Alaric examined the interior section before stepping inside. He observed a stone path winding up to a central ground marked by glowing crimson sigils. As he neared the central ground, he noticed the sigils reacting to his root chakra.

There was a connection that called him closer. It is a natural meditation spot.

Alaric positioned himself in the lotus pose directly atop the pulsing crimson sigil, synchronizing with his breathing and chakra flow. Channeling the subtle energy of his root chakra felt smoother than ever in his new body, as though the sigils were guiding his vital energy and refining it.

None of the other chakras were responding to his focus. So, this sigil is limiting the activity of the other chakras while enhancing the function of a single chakra? Not bad.

Alaric concluded it could accelerate his chakra cultivation by a factor of three. As he concentrated fully on channeling his root chakra energy, he settled into a steady breathing rhythm.

With each breath, he absorbed the abundant mana in the surroundings and transformed it into subtle energy for the root chakra. Without a system-specific skill for this process, the practice progressed relatively slowly, but progress was progress.

He lost track of how much time he spent inside the pagoda until he finally opened his eyes. Typically, he could meditate for two hours at a stretch. It would be intriguing to verify whether this cultivation sanctuary possessed a time dilation feature. Although, he strongly suspected that time flowed differently here.

It would be interesting to practice my mana cycling here as well…Alaric shook his head. After I finally get the mana sense skill and other related skills. When in the heavens will I get the tutorial invite?

Alaric had presumed that he would automatically gain the skill upon turning twelve.

He could discern mana quite clearly now. However, a barrier remained between the mana and his will, preventing direct control except for cycling it. And, although he could sense mana, he still hadn’t unlocked a skill for it.

He dismissed that thought and rose from the ground. Surveying the area inside the pagoda, he identified multiple sealed rooms.

As he approached them and attempted to unlock them the same way he had accessed the pagoda’s entrance, he instinctively sensed rejection. Hmm…I wonder. Alaric spotted special altars nearby, connected to the rooms by runic lines etched into the ground.

He advanced toward one of the altars and placed his hand on it.

Would you like to begin the test for awakening your Root Chakra?

He mentally declined the offer. I am not ready to fully awaken the root chakra before I create my mana core.

He turned his attention to the other altars. These were larger and adorned with intricate runes. As he rested his hand on one of them, a system message appeared.

Would you like to make an offering? Reward - Potential to unfurl a petal of your Root chakra.

Alaric was stunned. This was not how he envisioned unfurling the petals of his chakras. Sure, unfurling the petals of a chakra demands dedicated resources and requires performing specific rituals.

However, one of the greatest challenges was locating ‘Places of Power’ that harmonized with the proper subtle energy of a specific chakra, significantly boosting the chances of success.

The system had simplified the entire process and rendered it far more accessible. Now, he merely needed to prepare his body, mind, and soul and contribute the necessary resources to trigger the unfurling process.

He was certain there would be a test tied to the process, but that was expected. Alaric burst into laughter. “This is truly a blessed reward," he exclaimed at the sky.

***

Only an hour had elapsed when Alaric emerged into the physical world from his Cultivation Sanctuary.

However, he had spent nearly three hours inside the pocket dimension. This confirmed that time indeed flowed differently within the pocket dimension — three times faster, to be precise. Alaric beamed.

Yes, it would enable me to cultivate for extended periods on any given day. A wonderful advantage. Overall, Alaric felt gratified by the benefits he could derive from his Cultivation Sanctuary.

As he attempted to move his body, he suddenly perceived the pull of gravity and became sharply aware of the physical weight of his form.

Alaric almost stumbled to the floor as he tried to rise from the bed. Spending so much time inside a pocket dimension where one didn’t experience gravity played tricks on his mind.

I have to get used to entering and exiting that space. Nevertheless, he didn’t worry about it too much.

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It was almost midnight, and it was time to sleep. He locked the door to his room and went back to sleep

***

When Alaric woke up in the morning, he couldn’t be happier. He heard a faint beeping sound in his mind and instinctively knew what it meant. Upon opening his status screen, his assumption was proven correct.

You have been granted access to the Tutorial Rift. Once you accept the invitation, you will be transported into a system-managed area where you will have the opportunity to learn and train different mana skills.

Note - You can visit and leave the Tutorial Rift anytime you wish. The monsters you encounter in the Tutorial Rift will be adjusted to match your capabilities as determined by the system.

Would you like to enter the Tutorial Rift now - Yes / No.

Alaric didn’t hesitate. He promptly selected ‘Yes’. Rowan had informed him earlier that the family members would be notified whenever a child entered or exited a Tutorial Rift.

Thus, his father would know Alaric had entered the Tutorial Rift and would inform someone to prevent panic if he wasn’t found in his room.

Of course, it was still wise to venture into the Tutorial Rift in the presence of his friends, but he simply couldn’t wait any longer.

The moment Alaric accepted the invite, his vision blazed white, and his body distorted unnaturally. It was the familiar sensation of being teleported to another dimension. Alaric had mentally acclimated to the experience, but this body had not. It exerted a stronger, nauseating pull compared to when he entered his Cultivation Sanctuary.

A few moments later, Alaric found himself in a vast forest filled with mist and teeming with vibrant flora. The air was devoid of mana but he could detect faint patches of mana in the distance that were very easy to detect with his senses.

Welcome to ‘The Mana Grove’. You will learn and train the 3 fundamental mana skills in this region.

Alaric recalled what Rowan had said. The Tutorial Rift was divided into many different zones. Typically, children spent a few months mastering the three fundamental mana skills in the first zone at Tier 0 — Mana Sense, Mana Absorption, and Mana Control.

There were challenges and objectives cultivators could undertake in the Mana Grove to enhance their chances of acquiring the respective skills. However, completing the challenges also served as an excellent method to develop and level up their mana skills.

When Rowan attempted to brief Alaric on what to expect from the challenges in the first zone or offer tips, Alaric firmly declined. He wanted to savor the thrill of discovery on his own, just like other kids.

Let’s see what this place has to offer.

Alaric surveyed the area and noticed a well-worn path winding deeper into the forest. He decided to follow the path and explore where it led.

After a while, he spotted a creature resembling tiny clusters of smoke and jelly. These creatures glowed with a translucent green hue and vanished from his sight after a moment

He recalled his studies from the monster bestiary in the library. These beings were known as Mana Wisps. Suddenly, he felt a nudge in his mind.

Objective 1 - Track and capture at least 10 Mana Wisps. Reward: Learn the skill [Mana Sense] (Common).

A grin spread across his face. So, let the fun begin. The translucent glow of the mana wisps in his view suddenly dimmed, making them much harder to detect with the naked eye.

However, he could still sense them as these tiny creatures emitted faint pulses of mana while darting and vanishing amidst bushes and shrubs.

Alaric quickly grasped the true aim of the test. It wasn’t about tracking these creatures through plain sight. That would be arduous, nearly impossible for a child. The real test was to locate them using mana sense.

He closed his eyes and expanded his awareness to encompass his surroundings.

The rich pulses of mana radiating from these creatures stood out starkly against the otherwise mana-deprived environment. He could locate them effortlessly. After all, Alaric had mastered detecting mana a long time ago; he simply hadn’t unlocked a skill for it yet.

He cautiously advanced toward a bush where he detected a cluster of mana wisps.

Once he was close enough, he extended a hand and grasped one mana wisp, feeling it dissolve in his palms. No notifications popped up but he continued with this strategy.

Alaric recognized how this challenge would help other kids develop their ability to sense mana and acquire the skill Mana Sense. It took him less than 10 minutes to locate and capture 10 mana wisps.

Congratulations! You have acquired the skill [Mana Sense] (Common).

[Mana Sense lvl 1]

Once he focused on the skill, another message popped up in his view:

Mana Sense - You can sense mana more easily, both within yourself and in the environment. As you level up this skill, your ability to discern mana density and mana flow will improve significantly.

Would you like to train your skill [Mana Sense lvl 1] or proceed to the second objective?

Alaric decided to level up his [Mana sense] skill before proceeding forward.

It is always better to polish and level up your fundamental skills before trying to learn new skills. A strong foundation will make it much easier to learn new skills in the future. And, the opposite was true as well.

Challenge 1 - Track and capture at least 15 Mana wisps in 20 minutes

This time, the challenge became a little harder. The mana wisps began zipping around unpredictably, making them much harder to track.

However, Alaric refused to give up. He closed his eyes and sharpened his focus. While he could still detect the mana wisps using [Mana Sense], they evaded his grasp whenever he reached for them.

No, not like this. Alaric adjusted his strategy. Stealth was no longer the correct method. This was now a test of reflexes and swift reactions.

Anticipating their movements became far more challenging, but Alaric successfully captured all 15 mana wisps within the time limit.

Ding! Your skill [Mana Sense] has leveled up. [Mana Sense lvl 1 -> Mana Sense lvl 2]

Ding! Your skill [Mana Sense] has leveled up. [Mana Sense lvl 2 -> Mana Sense lvl 3]

Ding! Your skill [Mana Sense] has leveled up. [Mana Sense lvl 3 -> Mana Sense lvl 4]

Alaric was exhausted and collapsed onto the mossy forest floor. The added pressure of the time limit made this challenge even more difficult.

However, he felt the time investment was worth it. Now that his [Mana Sense] skill had leveled up, the presence of mana wisps emitting mana pulses felt even more pronounced.

I’m progressing at a phenomenal rate.

Alaric surmised that completing such challenges would require a lot of attempts for an average child. Even he had some difficulty and was utterly exhausted. And, the difficulty will ramp up from now on.

Still, he was exhilarated. [Mana Sense] was the easiest skill to level up.

Let’s see if I can push it all the way to level 10 within a week. He rose to his feet and ventured deeper into ‘The Mana Grove.’