Six months passed quietly.
Days blended into one another, marked not by events but by routine. Every morning, afternoon, and night, I cultivated beneath the great tree, drawing in nature energy until my body trembled from strain. Whenever I found time between sessions, I trained my sword and hardened my body, but cultivation had become my priority. Once a month, I went hunting with Vaela and Charlie. Thankfully, none of those hunts ever repeated the terror of the first... we faced only low-level beasts, nothing that pushed us to the brink again.
Even so, something was clearly wrong.
That morning, after completing yet another long cultivation session, I slowly opened my eyes and let out a measured breath through my mouth, as if trying to release the tension lodged deep in my chest. Heat clung stubbornly to my skin, sweat soaked through my clothes, and a dull exhaustion had settled into my muscles and bones alike. It wasn't the satisfying fatigue that came from progress, it was the kind that came from pushing forward without results.
Charlie was already there, standing a short distance away beneath the tree, watching me with his usual quiet attentiveness.
"Did you feel it?" he asked softly, breaking the silence.
I closed my eyes for a brief moment before shaking my head. Frustration welled up inside me, sharp and persistent.
"No," I replied.
Charlie's brows drew together, a faint crease forming between them as he considered my answer. He remained silent for a moment, as if weighing his thoughts carefully, before speaking again.
"That's… strange," he said at last, his voice low and thoughtful. "I checked earlier as well. There's still nothing in your lower abdomen and no sign of an energy core forming, not even the faintest trace of stored nature energy."
My frown deepened at his words. The frustration I'd been holding back finally slipped into my voice.
"But I'm following the technique exactly as Elder Thryssa described," I said. "Every step. Every flow. I haven't skipped or altered anything."
Charlie nodded slowly, his gaze unfocused as if he were sifting through countless possibilities one by one. The quiet between us stretched, heavy with unspoken concern, broken only by the faint sounds of the village waking beyond the walls.
At last, he let out a measured breath, his expression settling into quiet resolve.
"Young master," he said, "I think we should ask Elder Thryssa."
I remained still for a moment, weighing the thought, then gave a slow nod.
"Yes," I agreed.
After washing up and eating a quick, quiet meal, we left without delay. My steps felt heavier than usual as we made our way through the village, my thoughts circling the same uneasy truth again and again.
It had been six months since I'd last spoken with Elder Thryssa about my cultivation. Six months of relentless effort and yet I had nothing tangible to show for it. No energy core and no progress I could point to with certainty. The realization sat uncomfortably in my chest, growing heavier with every step.
By the time we reached her home, my resolve had hardened into quiet determination. I drew in a steady breath, lifted my hand, and knocked.
After a few moments, the door opened, and Elder Thryssa appeared in the doorway.
"Arthur…" she said, her voice warm and familiar, a gentle smile forming as her eyes settled on me.
Charlie and I bowed slightly in unison. "Greetings, Elder Thryssa," I said respectfully.
She stepped aside at once, welcoming us in with an easy gesture. Inside, the room felt just as I remembered... quiet, steady, carrying the faint scent of herbs and old wood. She motioned for us to sit. I took the seat I always did during my visits, while Charlie remained standing just behind me, hands folded, silent and attentive.
Elder Thryssa settled into her place across from me, her posture relaxed but composed. The moment she sat, the unease I'd been carrying seemed to dull slightly, as if her calm presence alone could steady turbulent thoughts.
"How are you?" she asked, her gaze steady and attentive. "Is your cultivation progressing well?"
I drew in a slow breath, choosing my words carefully. "Elder… I've been cultivating exactly as the technique instructs. Every step, every flow. It's been six months now, but—"
"But?" she prompted, her tone gentle but focused.
"I'm not able to form an energy core."
The faint warmth in her expression faded, replaced by a sharper, more analytical look. "You haven't formed an energy core at all?" she asked.
I shook my head. "No."
"And you're certain you're cultivating correctly?" she pressed.
"Yes," I replied without hesitation.
Elder Thryssa grew quiet, her eyes lowering slightly as she slipped into thought. A long moment passed before she spoke again.
"That is… unusual," she said at last. "After six months, even a slow cultivator should have formed at least the outer layer of an energy core in the lower dantian."
Charlie and I exchanged a brief glance, then waited in silence, neither of us daring to interrupt her thoughts. The room felt heavier with each passing second, the only sound the faint crackle of the fire nearby.
At last, Elder Thryssa rose from her seat.
"Come," she said softly. "Sit here."
I stood and moved as instructed, lowering myself to the floor and sitting cross-legged with my back facing her. I straightened my spine and closed my eyes, my breathing instinctively slowing. A moment later, I felt her presence behind me, and then her palm pressed gently against my back.
A calm, steady current of nature energy flowed into me.
It wasn't forceful or rushed. The energy moved with absolute control, flowing through my body like a quiet tide. I felt it trace familiar paths, slipping along channels I had walked countless times on my own. Slowly, deliberately, it searched through my lower abdomen… probing the place where an energy core should have formed, yet finding nothing there.
She drew the energy back, then guided it forward once more, this time widening its path. It flowed through me slowly and meticulously, inspecting every part of my body with deliberate care, leaving nothing untouched.
When the current reached my head, it paused.
I felt it as well. A faint, distant sensation, like a tiny ripple at the edge of awareness... subtle, almost easy to miss, yet undeniably there.
A moment later, the pressure vanished as she withdrew her hand, the flow of energy receding and leaving behind a lingering stillness.
"Arthur," she said slowly, her tone careful, deliberate, "cultivate now. Focus your awareness on your forehead."
I nodded and closed my eyes once more. Drawing in a steady breath, I guided the nature energy upward, following its familiar path but this time, I directed it higher, toward the space she had indicated.
At first, there was nothing.
Then I felt it.
It was so faint I almost dismissed it as imagination. Like a single grain of sand suspended in endless darkness, barely present, yet distinct once noticed. My breath caught as the sensation sharpened just enough to confirm it was real.
I opened my eyes, my heart pounding. "Elder… I can sense something," I said, unable to hide the excitement in my voice. "A small, round thing... in my forehead."
She nodded, as though she had been expecting that answer. "Good," she said calmly. "Sit properly again."
I adjusted my posture and faced her once more. Once we were settled, her expression turned thoughtful, and she began to speak.
"Arthur," she asked, her gaze steady, "do you know the levels of controllers?"
"Yes," I replied after a brief pause. "Charlie explained them to me once."
"Then tell me," she said.
I glanced back at Charlie for a second, then turned forward again and spoke slowly, choosing my words with care. "There are very low, low, moderate, high, and very high levels. Very low and low controllers form a single energy core. Moderate controllers form two. High and very high controllers form three."
She nodded once, acknowledging my answer. "Correct," she said. "But that is not the whole picture."
My attention sharpened at once.
"Beyond those," she continued, her voice calm but carrying weight, "there are two additional realms—Advanced and Peak."
My eyes widened slightly at her words, the implications settling in as I listened in silence.
"Advanced controllers are exceedingly rare," she continued, her tone even but grave. "As for Peak-level controllers… you could count them on the fingers of one hand."
I swallowed unconsciously. Just hearing that made the distance between myself and true strength feel immeasurable.
She studied my reaction for a moment, then asked, "Do you know where energy cores form within the body?"
I shook my head. "No, Elder."
"The first energy core forms in the lower abdomen," she explained. "That stage corresponds to the very low level. As the core is refined, its color shifts from yellow to gold, marking the transition into the low level."
She paused briefly, letting the information settle before continuing.
"Once the first core is fully stabilized and refined, a second energy core begins to form in the upper abdomen, just beneath the ribs. That signifies the moderate level of control."
I listened intently, each word etching itself into my mind.
She continued without hesitation. "After that, the third energy core forms in the chest. That marks the high and very high levels of control."
I nodded slowly, absorbing her words, then hesitated before asking the question that had been nagging at me since she mentioned them earlier.
"Then… what about Advanced and Peak?"
"The fourth energy core forms in the throat," she said at last. "That stage is known as Advanced. It is the most difficult barrier a controller can face, far more treacherous than any before it. Many reach the high level and remain there for the rest of their lives."
A faint tension crept into my chest. "And Peak?" I asked, my voice quieter now.
For a brief moment, she was silent.
"The fifth core," she said slowly, deliberately, "forms in the head."
My breath caught before I could stop it. The words echoed in my mind, colliding violently with what I had felt earlier.