Ashen found himself an isolated place to practice, and it was none other than his bedroom.
Before practicing, he pinned a board that read "DON'T KNOCK, I AM BUSY" in front of his room door. Of course, it was for the Butler to stop knocking on his door.
"Ok, I am ready," Ashen whispered.
"Alright. Listen closely, Ashen." Ashborne's voice turned grave. This world essence is known as vix. He continued. This essence was given to every species on the planet, from tiny plants to humans. Vix is not distributed equally; having more indicates that you have been blessed by the heavens. You already understand how it feels to have low Vix in this world."
Ashen looked above to the ceiling, his mind remembered his olden days when he was mocked. The scent of sweat and laughter as his Vix core flickered out
"Yeah, I know." his face turned sorrowful.
"The past is a leech. Stop letting it drain you." So don't get upset. Focus, I will make you strong and make you ready for the future you have to witness. "
Ashen tilted his head, "Future I have to witness?"
"You will soon know. Now, let me continue. Vix is of different types; it may depend on luck, talent, and bloodline. Your Vix was the bloodline inherited from Lucifer's The Crimson Star. It's a unique vix indeed. But it's a mere ant in front of your real vix, the one I am giving you."
"Damn, seems like I have some good luck. "
"Be grateful, because I am the luck."
"Sure, oh divine one. And what's your vix?"
"It's not something that must be said in words, it must be felt. Don't cut the flow, you bastard. You talk too much."
"Fine. I am SORRY."
"So imagine Vix as water. Your Vix core is the container that holds the water. And there are at least five glasses around it. These glasses represent various parts of your body. You must pour equal amounts of this water from the jar into each glass. To pour and fill each glass with water, you need to have control over the jar, also known as Vix control. Did you get it?"
"Yes, I have read it in some books, even though I understood a little, but when you explained it this way, I understood the whole thing."
"Heh, that's because I am a genius."
"I guess."
"Did this brat just—? Impudent bastard," Ashborne thought.
Though Ashborne can hear Ashen's thoughts, Ashen can't hear any of Ashborne's thoughts.
"Ashen, close your eyes and sit in a steady position."
Ashen slowly closed his eyes, and he sat straight in his bed.
"We are going to channel the vix around your body using vix control. Since your Vix core was already open."
Ashen started to close his eyes tightly. His stomach twisted uncomfortably. Something was disturbing him, and it wanted to come out of his body.
He said to Ashborne, " Hey, I want to go to the toilet."
Ashborne was dumbfounded; he had no words to express.
After having a peaceful time in his toilet, Ashen came back.
Ashen slowly opened his Vix core. He could feel a surge of energy in him.
Ashborne whispered, "Slowly, feel the energy and control it, then channel it all over your body."
After a few minutes,
Ashen's eyes glowed in golden light. He successfully achieved Vix control.
Ashborne thought, "I didn't expect him to do it so quickly. Hmm, not bad for a vessel."
Ashen said, "I could feel it, the refreshing effect and the energy in my body. So this is Vix."
Ashborne replied. "Congrats! You have completed the first task. This is just the beginning; we are going to learn how to use Vix in combat. Before that, what kind of weapon do you plan to use? Like a sword, spear, or staff for mages, or something.
Ashen rubbed his chin, his eyes sharp. "I don't know what to choose."
Ashborne replied, "Then let's use the best among them. It's the fist. If you learn to use fist, you can easily use Vix magic like mages, and even make a sword from pure Vix."
Ashen smiled, "That's awesome. I haven't seen people using a fist in Vix fights."
"That's because you are releasing Vix from your fist, which is a body part. A sword, a staff, and other material things act as a medium to release vix. Since fist doesn't use material median, it's much harder to learn. Don't worry, I have the simplest way to teach you to learn it."
"Really?"
"Yes, just 200 push-ups and pull-ups with 200 squats, destroying a giant boulder with just your fist and defeating the Shan Poison snake."
"Well fuck me sideways, but if this is what it takes to crush Lucas… fine" Ashen muttered. "I asked for a method, not a one-way ticket to the afterlife."
From now onwards, Ashen's path to get stronger began. This was just the beginning. This brutal training was merely the first step. Beyond these walls awaited a world far more merciless, where only the strongest survived… and the mysteries ran deeper than blood."