Chapter 266 Working on Mana Veins (II)
Sitting in a lotus position, Alex took out two potions, the Elixir of Tranquility and the Potion of Arcane Empowerment, before drinking them and putting the empty bottles in his inventory.
After a few seconds, the potions started to take effect, making Alex feel his already calm mind transcend further into a state devoid of thoughts.
Alex became acutely aware of his surroundings as he sensed the presence of the rich darkness-element mana in his surroundings and flowing inside his body.
Normally, such changes would have made him feel various emotions, but now he experienced the sensation without any, and the strange thing was that he didn't even question it for a moment.
It was not like Alex suddenly turned cold and didn't feel any emotions, but all he had in mind was to start working on the foundation of his mana veins, with every other thought being a waste. Any previous traces of anxiety and fear of failure evaporated, leaving behind a serene canvas for his concentration.
Alex closed his eyes and used his mana sense on himself, creating a crystal clear image of his inside, watching his organs working diligently, witnessing the harmonious flow of blood and mana coursing through his veins, all being controlled by the rhythmic pulsations of his heart.
In this heightened state of focus, Alex directed his refined mana, stored within his heart, to manifest as a thin, shimmering strand of dark mana just above the Superior Vena Cava, one of the major veins.
Alex manipulated the strand of mana, mirroring the intricate path of the blood vessel, and like a skilled artist crafting an intricate masterpiece, he extended the strand, tracing the branching paths as the primary vein gave birth to smaller vessels.
As the Superior Vena Cava branched and multiplied into a web of channels, the complexity of Alex's task expanded in tandem, and what at the start was a swift and fluid progression now demanded a more measured approach.
Time seemed to stretch as minutes ticked by, each heartbeat echoing the rhythm of Alex's meticulous efforts. His focus remained unswerving, his resolve unshakeable.
After nearly an hour of steady and focused progress, Alex arrived at the points where Venule veins merged with arteries through the intricate channels of Capillaries, forming a circulatory blood circulation loop.
Alex wasn't going to replicate the Capillaries as it was humanly impossible to replicate billions of nano-sized veins responsible for the intricate network.
Alex was going to directly connect the mana veins mirroring the veins with one mirroring the arteries, creating a crude loop system, but it would not be the finalized version.
Because at the time of Fourth Rank promotion, the mana veins will evolve and take a similar and complex form to the normal circulatory system.
An individual could get promoted to the fourth Rank by simply awakening his elemental flame without creating mana veins, but then he would never have mana veins, which would significantly affect his ability to wield mana.
So, having reached the endpoints of the Venules, Alex connected each mana strand to its corresponding vein, and with the task laid out, ensuring no veins were overlooked because even if a single one got missed, then he would need to erase his work and start completed, he scanned the intricate pathway he had meticulously laid out, ensuring no veins were overlooked because even if a single one got missed, then he would need to erase his work and start again from scratch.
Alex found no missing area, and without wasting time, he moved to the next step of building the mana vein.
Alex had laid down the foundation by mapping out a section of the circulatory system using the thin mana strand, and now he was going to build a hollow tube around the mana strand using it as an anchor point.
Unlike the initial foundation-laying phase, Alex didn't need to create the entire intricate network of mana veins all at once, but instead, he would use the mana strand as structure support to complete one section at a time and perfect it before moving to the next one.
However, the endeavor had its challenges because even the slightest deviation in mana flow, an unintended surge of energy, or a flawed connection could lead to a collapse of the entire structure.
If such a mistake occurred, Alex would be required to begin anew, laying down the foundation and reworking the mana veins until they were flawlessly constructed.
The process might seem straightforward, yet it demanded immense patience, intense focus, and exceptional control over mana.
This was the very reason why even individuals possessing extraordinary qualities took months of dedicated effort before successfully building their mana veins.
Alex used the mana and began forming a hollow tube around the small mana strand, meticulously closing its end shut. He took his time, shaping the vein's structure as perfectly as possible, inch by inch, ensuring its integrity.
As minutes elapsed, the tube reached a point where the blood vessel split into multiple channels. Alex continued advancing in the main direction, doing the same at every other minor division.
Upon reaching one end of the vein, Alex returned to the point where the veins first divided, and with meticulous care, he split the mana vein and initiated his progression in the opposite direction.
Alex was more than half done when the effects from the two potions ended, but he was in a state of complete focus, so he didn't even feel it and kept working on the intricate web of veins.
Alex maintained this pattern of following, dividing, and progressing for the next Eleven hours, replicating each and every vein, from major to minor, until his body became infused with an intricate network of pitch-dark veins.
Alex carefully reviewed his work, inspecting every nook and cranny to ensure he hadn't missed any area or left any part needing his attention, and once he was satisfied with his work, he moved to the final stage to check the integrity of the mana veins.
Alex stopped the flow of mana, maintaining the mana strands that had served as the foundation, removing it in an instant before he channeled a steady stream of mana into the newly formed veins.
This final step was a test, a make-or-break moment that would determine the success or failure of his endeavor, and even though Alex was confident in his work, there was still a chance of failure.
Alex unconsciously held his breath as the mana coursed through the intricate pathways he had meticulously crafted, observing every inch of the structure for any signs of weakness or malfunction.
The mana stream coursed seamlessly through the veins, reaching its endpoint without encountering any issues, and with a few seconds of observation confirming the success, Alex opened his eyes, a bright smile lighting up his face.
'It took me close to two months in my last life to complete my first major vein successfully, but now I did it on the first attempt,' Alex thought, happy by his achievement.
'I hope I have a smiler success with awakening my Elemental Flame,' Alex thought as he stood up and started to stretch.
After a few minutes of stretching, Alex opened the game forums to see if there were any new developments, and other than the Empire deploying army regiments to various cities and towns, the only other thing being talked about was the three lucky guilds.
Those three Luck guilds were obviously the Frozen Flower, Chossen Champion, and the Ravenglades Guild, who were at the perfect place at a perfect time.
Some Guilds and a vast number of players did question their luck as having millions of members gathered inside the cities when an ongoing clash against a big threat was happening was unusual, to say the least, but the guild kept silent.
After spending some time on the forums, Alex proceeded to contact Thogrim, who told him to wait at the entrance of the rouge city and someone would come to pick him up from there.
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