Landor cooked some food for them. While he was doing so, he heard Daren's voice. "I'm sorry, Uncle Landor. You had to go through all that because of me. And I didn't even listen to you like you asked me to."
Landor didn't look back and said, "Don't worry about that. Just eat and sleep today. We'll talk about this tomorrow. I have something to tell you."
Daren nodded. Soon, the food was ready, and they both filled their bellies. Landor told Daren about how the hunt had gone. They didn't talk about the day's events at all. After they were done eating and washing up, they finally went to sleep.
Daren lay in the bed, thinking about how his life had changed in a matter of hours. From being the cursed boy of the village, he had suddenly become the next village healer.
Not only that, he was one like never seen before. And he owed it all to Landor. Without him, he probably would have already killed himself by forcing himself to cultivate. And if he somehow survived that, starvation would have surely killed him.
While Daren was thinking about Landor, Landor was also thinking about Daren. Daren's path ahead, to be precise. 'His Anima really surprised me. Thankfully, he seemed to have some control.
When I asked him to promise that he would not try that method before absorbing his first Origin Bead, I really didn't think that he would actually follow through. If he hadn't, we really would have had to kill or cripple him at the least.
The power to drain life, it's not as if it has never been seen before. Sure, it may look like it's unique in the Plains, but the big tribes are really familiar with it. They would have killed Daren without any explanation. Unfortunately, owners of such abilities usually go on a spree as soon as they discover them.
But Daren is different. He knows self-control. I'll tell him about that tomorrow. The secret that I promised to tell him. The key that will allow him to truly change his fate. A privilege that only Body Anima Users have.'
The next morning, Daren woke up to the smell of grilled meat. He woke up almost instantly, earning a chuckle from Landor. He greeted, "Good morning, Uncle Landor."
Landor replied, "Good morning. Quickly finish your breakfast. We're making a few changes to your routine today."
Daren looked at him curiously. "Just finish your breakfast," Landor said. Daren nodded and dug in. After he was done, Landor sat him down seriously.
He began, "Daren, with your new ability, you could probably reach Level 10 in just two months."
Daren smiled happily. But Landor continued, "I wouldn't suggest doing that."
Daren asked, "Why, Uncle Landor?"
"Because it would defeat the purpose of cultivation. Today I'll teach you about cultivation," Landor said. Daren looked at him with focused eyes.
Landor continued, "As the Elder told you before, cultivation consists of 12 Stages and Four Phases. Each Phase has three Stages, and each Stage has ten levels. Today, we'll only talk about the First Phase, the Foundational Phase. It consists of the three stages:
Anima Novice (Level 1-10)
Anima Soldier (Level 11-20)
Anima Commander (Level 21-30)
But why is it known as the Foundational Phase?"
Daren thought about it for a while, but then shook his head. He had little to no knowledge of cultivation. Daren, already expecting this, said, "Let's consider your entire cultivation journey to be a tree. You awakened Anima is the seed. The Foundational Phase is all about developing robust roots so that they can support a larger tree in the future. The better your roots are, the healthier the tree they will be able to support. Now, what would the roots equate to here?"
Daren thought about it again. He made a wild guess, "Um… Essence reserves?"
Landor shook his head and said, "Close but no. It's your body. Where would you reserve that essence? That is why the Foundational Phase is also known as the Body Tempering Phase. Do you remember when I told you that I would tell you a secret?
It's Body Tempering. It is especially important for Body Anima Users like yourself. Care to guess why?"
Daren's brain suddenly went into overdrive. He said, "Since we're strengthening the body, and my Anima is my body, does that mean…?"
Landor replied, "Good job. For Body Anima Users, it means directly strengthening your Anima without merging with any Origin Beads. Daren, remember this well. Never overly rely on Levels."
Daren asked, "But how do I temper my body?"
Landor replied, "There are seven levels to Body Tempering. But we'll focus on the first two: Copper Skin and Jade Muscles. You train by working out. As your body heals, it will naturally grow stronger."
Daren said, "But that would take too long. Can't I just heal my own body?"
Landor replied, "You can. But it would be extremely painful. You saw what rapid healing did to Nord yesterday. And that was a seasoned hunter."
Daren was silent. He had witnessed Nord struggling not to scream. But this was the price to pay. He said, "I'll do it."
Landor continued to answer all the questions that Daren had. Landor disappeared for a while and returned with a beast corpse. Landor said, "I'll strike your skin with a wooden rod. This will cause wounds all over your body. After that, you just need to drain the corpse and eat some of your flowers. Understood?"
Daren nodded. Landor got a wooden stick and began walking around Daren. He struck Daren's skin almost rhythmically, until almost all of Daren's skin was red and bruised. Tears had already appeared in Daren's eyes, and Landor could tell that the boy was doing everything he could not to cry.
Under Landor's instruction, Daren summoned his Anima and drained the corpse. He felt the warm current flow through his body. But most of it was focused on the skin. More flowers also bloomed on the roots. He felt his skin itching intensely. An itch that he couldn't scratch.
After he was done, Landor smiled and said, "Good job. Now you meditate. I have to leave for the hunt soon."
Daren nodded and sat down. He didn't know if it was just him, but meditation felt more effective than usual. Night soon fell, and Landor returned. But he had brought an injured warrior with him. The warrior had a large gash on his chest. Daren looked at him and understood what he had to do. He summoned Anima and fed the warrior a flower.
Then he channelled his essence near the wounded area through his roots. The wound healed visibly, leaving only a thin whitish scar. The warrior murmured, "He truly is a healer…"
And thus, Daren began a new routine. Skin training, healing, breakfast, meditation, lunch, more meditation, followed by evening workout, dinner, healing injured warriors, and sleep. And thus, a year passed. Daren had grown — not just in body, but in roots that dug deeper with every drop of blood and essence he endured.