BXBX NOVEL Chapter 97 (XCVII) Accident
Jackson called Khione and Umbra forth from his body as they reappeared on the ground and began wandering around the house, investigating their new surroundings. He took a seat at the table and sighed, grabbing a cube of cheese and popping it into his mouth.
He reached into his Gobbii Bag, pulled out the black Skillbook, and flipped to the second position, which covered opening the Second and Third Conduits, the Alchimerical Lungs. He had refrained from practicing on the shuttle, but now that he was back inside God's Tower, Jackson was eager to continue.
The second position was a modified Lotus Position, adjusting the spine and stretching the upper body while taking slow, deep breaths, increasing the quality and quantity of air, and infusing it with their life force before exhaling it into the air around them.
The process was taxing on the body at first, draining them of their own energy while increasing the air's density and quality. As the process continued, the air would become dense and thick, allowing the user to breathe in more significant quantities while the amount of life force in the atmosphere continued to increase.
Rather than depleting the amount of mana within the user, instead, it allowed them to gather more potent amounts of it from the environment, further strengthening and enhancing it.
Eventually, the process became more manageable, allowing the user to draw in copious amounts of pure, unadulterated power directly from the air around them.
Jackson stood from the chair and exited the room with the two small Spirit Beasts following him curiously. He walked down the hall and entered the last door into a small office. He grabbed a cushion off an oversized chair and sat on top of it on the ground as he got into the traditional Lotus Position.
He closed his eyes and focused, breathing slowly in and slowly out, feeling the pressure in his lungs increase with every inhale and exhalation. Khione watched as Jackson breathed deeply, protecting him from the corner of her eye. The small Winged Snowdrift Panther tilted her head as she turned, staring at him from the corner.
Umbra, the Twilight Wyvern, lay curled up in a ball near Khione, resting his head against the side of his companion's neck. All the running around and excitement had finally worn off, and he was sleepy.
Jackson's focus intensified, his mind focusing solely on the task at hand, ignoring everything else around him until all that existed was his breath.
His vision blurred, and the world around him faded, becoming hazy and indistinct.
Each breath became more visible with a sky-blue tint. The room became denser, his body releasing his life force from his core with each cycle. The process for him to deplete all of his energy was extensive.
Thanks to the two previous sources of energy present, his core was expansive. Khione and Umbra both benefitted from the mana-rich air as both were curled up next to one another, drowsy from Jackson's training.
Jackson drew in massive volumes of fresh, crisp, clear, mana-rich air through his nostrils, filling his entire being. He could sense the flow of magic within his veins and arteries, coursing throughout his whole system before collecting inside his core.
He released the excess of his essence, exhaling loudly as he sent it out in a wave of shimmering, sparkling particles, moving outward in all directions. His skin glowed with an ethereal, radiant sheen as his hair and clothes fluttered in the wind.
Khione lifted her head, blinking, her ears perking up as she listened intently. She sniffed the air, her nose twitching. Umbra stirred, lifting his snout and sniffing repeatedly. Jackson took a deep breath, tasting the sweetness of the rich and dense air.
His lungs expanded as far as his chest could, his ribs expanding to accommodate the influx of oxygen. With a sudden rush of clarity, his senses returned to him. Khione and Umbra instinctively recalled themselves, leaping back into his body as his eyes shot open.
Jackson sighed heavily before taking a deep breath, sucking the entirety of the mana-rich air in the room into his body, holding it before exhaling violently, a massive explosion shredding the entire building.
He shot up to his feet, looking around bewildered and in shock; three notifications appeared in front of him:
[New Martial Artes Detected!]
[Creating New Martial Arte Skill: Perfect Unity Sutra of the True Progenitor]
[Rank: SSS]
[Mastery: 1.9%]
[Type: Core]
[The Original Core Technique, created by Michael, the first disciple of The Progenitor. Encompasses unlocking all 108 Conduits to fully unlock the potential of the body.]
[Congratulations! Twenty Moons Under the One Sun has reached 100% Mastery! Please check the skill page for evolution requirements.]
[Congratulations! Inferno of the Twin Storms has reached 100% Mastery! Please check the skill page for evolution requirements.]
Onlookers whispered amongst themselves as Jackson stood oblivious to the gathering crowd. An alarm blared as guards rushed through the streets, snapping him back to reality as he quickly looked around.
Vanishing from the center of the rubble, he bolted through the streets of Fort Novae. By the time the soldiers had arrived and started investigating the disturbance, Jackson was casually strolling through the farmlands.
Crossing the bridge, he accessed the Skills Window, inspecting both of the skills:
[Twenty Moons Under the One Sun]
[Rank: SS - Evolution Available when <Unknown Movement Arte> is Mastered!]
[Mastery: 100%]
[Type: Movement]
[Twenty Inferno of the Twin Storms]
[Rank: SS - Evolution Available when <Unknown Twin Blade Arte> is Mastered!]
[Mastery: 100%]
[Type: Twin Blades]
"It looks like I haven't discovered what Artes are needed to evolve them..." Jackson muttered to himself, "Looks like all my remaining skills gained a small boost from unlocking my core..."
He walked across the bridge, entering the other half of La Decima Isla, sneezing as he rubbed his nose. Meanwhile, back at Fort Novae, Jessica fell to her knees outside the rubble of her quarters.
Her eyes were wide as her mouth hung agape, a squeak escaping her lips, holding a flier of a drawing of Jackson, unable to comprehend why he would destroy her home...