The last time Asd had used the dragon's cradle, he had been beset with so much pain he actually thought that he was going to die, but right now in retrospect he was a lot stronger and was not in as dire a situation as he was the first time. But then again he was in need of power now just as he was then, and the dragon's cradle was unlike other meditation methods that just saw increment of mana in small points over the course of a mages entire life. Absorbing and cultivating until you have reached the peak of what your talent can allow you. on the other hand, Asd's seven phase meditation method the dragon's cradle gave him a massive boost to his magical attributes and his control over them, while colossally increasing his mana for each absorption he carried out.