NOVEL NEXT Chapter 60: Newfound
Fenix approached the ancient skeleton with careful reverence, his enhanced senses mapping every detail of the figure that had served as guardian to Levi's spiritual essence. The remains showed no signs of decay despite their obvious age, preserved by forces that transcended normal understanding of time and mortality.
His analytical mind catalogued potential artifacts with the systematic precision of someone who understood that overlooking valuable resources could prove fatal in the challenges ahead. Most of the skeleton's possessions had crumbled to dust over the centuries, but two items radiated power that made his newly awakened mana pathways respond with instinctive recognition.
The first was a necklace that defied easy classification. What appeared to be a simple strand of golden hair revealed itself under closer examination to be something far more complex and mysterious. The filaments shifted through subtle hue variations as light caught them from different angles - gold deepening to amber, then brightening to almost white radiance before cycling back through the spectrum in patterns that suggested conscious awareness rather than mere optical properties.
When he lifted the strand carefully from the skeleton's neck, it felt warm against his fingers despite having rested in this chamber for who knew how long. The material possessed qualities that challenged identification - not quite metal, not exactly organic, but something that existed in the spaces between normal classifications. Power flowed through the golden threads in patterns too complex for his current understanding to decode.
The second artifact was a black ring adorning the skeleton's finger, its surface covered with intricate runes that pulsed with barely contained energy. Unlike the mysterious necklace, this item's nature was immediately apparent to his awakened mana senses. Mana flowed through the carved symbols in carefully regulated patterns.
Both items slipped easily into his enhanced suit's secured compartments, though he made mental notes to examine them more thoroughly once he reached a safer location. The necklace's mysterious properties would require careful study, while the ring could be a treasures that might reshape his family's fortunes completely.
As he stepped back from the throne, preparing to continue his exploration of the chamber, something remarkable caught his attention. The shallow wounds he had sustained during his battle with the Brelgorn pack were healing at rates that exceeded his body's normal recovery capabilities. Cuts that should have required days to close were sealing themselves within minutes, while deeper injuries showed signs of regeneration that belonged in medical miracles rather than natural healing processes.
The phenomenon was impossible without external assistance - his aura enhancement provided improved resilience but nothing approaching this level of accelerated recovery. Which meant his newly awakened mana constitution was responsible for changes that transcended mere energy manipulation and entered the realm of fundamental biological enhancement.
Fenix settled into meditative position on the chamber's smooth floor, his enhanced senses extending outward to probe the atmosphere that surrounded him. What he discovered made his breath catch with recognition of opportunities that hadn't existed mere hours before.
The temple thrummed with ambient mana that flowed through its ancient stones like blood through living veins. Concentrations of mana moved in carefully regulated patterns that spoke of architectural design rather than natural accumulation. Whoever had constructed this place had integrated mana circulation into its fundamental structure, creating an environment where cultivation could proceed at rates that would be impossible in normal locations.
Before his constitutional awakening, this abundance had been completely invisible to his perceptions. Now, with awakened pathways that resonated with the temple's infrastructure, he could map every current and identify optimal positions for energy absorption.
The realization crystallized with brilliant clarity - he was sitting in what amounted to a cultivation paradise, surrounded by resources that could accelerate his development far beyond normal timelines. More importantly, something told him he wasn't ready for whatever challenges awaited beyond this chamber's protective boundaries. The instinct was subtle but insistent, suggesting that his current capabilities remained insufficient for the trials ahead.
Which meant this was the perfect opportunity to address that inadequacy through dedicated advancement.
Levi's instruction echoed in his memory with perfect clarity as he began planning his cultivation session. Mana advancement followed different patterns than aura enhancement, requiring systematic progression through clearly defined stages that couldn't be rushed without risking permanent damage to his foundation.
His current Novice rank represented the foundation level - basic mana circulation and rudimentary technique application. To advance to Novice+ would require absorbing sufficient energy to saturate his core's current capacity, then pushing beyond those limitations until his pathways expanded to accommodate greater power flow.
The next major threshold - breaking from Novice+ to Intermediate rank - demanded more complex processes. He would need to flood his body with mana until the energy concentration triggered systematic reconstruction of his physical form. Muscles, bones, organs, even his nervous system would adapt to handle the increased mana pressure that Intermediate cultivation required. Only when this reconfiguration completed could he safely push additional mana into his core to achieve true rank breakthrough.
The process carried significant risks. Cultivators with insufficient potential would find their bodies unable to complete the necessary adaptations, leaving them permanently trapped at Novice+ rank regardless of training dedication or energy availability. But his potential suggested such limitations didn't apply to his unique constitutional structure.
Fenix closed his eyes and began the systematic breathing patterns that would optimize mana absorption from his surroundings. The technique felt completely natural, genetic memory guiding his efforts as surely as if he had practiced for years.
Spiritual energy began flowing into his core with the steady patience of water filling a reservoir. Unlike aura cultivation, which responded to emotional intensity and desperate determination, mana advancement required calm precision and intellectual control. He guided each current of power through pathways that had been cleared by Levi's purification, feeling his capacity gradually expanding as his constitutional foundation adapted to its new purpose.
Time became meaningless as he existed in a state of pure development. The temple's abundant energy flowed through him in patterns that grew more sophisticated with each circulation cycle. His understanding of mana manipulation deepened as practical experience validated theoretical knowledge that had been mere academic study hours before.
His Novice rank core reached saturation after what felt like mere minutes but was probably several hours of dedicated absorption. The sensation was unmistakable - a feeling of fullness that indicated his current capacity had been maximized. But instead of stopping, he continued drawing power from the surrounding atmosphere, pushing his pathways beyond their established limitations.
The transition to Novice+ came with a rush of expanding capability that made his entire spiritual system sing with increased efficiency. Energy flowed more freely through channels that had been widened by controlled pressure, while his techniques gained stability and power that exceeded his previous understanding of what cultivation could accomplish.
But he was far from finished.
The breakthrough to Intermediate rank would require flooding his system with energy concentrations that exceeded safety parameters, trusting his potential to guide the physical reconstruction that would follow. The risk was significant - failure could damage his cultivation foundation permanently, leaving him weaker than when he started.
Yet the alternative was facing whatever dangers awaited with capabilities that might prove insufficient to protect not just himself, but the teammates who depended on his strength.
Fenix began drawing mana from the temple's reserves with systematic intensity that pushed his absorption rate beyond anything he had attempted before. Ethereal energy poured into his body in torrents that made his bones ache and his muscles spasm as concentrations exceeded what his current physical form could safely contain.
The reconstruction began without warning or ceremony.
Pain exploded through every cell in his body as fundamental changes commenced at the molecular level. His skeleton began adapting to handle increased mana pressure, bones growing denser while maintaining flexibility that would allow enhanced mobility. Muscle fibers restructured themselves to channel mana more efficiently while gaining strength that transcended normal human limitations.
Most remarkably, his nervous system underwent modifications that would allow conscious control over physiological processes that normally operated automatically. His enhanced awareness expanded to encompass internal functions as his brain developed new capabilities for processing the complex information that Intermediate cultivation made available.
The process continued for hours that felt like days, waves of transformation washing over him as his mythical potential guided adaptations that would have been impossible for lesser cultivators. His body rebuilt itself from the cellular level up, creating a foundation capable of channeling power that approached the supernatural in its refined precision.
Finally, when the physical reconstruction reached completion, Fenix began the final phase of his breakthrough attempt. Additional mana flowed into his core with carefully controlled intensity, building pressure that would either elevate him to Intermediate rank or destroy his cultivation foundation through excessive strain.
The moment of transition arrived with explosive clarity.
Power erupted through his mana pathways as barriers that had constrained his development shattered under accumulated pressure. His mana core expanded to accommodate energy flows that dwarfed his previous capabilities, while his entire constitutional system realigned to support the enhanced cultivation that Intermediate rank made possible.
Azure radiance blazed around his seated form as the breakthrough completed itself, ethereal energy painting the chamber walls with patterns of light that spoke of forces beyond normal understanding. The temple itself seemed to respond to his advancement, ancient systems recognizing the presence of someone whose potential exceeded their original design parameters.
When the energy finally stabilized, Fenix opened eyes that held depths of power that hadn't existed when he began this cultivation session. His awareness extended through dimensions he had never perceived before, mapping spiritual currents and energy patterns with precision that made his previous senses seem crude by comparison.
He had done it. Achieved Intermediate rank in mana cultivation despite starting from complete constitutional awakening just hours before. The advancement represented progress that should have required months or years of dedicated effort, compressed into a single session through combination of optimal conditions and potential that transcended normal limitations.
More importantly, he could feel the changes throughout his entire being. Enhanced strength that made his previous capabilities seem modest. Improved agility that would allow techniques he had never imagined attempting. Most significantly, the foundation for abilities that could challenge opponents whose power had seemed insurmountable just days before.
The Brelgorns that awaited beyond this chamber no longer represented impossible odds. With Intermediate mana cultivation complementing his existing aura abilities, he possessed advantages that even experienced pack hunters wouldn't anticipate or understand.
His teammates were waiting. His sister depended on his success. The family's future rested on discoveries that could only be secured through strength sufficient to overcome every challenge this temple presented.
Fenix rose from his meditative position with movements that carried fluid grace enhanced by fundamental improvements to his physical capabilities. His katana hummed at his side with approval that resonated through both his spiritual systems, the life weapon recognizing its wielder's advancement with satisfaction that bordered on pride.
The next phase of his temple exploration could begin. And this time, he would face whatever awaited with power that transcended the limitations that had defined his existence since awakening in this world.
The real test of his newfound capabilities was about to begin.