Lena experienced her first flash upgrade today, and she was beyond excited! She felt spoiled, and rightfully so, because her mana quality progression was basically railroaded by a guy who was a lot stronger than her, had plenty to offer, and cared enough about her to help her progress!
Most mages did not have such privileges, they certainly did not. Some progressed through magic schools, some progressed as groups without much of a hierarchy to help them, but overall, it was quite difficult to reach the higher realms of mana. It was a known fact that the few mages who had become Expert Mages or more, liked to hold on to their secrets, so there truly was no easy way for every single mage to progress!