"Hmm, so I don't possess this so-called core. Although I believed I would have acquired it after appearing in this world, it seems I was mistaken."
Returning to sit in the armchair, I analyze the situation while speaking aloud to myself, "But if I don't possess the core, why did I feel the mana entering my body when Mia was here? In fact, I feel the energy entering my body even now."
Focusing on the Mana that continuously penetrates my pores, feeling the mana going deeper into my body, I come across a cluster of energy that is constantly moving. "Hehehe, there you are, my dear core, or should I say Heart?"
"Now I understand why I feel the mana circulating in my body even without a core and channels. My heart is conducting the storage process and at the same time using my veins as mana channels to naturally cycle mana throughout my body. But I still don't understand why Mana is simply absorbed by my body without needing to cultivate the process," I say, trying to contain my joy to avoid making mistakes in my analysis.
Following the path of mana entering through my pores and lungs, being stored in my heart, and distributed throughout my body through the bloodstream, I feel my body being strengthened, albeit almost imperceptibly.
"This feeling of improvement, I haven't felt it in years." Feeling the growing happiness within me, I force myself to calm down.
"Expressing so many sensations since I arrived in this world, this isn't good. I'm letting myself be carried away by new discoveries and making errors in my judgment. It took me a while to realize what was happening to my body, and even after being alone, I let myself be carried away and didn't realize that mana was already present in me even before deliberately starting cultivation. From now on, I have to keep my emotions under control."
After some time enjoying the sensation of strengthening, I get up and start searching the room again for something useful.
"It seems there's nothing else here that can help me. Should I go outside?" After seriously considering the matter, I dismiss this idea, "Even though I am being taken care of by the count's daughter, I don't know the current situation of this place. It wouldn't be wise to face the unknown in a place where there are people who can break rocks with bare hands. I need to be careful; I'm no longer the strongest." Putting my pride aside, I make a quick judgment of the situation I find myself in.
"But it's only a matter of time; soon I won't need to be so cautious in here. After all, soon all of this will be mine."
Even though my body cultivates on its own, I decide to attempt cultivation as described in the book.
"Seeing that there's nothing else to do and it seems Mia won't return anytime soon, I'll try cultivation as described in the book, but instead of guiding the mana, I'll simply focus on absorbing as much as I can."
After an hour of cultivation, I feel as if my heart has expanded. Stopping mana absorption, I begin to pay attention to the energy stored in my body.
"Hmm, so when the core expands, it doesn't necessarily become larger; it just supports storing more mana. It's more like it was limited by something before, and now magically it simply can support a greater amount of mana. Phew, I was starting to get worried; I wouldn't want a heart the size of a bull's head." I say, chuckling lightly.
"But concentrating to cultivate is really more effective than my body cultivating on its own. I feel much stronger after this hour has passed. There's no reason to stop now; let's continue the fun." I sit back down with my legs crossed and once again focus on consuming more mana.
After about three hours, I feel relief, and then mana comes uncontrollably toward me and goes directly to my heart, which beats frantically to cycle all the mana it's storing. After approximately 10 minutes, the mana stops converging in such a high quantity, and my heart slows down, but I notice it now cycles mana slightly faster than before, and the mana stored in it has increased significantly.
"Hmm, according to the book, when a cultivator breaks through a great realm, they absorb mana from the environment like crazy, and the amount stored in their core increases significantly. This leads me to believe that I broke through a great realm, but I don't know which one. I thought I wouldn't need Mia to teach me about cultivation, but it seems there are still things I don't know."
Looking at the still-open window and the beautiful sunset, "Tomorrow will be the day I leave this room and explore what I am capable of now with the enhancement of mana directly in my body. Hehe, I can't wait."
Closing the window and lying down on the bed, I wait for Mia's return to clear up the rest of my doubts with her and play a little with my naive maid.
"Hehe, since she's my personal maid, she shouldn't mind giving me a bath. I look forward to seeing her embarrassed face."
After a few minutes, I hear a light knock on the door and Mia's delicate voice informing me.
"Excuse me, Lord Kaizer, I'm coming in."
Turning on the bed and looking at the entrance, I see Mia entering quickly and closing the door.
Coming towards me with a cheerful smile, she asks, "How was your day, Lord Kaizer? I hope you weren't bored in here."
Seeing her joy in seeing me, I give her a smile and say, "It was good, I read some interesting books and acquired new knowledge." Pulling her slightly by the arm, I ask as I lay her down next to me on the bed, "And your day? How was it?"
Blushing like a tomato, Mia replies shyly, "Although I would prefer to spend the day with you, I was able to be of help to the miss, so it was a good day."
Stroking Mia's hair, I respond, "What a competent girl you are. Sophia is lucky to have you by her side."
Seeing that my compliment worked perfectly, I decide to ask my question.
"Mia, what are the stages of cultivation, and how long can a person live based on them? And how is it possible to know what stage the cultivator is in?"
Pondering for a moment, Mia says, "Hmm, it's quite a lot to remember, but I had promised to help you with any information, so I went after this information today to pass it on to you, and the information I acquired is:
Each Level is divided into three categories: Beginning, Middle, and End.
Knights (Includes all melee fighter classes)
Aura Apprentice (150 years)
Aura Knight (250 years)
Aura Master (400 years)
Aura Grandmaster (600 years)
Aura Saint (1000 years)
Aura King (2000 years)
Aura Emperor (5000 years)
Mages (Includes all classes that fight at long and medium distance)
Mana Apprentice (150 years)
Mana Sage (250 years)
Mana Master (400 years)
Mana Grandmaster (600 years)
Mana Saint (1000 years)
Mana King (2000 years)
Mana Emperor (5000 years)
These are the stages and life expectancy."
Mia pauses and thinks for a moment before saying, "And to know the level of a cultivator, I have heard the miss say that it is through a device that measures the level of mana, but it can also be seen by someone who has already reached the stage of Mana Master."
Absorbing the information Mia gave me, I reflect.
"Hmm, so it seems I passed the apprentice aura realm and reached the aura knight stage. But to be sure, I need to use one of those measuring devices."