Chapter 17: Forming the Dantian

Inside the operation room, there were only three of us. Joyce warned me not to distract her because the operation she is about to do is not exactly safe for her or her daughter. Joyce started by pulling out her daughter’s soul, which was pretty strong around Rank-2 already. I then compiled a book on what Joyce is doing. Apparently, it is not a medical procedure, but a process to weaken her daughter’s soul by severing a part of it. I shouted to stop her because what she’s doing is pretty dangerous. I then asked why she is doing it. Joyce explained that Stephanie’s soul is too powerful for her body to handle. The only solution is to wait for her body to mature until she's 25 years old, hoping that it can alleviate the symptoms. Until then, there is a need to split a little part of her soul every time. Luckily, it hasn’t caused any permanent damage to her except for this time if I didn’t stop it. I explained that cutting the soul is too dangerous since unlike the physical body, it doesn’t have organs where you can pinpoint on which one is causing the problems.

While Stephanie’s soul looks fine on the surface, it actually has hidden trauma underneath. I touched Stephanie on the forehead to compile a book on her while she is unconscious. Because she is asleep, the library counts her as an object. Looking through Stephanie’s book, her soul is actually on the verge of dissipating, the same as the predicted result of the book that was formed regarding Joyce’s Procedure. Stephanie’s Soul would dissipate if the procedure were to be performed on her again. Her soul was innately born to be as strong as a Rank-1 Pinnacle, but with a normal mortal’s body, it is too strong for it to handle. I think I can help cure Stephanie for the time being. For me to do this, I would have to raise my mana cultivation rank to Rank-2. I told Joyce to give me a moment to strengthen myself. She looked at me weirdly and told me to go ahead. I then cleared my headspace, assimilated the second rank of mana cultivation, and began to practice it.

The second rank of mana cultivation involves opening the Dantian, a storage place for the mana absorbed by the body. Its functions include holding magic energy into the body, reforming one’s body, and facilitating the natural revolution of the mana all throughout the body. Normally, cultivators have only one Dantian, the most common being the lower Dantian that is located near the origin of life. It is located in the belly button where the umbilical cord that formerly connects the baby to the mother was cut. But the Rank-2 Cultivation Manual of The Heavenly Way states that there are actually three Dantians that can be opened simultaneously within the cultivator’s body by forming three cores. The lower Dantian helps reform the body. The middle Dantian, located right in between the two nipples in the sternum, helps refine the soul into something more than what a mortal’s soul is and into something that stands as respectable to martial artists. The final Dantian, located right in between the eyes, helps reform the mind into something that can process information faster than what a mortal mind can handle.

All those who awakened must open a storage for the mana they absorbed. Which storage depends on how that person cultivates. If only one of the Dantians is opened, the places farthest to it would be reformed the slowest. After finishing the Mana Cultivation of the Heavenly way, I have finally reached the second rank. Afterwards, I opened my eyes and saw the shock in the eyes of Joyce upon hearing all of these. I then approached Stephanie and sent out mana into various acupoints all throughout her body to refine it in accordance with the Heavenly Body Cultivation. Once I finished, a shockwave emanated from her body. It felt like a strong gust of wind but made entirely of mana. I wonder if this was how I got noticed outside the CAT office in the school. Joyce checked on Stephanie's condition repeatedly until she woke up.

Stephanie now feels stronger and fine. She later told Joyce that the invisible pressure that was emanating from her soul that was crushing her body disappeared. Joyce cried tears of joy. She told me that she wasn’t even sure if her fully matured body could handle her powerful soul. After settling down, Joyce asked Stephanie to go to her dad, Topher to let him know what happened. Joyce then transported me and Max to a mansion near the fortress, and in a nearby gazebo, we had a pretty long talk.