Josh nodded once to acknowledge Sen.

Gusti smiled amicably. “Thought so! Now, don’t get me wrong. Expressing your Essence with only one Attunement is quite an accomplishment. I expect you boys will go far down the Path of One, but we can refine your methods and further enhance your growth.

“I can tell that when you channel your Essence to propagate the skill, you are instigating your entire Core’s complement of Essence. This is nearly universally how beginning Cultivators tend to do such things. With that said, it is inefficient and will ultimately lead to damaging your Meridians. It doesn’t need to be said that it can be very hard to repair. Instead, we can moderate your approach should you continue, especially with skills that require greater intent to instigate.

“As a practical example—”

Josh and Sen tensed up and looked over their shoulders as if someone had just snuck up behind them.

Gusti did the same. Seeing nothing, he looked back to them. “Everything alright, boys?”

Josh chuckled. ~Guess ‘practical examples’ still make us a bit tense.~

~With good reason, brother.~

Josh coughed into his hand and waved it off with a smile. “Sorry, Gusti. An acquaintance of ours has used that turn of phrase, usually with unpleasant results. But he’s not here. Please continue.”

Gusti looked about to say something but thought better of it and continued. “As I was saying. As a practical comparison of channeling your entire Core’s complement of Essence versus only using the necessary amount, I’ll begin with a question. Would you use a firehose to fill a teacup?”

They both shook their heads.

Gusti smiled and continued. “’Course not. We train our young ones to attempt to initiate their skills with just a bit less Essence than they think they need to get the ability to propagate. Afterward and slowly, over time, they decrease that amount until they feel they can lower it no further. The process is counterintuitive, but the results speak for themselves. The skills will ultimately propagate faster when using a greater level of control and less force than with the injection of all your Essence at once. You will end up saving about twenty to twenty-five percent of the Essence you originally needed to get the skill to initiate.

“We train them with that same example, actually. Think of instigating the Essence to propagate the shield skill as turning on the tap of your kitchen sink. Just turn the knob to the smallest amount you can to get the slowest trickle of water out of the tap. Once flow is established, you slowly increase it till only the amount of Essence you need is empowering the skill. Now don’t get me wrong. It often takes students several standard galactic cycles to master it. And I don’t...” Gusti trailed off as Josh began to do just what Gusti had described.

Instead of flooding his channels with his Essence for the skill to begin, Josh carefully controlled the flow, or instigation as Gusti called it. Josh then ramped it up to the minimum needed for his shield to begin or propagate. As his shield snapped into place, his interface chimed.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

New passive Cultivation skill gained.

Essence Efficiency:

Skills will be propagated at 70 percent of their estimated Essence cost.

Check status for full details on Essence instigation.

Gusti chuckled. “Well, I’ll be! Are you a prodigy among your Clan, Josh?”

“Not as such. But I have been told that I catch on to things quicker than some. Guess I’m just a late bloomer. I do see the benefits of what you explained to us. This approach will also increase my absorption rate of Earth Aura when I have practiced a bit longer.”

“Exactly so...” Gusti tilted his head back and gave Josh an appraising look before continuing. “Now, the other thing I can think of for you two that will immediately improve your skill is to focus on limiting the coverage of your shield to only the area you think you will need. Now again, don’t get me wrong. If you were facing Nagal and his fire attack. A full shield is the order of the day. But for something slightly less day-ruining, you can consider only propagating your Earth Shield in the area you will need it. With enough practice, you can apply that shield to as much or as little area as you want. This will significantly reduce the time it takes for propagation, decrease the overall expenditure of Essence, and make you much more combat effective.”

Gusti then stood and showed the same earth shield they had formed. But it only appeared on his arms, legs, alternating limbs, head, jaw, eyes, and all combinations.

“And this configuration is beneficial for protection against jilted companions!” The shield then flashed over his groin in the shape of full boxers.

Sen laughed. “Pardon, Gusti, but have you had cause to use that?”

Gusti’s eyes looked up, and a wistful expression took him as he winked at Sen. “Why do you think I appear so practiced in its use? Let’s just say... I won’t be the one introducing you to Rheba, our lead Jewel Crafter. It’s been over two hundred thousand standard solar cycles and still... I need that particular armor configuration at all our Clan get-togethers.” He waved his hand as if to move on from the topic. “My personal issues aside. If you can get the cost of your shield’s propagation down. You can also use it as a deterrent.”

A full shield popped up around Gusti, and thousands of two foot long needle-tipped spikes sprang out of it like an agitated pufferfish on full alert.

Gusti smiled behind his shield. “Just a few thoughts to consider as you practice with it.”

Josh’s mind was whirling at the possibilities, and he couldn’t wait to share with Sen the process to limit the instigation of Essence. He could feel through their Bond that Sen wanted to know now, but agreed not to show their full Bond in front of Gusti yet. He was sharp enough to put two and two together. There might come a time when they would take Gusti into their confidence, but it was best to wait for that moment and not spring it on him.

Gusti let his porcupine shield drop and looked at Josh and Sen. “Now. Let’s get you boys to the Blacksmith so we can let him take a look at your weapons and make some recommendations to you both.”

Gusti stepped down from the wooden promenade and started walking down the street toward the distant pinging sounds of steel on steel they had been hearing for the last hour.

He glanced at their shortswords. “It’s definitely time for an upgrade in that department.”

“Begging your pardon, Gusti, but I’ve never had any complaints…” Josh muttered through a partial, sly grin.

Gusti bellowed out his signature laugh while clapping Josh on the back hard enough to send him sprawling into the dirt. “Sometimes the women in our lives are just too good for us. I’m glad to hear that she spared your feelings!”

Pushing himself up Josh effectively wiped the street dust from the front of his Hegemon-4 jumper. He quickly changed the subject before thoughts of his ex-wife Miranda distracted him into uselessness. “Gusti, you’ve been kind to us and treated us more than fair. So, we need to confess that we don’t have any money. We’re not even sure what you use for currency around here and we don’t want to waste anybody’s time...” He trailed off.

A wide smile split Gusti’s face, and a sharp but not unfriendly gleam came into his eyes.

He put a hand on each of their shoulders and led them down the street toward the distant clanging. “Boys, boys. If there is one thing the Sundai Clan can be, it’s accommodating to travelers in need.” Gusti’s smile widened if that was possible. “I think we can come to an understanding agreeable to all involved!”

Josh’s smile only partially slipped as he groaned internally. ~I have a feeling there would be more farm work for us on the horizon.~

Sen only closed his eyes and nodded in agreement.