"Correct." Senton had just replied to Solus when he noticed a red spark.

The pitch-black darkness of his body made even the faintest light shine like a sun. Rena’s core, instead, was already powerful, and she didn’t notice anything until its radiance grew significantly stronger.

It took Elina a few minutes to realize that the rhythm marked by the bell was two beats slower than her core’s. Once she did, she immediately adjusted her breathing technique and managed to Awaken, breaking through the bright orange and achieving the dull yellow.

Thanks to Lith’s regular rejuvenation treatments, she painlessly released a few impurities that the tower cleansed before their stench could stink up the air.

Rena needed even longer, while Senton failed to understand the significance of what he was doing.

"My mana core has been burning bright for a while now, but nothing happens." He said. "What am I doing wrong?"

"Your mana core has its own unique rhythm." Tista said. "Breathing in synch to the sound of the bell stimulates your core, but it’s not enough to Awaken. You need to tweak your breathing rhythm until it matches your mana flow."

"Thank you." A minute later, Senton Awakened as well.

Going from red to bright red produced almost no changes in his body, and he expelled no impurities.

"What you’ve learned now is called Accumulation." Rena and Elina already knew it, but Lith said it out loud not to make Senton realize that he had finished last by a wide margin. "Practice it until it becomes second nature to you."

Raaz was already familiar with his breathing technique, but he enjoyed the feeling of his mana core growing stronger with each breath he took.

A few minutes later, Lith taught them Invigoration. Once they mastered it as well, he dispelled the extra world energy and allowed his students to open their eyes.

"That’s it?" Senton asked. "I don’t feel any different."

"Because you are not." Lith shook his head. "At this level of body refinement, there are only a few differences with a regular human. I’ll now teach you how to use your new abilities one by one."

Lith Warped everyone in the Firing Range and explained Life Vision, Fire Vision, Fusion Magic, and Spirit Magic to them.

"Good gods!" Raaz made the mistake of using Life Vision to observe his son, and the magical aura shrouding Lith blinded him. "You shine like a sun, son."

"Then you’d better not look at Solus, Dad." He replied. "With her tower active, she has the combined mana flow of her violet core and the tower core."

"Which is why I always wear cloaking rings." She sighed, slipping them on her fingers.

"I finally have Fire Vision!" Rena roared in triumph. "I won’t be the worst cook in the family anymore."

"I have Fire Vision too, sweetie." Elina chuckled.

"I know, but at least now it’s a fair competition." Rena grunted. "Lith always cheated before."

"I never denied it." Lith shrugged. "Now stop looking at each other and look at yourself. Life and Fire Vision require no training. You either use them or you don’t. Fusion and Spirit Magic, however, are different."

Everyone was enthusiastic about Fusion Magic until they tried it out.

"This is nothing compared to the potions!" Senton said. "Even though I’m using air and fire fusion, I’m as slow as paint drying, and my strength barely improved."

"Again, your body refining is still in the early stages." Lith replied. "You’ll rely on the potions and complement them with Fusion Magic for a long time. I just wanted you to understand your current abilities and limits.

"Sit down, please. To employ your newfound powers properly, you first need to understand how they work. We can split the six base elements into three branches. Light and earth are the elements of creation..."

He gave them a brief introduction to his theory about magic before having them practice the elements of balance, air and water.

"Remember what I’ve told you. Conjuring water and wind is easy. The real hurdle is creating and controlling mist, ice, air blades, and lightning. Choose one element and practice it until you run out of mana.

"Then use Invigoration and get back to work until I tell you otherwise. Begin." Lith marked them all as apprentices in the tower mainframe, granting them partial access to the tower core.

Without the extra flow of world energy nurturing their bodies, Senton would have lasted seconds before needing to use Invigoration and Raaz minutes.

Elina and Rena had more mana, but powerful beginners like them tended to make up for their poor technique with raw strength and wouldn’t last much longer.

The Firing Range prevented accidents, neutralizing any wild spell before someone could get hurt.

Much to everyone’s surprise, Raaz was as quick a study as Elina, sometimes even faster.

"Good gods, dear." She said in amazement. "You Awakened first and now this. It seems we finally know where our children inherited their talent for magic. I’m so proud of you."

Upon Awakening, everyone had noticed who had already Awakened and who hadn’t. Elina knew to have Awakened second, just like Senton knew to be the last.

"Thanks, but I’m actually a cheat." Raaz scratched his head in embarrassment. "Lith taught me how to feel and control my mana flow during our second trip to Jambel. Remember?"

"The fishing trip!" She nodded. "And you made it this far with just one lesson?"

"I had a lot of fun, so it was hard to forget." Raaz shrugged. "Can I share what I learned back then with the others?"

"No, Dad." Solus shook her head. "Words are pointless, and you don’t know how to form mind links yet. Besides, you’ve reached enlightenment that day. Don’t rob them of the opportunity to do the same."

Senton felt a bit envious of Raaz, but after checking how weak he was compared to the others, he felt no shame in his struggles.

’I don’t come from a magical bloodline and have never practiced magic.’ He thought. ’I can’t gauge how talented I am until I grow strong enough to compare my powers with the Verhens.’

Lith interrupted Senton’s practice first, when Invigoration replenished only half of his mana. Then it was Raaz’s turn, Elina’s, and finally Rena’s

"This is Silverwing’s book, The Basics of Magic." He handed them a copy each. "You have to read it on your own time, when you are free or are resting. Don’t ask me for advice until you’ve given your all, yet can’t find a solution on your own."

"I told you I don’t want to become a mage or a warrior." Senton panted, and Rena nodded.

"You still need to practice a breathing technique, or you’ll age. If you don’t temper your body, instead, you won’t be able to withstand the breakthroughs." Lith replied. "Also, you don’t need to stop working in your shop to practice magic.

"You can heat the metals with fire magic and temper them with water magic. You can remove the external impurities in an ore batch with earth magic. You can use Fusion Magic to support your crafting techniques, Senton.

"There are countless ways to apply magic in your daily life. Finding those who suit you best is also a form of training. The same applies to the rest of you. Rena, you can use magic to cook, fix your yard, or help Dad till and water his fields.

"The only thing you shouldn’t do with magic unless it’s an emergency, is carrying and lifting heavy weights."