Chapter 11
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Dantian and Mana Circle
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As Ruyan had already grasped, Boldkan was no ordinary traveling merchant.
He was a 4th Circle Mage from the Brighton Magic Academy, dispatched to investigate Ruyan on orders from above, and he'd been poking around Hatchling Village.
And only today had he become 100% certain that Ruyan was Blanc's son.
'Then the one who bought the Spirit Stone through Ruyan must be Blanc after all.'
The Spirit Stone.
A rare ore found only in places where the energies of nature are especially concentrated.
Because it contained a substantial amount of mana, it was typically used to craft high-grade magic items.
Which was why the northern branch had never sold a single one up to now.
There was no one in this backwater who could craft high-grade magic items.
Yet suddenly, someone wanted to buy a Spirit Stone.
A kid who wasn't even a mage, no less.
'I knew it was suspicious.'
If the Spirit Stone had fallen into Blanc's hands, that spelled trouble.
'The guy's planning to shatter the Spirit Stone and study the process of its mana dispersing into nature.'
The Brighton Magic Academy viewed Blanc's new theory on magic with considerable displeasure.
No, to be fair, it wasn't just Brighton.
Blanc's new theory was an inconvenience to every magic academy on the Sobles Continent.
It directly contradicted the entire history of magic up to now.
'So much for his reputation as a genius mage. All hype. What good is dispersed mana?'
Mana lost its function the moment it dispersed.
Thus, the only correct path was to minimize mana consumption as much as possible when casting spells.
And this established doctrine of the academies justified their very existence.
How to reduce mana consumption!
Each academy had developed its own methods over long histories and accumulated experience.
And they were still racking their brains to achieve superior efficiency over rival schools.
But what if a theory focused on returning mana to nature took hold?
What if magic that could even harness dispersed mana was developed?
All the theories the academies had built would turn to scraps of paper in an instant. Their reason for being would vanish.
In the end, Blanc's success would mean the downfall of the Brighton Magic Academy.
'Not that there's any chance of that half-baked theory succeeding...'
Even Boldkan, tasked with the mission, didn't believe Blanc's research would succeed.
'Still, better safe than sorry.'
To keep the roots of a tree clean, it was best to cut off the buds before they bloomed.
A sharp glint flashed in Boldkan's deeply sunken, shadowy eyes.
It was still before dawn, the time when darkness lingered heavily.
Ruyan ascended the mountain earlier than usual.
'Is today the day?'
He tried to stay calm, but his pounding heart refused to settle.
And rightly so—this was a historic moment for Ruyan himself.
The day he would complete his dantian.
While the training ground had superior energy density, Ruyan headed for the mountain peak to feel purer energies.
He sat cross-legged on the broad rock where he always meditated.
The pure energies of great nature welcomed Ruyan and gathered willingly around him.
'The mountain's energy is so clear, after all.'
After savoring the refreshing sensation while regulating his breath, Ruyan slowly began circulating the Return Heart Method.
His visualized dantian now left such a clear trace that summoning its image was no longer difficult.
Whoosh.
Nature's energies flowed into the visualized dantian, dispersing and repeating.
Ten times, then twenty.
Normally, he'd stop here to avoid overdoing it, but today Ruyan pushed on without pause, accelerating his circulation.
'Can't stop now.'
The energy circulation grew grander with each repetition, and past the thirtieth cycle, it enveloped his entire body, radiating brilliant light.
The great nature itself!
His Heavenly Martial Body embraced the world without the slightest hesitation.
From then on, Ruyan lost track of time.
He forgot the number of circulations, and eventually, even himself.
A state of no-mind.
It began as a mere stream.
The adorable flow of energy scampered through Ruyan's body.
But at some point, it became a waterfall.
Rumble!
A massive roar erupted from the mountain peak.
A gale whipped up simultaneously, lifting Ruyan's body lightly into the air.
The origin of all things bestowed blessings solely upon Ruyan, surging from the ends of the world.
The raging gale soon converged toward Ruyan—toward that single point imprinted on his lower abdomen.
Whoosh!
When Ruyan's body finally touched the ground again, his dantian was no longer a mere visualization.
What had been a trace became a complete vessel, brimming with the energies of great nature.
'Finally! I've completed the dantian!'
As Ruyan snapped open his eyes—which he'd kept closed—a bow of nature's energies seemed to greet him.
In that overwhelming joy, Ruyan wanted to burst into mad laughter.
But it wasn't time yet.
He still had work to do.
'Next, form the mana circle!'
Now it was time to verify firsthand the magic theory he'd diligently studied.
Ruyan decided to overlay a mana circle atop his completed dantian.
'The method is the same as forming the dantian. Only the form differs.'
Ruyan closed his eyes again.
Thinking not of a vessel but of erecting walls, he outlined a frame around the dantian.
The inner power, which had just settled into the dantian and was eager to roam freely, froze in an instant.
It questioned this unique circulation, neither of the Return Heart Method nor the Central Plains style.
'Rest easy. It's different, not wrong.'
The hesitant inner power soon began wandering aimlessly.
It tried to exit the dantian toward the Middle Cinnabar Field but lost its way.
A potentially dangerous situation.
Yet Ruyan did not control the inner power.
He didn't guide it but let it wander freely.
Then, the moment it strayed beyond a certain boundary, he yanked the reins and sent it back.
'There is a wall here.'
Ruyan made the inner power recognize the wall on its own.
He repeatedly reined it in so that it wouldn't even attempt to cross, habituating it.
As the control repeated, the inner power finally abandoned following the Return Heart Method's paths.
It naturally accepted the walls and roamed freely within them.
Just as with the dantian, the mana circle began as a visualization, gradually leaving traces.
'I've walked this path before. The body will remember.'
With each repetition of the suspicious flow, the traces sharpened, carving deeper grooves.
The speed was incomparable to forming the dantian.
'This is your home.'
The traces became lines, then walls again. And finally, a flow.
Flash!
The moment a single circle enclosing the dantian completed, nature's energies roiled wildly once more.
The quivering energies around him eagerly seeped into the newly created space.
1st Circle!
Success at last.
A monumental endeavor that had never existed before took its first bold step.
"Hahaha! Excellent! This world's methods are splendid too!"
The dantian and mana circle coexisted without any repulsion whatsoever.
Blanc's "Gap Theory" astonishingly linked even the dantian and mana circle as one.
Though operating entirely different energies, they exchanged inner power as if a single entity.
'It's like having two dantians.'
A deeply satisfying outcome.
But more thrilling than the new vessel was the fact that he could now use magic.
No reason to hesitate, then.
Ruyan drew upon the roughly five years of inner power accumulated in his dantian and cast the spell Blanc had taught him.
"Light!"
A 1st Circle spell that summoned a small orb of light to illuminate the surroundings.
'Light' was so basic it was called the entry point for magic trainees.
Yet the orb from Ruyan's hand far surpassed that 'basic' level.
Brilliant glow.
A pure white sun rose, tolerating not a speck of darkness.
The mountain had just greeted dawn, but the peak blazed like midday under its light.
Nor was that all its extraordinariness.
The orb's diameter exceeded 1 meter.
Its light so noble that Ruyan stared blankly, unaware of his eyes nearly blinding.
This was the new magic born from the Return Heart Method!
Its power was on another dimension from conventional magic that confined mana artificially.
'I thought I'd reached the pinnacle of martial arts, but that was merely the starting line.'
In that instant, the unparalleled archmage of all worlds and dimensions was born.
At the same time, back home, Blanc was preparing to head out.
He'd normally still be asleep, but today he bustled about alone.
'It's a long way. To not be late, I need to leave now.'
He'd considered waiting for Ruyan to return from his predawn mountain stroll, but that would surely make him miss the timing.
Instead, Blanc left a note so his son wouldn't worry and set off.
-I'm going to Mason Village to establish a magic academy.
Mason Village was a full 35km away on foot, so even leaving now would be tight.
'If I boost my speed with magic, I can make it back by tonight.'
Blanc hurried to Mason Village because his magic theory was now complete.
'Life sure is interesting. To think I'd complete it thanks to Ruyan.'
Having attained enlightenment, Blanc had advanced to 5th Circle Mage last night.
A feat achieved 15 years after becoming a 4th Circle Mage.
Late compared to others—so late his title of 'genius mage' felt embarrassing.
But Blanc felt no disappointment whatsoever.
His achievement couldn't be measured merely by the number of circles.
Though only up to 3rd Circle was established so far, his theory had succeeded perfectly.
He'd discovered a new path and gained confidence to conquer 4th and 5th Circles ahead.
An astonishing accomplishment that would rewrite the magic history of the Sobles Continent.
In this situation, Blanc displayed yet another extraordinary side.
'I'll share it freely. Establish an academy so everyone can study the new theory.'
Though the fruit of a lifetime's labor, Blanc felt no regret.
It was an opportunity to seize wealth, power, and fame if used right, but Blanc harbored no greed.
'If my theory spreads, countless people can be saved.'
He'd begun researching the new theory to save his family's lives in the first place.
His ultimate goal was resolving congenital conditions untreatable by conventional magic or divine power.
The path hadn't been smooth, taking a full 15 years, but now complete, it had to be used thus.
"If I'd been just a bit faster, I wouldn't have had to send you away so soon."
Blanc murmured self-mockingly while gazing at the still-dark predawn sky.
A fine day, yet he ached with longing for his departed wife.
"But now I can keep my promise. No one else will suffer like you did."
Shaking off the sentiment, Blanc forced a brighter smile and quickened his pace.