Leon sat cross legged at the edge of the training courtyard. His eyes were closed and his hands on his knees. He was here since an hour, trying to gather essence.
Weeks had passed since Leon began his foundational training, and the routine was slowly becoming a part of his daily life.
He could now sense the essence without much difficulty and even wield it outside his body, though he couldn’t maintain the control for a long time.
Each time he tried to draw a steady amount toward himself, his connection would slip somehow, and the attempt fell apart.
He opened his eyes and exhaled.
There was no point in getting frustrated. His early awakening had given him a head start, but not the abilities of someone who had cultivated for years.
After a short rest, he tried again. But this time. he focused on following the path of essence rather than gathering them. It was a simpler method, and it allowed him to study the movement of the essence without struggling to control it.
He maintained his concentration for several breaths before a servant’s footsteps drew his attention, and he opened his eyes.
The servant was heading toward the main residence, where preparations had begun for Roland’s breakthrough
Leon had heard about it the previous evening. His elder brother had fully recovered, and he had fully stabilized, and was ready to attempt to breakthrough to manifestation stage.
Leon also rose from his seat and went towards the residence. He found Marcus near the corridor which led to inner section of House Hayes.
Roland stood beside him, and as he approached them, Iris also arrived. Marcus and Roland appeared to be waiting for both of them.
"You’re late," Iris said.
"You also arrived now, and I was training."
"Then I suppose we shouldn’t complain."
Marcus glanced at Leon before turning toward the library doors at their side. "Come along. There’s something you all need to understand before Roland makes his attempt."
The doors of library opened, and revealed an another section of the library beyond the familiar shelves where Leon studied.
This part of the building was reserved for materials that required permission to access. The shelves here were arranged carefully, and several shelves had the marks of protective runes.
They followed their father inside, and looked over the shelves with interest.
"These are the elemental texts," Marcus explained. "Before someone advances further, they need a proper understanding of an element. Not only its name, but its nature, its characteristics, and the principles that governs it."
Roland gazed towards the shelves. "So this is what I need before attempting to break through to the next stage?"
"It’s part of the preparation. Reaching a higher stage without a good foundation will only make later progress more difficult."
Marcus took a book from one of the shelves and opened it to a page that contained several diagrams.
Leon moved closer, or tried to see from his small height. The illustrations showed different forms of elemental properties, accompanied by explanations of how each element interact with essence.
"Every cultivator can learn multiple elements," Marcus continued. "Your first choice doesn’t have to determine everything you learn for the rest of your life. However, trying to understand several elements at once, before you’ve grasped the fundamentals of even one, is an inefficient way to begin."
He turned a page of the text, and continued explaining to them.
"The usual approach is to start with a basic elements like fire, water, air or earth, and by the time you reach Manifestation Stage, you should have enough familiarity with elemental principles to begin applying them more effectively. That foundation makes it easier to study elements that are more difficult to understand."
Leon considered this carefully. "So learning one element helps with the others?"
"It gives you a foundation," Marcus answered. "You begin to recognize the principles behind elemental manipulation but that doesn’t mean the difficult elements become easy, or that mastering one automatically grants you mastery of another."
"Then why not start with the strongest element you can find?" Iris asked.
Marcus looked at her. "You can do that but strength means little if you don’t understand what you’re handling. A cultivator who chooses an element for its power alone may spend years struggling with its fundamentals."
Marcus gestured toward the shelves. "Choose the element you intend to begin with. Read its text carefully before making your decision."
Roland nodded as he approached the shelves.
He examined several books, earth, water, fire, and wind each had their own texts, with further volumes covering more specialized elemental principles.
Leon watched from the side, as he was curious about what his brother would choose.
Roland then took another text and it seemed to hold his attention. He read the opening sections, turned back to examine a diagram, then continued through several pages before closing the book.
"I’ll choose lightning," he said.
Marcus studied him for a moment, and then asked. "Why?"
"Because I think it matches my battling style," Roland said as he closed the book. "And at first its principles seem difficult to master, but I think I can work with them."
His father gave a small nod. "Then begin with the fundamentals. Don’t mistake lightning’s destructive potential for mastery over it."
"I won’t."
Marcus allowed Roland to keep the text and led them back.
When they returned outside, the training platform had already been cleared as Vera and Hanna stood at the other end of the courtyard.
"I’ll make my attempt in a few hours," Roland said as he approached Marcus. "I want to familiarize myself with the lightning essence first. I should have a better understanding of what I’m working with before I begin."
Marcus considered his words, then nodded. "That’s sensible. I’ll bring the materials you’ll need."
He handed the book to Roland and turned toward the storage section of the estate, where the household kept its resources. Lightning essence ores would provide Roland with a concentrated source of the element, and he would become familiar.
Roland watched his father leave, then opened the text again. Leon moved closer to Roland to look at the text he was reading but he couldn’t see properly so he gave up and let Roland read on his own.
Roland began reading it, as he paused occasionally to consider a passage before moving on.
After a few hours, he would attempt to cross the threshold into the fourth stage.
Leon and Iris went towards Vera and sat nearby, as they watched Roland read while the courtyard remained quiet around them.