Kaden felt certain he should have enough Fire Stones to feed his mana needs. He felt his mana channel needed only a bit more to be full. At that point its stability would reach maximum.
This main mana channel that was formed when he reached Channel Opening was sort of a backbone channel. With how it had transformed to be even tougher during his evolution, it should be able to easily support his internal formation and reach the Formation stage.
While he was not sure of just what kind of mana channels his internal formation would have, they should be smaller than the main one. He assumed his advancement would require more resources than usual, but it shouldn’t be too extravagant. None of the smaller channels would require as much mana as the backbone channel.
He would only need to fill the natural paths with mana and keep it stable until it solidified enough to become channels. Kaden already knew where they were and their general structure, so he would have no mistakes about that. If he was able to keep mana in right place long enough, these paths would form into new mana channels.
The further one’s magic cultivation advanced, the more dangerous it became. Formation stage was still relatively safe, but Kaden knew if he failed, the incomplete mana channels would explode. He would have to then heal and gather the lost mana back. Then prepare for another try. All this would waste time and resources at the very least.
“I can do it”, Kaden told himself. “Barring any sudden mishaps that I cannot predict, it should be possible.”
Kaden knew all sorts of things were possible. There had always been something unusual happening when he made a larger advancement after his rebirth. He was prepared this time. He could even adjust his mana system slightly during everything and cause changes how mana moved in his body. He had learned a lot of all things related to how mana acted and understood theory of magic cultivation for his level.
He was no longer flailing about in dark and hoping nothing would go wrong. He could predict matters. His studies on formations ensured all this. To make formations one had to understand how mana worked. As long as he wouldn’t go too far beyond his understanding, this could be at least roughly calculated and predicted.
Still, he couldn’t rule out all mishaps. His situation was just so unique. No one else had likely ever had a body like his. While there was no way around it, Kaden still felt confident. If something was going to happen, he would be either able to deal with it… one way or another.
After putting his thoughts into order, he took out his Fire Stones and placed them around him within reach.
Then he began absorbing the first. He tried to direct as much of the mana towards his mana channel as he could. Now was not the time to feed the core, even if it was going to take most of the mana regardless.
Kaden noticed immediately he had been right. The Fire Stones were very high quality and were perfect for him. His mana channel seemed to fill up in moments and reached its limit. Then mana began to leak out into his body. Kaden immediately gathered what he could and drove it towards the waiting paths that had already started to glow, ready to be filled.
Perhaps only someone like Kaden would use pure fire mana to advance. For Kaden it was perfect. He couldn’t even control anything, but the mana types he had affinity for. The exception being chaotic mana that he would have to refine with mana system and most of it still went to core. So therefore, fire was the best type.
Without hesitation, Kaden absorbed another Fire Stone directly. Another wave of dense fire mana spread through his body. This time there was no longer the feeling as if something was full, instead it was like there was great deal of room to fill. Even the feeling of presure in his in his main mana channel was dropping as it could now unload the excess mana somewhere.
Kaden could not let this happen and as soon as he arranged the mana in place he quickly absorbed yet another Fire Stone to maintain fullness of his channels. Yet each time more and more could fit into the forming new channels.
Then he went for third. Then fourth… fifth, sixth. He still had a few left, but not too many to waste.
Around at this time Kaden could sense again the presure of being full! There was a problem, though. The small forming channels were starting to leak! This would be bad! They wouldn’t form into channels, if they leaked!
Small fires ignited around Kaden once again as the pure fire mana came into contact with things!
“I must stop it and hold it there!” Kaden thought. “Once I can do that, they should soon solidify!”
He concentrated on keeping the forming channels in check. It was something familiar to him, as it was pretty much same thing as when he built a formations. Still, as soon as the mana was leaking outside and his channels were filled with mana, his core activated again with presence of mana.
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This did not surprise Kaden. Core always seemed to activate once mana was available. It would consume the mana he had spent quite a bit of resources to fill his new channels. He had to divide some concentration to prevent it. Still, he could not stop the natural function of his core entirely. Some mana would always pass through his body and his core would consume some of it.
The core had taken some of the mana from Fire Stones to begin with and now like a hungry beast it wanted more. This would obviously make it grow slightly, but it would prevent Kaden’s advancement!
Kaden gritted his teeth and absorbe another Fire Stone. His mana levels were refilled, but most of the mana leaked outside again. Kaden’s surroundings burst into flames, including his clothes. He did not have time to think of matters of getting fire resistant clothing as he helplessly watched his core continue consuming his precious mana before his channels could form.
“The channels should have formed by now”, Kaden thought as he observed everything. “I believed they should be ready before my core takes the mana. This isn’t happening. It is out of my predictions.”
He was leaking mana outside burning the area to cinders. He absorbed another Fire Stone to keep his mana levels up as he thought for a solution. His attempt would fail once he ran out of Fire Stones. At that time the mana left in his channels would escape his control and explode. It was also fire mana. Kaden didn’t want to see what would happen, if fire mana exploded in his body.
“This should not happen”, Kaden finally determined. Then he thought of something. “Mana works differently in my body than for normal humans! Perhaps my mana channels are on some underlying level different. It is not just my body. Its also the mana channels.”
The more he though of this possibility, the more it made sense, but this suggested to him again something he imagined counterproductive.
Perhaps his mana channels and his core should not be separate. At this time they were like two systems working on the same thing separately. They might feed each other, but they were separate. What if he connected them. What if he channels should function more closely with his core? He had already made this finding with his mana system that was set up to work around his core. That was to separate mana at efficient location, but perhaps it was a better choice than he had even originally though of?
“At this rate, I’m going to fail anyway”, Kaden thought. “If all the mana gets consumed and I fail, I will have to recover, but I will still have resources left for another try. If I waste any more, there won’t be another try after failure. I would also like to save some of them to feed my core growth.”
Kaden let go of his core and observed. It began to consume the mana it suddenly had so freely available. Kaden consumed another Fire Stone and concentrated observing everything that was happening.
Then he noticed it!
Right at the edges of the ball of mana channels that surrounded his core, he noticed some kind of scintillation. It seemed to want to connect closer to the core! There were some extremely fine and small areas just like the ones he already filled and tried to keep full.
“It wasn’t complete!” Kaden realized.
He immediately sent some of the mana to fill these tiny hairlike channels right at this core. The core still continued absorbing mana, but Kaden already got another feeling. There existed a direct connection where one had not existed before! The two systems were supposed to be one!
“Now how do I make it stop taking the mana before the channels can form”, Kaden continued thinking. “Channels and core as one… I must tie them together. Mana starts from core, goes to channels. Channels send mana to core. A cycle. It kind of existed before, but the path was not complete.”
After realizing that, Kaden not only stopped his core doing what it wanted, but he made it go full power. He pulled out as much power as he could. His plume was glowing with fiery light and his surroundings were in flames. Kaden’s high beast core flooded mana into his body. It filled his channels and then pushed a mana that had been in them, back to his core.
This cycle repeated over and over. Kaden noticed his incomplete channels solidify! He needed not keep the mana still! He only needed to maintain the level even if the mana was flowing past. Enough of it would stick and allow the channel’s to form!
“This is the correct path!” Kaden rejoiced. “Human and beast paths must combine!”
Very little of the mana he had stuffed himself full was being wasted anymore. What went in, returned and what returned, went in. While the mana was constantly being cycled through, the state was in balance and the channels had more than enough mana to start solidifying.
It could not fail at that point anymore! He only needed to keep it up until all of the new channels solidified!
Mana continued to pulse through his body. Starting from channels close to his core towards the more distant ones, the channels became stable and solid. Like water freeze in cold.
Part by part Kaden closed in on the limit of reaching Formation stage. Step by step he approached it.
Finally he watched as the thinnest channels at the furthest edges of his body started to flicker and solidify!
Then it stopped!
Finally Kaden could let himself relax and let the mana in his channels return to normal levels. Core slowly ceased and the mana remaining in Kaden’s new internal formation was free to spread. Mana was now being more efficiently distributed in Kaden’s body.
High beast core already did good work on increasing Kaden’s body mana, but it did not include pathway across the body to maintain good distribution. Now that the internal formation existed, Kaden’s mana grew more stable and thus slightly higher quality, optimizing whatever faults just high beast stage did not, could not, deal with.
Kaden felt his ability to cast his spells would be far greater. More control. Faster recovery. Efficiency!
Kaden stood up and flexed his body within the fires he had set up.
“I better leave this place”, Kaden thought as he looked around. “I have caused too much commotion with this fire. Tests are in order, but that is for later! I must get far away from here.”
Kaden quickly pulled another set of clothes from his bags and realized he would need more, if he kept burning them all. Besides, he would need clothes that were not uniform of the Saint Empire. Kaden quickly smeared his clothes in ash and dirt before he put them on. The military uniform was rather flashy in Kaden’s opinion.
He then left the area.