Lassim lay on the ground, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.
The explosion had taken him completely by surprise, the sheer force of it leaving him winded and disoriented.
As he slowly sat up, he surveyed the destruction he had wrought. The training dummy was in pieces, shattered fragments strewn across the arena.
He could see the scorch marks on the ground, the remnants of his experimental technique etched into the surroundings.
"What in the world just happened?" he muttered to himself, rubbing his head that was also rocked by the explosion. He had never expected such a violent reaction.
As he stood up, dusting himself off, he glanced around the deserted arena. It was the middle of the night, and thankfully, no one had been around to witness the havoc he had caused or scold him for destroying a target dummy as a servant rank disciple.
He approached the broken dummy, examining the pieces with a mixture of awe and apprehension.
The explosion had been far more powerful than anything he had anticipated and caught him unprepared. The water and lightning elements had combined in a way that created an incredible release of energy, but he was unsure how to replicate it or control it.
As he pondered what to do next, a movement on the far edge of the arena caught his eye.
A lightning construct emerged from a non-descript hole in the wall of a building near the high-tech dummies.
The construct was humanoid, composed entirely of crackling blue-white energy, its form shifting and flickering as it moved. It approached the shattered dummy with a sweeping motion of its hand, and Lassim watched in amazement as the pieces of the dummy began to magnetize and draw together, fitting back into place.
The construct’s movements were precise and methodical. It manipulated the pieces with an expert touch, realigning them and reactivating the enchantment array.
Within moments, the dummy was whole again, its surface glowing with renewed energy. The seams from where it has been ripped apart glowed and fused together back to perfect condition in less than ten seconds, much faster than the normal regeneration from before.
The construct paused for a moment, as if ensuring its work was complete, before slowly walking back to its hole and returning to inactivity.
Lassim exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. "Well, that’s a relief," he said aloud. "At least I won’t have to explain this to anyone."
He glanced back at the now pristine dummy. "It also looks brand new too. Maybe it just needed some maintenance after all of these years," he mused as if trying to see a positive side to him destroying it ruthlessly. The dummy looked better than it had before, its energy vibrant and intact.
Glad that he wasn’t going to be scolded or run off as a servant rank disciple for the damage he caused, Lassim readied himself for another attempt.
The technique had been incredibly powerful, but he needed to understand it better and learn to control it so he could actually use it in a fight repeatedly. He approached the dummy again, this time with a clearer idea of what he needed to do.
He then spent the next few hours experimenting, trying to recreate the explosive reaction.
Each attempt brought him closer to understanding the delicate balance between the water and lightning elements.
He channeled the water mana, focusing on maintaining the density and stillness of the particles, while carefully infusing the core with lightning plasma. It was an intricate technique, requiring steady precision and a lot of mental effort.
Frustration mounted as he failed to achieve the same result after nearly 500 more attempts. He realized that his initial success on that first attempt had truly been a stroke of luck.
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The complexity of the technique required a level of control that he was still developing.
However, each failure taught him something new with the mana particles and how to balance the water and lightning energy. He continued to adjust his approach with each attempt.
As the landscape began to brighten under the cloudy sky, signaling the dawn of a new day, Lassim finally managed to recreate the explosive attack once more on his 956th attempt.
This time, he was prepared for the knockback. He braced himself and slid back about fifty meters, but maintained his footing this time.
The explosion was just as powerful as before, sending a shockwave through the arena and leaving scorch marks in its wake.
He observed the aftermath more closely this time.
Luckily the renewed target dummy survived the explosion, albeit barely, but this time the enchantment’s energy storage allowed it to self-heal its shattered frame by itself without the assistance of the Lightning construct.
The first thing he noticed this time that he had missed during the first time he performed the technique was that the dense water mana had superheated, mixing with the plasma to create a searing explosion. The chaotic dense water expanded out together with the beads of plasma causing the intense burst.
The smoke that appeared from the explosion was actually an intense burst of steam that was scorching hot, adding to the residual damage.
"Incredible," he whispered, marveling at the destructive potential of the technique.
He realized that the key was maintaining the stability of the water mana, keeping it tightly packed and pressured into not moving while allowing the lightning to run rampant within it.
Once the halberd struck, the disruption of the pressure that held it all together caused the elements to react violently, resulting in the explosive release of energy.
"It’s like a bomb you’d see made from a fire elemental spirit warrior," Lassim mused.
"But if I can control the way it releases its burst, possibly even direct the explosion, it could become an even more incredibly powerful technique than it already is."
He thought about the possibility of shaping the explosion, perhaps into a cone to focus the damage forward and away from himself and any allies. There was so much potential beyond the base technique he’d created, but it would require further refinement and practice.
"Let’s not get ahead of myself. It took nearly 1000 more tries just to replicate it again. I’ll focus on lowering the knockback effect it has on me first, possibly reducing the overall power for now or adjusting my stance in a way that lets me stay in place first. Then I can worry about making it even more lethal," Lassim thought to himself.
He spent the next few hours continuing his experiments, adjusting the variables and trying to find a way to control the knockback of the explosion.
The process was slow and painstaking, but he felt a sense of progress with each attempt. He reduced the number of attempts between successful activations down from nearly 1000 to around 600. It was good progress, but more effort was needed.
However, Lassim was exhilarated and not disheartened at all. He had a better understanding of the way the technique formed and the potential it held. He now had the first goal on his list partially complete and something to successfully progress towards for the near immediate future.
As he prepared to leave the arena to get some rest after a full night of effort, his mind was buzzing with ideas on the activation and different postures and ways to contract his muscles to make the knockback reduced.
He needed more time to refine the technique, but he was confident that he was on the right track. The potential for damage and the versatility of the explosion were incredible, and he was determined to master it.
~~~~
In the early hours of the night, a figure stood among the low rumble and activity of the perpetual lightning storm, watching Lassim’s progress with keen interest.
Sect Master Volten had been observing the young cultivator’s efforts since his arrival and even monitoring his budding friendship with the other servant rank disciples, his eyes narrowed in concentration.
He had just witnessed Lassim’s initial success with the experimental technique and the subsequent explosion that had rocked the arena.
"So, he’s created a Heaven-grade technique with such a tiny bit of effort," Volten murmured to himself, a mixture of admiration and concern in his voice. "This boy is truly blessed, but it’s going to be difficult to humble him. Oh, what a troublesome problem you’ve given me, my dear pupil."
He recalled the letter from Headmaster Ferrum, outlining the plan to humble Lassim and potentially bring his attitude down a bit. The Headmaster recognized the potential for Lassim’s future as someone so blessed and someone that’d have an easier life not being able to relate to those around him.
The guardians of Nexaria became aware of Lassim as soon as he received two elements. Knowing the omen it represented, they’d already decided to lead him towards their goal and to turn him into the future representative and defender of humanity, instead of someone who might fall into the clutches of the cult.
Fortunately or unfortunately, in the travel time after the letter was written, the cult of the abyssal worshipers had already had their run in with Lassim. Luckily he was able to be protected in that moment and Lassim’s impression of the cult was now horrible. It’d have been unfortunate if things had gone any other way like them actually recruiting him or worse, killing him at that time.
The Headmaster’s concerns in the letter Lassim passed him were valid. Lassim had faced very few setbacks in his journey, and if he didn’t learn the value of struggle, he might become susceptible to the cult’s influence when he eventually faced them again if he experiences too large of a setback.
He might rely on their easy power and all hope for this pocket world within this universe could be doomed.
"We need him to understand the struggle of the common man more," Volten continued, his gaze fixed on Lassim.
"He needs to know the value of the average cultivator’s efforts and building resilience even if you have a tough life thrust upon you. Yes, he’s been blessed, but he can’t think of himself as invincible. Hopefully, he will recognize his privilege and become stronger because of it.
He needs to understand the weight of the pressure that will be placed on him soon, but strive under that weight instead of crumble."
Volten watched as Lassim continued his training, the young cultivator’s determination evident in every movement.
There was so much potential there, an incredible power waiting to be unleashed. But it had to be tempered with humility and understanding.
"We’ll see how you handle the challenges ahead, brat," Volten said quietly. "You have the potential to be a great leader, but you need to learn what it means to struggle and to overcome. Only then will you be ready to face the future and lead humanity against the darkness."
With that, Sect Master Volten stepped back and teleported away from the stormy sky, his mind filled with plans for how to guide Lassim during his time in the sect. Possibly more drastic measures would need to be taken to pressure him harder.
The road ahead would be difficult for Lassim, but he was determined to ensure that
Lassim emerged stronger, wiser, and ready to fulfill the responsibility that Nexaria was going to force him to uphold sooner or later.