After the short interruption, they returned to their reading, having already finished the theoretical part introducing Divine Sense. It was time to move on to the practical section of the manual—the Divine Sense Refining Method. Each of them began carefully following the manual's instructions to gain control over, and eventually refine, their own Divine Sense.
Mikael closed his eyes, preparing himself mentally. Thanks to his enhanced mind, he had already memorized every detail of the manual and didn't need to refer to it anymore.
"Phew," he exhaled slowly, focusing on calming his thoughts and emptying himself of distractions. With his mind stilled, he reached toward the subtle sensation lingering at the edge of his awareness—what could only be described as a 'sixth sense.'
He followed the manual's directions, guiding his consciousness toward this intangible thread. However, where the manual had confidently stated one needed to "grab it," the reality proved more elusive. No matter how he tried, the sensation slipped through his awareness like grains of sand falling through open fingers. Not even the smallest fragment could be grasped.
'No worries. Just needs more training.'
Undeterred, Mikael tried again. And again. Whether he moved slowly and deliberately or attempted to surge forward with sharper focus, the results were always the same. His Divine Sense remained stubbornly out of reach, eluding all attempts to seize control.
After a while, frustration began to creep in.
'Okay, what the hell? Why can't I even grasp the tiniest shred of my Divine Sense? When I was training control on my own—without the manual—I was doing better than this. But now that I do have a Cultivation Technique specifically meant to help, I'm actually worse than before?' he thought, irritation seeping into his mind.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Still unwilling to give up, he resumed his efforts, trying once more to grasp that slippery strand of Divine Sense. Yet as the moments crawled by, the outcome didn't change—no matter how much time passed, he made no progress.
'What am I doing wrong?' The question echoed in his mind, more sharply than before, as he slowly opened his eyes.
Amelia and Kiara, seated near him, wore matching frowns. Clearly, they too were struggling, making little to no progress. In contrast, Lyra sat with her eyes closed and a faint, satisfied smile touching her lips—a quiet testament to the fact that her results were notably better than the other three.
Choosing the simplest path forward, Mikael turned toward her and asked directly, "Lyra."
She opened her eyes. Her beautiful purple irises met his green gaze as she tilted her head slightly in silent inquiry.
"You seem to be making progress," he said. "Do you have any advice? Because honestly, I'm getting nowhere here."
Amelia and Kiara also paused their training, their gazes turning toward Lyra with equal anticipation. They, too, wanted to understand why they were struggling while she was advancing.
For her part, Lyra looked momentarily puzzled. She clearly hadn't expected the others to fall behind—especially not all three. In her mind, their talents should have been roughly on par with hers, so their lack of results confused her.
Still, despite her uncertainty, she took a moment to reflect, then carefully shared the insights she had gathered so far—explaining in her calm and thorough way what had worked for her.
After listening closely to the soft-spoken guidance of the purple-and-pink-haired beauty, the members of the Dao Family closed their eyes once again and returned to their meditation, each now attempting to apply what Lyra had just explained.
Time passed in silence, broken only by the faint rustling of leaves and the natural sounds of the surrounding forest. That tranquility, however, was suddenly shattered by a frustrated voice.
"There's something that isn't right! Why am I not making any progress!? I haven't improved at all since I started this training!" Kiara's voice rang out sharply, laced with exasperation.
Her outburst snapped the others out of their focused states, dragging them out of their meditation and back into the present.
Instinctively, they wanted to refute Kiara's claim—convinced that more training would eventually yield results. At least, that was Amelia's stance. She was determined to keep pushing forward with her training, even if, for now, she hadn't made any noticeable progress either.
But instead of brushing it off, Mikael took a moment to reflect on Kiara's words and their current situation. "I think she's right," he said.
His sudden agreement drew the attention of all three girls. "I mean, it really doesn't make sense. Personally, I didn't make any progress. From what Kiara just said, it's clearly the same for her. And Amelia, you…"
He paused and turned to Amelia. Seeing her nod in confirmation, he continued, "Amelia's in the same boat. The only exception here is Lyra, who's somehow managed to make excellent progress. But when I take a step back and look at the bigger picture..."
"It just doesn't add up. All four of us have a fairly similar level of talent—sure, there are some variations, but our overall talent can be considered roughly equal. So for Lyra to be advancing so rapidly while the rest of us are completely stuck—it's just not logical."
The girls fell into thought as they processed his reasoning. A sense of agreement quickly spread among them as they realized something truly was off.
"But what could be the cause?" murmured Lyra, her brows furrowed in confusion. The others didn't have an answer either and likewise sank deeper into contemplation, each trying to pinpoint a possible reason.
After a prolonged silence, Lyra once again broke through the stillness. "Maybe... it's the manual?"
'The manual?' For a brief moment, Mikael was puzzled. But then his gaze shifted—from the Divine Sense Refining Method manual resting on Lyra's leg, to his own, then back to hers again. A flicker of realization lit up in his eyes.
"The copy," he murmured. His voice was low, but the three others, with their enhanced senses, caught it clearly.
Lyra nodded. "Yes, the copy. That's exactly what I was thinking. It's the only meaningful difference between us. I have the original manual of the Divine Sense Refining Method. The three of you are using copies that I created using my magic."
"I don't know how or why, but having the original seems to be helping me progress much faster. Meanwhile, using the copies might actually be slowing—or even outright hindering—your advancement. But I can't be certain if that's truly the case."
Mikael's voice rang out with quiet decisiveness. "There's only one way to find out. We need to test it."
He extended his hand, silently requesting the real manual.
Without hesitation, Lyra handed it over. Mikael began reading through it under the watchful and curious eyes of the three girls.
He skipped past the introductory section on Divine Sense and went straight to the core content.
Less than two minutes later, he looked up with certainty. "It is the manual," he declared.
"How can you be so sure?" Amelia asked, narrowing her eyes.
Mikael pointed to the book in his hand. "Honestly, it jumps out at you the moment you compare it to the copy I had before—but this one's definitely harder to understand."
The girls looked at him in confusion, not immediately grasping what he meant by harder to understand. However, their uncertainty quickly faded as Mikael elaborated.
"It's strange, but this book has a kind of magical quality—something that makes it difficult for my brain to process the content properly. It's like my mind keeps slipping off the meaning, no matter how hard I try to concentrate."
"I can read the words, sure, but memorizing them is oddly difficult. And that shouldn't be the case, not with how enhanced my mental capabilities are right now. With the copy, I managed to absorb the entire text in one glance—effortlessly."
"I see," Lyra murmured, then lifted her head to meet his gaze. "You're saying that the real Divine Sense Refining Method contains more than just words—there's something intangible that allows one to truly comprehend it. And when I copied the book, that something didn't transfer over?"
Mikael gave a firm nod, agreeing with her conclusion without hesitation.
"Fascinating," she whispered, her gaze drifting toward the book resting on Mikael's legs. In that moment, her eyes burned with an intense thirst for knowledge, rivaling even Kiara's usual obsessive glint.
"Seems like we'll need to share the original."
Following that realization, the four of them began taking turns reading and trying to decipher the manual. Lyra, naturally, wanted to keep the book for herself and study it at length. The way its secrets remained hidden—wrapped in layers that defied simple transcription—was deeply intriguing to her ever-curious, knowledge-driven mind. But knowing this wasn't the right time to be possessive, she kept silent and instead immersed herself in its contents whenever her turn came.
Meanwhile, Mikael, currently holding the book for his own study, was reading with focused intensity. Each word demanded effort, as if it had to be wrestled into understanding. Yet despite the struggle, a faint smile appeared on his face. Compared to earlier, when he'd felt trapped in stagnation, he could now sense genuine progress—slow, but steady and unmistakable.
In this way, time began to slip away unnoticed. With each passing hour, their understanding of the Divine Sense Refining Method deepened. Fortunately, the more they grasped, the less they relied on the manual itself. This allowed them to accelerate their progress, no longer waiting as frequently for their turn. During the gaps when the book wasn't in their hands, they trained independently, honing their control over their divine sense based on what they had already learned.
***
Three days later…
"Good, good! You didn't disappoint me!" exclaimed a familiar voice, brimming with satisfaction and pride.
Drawn out of his focused state, Mikael slowly opened his eyes and turned toward the source of the voice. Not far from them stood none other than Great Elder Jianhai, his hands calmly clasped behind his back.
The old man stroked his long grey beard, the corners of his lips lifting into a faint, satisfied smile. "In just three days, all of you have made impressive progress. I can tell at a glance—you're already nearing the threshold of the Divine Sense Refining Method. Good… very good."
Amelia, Lyra, and Kiara had also stopped their training, quietly standing as they listened to the elder's words. Stepping forward, Mikael gave a respectful nod. "Thank you, Master. The method you entrusted us with is truly profound."
Great Elder Jianhai let out a low chuckle. "It's not only the method. It's your talent and dedication that brought you here so swiftly. I've seen Core Disciples take weeks just to reach the stage you've all arrived at in three days. At this pace, not only will you reach the entry level soon, you'll likely surpass it before long."
His gaze flicked toward the worn manual still resting in Mikael's possession. With a nod, he added, "You can keep the manual for now. It still belongs to me, of course, but you're free to continue studying it. Just make sure to return it once you've fully mastered its contents—it's a valuable piece. Though frankly, I doubt that day will come too quickly."
"We will," Lyra replied gently, bowing her head in gratitude.
"I take it you've been training here from the beginning," Jianhai went on, casting a quick glance around their surroundings. "The atmosphere is decent for cultivation, but not ideal for prolonged sessions. Come. Rest at one of the guest houses atop Sword Heart Peak. They're quiet, peaceful, and designed precisely for this kind of focused training. It'll serve you well until your official Cultivation Manors are constructed."
Amelia exchanged a glance with Mikael and her Dao Sisters before offering a polite reply. "We appreciate the offer, but it won't be necessary. The Cultivation Manor assigned to us upon our admission suits our current needs perfectly."
"Oh?" Jianhai raised a brow in mild surprise. But after a moment, he nodded, realizing the implications. "A Dao Family, of course. That makes sense. In that case, I won't press the matter. Still, it would benefit you to establish a direct connection between your manor and the peak. I'll arrange for a teleportation formation to be installed—one that links straight to Sword Heart Peak. That way, you'll be able to move freely between both locations."
"Thank you, Master," Mikael said with a respectful bow, the girls mirroring his gesture with quiet gratitude.
Jianhai waved a hand casually. "There's no need for such formality. Cultivate as you see fit, but keep my words in mind. Cultivation may appear straightforward at first, but without proper guidance, the path can become treacherous. If you ever have doubts or questions, come to me directly."
He paused, allowing his words to settle, then added, "If I'm unavailable, your Eldest Senior Brother Renjiro or your Second Senior Sister Lian'er are both dependable guides. And of course, Sword Heart Peak remains open to you anytime for training."
"Last but not least, I want you once you all have reached the Entry Level of the Divine Sense Refining Method to come see me as I would have some things to say. Before that don't leave the Sect!"
With that, he cast one last approving glance their way before disappearing into the distance, his presence fading as naturally as a ripple vanishing across still water.
Author Note:
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