Henry's eyes shot open. He looked to find the blue screen in front of him.
Edmund was sitting across from him. His eyes still closed.
Henry looked at the screen and the text it displayed.
[Spirit Breathing discovered!]
[You can now naturally awaken your core at a much faster rate. There's no need for being close to nature either. Good luck in your journey!]
Henry blinked multiple times, trying to makes sense of the words before him.
"Did my life just become...easier? I should test it out."
He closed his eyes. With his hands joined together to form a circle near his abdomen, he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
Ding!
His eyes shot open again. Disturbed by the screen that now hovered in front of his eyes.
[Spirit Energy: 2/300,000]
[Gather more Spirit Energy to form a core!]
"So this Spirit Breathing will apparently help build my core. Interesting. And 300,000? Really?"
Henry closed his eyes and began awakening again. He wanted to see how the Spirit Breathing he had just acquired worked.
He took a few slow and controlled breath. Exhaling soon afterwards just as slowly. After a few more minutes, a voice made him open his eyes.
Looking at Sir Edmund, he asked, "What happened?"
"I think that should have been enough for a demonstration, young master."
"You should note that this method of building a core isn't really suitable for you. Engaging with it is fine for intellectual curiosity. But if you spend too much time doing it, you'll only tire yourself away."
Henry smiled and assured the man.
"Don't worry. I'll just be here for a few more minutes. You may leave."
Edmund lingered for a bit and then left after saying his well wishes.
"Yes, young master. Good day!"
Ding!
The screen flickered with a single thought. Henry looked at it, noticing the progress he made.
[Mark: unmarked]
[Attribute: undefined]
[Spirit Energy: 63/300,000]
[Skills: Spirit Breathing]
[Quest: Awaken your core!]
[Time limit: 3 days]
[Reward: ???]
"Looks like I'll have to spend the next 3 days without sleep, huh"
Henry's eyes lingered on the number for a moment. He sat down and continued awakening. With each breath, he drifted further and further into his thoughts.
"In my past life, I never came across this method. Perhaps being shunned away for being unmarked was a reason for it. I did spend a great deal of time meditating though. And this natural awakening looks no different. With my Spirit Breathing skill, the effect should be the same."
Henry's focus sharpened and he immediately entered a state of mental clarity. His control over his breathing increased and he became more and more aware of his body with each passing moment.
He felt the winds whistle past his skin giving him a feeling of coolness. He took in another deep breath and pouted his lips. His eyes shot open as he exhaled through his mouth.
By now, he could already fell the blood pulsing through his hands. His head had started to ache and his vision was turning blurry.
He check the system and noticed the increase in his progress.
[Spirit Energy: 380/300,000]
Henry raised his brows.
"So the more focused I am the better the efficiency is?"
Huff! Huff!
His breathing had become fast. He was tired. Just a few minutes of meditation had left him exhausted.
"It seems I might need to increase my stamina too. Well, what's the delay for then? Straight to running, shall we?"
Henry got up and dressed in some modest clothes which were by no means any less luxurious.
He went to the edge of the training grounds and started doing some stretching. After he was done, he gently picked up pace and started a jog.
Huff! Huff!
One lap after another, Henry stopped at the 4th lap. By now the soldiers had already noticed him and were whispering amongst themselves.
"What's gotten into the young master?"
"Why is he working out?"
"Did the Lord punish him perhaps?"
"Hey, careful! What if someone hears you?"
"Fine. But still, why is he working out now? The Ritual is just a few days away, he should just already head towards the Academy. It's quite far from here."
Sir Edmund spotted the slacking soldiers and immediately said, "What are you all standing for? Continue!"
"Sir, yes sir!"
They all collectively said causing Henry to turn his head.
"While meditation is similar to awakening, the latter puts less strain on the mind and body. Awakening uses breathing just to focus your mind while meditation uses it to directly accumulate Spirit Energy."
He noticed the soldiers who controlled their breaths rhythmically. Their each sword strike more powerful than the other.
"I can try combining both for optimum results."
[Spirit Energy: 470/300,000]
"The few attempts I made seem to have worked. I'll go take a rest and ask father for some pointers."
***
"Haaahhh!!!"
"That was really tiring! Do I have to continue for 3 more days?!"
Henry laid down on his soft, comfortable bed. This luxury had forsaken him during the 40 years of his past life. Now, tired and exhausted, the comfort it brought was heavenly.
If he didn't stay sharp, he would slip into sleep quickly. It was still daytime and he wouldn't want that to happen. There was so much for him to do.
He sat up straight and started undressing. His fair skin with well chiselled muscles revealing themself slowly. Despite being new to Spirit Breathing, he had been rigorously trained.
How could the son of the Cascius Korvess live without training? That was unacceptable both, to the man, as well as his son.
Totally naked, Henry sat cross-legged on the floor. He felt no shame which others his age would. He had been in much worse states in his previous life.
He closed his eyes and focused his mind. His hands joined together to form a circle.
The cold floor of his room did cause some discomfort to his nether regions, but he paid no attention to it.
Behind his closed eyelids, his vermillion eyes become resolute. And he started awakening.
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
The system kept sounding. Its beeps only becoming more and more frequent as he combined meditation too.
The way to awaken his core was long, and he would make the most of his time to do so. Nothing could stop him!