efficiency.
Even their heights, shoulder widths, and overall frames had grown by about ten percent since before they practiced the breathing technique. Their bodies had become broader and more imposing.
As they threw punches and kicks, the wind whistled around them, and they familiarized themselves with their newfound strength. Taylors seemed particularly pleased with his new physique, muttering to himself in excitement, "If only I were like this in reality! I'd definitely challenge Tuck to a real man's brawl and knock him out!"
Rhett chuckled and shook his head. "Taylors, does your aura have any attributes?"
"Uh, it doesn't seem like it," Taylors replied, scratching his head awkwardly.
"Same here," Rhett said thoughtfully. "But I've noticed something interesting—the difference between aura and elemental power. Elements are purely drawn from the world, while aura is a force we generate through our physical strength and combine with the world's foundation. Perhaps the origins of both elements and aura are the same—fire, water, wind, and so on. But without these origins, aura retains a pure form of power!"
Taylors nodded in understanding. "So, you're saying that spiritual power is a mage's pure power? But when compared like this, it feels like we're at a disadvantage. Without elements, a mage's spiritual power alone can't match a knight's body and aura in terms of combat strength!"
Rhett agreed. Without elements, mages would be at a severe disadvantage against knights in the same rank. Developing new uses for spiritual power would be a long and challenging path, not something one could accomplish quickly or alone. Rhett had no intention of pursuing this idea either.
A bright white light flashed in the air as Rhett threw a punch. The aura surrounding his fist sparked intense friction with the air. Taylors mimicked his father's punch, the glow of aura flickering through the gray mist.
After practicing their techniques for a while, Rhett decided to explore the world's other inhabitants.
Now Level 3 knights, their extraordinary physical abilities allowed them to sprint at speeds several times faster than ordinary people.
They moved with graceful, swift steps, darting across the ground like the wind. Before long, they encountered the third human in this world—a woman lying on the ground.
She had long, azure hair, with pale golden lashes covering her closed eyelids. Her fair skin looked smooth and tender, and her chest gently rose and fell with her even breaths. With no clothing to cover her, her impressive figure was entirely visible.
"Oh no, Father! Why is there a woman here? No, wait, there should be women here—how else would humanity reproduce…" Taylors blushed, turning his head away awkwardly. He reminded himself of Mina and tried to push aside any inappropriate thoughts.
Rhett cleared his throat twice before speaking seriously:
"Taylors, as a mage, you must learn to control and focus your mind. If this were an enemy trap, your reaction would be as good as surrendering."
"You need to ignore any distractions and take this opportunity to observe the target human. Compare their traits to those of our descendants—this is a crucial research opportunity that we can't miss."
Taylors, not a naive youth, quickly overcame his initial embarrassment and calmly suggested, "But Father, there must be males elsewhere. Should we find a different target to study?"
"Aren't we both males?" Rhett responded with a wry smile.