Time passed.
After finishing his lunch and soaking in the medicinal tub, Kranos sat cross-legged in his room. He reached into his time space and pulled out the Time Condensation Scroll. Instantly, an ancient and profound aura filled the room.
At first Kranos could barely understand the words written on the scroll, it was too profound. He even felt a headache just studying it, but as time passed, he began to faintly understand some things. After fully getting the rough idea of what the cultivation manual was talking about, Kranos was incomparably shocked!
So... the Time Condensation Realm is all about condensing orbs of time? According to the manual, each condensed orb represented a minor breakthrough. Upon forming twelve complete orbs, one could form a Time Condensation Circle, marking the completion of the first major step. Only then would it be possible to step into the next realm of time cultivation.
And that wasn't all.
To think there's even a secret technique? Although this isn't a technique I would like to use. At the end of the manual, Kranos found a secret technique. It described the ability to explode a condensed time orb. However, each use of the technique would decrease the cultivator's realm.
This secret technique is something that can only be used when my life is in utter danger!Kranos made this decision inwardly. Although he didn't plan on using the secret technique, who knew when it might come in handy?
As he finished absorbing the knowledge, Kranos began to feel the flow of time particles in his surroundings. This was something he could subconsciously feel after he was done absorbing the knowledge in the manual. In his sea of consciousness, a kind of mental space, he could faintly make out a pale silver outline slowly taking form. It looked like a glowing orb, similar to a mana dantian.
Kranos was amazed.
So this is a time orb?
He examined it curiously. It was a faintly glowing, palm-sized, translucent sphere. He could feel that Barely one-tenth of it was filled with time particles. This is quite slow, Kranos muttered inwardly, but he didn't stop. He continued to absorb the time particles diligently.
As soon as Kranos felt that one-tenth of it had been filled, he smiled in relief. One step at a time. At least the first step is complete. KJust as he was about to continue, his father's thunderous voice echoed from downstairs.
"Son, it's time for dinner!"
"Hah..." Kranos exhaled and stored the Time Condensation Manual back into his Time Space. He left his room and headed to the dining area, where he found his father wearing a faint smile and his mother in an apron, serving dishes.
The rich aroma of the food made his mouth water. He walked over slowly and sat at his seat.
"Good evening, Dad, Mom," he greeted politely.
"Hmm," Raphael nodded while still focused on the jade slip in his hand. Kranos could tell that something must have happened on the battlefield again so he didn't disturb his dad.
From the side, his mother asked gently, "Son, what time did you get home?" Noticing he didn't seem to have just returned from training, she asked out of curiosity.
"I sensed mana today, so training ended early. I got home around noon," Kranos replied before explaining the day's events to them.
Raphael nodded as well. He had already heard the news from Donald and had also told the old man about Kranos' late awakening, which helped explain why Kranos was able to sense mana so easily.
"Is that so? I knew my son was a genius. To think you left that old man speechless," Anna chuckled proudly. As a mother, she was beaming with joy.
"This calls for a celebration," she added brightly.
"Thank you, Mum," Kranos thought inwardly. This truly calls for celebration.
…
"Mom, this smells nice." After waiting for a bit, in the blink of an eye, Anna had served the dishes. He immediately inhaled a fragrant scent coming from the delicious meal in front of him, indeed befitting a double celebration. Kranos muttered in elation as he savored the taste of his first bite.
The table was filled with a variety of dishes—succulent beast meat, fresh vegetables, rice, pasta, and more. Although Kranos was eager to return to cultivating the time condensation manual, he decided to take his time to savor the taste of the meal.
"Son, I have a present for you," Raphael said after finishing his meal, interrupting Kranos, who was stuffing his mouth with food.
"Huh?"
Kranos blinked in surprise, and the meat he was about to stuff into his mouth slowly slid down his mouth. "A present?"
Raphael didn't keep him waiting. He pulled out a rectangular box from thin air and handed it to Kranos.
"Here, take a look inside."
Kranos received the box and slowly opened it. Immediately his eyes widened. Inside lay a long, finely crafted sword. Its blade gleamed sharply.
"This is a sword I prepared for you," Raphael said. "I heard you'll be starting sword arts training soon."
Kranos felt warm inside; his parents cared too much for him. At a glance, he could tell this wasn't an ordinary sword—it was at least of Profound Grade. While he was a scholar, he had studied weapon classifications, which ranged from the basic all the way past profound grade.
"Thank you so much, Dad," Kranos said with a respectful bow. After a brief hesitation, he asked, "By the way, what's the name of the sword?"
In this world, naming one's sword was a common practice among cultivators. Kranos had already decided that when he fully stepped into the time condensation realm, he would name the time sword.
"About that, I haven't named it," Raphael said with a chuckle. "Why don't you come up with one?" And Anna, who was by the side, watched the father and son exchange with a smile on her face.
Karnos studied the sword for a moment, he saw that the blade's handle was azure, so without thinking much, he came up with a name: "I will call it the Azure Sky Sword."
His father immediately praised with a nod, "Good name!"
Kranos placed the sword beside him, deciding to examine it more thoroughly later. For now, he wanted to enjoy the meal with his lovely parents.
Time passed peacefully. The meal was joyful and filled with warmth.
After finishing, Kranos thanked his parents once more and returned to his room. Sitting in lotus position once again, he resumed condensing the tie orbs.