Of course, even if someone lacked talent, they could still practice the art with a huge amount of resources, but that path was extremely wasteful. On the other hand, if someone was talented but lacked resources, they would still find it impossible to continue. Both conditions were necessary.
For now, Kaito only needed to practice the Rank 1 portion of the art. That part did not require many resources. He could rely solely on the lightning spirit energy in the atmosphere. Of course, the scroll explained that the best results came when practicing in environments rich in lightning elements. Such places made it easier to draw the energy in. It also mentioned the use of lightning-attribute medicinal herbs as substitutes. By consuming or applying them, a cultivator could gain lightning energy directly from the herb instead of the atmosphere.
Kaito's eyes scanned the list of herbs written at the end of the scroll. He recognized several of them immediately. Unfortunately, most were rare and could only be found or bought in large cities like Silver Crest. He sighed slightly. For now, those would have to wait until he returned to the Ren family villa in Silver Crest City. Until then, he would have to rely on what little lightning energy was present in the atmosphere.
With his mind set, Kaito sat down, closed his eyes, and began to perform the stances described in the Azure Thunder Meridian Art. His breathing slowed, his body relaxed, and his focus sharpened. He concentrated on distinguishing the different spirit energy elements floating in the air.
Because of his experience in his previous life, this task came naturally to him. Where others would struggle to even sense the differences, Kaito could clearly separate them. He could almost see them with his mind's eye, red sparks representing fire, blue wisps representing water, green streaks for wood, and faint silver lights for lightning.
He focused on the silver. Compared to the others, they were scarce here, scattered sparsely throughout the environment. The area wasn't naturally suited for lightning cultivation, so there were only a few lightning particles drifting about.
Still, Kaito reached out with his will and slowly attracted them toward his body. Bit by bit, he managed to draw in five or six silver particles. It wasn't much, but it was enough. This was his first attempt at the art, and he wanted to take things slow.
As the lightning particles entered his body, he guided them carefully through the stances, letting the energy flow along his meridians. Each spark felt sharp and vibrant, like a flash of electricity running through him. Under his control, the lightning energy tempered his body, strengthening it little by little.
Kaito kept his focus steady, continuing the process without rushing.
Although practicing the stance and concentrating on gathering the lightning particles was a little difficult at first for Kaito, he was not unfamiliar with the process. In his previous life, after reaching Rank 2, he had once practiced a technique that required separating different elements from the air. Because of that, he already had prior experience. This allowed him to concentrate even though it was his first attempt with the Azure Thunder Meridian Art. He believed that after some more practice, this would become much easier for him.
At the beginning, when the lightning particles started traveling through his meridians, his entire body felt a tingling sensation. The sharp, pricking current ran along his meridian paths, almost like countless tiny needles. But Kaito did not allow himself to stop. He gritted his teeth, held firm in his stance, and followed the instructions exactly as written in the scroll of the Azure Thunder Meridian Art. He used his will to constantly guide the lightning particles to flow through his body and temper his meridians.
He knew very well that if he gave up halfway, the lightning particles would go berserk inside his body. Not only would they cause severe damage, but recovering from that would take at least a month or two, delaying his martial practice. So no matter how much pain or pressure he felt, Kaito kept his focus sharp. Slowly and carefully, he directed the lightning particles along the meridian chart shown in the scroll.
In that moment, his entire mind was divided into three parts. The first part was devoted to constantly remembering the exact meridian chart of the Azure Thunder Meridian Art. The second was focused on the lightning particles themselves, controlling them with his will so they would not run wild. And the third, which required only minimal focus thanks to his experience, was maintaining the correct stance of the art. Because of his previous life experience, he could balance these three things at the same time.
If someone else were to witness this, they would be shocked. Even if another person were lucky enough to obtain such a high-level physical cultivation technique, they would never practice it so rashly on their own. Normally, a person attempting this would do it under the supervision of their elders. Those elders would be responsible for maintaining the stance for them while they concentrated only on guiding the lightning elements. In fact, most would even skip practicing the stance entirely.
The reason was simple, maintaining the stance made the lightning particles work at maximum efficiency. Without the stance, one could still practice the art, but it would take far more energy. For example, if tempering a body meridian required five lightning particles while maintaining the stance, then without the stance, it would take at least ten or fifteen particles to achieve the same result. That was why Kaito insisted on holding the stance. He knew that the environment he was in was not rich in lightning energy, so he needed to make every particle count and draw out their maximum effect.
The process was grueling. For an entire hour, Kaito endured the intense tingling sensation, guiding the scarce lightning particles through his meridians with absolute caution. That one hour felt like the longest hour of his life.
Finally, when all the lightning particles he had drawn in were fully absorbed, he released his concentration and let go of the stance. His legs gave out as he fell back, laying down onto the gym floor, his body covered in sweat.
Even though it was only his first time practicing a physical cultivation technique, the effects were astonishing. As he lay there, catching his breath, he could feel a new kind of strength flowing through his body. Every muscle felt alive, and a sudden illusion filled his mind that if he struck anything with his full power right now, it would definitely shatter.
But Kaito's experience quickly calmed him. He knew very well that this was just an illusion caused by the sudden increase of strength. At this moment, he had no accurate measure of how much stronger he had truly become. He decided that after some time practicing the Azure Thunder Meridian Art, he would head to the gym and properly test his strength. For now, this was only the beginning, and he was satisfied with what he had achieved.
After resting for a while, Kaito stood up again. From the storage, he took out a dummy sword. He had specifically asked one of the servants back at the ancestral estate to prepare it for him. Holding the sword firmly in his hands, he opened the Basic Sword Techniques Manual. Inside were the eight fundamental moves every beginner swordsman was required to learn.
Because he had already used these techniques many times inside the game, practicing them in reality felt natural and easy. He swung the dummy sword, repeating each of the eight moves one after another, paying attention to his form and rhythm. The sound of the blade cutting through the air echoed lightly in the small gym. He continued like this for half an hour, polishing each movement until he felt satisfied.
By the end of it, his body felt lighter and stronger, as if the training had helped him further digest the energy he had taken in earlier. He also realized that the mythic-grade potion he had consumed earlier while inside the nutrient cabin was now fully digested by his body. The energy it contained had completely merged into him during his martial practice.
Kaito lowered the sword and let out a slow breath. He knew that this session was enough for the day. He still had other important things to do, and pushing too hard right now would not bring him any extra benefit.
With that decision made, he placed the dummy sword back in its stand and walked out of the gym. His body was sticky with sweat, So he headed straight toward the shower, ready to wash away the exhaustion of the day.