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nSetting camp in the middle of the desert wasn't an easy task. Even with all the manpower and tools that Layn organized beforehand.

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"What the heck are you doing guys?

" Layn shouted while slapping his face with his very own hand.

"Is this your first time out camping or what? Let me show it how it should be done.

" He added, unable to withstand the sight of a group trying to set up a tent by holding the corners of the huge piece of cloth with stones.

nLayn pulled out his knife and several short sticks that were intended for the fireplace, before sharpening their ends. Then, he took each of the corners, before turning them into a small loop, through which he inserted the sharpened stick.

nThen, with a single kick to the top of the stick, he forced it almost all the way into the sands of the desert, deep enough for the sheer mass of the sand to hold it in place.

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"If you just place stones at the corners, a single gust of wind would be enough to shift it and destroy your tent. Have some **ing sense!

" Layn continued to whine.

nIn the greater picture, his mercenaries weren't doing all that bad. Thanks to Antion's oversight, most of the problems were solved before they would turn serious.

n

"To think that people capable of fulfilling my quest wouldn't be able to set up a damned camp,

" Layn complained, forcefully calming his breath down in an attempt to cool his head.

n

"Don't be too harsh on them,

" Irea approached Layn as soon as she was done with setting their own tent. Just like all the others, it was made from a simple, square piece of cloth with one of its sides cut. Just by inserting a long stick into the ground and then stretching the cloth above it, basic protection from the cold winds of the desert could be made.

"We don't want them to just give up on you because of some silly stuff like camping, don't we?

"

nLayn took a moment to appreciate how the girl was worrying over his plan, before shaking his head.

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"If someone is too dumb to realize that they are doing something wrong, they won't be of any use to me.

" He shook his head, before reaching out with his hand and patting the girl's head.

"There is no point in looking for talented but stupid people. Talent can only amount to so much, while wits and intelligence are way more valuable… But just that much harder to evaluate.

"

nIrea decided not to pursue the topic. For her, just standing beside the archmage was enough to be happy in this very specific moment.

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"Either way, let's not waste time. I still need to set up a fireplace.

" Layn finally shook the depressed laziness out of his mind, before taking his hand off Irea's head and moving forward.

nThe desert was completely void of any building materials. Unless one wanted to test his luck and just build a hole to bury himself in, tents were the only possible shelter that Layn's party could carry. While Layn hoped that this situation would change once they would travel far enough into the sands, for now, he had to deal with what he had on his hands.

nSoon, Layn started his preparations. After deducing the amount of dried-up sticks that could prove useful later on in case someone were to lose their tents, he piled the rest of the wood in a small, triangular structure before using a tiny bit of magic to set it on fire.

n

"Hey, it's starting!

" As soon as the tongues of blaze reached out to the skies, a commotion appeared in the entire camp. And there was a good reason behind that.

nBut rather than paying attention to the people gathering around the crackling fire, Layn continued to focus his entire attention on it instead. Only when every last member of the group gathered around did the archmage raise his eyes and open his mouth.

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"Everyone, first off. Congratulations on fulfilling your task.

" For a moment, a notion of pride appeared on Layn's face. Not self-pride, born from his own achievements, but the pride in the people that worked really hard to fulfill his demands.

"As promised, I will refrain from reminding you that we are in the middle of the desert with no women outside my dearest. And just as I said when you brought me the third monster's core, I will now conduct a lecture that I believe everyone will benefit from.

"

nLayn stood up. He brought his hands towards the fire for a moment as if he wanted to warm himself up. Whoever was attentive enough, could realize that rather than focusing on his hands, Layn was actually staring deeply into the fires, as if expecting to receive some kind of revelation from them.

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"Magic, cultivation, energy. Those three words are describing the same phenomena, just like we could call this thing a fireplace, campfire, or just blaze.

" His lecture started. But rather than tackling complicated or deep problems, something that most of his listeners expected, Layn decided to start from very scratch.

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"That's why, whenever I say energy or mana, just take it for the force that you guys are using to cultivate.

" Layn smiled at the group before turning silent for one more moment.

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"You see, I didn't spend a long time in what you guys consider your own world. I never received proper training in terms of cultivation nor was I taught about the common sense of this world of yours.

" Layn started from a big note, instantly throwing the minds of everyone into disarray. But among all the people in the group, it was Irea that was surprised the most.

n'I can bet she's thinking I'm about to reveal something about myself,' Layn thought to himself as a small smirk appeared on his lips.

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"I spent most of my life in seclusion, training in what's called the art of magic. You can consider it as a different way of using the same energy that you guys use to cultivate.

" Layn explained, quickly calming Irea's worries down.

n'After all, I can also bet she would prefer to hear the truth of my origins on her own, without anyone listening to it.' Layn added in his thoughts, before focusing back on his lecture.

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"But to put it simply, mana, the energy that I'm constantly mentioning, isn't something godly. It's not a gift of the spirits or gods, it's not an unexplainable force that rules the world. Just like this stick,

" Layn pulled out one of the sticks he saved before, only to drop it on the ground,

"would fall down to the ground once I let it go, magic is just a name for certain phenomena that's natural to this world.

"

nAt this point, some small murmurs started to circulate through the group of mercenaries. According to what Layn already learned of this world, cultivation was still considered either a gift from the gods or a part of their power stolen from them by heroes that ancients considered ancient themselves. And what he just did, was akin to pissing on the believes they hold on dearly to, through their entire lives.

n

"In other words, when you are cultivating, you are not following some kind of ritual. You are not trying to receive a God's blessing or anything of that sort.

" Layn emphasized on this point.

"What you are doing, is infusing this energy into your own body, so that you can improve your flesh, your mind, and lastly,

" Layn paused for a moment, before looking at his spectators and smiling smuggishly,

"your soul.

"

nThe last part was what the archmage learned just recently when trying to pass time in the warcamp. During one of his lengthy, drunk talks with Antion, the core of the third dimension of cultivation was revealed to him.

nSadly, as Antion himself only heard the general name for it, Layn didn't manage to learn anything else about this part of cultivation. Thankfully, though, stuck in the middle of the third stage of the second dimension of cultivation, there was no need for him to bother with the next dimension yet.

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"You can think of it like that. If you eat a lot of food and then train hard, you will get stronger. But have any of you ever wondered how does that happens?

" Layn forced his lips to remain motionless, despite their attempts to form another smug smile.

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"…

" Outside out a few more murmurs, no one spoke a word. But what was important, no one stepped up to answer Layn's question.

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"You see, the very basis of improving one's strenght lays in a simple process.

" This time, Layn could no longer control his lips, allowing them to form the arrogant expression he wasn't very proud of.

"By working out, you are killing your strenght. By resting, you allow it to regenerate, but to regenerate even greater than it was before. And for that, you need nutrients from the food you consume.

"

nWhat Layn just explained was common knowledge in his times. Coming from the civilization that brought together the power of magic with the wonders of technology and intricacies of knowledge, he was well-versed in the basics of every topic that he deemed important.

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"And now, to extrapolate it to cultivation. By cultivating, you are basically fighting with phantoms. You are forcing your energy to act in a certain way, exhausting it in the process.

" Layn suddenly stopped his words, before looking at the faces of the crowd listening to him,

"According to what I said about the muscles, what would be the next step?

"

nFor a moment, no one said a thing. Then, Pavrien shyly raised his hand. Seeing that no one was eager to answer, he stood up.

"To rest? Or maybe to eat some food?

"

nHearing the answer, Layn could no longer hold himself back.

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"Hahaha, you are closer to the truth that you believe yourself. There is no need to be shy, you are actually correct.

" At first, the archmage encouraged the very first mercenary he hired. 'Initiative always needs to be rewarded.' He thought, recalling the time when one of his early masters said those exact words to him…

nWhile flogging one of his fellow classmates for the act of stealing some apples to do some magic testing on them.

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"What comes next, is rest. But in order to rest and regenerate, those paths that your mana created… needs more mana!

" Layn smiled. Right now, he revealed the very reason why the people of this world were capable of using cultivation even without relying on the magic stones.

nThis was actually a pretty simple discovery. Nature didn't tolerate imbalance. That's why, even if there was no conductor in the air that would allow people to freely draw the mana in, as long as they exhausted themselves while cultivating with the mana they already had, the world itself would do its best to fill their potential back to its optimal state!

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"And this is where the entire process of strengthening comes from. By exhausting your power, you are forcing the world around you to help you to regenerate it, and regenerate it to its increased volume!

"

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