Chapter 144 - Taming Changes - 2

"The crystal needs exactly 10 minutes," Ren repeated. "Plus it must be sealed with bronze rank aquatic plant root extract and..."

As Ren explained the method's details, Lin felt something she hadn't experienced in years: true hope for her beast's future.

"Why a thousand days?" she asked when Ren finished his explanation. "The traditional methods..."

"Traditional methods are incomplete," Ren interrupted gently. "As you saw today, there's much that those who wrote those books don't properly understand. The problem is they have to experiment blindly..."

Lin observed her crane's markings, thinking of all the times she had wished she could push her beast beyond its current limitations. The feather patterns shifted beneath her skin, as if sensing her renewed hope.

"The intermediate maturation isn't like ranking up, that's why it requires 10 times more energy... There's a final maturation later, but let's finish this one first."