The training grounds gradually returned to life after General Kaelen dismissed the recruits. Leon slowly opened his eyes, and the steady rhythm of Sage Guidance never faltered. He was pulling the ambient Qi into his meridians and gradually filling them up; that was the fundamental essence of the technique.
He glanced inward, estimating his capacity to be roughly half full. Completely filling up the meridians normally required six hours—eight to nine hours for a beginner, and sometimes longer while the body adjusted. His first cycle was progressing exactly as it should.
More importantly, maintaining Sage Guidance no longer required his active focus, a stark contrast to a few hours ago when doing anything while channeling required his absolute concentration. The Universal Vessel had quietly adapted in the background, allowing him to think, walk, talk, and observe all while his cultivation continued effortlessly.
Satisfied, Leon rose to his feet and stretched. The morning training field had become considerably quieter than yesterday, with dozens of recruits scattered around the clearing, each locked in their own private battle against Sage Breathing. Some breathed too quickly, others unconsciously held their breath, and several had only just discovered their natural rhythm. Yet the atmosphere had distinctly changed; yesterday everyone had looked terrified, but today they looked determined. Leon smiled faintly, silently approving of the shift.
✦ ✦ ✦
The first person he found was Ethan.
"...and... they... say..." Ethan walked across the clearing with exaggerated concentration, every syllable painfully interrupted by careful breaths. "...cheating..."
He took one more step, matching his stride to the energy. "...won't..."
Another heavy breath. "...get..."
He frowned, his focus wavering. "...you..."
His breathing broke completely. "...far."
The rhythm collapsed instantly. Ethan stopped walking and sighed dramatically, letting his shoulders slump. "Damn it."
Leon chuckled, stepping up beside him. "You almost had it."
"I know," Ethan rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. "I can either breathe, or I can talk. Apparently doing both at the same time is asking too much of my brain right now."
"You'll get there."
"I know," Ethan grinned, his usual easygoing nature returning. "But if you tell anyone I lost a fight to my own breathing, I'll deny it."
✦ ✦ ✦
Leon continued through the camp, noting that most recruits had reached roughly the same bottleneck. They had found their Spirit Blood and could maintain Sage Breathing, provided they remained perfectly still. The moment they shifted their weight or took a step, everything collapsed, exactly as expected. Not a single one besides Ethan had even started attempting to talk while maintaining the technique.
Near the edge of the field, Lyra stood beside Adrian. Unlike the others, Adrian wasn't meditating alone. Lyra walked slow circles around him, occasionally correcting his posture or the timing of a breath with a firm, practiced touch.
"...Too shallow," she noted.
Adrian adjusted his chest immediately.
"Better," she nodded once.
Leon watched the private tutoring for a few seconds before quietly moving on, seeing no reason to interrupt them.
A little farther away, Davis was practicing entirely by himself. He slowly walked across the clearing, occasionally stopping whenever his rhythm slipped before calmly beginning again. There was no frustration and no panic, just steady repetition. Leon smiled; Davis had always been exceptionally good at steady, quiet improvement.
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Only one recruit remained seated exactly where he had been since morning: Miller. His shoulders were slumped, his breathing was visibly uneven, and every few seconds he would think he had found the rhythm, only to lose it a moment later. Leon walked over and sat directly beside him in the dirt. Neither spoke for several moments.
Eventually, Miller let out a long, exhausted sigh. "I think... I'm just not built for this."
Leon looked at him. "Why?"
"I'm the only one left."
"You aren't."
"It feels like it," Miller muttered after another failed attempt, burying his face in his hands. "I don't have your talent. I just... keep falling behind."
Leon shook his head firmly. "No."
Miller blinked, looking up through his fingers. "No?"
"No," Leon looked toward the distant, jagged mountains. "Your problem isn't talent; it's investment. You don't actually care about cultivation."
Miller frowned, his tone defensive. "I care plenty."
"You care about going home," Leon corrected flatly. "You don't dream about becoming stronger, you don't want to fight powerful enemies, you don't want glory, and you don't want rare treasures. You want a normal life."
Miller lowered his head, the defense draining out of him. "...Yeah."
"You'd be perfectly happy taking low-risk jobs," Leon continued calmly. "Gathering herbs, patrolling nearby roads, earning enough to eat, and waiting until someone finds a way back."
"...Exactly," Miller whispered.
Leon nodded. "That's why this feels hollow. You aren't cultivating because you desire power; you're cultivating because someone told you that you need it."
Miller stared at the ground for a long moment. "...What's wrong with just waiting until you find the way back? I don't want to keep risking my life. Joining the frontier was good initially because we didn't know anything else, but now we have food and shelter. We can take it easy."
"But think about it differently," Leon countered, his voice level. "If there really is a way home, you won't reach it by being just strong enough to pick herbs. You'll probably need strength on General Kaelen's level—maybe even higher."
The words hung quietly between them.
"For someone whose goal is home," Leon smiled faintly, "strength isn't the destination. It's transportation."
Miller couldn't help laughing, the tension finally snapping. "...That's the nerdiest thing you've ever said."
"I've said worse."
"Fair," Miller stood up, stretching his legs before looking across the training field.
"Besides," Leon pointed toward several recruits still sitting perfectly motionless in the distance. "Most of them are only just finding their rhythm too. You're not behind; you've just been looking in the wrong direction."
Miller stared at him for several long seconds, and then a genuine smile broke across his face. "...Thanks." He straightened his back, taking a deep, deliberate breath. "Guess I'd better start walking toward home then."
He closed his eyes again, and this time, his breathing was steady—just like a man who knows the exact destination he is walking toward.
✦ ✦ ✦
Leon stood up and went to check on Maya next.
"Mmh," Maya opened one eye as his shadow fell over her. "You."
He walked over. "You need something?"
She nodded, rising to her feet. "I figured something out. When you're nearby... it's easier."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "You already mentioned that."
"I know," she smiled sheepishly. "But I tested it. When you're close, I stop overthinking and my breathing just settles. Your calming aura can help with my cultivation. Breathing exercises need a person to be calm, and that's probably why you finished so quickly. You are the source of that aura, so of course it's easy for you."
Leon gave the same small smile he had given the last time she mentioned the Leon effect. "Well, it's not exactly a calming aura, and it's not the reason I—"
"Whatever it is, it's useful," she interrupted, taking a careful breath. "Watch this."
Maintaining her Sage Breathing, she took one cautious step, then another, then a third. On the fourth, her rhythm broke completely. "Oh no." She hurried after Leon to catch up, restarted the technique, and managed two more steps before losing it again. "...Seriously?"
Leon couldn't help smiling. "You're improving."
"Barely."
"You made it three steps. Yesterday it was zero."
"I hate that you're right," she sighed dramatically before resetting her posture to try again.
The two wandered toward the village marketplace, with Maya occasionally stumbling and running to catch up before trying the rhythm again. Around them, merchants were arranging goods, blacksmiths hammered glowing metal, and children ran through the streets laughing. For the first time since arriving, the village actually felt alive.
Then, a sudden movement caught Leon's eye. A familiar elderly cultivator hurried through the streets with surprising urgency. It was the Soul Investigator, running with a panicked expression as he headed straight for Lyra.
Leon's expression sharpened instantly. Without saying anything, he quietly changed direction, and Maya followed closely behind. By the time they arrived at the edge of the grounds, Lyra, Adrian, and the investigator were already deep in conversation.
"...another fluctuation?" Lyra asked, her posture rigid.
The old man nodded gravely, wiping sweat from his brow. "Identical."
"The location?"
"The Demonic Beast Territories," the investigator replied, pointing toward the southern horizon. "The southern region. The exact same area."