They practiced together for the rest of the day, repeating the same technique over and over again. Elem and Aja’s new master’s extensive experience proved an incredible resource. In the span of a single morning, Balthazar had already introduced them to a series of new cultivation methods specifically developed for training the Drip Effect. Although they were just subtle adjustments to their regular breathing patterns, Balthazar’s suggestions were potent enough to make a world of difference when practicing the advanced technique.
Despite his prior success, Elem struggled to consistently have his internal Essence flow outside his body. The previous time had felt so natural but whenever Elem tried to replicate what he had done before, he fumbled. And after a disappointing series of failed attempts, a part of him even began to worry that his first and only experience of drawing external Essence had been nothing but a fluke.
“Focus on the way you breathe. Remember to be patient and act without trying,” Balthazar instructed, noticing his students struggle with the exercise. Ironically, the message he was trying to convey clashed with the hastiness embedded in his voice. “Let the Essence build up as a natural consequence of your actions but do not force it. Simply think of what you’re doing as drops of water filling a bucket!”
Hours passed and Elem estimated that he must have gone through hundreds of cultivation cycles. Each instance, the Drip Effect technique worked a little better than before and Elem eventually managed to effectively sense the Essence surrounding him again. He reached out and managed to rake in some of the Essence of a nearby tree.
Like before, it was a mind-boggling experience; Elem could feel strands of energy move around him like fish traversing through a coral reef. To outside eyes, the Wayward Woods may have looked like a secluded location but through the perspective of an Essence-loaded Summoner, they were just as busy as Alabaster’s central avenues. When Elem turned to his friend, he sensed how the energy not only radiated from her Essence Nodes but also made up the entire contours of Aja’s body. She was teeming with energy, both diffusing and drawing it at the exact same time. She was cultivating external Essence.
Too excited to keep practicing, Elem opened his eyes and leaped towards his friend.
“We did Aja!” he shouted. “We did it together!”
“Excellent!” Balthazar shouted before Aja could answer. ”Now we can really get started.”
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Having spent most of their lives at the Sekuheim Summoning School, Elem and Aja had grown accustomed to Master Ardan’s patient style of teaching. Under his tutelage, concepts were theoretically explained first and then practiced in gradual difficulty over the course of a few months. Balthazar Flame, on the other hand, was an entirely different breed. His way was a path of chaos, shock exposure and a deeply confrontational sink or swim mentality.
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Through his merits as a former champion alone, the man obviously was a respectable instructor. However, his overall style and teaching philosophy couldn’t have been further from that of Elem’s father. Balthazar didn’t have an easy personality to begin with but as a Summoning teacher his demeanor worsened into that of a hellish taskmaster. He was stern, demanding and showed little sympathy whenever his students struggled with their training regiment.
Once Elem and Aja were skilled enough to routinely apply the Drip Effect technique, Balthazar came up with a new exercise. The master had his disciples drill regular, internal cultivation forms over and over again. This wasn’ a difficult task on itself- both of them had already mastered their forms to the point where their movements had become a second a nature- but the challenge laid in the endless repetition.
At first Elem and Aja flowed through their forms with ease, shaping invisible balls of Essence and graciously waving their limbs in the air. But as the hours passed, Elem’s entire body began to ache. His muscles grew sore and the Essence that coursed through his veins, devolved into a heavy burden rather than an expression of power.
To make matters worse, Balthazar had summoned his Karasu Tengu to keep them in check. Whenever they’d slump their form or momentarily paused their movements, he’d have his Wind Summon kick them to the ground.
The master’s intent was clear. Balthazar wanted to exhaust his students and push them beyond their limits. By constantly boosting one’s internal Essence, Summoners risked overextending their energy usage which temporarily troubled their overall summoning capabilities. In short, he wanted them to continue their training under an increased difficulty.
It took Aja a few hours before she collapsed. Elem, clinging onto sheer determination, lasted only a little longer but ultimately failed to get back to his feet after getting kicked down by the Karasu Tengu for the umpteenth time.
“Now it's time for the Drip Effect again!” Balthazar announced. He gave his disciples a few minutes to gather themselves and then had them meditate once more.
“When engaged in a duel, it is difficult to properly control your Essence usage,” he explained. “More often than not, exhaustion will hit you earlier than expected. And once both your Essence and your adrenaline drop, you can only rely on your experience and your mental strength. Luckily, this is something we can prepare for.”
While Elem and Aja sat in a concentrated lotus position, Balthazar Flame stepped away from his disciples and began drilling an advanced cultivation form alongside his Karasu Tengu.
“Even when you are tired and you struggle to perceive the Essence that surrounds you, the energy is still there. Something doesn’t simply cease to exist because you can’t perceive it. Although you might be working with a smaller net, you can still gather external energy. You simply have to refine your technique, like a miner adjusting his vision to the darkness of a cave.”
The master’s words sounded great but cultivating Essence through a bout of exhaustion was easier said than done and it took Elem over two weeks of constant practice before he could properly use the Drip Effect technique while tired.