I took deep, even breaths as I grabbed the last remaining piece of my Second Circle and slotted it into place. The moment I did, a fire swept through my body, as if my nerves had become detonation cords. The mana in my quarters surged into me as I cycled it through my Circles. My ability to sense and control mana increased by a significant degree. It was as if I had become more in tune with the world around me.
Thanks to my divine sense, I had a level of awareness that few could match, especially those at the same power level as me. However, that was different from how I felt now that I had restored my Second Circle. It was a different kind of awareness, one that went deeper than divine sense.
Like divine sense, my awareness of mana was my soul’s ability to perceive the life energy of the universe. It was an awareness of a different layer of reality.
Hmm, rather than saying it was different and separate from my divine sense, perhaps it was another part of my divine sense. When Annabelle shattered my Circles, it was akin to blinding me. Now that I had restored my Circles, that part of my divine sense had been restored as well.
As I cycled mana through my Circle, it smoothed out any inconsistencies and irregularities that had remained, until my Circles were perfect and whole once more. It was an intoxicating feeling.
Oh, how I had missed this.
Restoring my Second Circle also increased the limit of my divine sense. It was still at the equivalent of the Fourth Circle, but now it was at the upper end of the Fourth Circle. Once I reached the Foundation Establishment stage, my limit would either be at the peak of the Fourth Circle or even beyond. There was only one way to find out. Either way, I was happy.
Having a powerful divine sense was a significant advantage, and I wouldn’t complain about it.
Congratulations, Gabe, Aurora said. You’re a proper wizard again.
I sent a mental snort in her direction. My familiar lazed about in my dantian with her eyes closed, curled around the drop of Shattering Thunder’s blood with her eyes closed. That’s what she spent most of her time doing, when she wasn’t learning with me in the Stone Corridor or snarking at me in the waking world. Just being in contact with the drop of blood nourished her, so the more time she spent with it the better.
It would be even more beneficial for her once I formed a dragon core, using the drop of blood as a base. In fact, it was now the perfect time to do so, now that I had restored my Second Circle. Since I didn’t need to use my divine energy to restore my Circles any more, and I didn’t plan on advancing in my body cultivation technique until I reached the Foundation Establishment stage, I might as well.
Besides, I needed to form the divine storm dragon core so I could incorporate it into my foundation. Otherwise, I would lose my chance to do so.
It was two days after Corie decided to start practicing the Body of Poison body cultivation technique. As promised, I sent her primers on both Spirit Earth alchemy and Luminan alchemy, as well as a book on medicine. To my surprise, she took to them the same way a duck took to water. She hadn’t seemed like the academic type. When I asked her about it, she said she never bothered trying to learn any of this because she didn’t think she would be good at it. If she hadn’t decided to practice the Body of Poison technique, she might have never discovered this gift of hers.
At this rate, it wouldn’t take her long to start assisting me in my alchemy lab.
Lorelei and Leroy were sullen about it all, and from the looks in their eyes, I could tell they blamed me for Corie’s choice. It was annoying, but they would come to their senses sooner or later.
Since I examined Corie, and gave her a manual for her body cultivation technique, I did the same for Lorelei. To my complete lack of surprise, Lorelei was best suited for celestial body cultivation, specifically the Truth Earth technique. Most people picked one of the other celestial bodies, since it was actually quite difficult to practice the True Earth body cultivation technique, but not for Lorelei since she was Terra’s Chosen.
With her patron goddesses’ aid, Lorelei just needed to sleep while buried within the earth in order to refine her body. As she slept, the energies of the True Earth would refine her body into something greater. It was, quite frankly, bullshit. And this was coming from me, a reincarnated Immortal.
Learning this lifted Lorelei’s spirits somewhat, so there was that at least.
‘I was always a proper wizard,’ I said in response to Aurora’s words.
No you weren’t, she said. You restored your First Circle, but you remained stuck at the first thread. Now that you’ve restored your Second Circle, you can start forming threads again.
Aurora had a point. I could start forming threads once more, now that I had repaired my Circles. That would cut into my cultivation, since I now had to divide my time and effort to focus on both, as well as my body cultivation, but I didn’t mind too much. That was the price one paid when one practiced multiple forms of cultivation. It was well worth it in the end.
‘Fair enough,’ I said. ‘Now that I’ve restored my Second Circle, it’s time to create the divine storm dragon core.’
A dragon core was like a mana core, but more potent and powerful. This was because dragons themselves are more potent and powerful beings than most other magic beasts. Few could match their might.
By creating a dragon core out of my divine energy and the drop of Shattering Thunder’s blood and then incorporating it into my foundation, my mana would become more draconic. Not only that, but because I also practiced the Divine Storm Dragon body cultivation technique, my physical features would also become more draconic.
That was something I would need to deal with when the time came.
On the plus side, the combination of the dragon core and my body cultivation technique meant that I would eventually be able to turn into a divine storm dragon myself. However, that would happen far into the future.
That said, when I reached the Core Formation stage, I would be able to use the Dragonscale divine ability. As the name suggested, I could use this divine ability to transform into a human/dragon hybrid. I would gain the scales, claws, and tail of a dragon, but otherwise remain humanoid in shape.
It was something I very much looked forward to.
Aurora opened her eyes.
What does creating a divine storm dragon core entail? she asked.
‘In short,’ I said. ‘I will turn my divine energy into storm dragon divine energy and use it to create a core of power using the drop of Shattering Thunder’s blood as a base. It’s similar to creating a Golden Core.’
After collecting all the essences necessary in the Essence Collection stage, a cultivator would then use those essences to form their Golden Core. This was one of the most important steps a cultivator would take on their path to immortality.
If a cultivator even wanted a chance at becoming an Immortal, they needed to form a Lustrous Golden Core, which was the highest quality one could achieve. Collecting high quality essences increased the odds of forming a Lustrous Golden Core. The more high quality essences one collected, the higher the odds.
Forming a divine storm dragon core was a lesser version of that process.
What can I do to help? Aurora asked. She lifted her head out of my dantian and looked at my soul.
‘Simple,’ I said. ‘We will form the dragon core by spinning layers of my divine energy over the drop of Shattering Thunder’s blood.’
After some quick calculation, I guessed that it would take months to create the dragon core. I figured I would finish just as I reached the peak of the Energy Condensation stage, or perhaps even afterwards.
‘I’ll need you to add a bit of your own energy to the process,’ I continued. ‘I’ll also need your help in keeping everything smooth and stable. Can you do that?’
That should be easy, Aurora said with confidence.
I smiled at her words. Easy. Right. She would see soon enough.
Unlike when I repaired my Circles or when I refined my body, creating a dragon core would take a lot of divine energy. I would need some time to recover after each session, which was one of the reasons why it would take so long to create the core in the first place.
I closed my eyes and got to work. With my divine sense, I focused on the drop of Shattering Thunder’s blood. As if sensing my intent, the drop of blood pulsed, sending a ripple throughout the lake of mana that was my dantian.
‘Lift it above my dantian and start spinning it please, Aurora,’ I asked my familiar.
Aurora cupped her claws around the drop of blood and lifted it, without actually touching it. She then started to spin the drop of blood. It was slow at first, but soon spun faster and faster.
When it reached the right speed, I directed my divine energy through the storm dragon blood running through my veins, to turn it into storm dragon divine energy. Afterwards, I directed my divine energy towards the spinning drop of blood. Guided by its own momentum, I coated the drop of blood with my divine energy. Aurora added her own energy, merging it with mine, to create something unique and beautiful.
While this seemed simple, in reality it was difficult and delicate work that required complete concentration, even with Aurora’s help. The slightest mistake could result in irregularities within the dragon core, reducing its quality and power. Thankfully, I had excellent control over my divine energy. I also had a powerful familiar aiding me. Any time it looked like I would lose control, Aurora kept things in check. Without her, this would have taken a lot longer.
Hours passed before we finished creating a single layer of the dragon core. I was exhausted in a way I hadn’t felt before, at least not in this lifetime. It was the kind exhaustion that resulted from using too much of one’s divine energy within a short amount of time. I would recover, but it would take a while; a week at the earliest.
I was tired in body, mind, and soul. I wasn’t the only one either. By the time we finished, Aurora drooped like a limp noodle.
The nascent dragon core stopped spinning in the air as Aurora lowered it back down into my dantian. After she let go of it, she flopped down.
Oh gods, she said. That was exhausting. Why didn’t you tell me it would be this difficult?
‘You’re the one who claimed it would be easy,’ I said in a teasing tone. ‘I said no such thing.’
Aurora gave me the mental equivalent of a middle finger. I let out a chuckle.
‘Not bad for your first time,’ I said. ‘You did good. Thank you, Aurora.’
Damn right I did good, she muttered. How long will it take to create this thing?
‘We need quite a few layers, so it will take at least a few months,’ I said. ‘We’ll finish in spring at the earliest.’
Aurora gaped at me, despair in her eyes.
That long? She asked.
‘I’m afraid so,’ I said. ‘On the bright side, we’ll only be able to do this once a week or so.’
Aurora grumbled under her breath for several seconds, before she sent me another glare.
Fine, she said. I’ll continue to help. You better be grateful that I’m willing to put in this much effort for you, Gabe.
‘Of course I’m grateful, Aurora. I don’t know where I’d be without you by my side.’
And don’t you forget it. Aurora yawned. I’m going to sleep now. I suggest you do the same. Something tells me that we’ll end up in the Stone Corridor tonight, and we’ll need all the rest we can get before then.
Her words filled me with dismay, but I followed her advice. Aurora curled around the nascent dragon core once more, while I headed off to bed.
Unfortunately, Aurora’s prediction proved true that night.
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Tired in mind and soul, but rested in body, I arrived at the next day’s training in a foul mood. The weather mirrored my disposition. The sky was cloudy and overcast, with the possibility of rain later on. There was a chill in the air, a sign of the upcoming winter season, and the wind was blustery. The leafless trees around Sturm Hill Hall looked somewhat sinister, thanks to the weather and the ever present mist.
Too bad Halloween wasn’t a thing here on Lumina. This place would have been perfect for all sorts of spooky events. Maybe I could arrange something next year. This year, we were too busy.
Despite the less than ideal weather, my disciples and the outer disciples all trained diligently, even the twins. While some of them had started out at a disadvantage, and complained the entire time as Leroy ran them ragged, they didn’t shirk their duties. While they still had to condition their bodies first before they could start learning martial arts, it wouldn’t be long before they reached that point.
The rest of the outer disciples practiced the martial arts I picked out for them under Leroy’s watchful eye. Meanwhile, my own disciples focused on practicing their own fighting styles. Lorelei stuck close to Corie, something she had done during these past few days. I think she was afraid that something would happen to Corie, since the latter now consumed poison on a regular basis. Still, Corie looked fine for someone who spent a good chunk of the day writhing in agony.
Mother was out here training as well. She practiced the same kind of claw fighting style that Grandfather Gabe used, which made sense as she was his disciple. She wasn’t as proficient at it; both because it had been a while since she trained in martial arts and because Grandfather Gabe had a lot more experience than her. I guessed that he was about three hundred years old, based on what I saw when I examined him.
I looked up at the sky. As long as the weather wasn’t too bad, training was mandatory. It would only be canceled in extreme conditions, such as a thunderstorm or a blizzard. Still, the sooner we built the training hall the better. That way, we wouldn’t have to worry about the weather. Not only that, but with the right enchantments and magic circles, we could create specialized training rooms and even obstacle courses.
I very much looked forward to it.
If I offered him the right techniques or alchemical formulae, could I get Grandfather Gabe to set up some magic circles or formations for me? I knew he was proficient in the latter, so I assumed he was proficient with the former. Or maybe he knew of ways to combine both? That would be interesting, though I didn’t know if that was necessary.
Magic circles were objectively better than formations in many ways, though they had their own disadvantages. Magic circles took longer to create and were more difficult to modify once they were set up. Formations on the other hand were more mobile, thanks to formation flags, and were easier to modify after they were up.
Hmm, nevermind. Finding a way to combine them would be beneficial. Something with the strength and longevity of magic circles, combined with the mobility and flexibility of formations. What would such a thing be called? Formation magic circles? Magic circle formations? Arrays?
Ooh, that last one might work. Back on Spirit Earth, arrays were the exact same thing as formations, but people preferred the latter term for some reason. I made a bet with myself. If it was possible to merge magic circles with formations, and if the cultivators here called them arrays, I would make myself a nice cup of mulled wine as a treat.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. If I had timed it right, everyone would be finishing up with solo training. Training in the morning was divided into four segments. First everyone cultivated. Afterwards, they went through the forms of their chosen martial arts style. I called this solo training.
This was followed by magical training. Everyone here was a wizard as well as a martial artist, and we would be doing them a disservice if we neglected their magic. Later on, after everyone had formed their dantian, we would set aside a time for them to form new threads as well as cultivate.
For the fourth segment, everyone paired off for sparring. Either they picked their own opponents, or Leroy picked for them. While not all cultivators or wizards were warriors, everyone here was. Combat training was mandatory.
Sometimes we changed things up and made people fight multiple opponents. Real fights were messy, and we didn’t always get the luxury of fighting one opponent at a time.
After they finished with their solo training, everyone took a quick break to catch their breath. We had a table set up nearby with drinks and towels, so people could rehydrate and wipe themselves off.
The twins flopped onto the ground, panting. Leroy loomed over them.
“What are you two doing?” he demanded. “I’ve told you this before. Walk a few laps around the training yard in order to cool down. Don’t just lay down.”
“Do we have to?” Cameron whined.
“Can’t you just let us be, Leroy?” Carina asked. “We’re so tired.
Leroy remained unmoved by their pleas. He just pointed to the edge of the training yard. The twins let out groans, before forcing themselves up.
The other outer disciples smirked and laughed at the twins’ acting. And it was acting. Despite their complaints, I knew that the twins were in much better shape than they pretended to be. Leroy knew it as well, which was why he was so hard on them.
“Gabriel,” Mother called out. “Good of you to finally join us this morning.”
The others finally noticed my presence. They had been too busy with their training, and the twins’ antics, to realize I was there.
I looked at Mother. Her lips were twisted in disapproval. As the young master of Clan Sturm, and the most experienced cultivator around, it was up to me to set an example for the others. Skipping out on training made me look bad. However, I had an excuse for it this time.
“Apologies, Mother,” I said, tapping my chest. “I had a rough night last night, and I had a late start this morning.”
Which wasn’t a complete lie. While my body felt fine, my mind and soul were tired. I had to work up the motivation to get out of bed and start the day. However, the reason why I chose this particular moment to make my appearance was because we were apart to start magical training.
Mother’s eyes narrowed a bit, before they widened.
“Oh,” she said. “I see. Your Second Circle is restored.”
I grinned.
“Yes,” I said. “I can form new threads now. I’m finally a proper wizard again.”
The outer disciples whispered and murmured among themselves when they realized the truth of my mother’s words. They looked at me with a mix of amazement, fear, and uncertainty. I went from being a magicless cripple to a Second Circle wizard within less than a year. And this was on top of all the other weirdness that surrounded me.
“Congratulations, Ma-…young master!” Corie said. She walked up and punched me in the shoulder.
Lorelei, who followed Corie, grumbled her congratulations, until Corie jabbed her with an elbow. I found this role reversal a little amusing.
“Congratulations, young master,” Lorelei muttered, a little louder than before.
Leroy nodded at me, which was expected of him, though I caught the smile in his eyes. While he and Lorelei were still unhappy with me concerning Corie’s situation, they were still my friends and disciples. A part of me had been worried that I had ruined things, but it turned out that my worries were unfounded.
“Yes, Gabriel,” Mother said with a smile on her face. “Congratulations, I’m proud of you.” Her expression turned serious. “However, now is not the time to slack off. Come with me. Let’s see if you remember what it means to be a Second Circle wizard.”
I raised an eyebrow at her.
“I planned on testing myself out on my own.”
Mother shook her head.
“It’s much easier to gauge the strength of your magic with the aid of a more powerful wizard.”
I mean, for other people, yeah. Not for me, thanks to my divine sense and experiences as Immortal Celestial Thunder. That said, I wasn’t going to disobey Mother and challenge her authority in front of our people.
Besides, it made no difference to me in the end. Either way worked for me. When I first restored my First Circle, I relied a lot on my spells and magic. However, as my cultivation level rose, I focused more on my martial arts and physical prowess. Since I was stuck at the First Circle, my magic just couldn’t keep up. Now that I had restored my Second Circle, I could fight the way I preferred to, with a mix of spell and sword.
Mother and I headed over to the edge of the training yard, far from everyone else.
“Offensive or defensive spells?” Mother asked once we reached our destination. “Which did you want to practice first?”
I mulled it over.
“Defensive,” I said. “Just to get it out of the way. I mean, the only defensive spell that I know is the standard shield spell.”
Unlike most other spells, elemental affinity didn’t matter when it came to the standard shield spell. At its core, it was a layer of mana that protected the wizard from physical and magical harm. Unlike most spells at the Second Circle and above, it relied on the wizard’s internal mana rather than the ambient mana in the environment.
The stronger the wizard, the more powerful the shield.
This was why it was difficult for weaker wizards to face more powerful wizards. Not only could higher level wizards cast more powerful spells, but their defenses were more difficult to break through.
Of course, there were exceptions such as Annabelle. Despite being the weaker wizard when we dueled each other, she demolished my defenses while I barely managed to break through hers.
Isekai protagonist energy was bullshit.
“That’s all?” Mother asked in disbelief.
I shrugged.
“I mean, yeah.”
Mother pursed her lips.
“It’s best to have a variety of defensive spells at your disposal, Gabriel,” she lectured. “To account for any number of situations. Given your…life experience, I thought you would have known that already.”
To be fair, she had a point. In addition to the standard shield spell, there were defensive spells that took into account a number of different factors such as the elemental affinity of the attack, the kind of attack, etc.
For example, a defensive spell that protected against Fire piercing spells, such as the Fire Lance, wouldn’t be as effective against an Air slashing spell, such as the Wind Blade. There were even some defensive spells that deflected spells back at the wizard that cast them. These were very difficult to pull off, however.
I preferred the standard shield spell since it was simple and easy to use. While it didn’t counter any particular kind of spell or attack, it also wasn’t countered by any particular kind of spell or attack. There was a reason why most wizards defaulted to it.
Besides, it suited my preferred way to fight.
“My skills are geared towards speed and offense,” I told Mother. “I prefer taking my opponents out before they have a chance to hit me. If they do get an attack off, I’d rather dodge it than get hit. If I can’t dodge, the standard shield spell should be enough to protect me. If it isn’t, I have an enhanced physique. My body is much tougher compared to the average wizard’s.”
Mother’s frown deepened.
“Still, I don’t like this,” she said. “Tsk. I should have been more involved in your training.”
Since we didn’t share any elemental affinities, Mother hadn’t been that involved with my magical training. That wasn’t to say that she was uninvolved, but she focused more on Kaylee than me, since my little sister had an affinity for Fire.
“When we’re done here,” Mother continued. “You’re going to expand your repertoire of defensive spells.”
I gaped at her.
“But Mother-…” I started to say, but she cut me off.
“Not ‘buts’, mister,” she said. “This isn’t up for debate.”
I closed my mouth and pouted. There weren’t many times that I regretted being a teenager, but this was one of them. It wasn’t easy trying to balance the different aspects of myself. Reincarnated Immortal vs immature teenagers, ruthless killer vs soft hearted innocent, asshole noble vs American youth.
Still, as annoying as this was, I preferred it over the alternative, which was not having a mother in the first place. As someone who already lived two lifetimes, I spoke from experience.
“Now then,” Mother said. “Get ready.”
Grumbling under my breath, I cast the standard shield spell. There were two ways to cast this spell. The first, and most common, way was to cast it with a limited amount of mana. Once it sustained a certain amount of damage, the spell would break. Most cast it this way because it was a one and done sort of deal. They just used it and then didn’t have to worry about it until it broke.
The second way was to continually feed the shield spell from one’s own internal supply of mana. The upside was that casting it this way meant the shield lasted until the wizard’s mana ran out. Powerful enough offensive spells could still break through the shield, but the shield spell itself would still be in effect. The downside was that wizards typically didn’t have large pools of mana to draw upon.
However, as a cultivator, I didn’t have this problem.
I cast the second version of the spell, so that it drew upon my internal mana. A layer of mana enveloped my body and my clothes. Some wizards forget to include their clothes when using this spell, so when another spell hits them, they end up naked as a result. I saw it happen a few times, when I attended the academy, and the results were hilarious. Not so much for the poor wizards who had their clothes destroyed in public.
To my surprise, my shield spell took on a different appearance than I expected. Shield spells looked like a layer of solid, if transparent, light that surrounded the wizard’s body, with differing colors depending on the wizard’s elemental affinities.
Mine was a whitish silvery blue color. Or it used to be at least. Not anymore. Instead, my shield spell was whitish-violet in color, similar to my sword mana. Not only that, but it looked like thousands of tiny scales covered my entire body. That was unexpected.
Mother raised an eyebrow at me when she saw this.
“Uh,” I said, looking down at myself. “Is this normal?”
“Yes,” she said. “When you cast certain wizardry spells using mana primarily from your dantian, those spells will take on the qualities of your mana. The shield spell is one such spell. I’m surprised that you never noticed this before.”
So was I. Then again, after forming my dantian, I hadn’t used that many wizardry spells. On the other hand, it was similar to what happened when cultivators used certain techniques. The appearance of said techniques changed, depending on the qualities of one’s mana. Sword mana and sword arts, for example. I could also think of a number of mystic arts that did the same thing.
I just hadn’t realized that it would apply to wizard spells as well.
“So, how do I avoid this?” I asked.
If I wanted to keep my cultivation a secret, then I couldn’t afford to stand out like this. I already drew enough attention to myself as it was.
“When it comes to spells that draw upon your internal mana, you can’t,” Mother said. “The best you can do is avoid casting those specific spells, or claim that you are using special variations of them.”
I nodded. Okay, that made sense. Since I couldn’t avoid using the standard shield spell, I would have to claim that my version was a variant. Hell, I could even claim that this was a newly developed signature spell of House Sturm. Scales of the Storm Dragon?
Actually, now that I thought about it, why couldn’t we create our own version of the standard shield spell?
It wouldn’t be the first time something like this had happened. I knew of several Houses that came up with variations of the most common spells by adding their own twists and calling them signature spells.
Huh, now that I thought about it, I wondered how many so-called signature spells out there were actually wizard-cultivators covering up their cultivation.
“Otherwise,” Mother continued. “It’s best to use the ambient mana around you rather than use your own mana.”
The mana around Mother surged, and several Fire Lances formed in the air around her.
“Prepare yourself, Gabriel,” she said.
I nodded and braced for her to attack. However, before she could, a familiar voice rang out.
“As entertaining as this might be, children,’ the voice said. “I’m afraid I’ll have to interrupt.”
The voice came from above. Mother and I both looked up, just in time to see Grandfather Gabe seemingly appear out of thin air. He lounged on top of his flying sword like a, well, like a cat. He had his hood up to hide his face.
“Grandfather!” Mother exclaimed.
We weren’t the only ones to see him, based on the way the others reacted. The outer disciples freaked out a little, but Leroy managed to stop them before anyone actually attacked.
Grandfather Gabe pulled back his hood and revealed his grinning face.
“Did you miss me?”