Just... how? What Raoul was witnessing was not something he could comprehend. An 8-year-old was not only feeling, but absorbing mana, an act that defied all logic. It was logically impossible for a human to absorb or feel mana at such a young age.
The young boy, who until now had his eyes closed, opened them slowly. He was drenched in sweat.
"What is this feeling? Did I succeed?" asked Adam before sitting on the ground, a sense of wonder and excitement palpable in his voice.
Raoul, still in shock, managed to stammer out a question, "How did you do it?"
"I don't know," replied Adam with a grin, "I just tried to copy what you did and after that, I understood the explanation that was written in the book you gave me."
Raoul coughed awkwardly and tried to regain his composure. 'Since it has come to this', he thought to himself.
"Since you can feel and absorb mana, do you know what the next step is?" Raoul asked, still unable to believe that Adam had memorized the entire manuscript.
"Yeah! The next step is to store mana below the navel or Dantian, as the book said, and then form a core inside it, right?" Adam answered eagerly.
"Exactly," Raoul said with a smile, "The more you store mana inside your core, the more it will develop, and the more powerful you will become. Right now, you don't have a core yet, it will take at least two months for you to develop a core the size of a nut, and then you will be able to practice martial arts. So, now you know what you need to do, right?"
Adam simply nodded his head in agreement, and Raoul resumed his training.
Adam, who usually had nothing to do during the day except watch Raoul train or spend time with his grandfather, now had something to occupy his days. He wasn't the kind of kid to play with other children his age, so he had plenty of time to focus on absorbing mana and forming a core.
And just like that, five days passed...
Adam was training in the yard behind his house when he started to feel something in his Dantian. He thought to himself, 'What's that? Is that a core?' When he closed his eyes and touched his stomach, he could feel a small, faint light in his Dantian.
"I have to go see Mr. Raoul," Adam said with a huge smile on his lips.
The boy ran like a madman towards the forest. "Mr. Raoul! MR Raoul!" he screamed as he ran, still a bit far from Raoul but able to see his silhouette.
Raoul, who could see Adam running towards him, frowned and thought, 'What now?'
"Mr. Raoul... Mr. Raoul," Adam called out when he finally reached Raoul.
"I'm not deaf, so stop screaming," Raoul said with an angry tone. "What is it this time?" he added, frustrated that the boy had once again interrupted his training.
Adam took a deep breath, he was a bit exhausted from running all the way there. After regaining his normal breathing, he said with a huge smile, "I think I did it, I think I was able to form a core."
"That's not possible," Raoul barked, his annoyance clear in his tone as he waved his hand up and down in frustration. "Even if you were able to feel and absorb mana at such a young age, it is impossible to form a core in just five days." He turned away from Adam, ready to dismiss the young boy's claim.
"But I swear that I felt it," Adam pleaded, excitement evident in his voice. "I felt a core in my Dantian. Can you please check?"
Raoul sighed and slowly turned back to face Adam. He approached the young boy, his steps measured and deliberate.
"I told you, it's not possible," Raoul said, his voice low and firm. But before he could finish his sentence, he paused and placed his hand on Adam's stomach.
Only three seconds passed before Raoul's mind was blown. He couldn't understand what he was feeling. He could feel a small, but distinct core inside Adam's Dantian. It was slightly larger than a nut, and its sudden appearance stunned Raoul to his core. He had never heard of anyone forming a core in less than two months, let alone five days.
"Just what are you?" Raoul stammered, his voice trembling with shock and disbelief.