The days that followed were grueling.
Leon, despite being an infant, was subjected to rigorous training under his grandfather's watchful gaze. Each morning, the old man carried him outside, placing him on a soft patch of grass under the warm sun. The training itself was simple in concept—draw in fire mana, condense it, and shape it—but in practice, it was anything but easy.
"Control," his grandfather would remind him. "You don't force fire to obey. You guide it."
Leon understood the principle. The problem was execution.
His tiny body was still underdeveloped, and drawing in too much mana at once left him exhausted within minutes. The embers he managed to form flickered between stability and collapse, teasing him with brief moments of success before vanishing into thin air.
Seraphina watched with a mixture of pride and concern. "Father, you're being too harsh. He's still a baby."
Her father merely scoffed. "And? Talent doesn't wait for age. If we let him grow without direction, his power will spiral out of control."
Seraphina sighed, but she didn't argue further.
Leon, on the other hand, welcomed the challenge. He wasn't some ordinary child struggling to grasp basic mana control—he was someone who had lived an entire lifetime before this. His only limitation was his body, and even that could be overcome with the right methods.
I need to refine my approach.
Instead of pulling mana in like a raging tide, he began visualizing it as a flowing river. He didn't yank the mana toward him—he let it trickle in, slow and steady.
The result was immediate.
A small ember appeared, steady and controlled. It lasted longer than any of his previous attempts—five seconds… ten seconds… fifteen—
Then his stamina ran dry, and the ember fizzled out.
His grandfather's eyes gleamed. "You're learning."
Leon took deep breaths, his tiny chest rising and falling rapidly. His body was weak, yes, but with every attempt, he felt himself adapting. His endurance was growing.
Still, it wasn't enough.
I need more than just gradual improvement. I need a way to accelerate my growth.
That night, as he lay in his crib, Leon thought over his options. His body was the limiting factor, so the solution was simple: strengthen it. But he wasn't just talking about normal physical growth—he needed something more efficient, something that would allow him to endure higher levels of mana circulation without breaking down.
The answer came to him in a flash.
Mana tempering.
It was an advanced concept, usually performed on older individuals who had already developed their mana circuits. By infusing small amounts of elemental mana into the body over time, one could gradually strengthen their physical structure, increasing their affinity and resistance.
If I can apply this method now, even in small doses, I can speed up my growth.
The problem?
His current control over fire mana was too weak to temper his body safely. If he miscalculated, he could cause internal damage rather than strengthening himself.
I need to do this carefully.
With that thought in mind, Leon closed his eyes, allowing himself to drift into sleep.
Tomorrow, he would begin the process of tempering his body.
And with it, he would take the next step toward true mastery.