12. Outskirts of solace academy, Learning about cultivation

When leaving the academy into the forest he used a few solace gold to take a cab to the entrance of the school. Before he left the academy he made sure his things were still inside the storage ring. Once he made sure everything was inside he left for the desert area. "Hey Levi! , how long will it take to run to the desert area?. I'm feeling so much energy" Mariel said as he did some stretches. {From solace academy to the forest area is 500 metres, from the academy to the desert area is 10,000 metres or 10 kilometers, that will take you about one hour. If you run though}. "10km from here to the desert area!" Mariel said, dumbfounded by the distance. {The forest is a very big forest and besides, your cultivation is too low to begin with. How bout we reach a safe and quiet area so that we can cultivate} Levi said. "Is cultivation related to that apprentice mage stuff?" Mariel asked. {Cultivation is very crucial, check the textbook that that interviewer put in your storage ring} Levi said and Mariel checked his storage ring. He couldn't see anything at first but when he looked closer, he saw a small sized textbook by the corner. "I didn't even notice it before" Mariel said as he looked at the book cover. [Beginners guide]. {Let's get to a safe and quiet place first} Levi said and Mariel ran straight into the forest.

He ran very fast and then he noticed that he isn't getting tired. (Hey Levi, how fast am I running) he asked inwardly. {You are currently running at a speed of 5 metres per second, that is 18000m per hour. At this speed we'll get to the desert area in 45 minutes} Levi said and Mariel continued running at full speed.

As he was running he noticed a black dot in the distance. He activated his Phoenix eyes and looked closer. It was a black haired boy and black miasma was swirling around him. Mariel made a pause, he noticed that the boy was from solace academy as well because of the uniform. "What's that gas around him?" Mariel asked. {It's dark elemental energy that he's absorbing from the surroundings. Assuming you read the beginners guide you will know what it is}. "I know, I know. Let me find a good spot" Mariel said as he took off, running at full speed. While he was running he came across a waterfall and a river. "This should be the River area, but I can't see any monsters around" he said as he observed the area. "Apart from the soothing sound of water, it's very quiet here" he used his Phoenix eyes to find any secret location because it was already dark. "A cave!" he exclaimed as he saw a cave behind the waterfall and he ran into it.

When he entered the waterfall into the cave, he saw a glowing blue crystal floating in the middle of the cave. "What's this?" he asked walking around the crystal. {It's a warding crystal, and a powerful one. It wards off monsters and creatures from over 2 kilometers, it is also good for meditation and cultivation as it clears the mind and gives a state of peace} Levi explained. "I told you I'll find a good spot. And I did" Mariel said proudly as he brought out a small bed from his ring and spread it on the floor. As he sat down he brought out the textbook and began reading it. The essence of magicians and mages is Mana. Mana us a very pure form of energy gotten from the outside world and nature. As a mage cultivates this energy they will evolve and their strength, speed, senses would get sharper as they breakthrough. There are four stages for mages - The apprentice stage, spirit stage, master stage and grandmaster stage. Each of these stages has nine levels. The easiest way of cultivating this energy is to use breathing to collect this energy from the surrounding, that is till you get to the third level master mage whereas you have a spirit core.

He then closed the book and began to meditate, his eyes flew open and he furrowed his brows. "Hey Levi, how did I reach the fourth level apprentice mage anyway?" Mariel asked. {In order to calm your body from having reactions, I converted your awakening energy into Mana and you made breakthroughs} Levi explained. "Wow, no wonder I felt different than before" he said as he focused on cultivating.

The warding crystal made him have a sense of calmness and he cultivates the Mana faster. In about 45 minutes, he brokethrough to the 5th level apprentice mage and like that, he cultivated till the next morning.