Xan continued cultivating even though his guts were roaring.

The more time passed, the hungrier he got, but his dantian also grew. When he began to think about taking a break, he felt his dantian's walls collapse and start to condense into a smaller size. Not only that, but the energy density inside it also increased.

He used all the energy he had gathered on his dantian in just a few seconds, which forced him to reevaluate his priorities. He stopped sending energy toward his body and mind, using all the energy he obtained directly on his dantian.

The organ continued absorbing all the energy it got for a few seconds before it stopped shrinking.

He stood still for a few seconds while testing the second stage of his dantian. The energy he could store had increased, as it would condense once it entered the organ. Also, its range had increased, which allowed him to gather more energy in one go.

In the end, the difference wasn't anything incredible, but the feeling of becoming better was something that Xan loved. Step by step, he would ensure no one wanted to mess with him anymore.

'Now that I've reached stage two with both mind and dantian, I should prioritize my body.' Xan thought as he stood up before his stomach growled again. 'But before anything else, I should get something to eat. You can't simply cultivate indefinitely, sadly.'

Then he left his room and walked toward the outer area of the fortress.

Xan, a member of the second area, could go to the canteen whenever he wanted and eat for free, but he didn't like it much. He preferred to get the ingredients from the small market in the outer area by using his monthly allowance, which was more than enough for him to eat for the whole month.

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But when he was about to leave the second area, he heard an elderly voice calling for him.

"Xan, where are you going? And how is your cultivation?" Rad asked curiously with a smile.

"Greetings, Master. I was heading to the outer area's market. I've been cultivating a lot lately and completely forgot to replenish food." Xan admitted while scratching his neck.

"You know that you shouldn't spend so much time cultivating. You are still young and should live your life instead of being secluded in your room." Rad sighed at the boy's words." Have you at least made some significant advancement?"

"I've reached stage two with my dantian and mind," Xan replied with his head high.

"Really? Not bad at all." Rad asked surprisedly before whispering." If you are advancing this fast, we should start the fighting lessons as soon as possible. Have you gone to the forest already?"

"Yes, I went one time."

"Ok, let me know when is the next time you are going so I can follow you. If we confirm no one is following you, then we can think about starting the lessons. If anyone monitors you, we will need to wait some time before starting." Rad explained.

"I could go today if you want."

"Yeah, sure. The sooner you do it, the sooner I can start teaching you." Rad whispered before returning to his regular voice tone." Well, I'm leaving already. Let me know if you need tips for anything or if you have any doubts."

"I will," Xan replied while waving his hand.

After that, Rad slowly walked away while using his cane. Seeing him leave, Xan continued toward the market as he still needed food.

It took him less than a quarter-hour to get everything he wanted and return to his room. Thankfully, he managed to go and return without anything happening.

It was a few hours past midday, so Xan continued cultivating for a few hours to get his body as strong as possible before returning to the forest.

Instead of continuing cultivating like before, he decided to distribute half of the energy he was getting to his body and the rest between his mind and dantian.

With this and the energy coins, he managed to advance a lot, and even though he had already consumed three and a half, he felt it was completely worth it as he was already nearing the peak of the first stage with his body.

When there were a few hours left until sunset, Xan prepared some supplies and left his room to return to the forest. If he had luck, he could gather the remaining mushrooms before it became night.