Ch. 67 - Harnessing Mana

"Yuehan."

Spotting my wave, Bai Yu hurried over, her face alight with excitement.

"Bai Yu—sorry, I didn't check the time. Calling you this late..."

"No worries; I wasn't asleep anyway." Her quick reassurance eased most of my guilt. "On the phone, you said you succeeded at meditation—is that for real?"

"Huh? Still doubting me? That hurts." I summoned my mental power, cradling it in my palm like a trophy. "See? My thread of consciousness~"

"Hm?" Confusion flickered across her face.

"What's wrong? Can't you see it? Try Psi-vision."

"You can spot mental power with Psi-vision?" Bai Yu's expression turned grave as she fired back.

Her words hit me like a cold splash—I'd let something slip without meaning to.

After a beat of silence, we both let it drop, an unspoken agreement.

"Alright, come here—you know I believe you." She reached out, pinching my cheek with a grin that shattered the tension.

"Thanks, Bai Yu~"

"No problem. Just be careful; geniuses like you attract envy."

"Those who don't stir jealousy are mediocrity. Let's go, Bai Yu~"

"True enough—you always know what to say." She nodded in agreement, steering us out without circling back.

We chatted the whole way, my questions spilling out—though some secrets would stay buried forever, too personal to voice.

"Bai Yu, I've got a thread of consciousness now, but I still can't touch my mana at all. Why?"

"Mana's energy level is extraordinarily high—the highest form of transcendence energy lifeforms can wield, exclusive to witches."

"Wait—mana is that intense?"

Bai Yu's explanation painted it as a force of unparalleled stature, the pinnacle of energies.

Did that outshine even the Big Three academies?

No wonder Witch School played its cards close—the hidden powerhouse. Good thing I'd chosen right.

"Of course."

"So, how many threads do I need to control mana?"

My follow-up burned with urgency; without wielding it myself, spells and the mana core remained tools, not true extensions of my power.

"You're asking the wrong question. No amount of threads can budge mana." She corrected me gently. "Only denser mental power—higher quality—can interfere with it, let alone harness it."

"Improving the thread's quality? How do I do that?"

The meditation guide hadn't touched on refining a thread's density or caliber.

"By elevating your life tier overall. I know this is new to you, but once you grasp the connections, it'll click."

Bai Yu cleared her throat and launched into the explanation.

"You're a trainee right now, Yuehan. To harness mana, the entry point is meditation—refining your mental power into a thread of consciousness. You've got that already, but it still can't touch mana. Next up: elevate the quality of your mental power."

"And how do you improve its quality and density? By raising your overall life tier. That passively boosts your mental strength."

"But... how do you advance your life tier? Remember the witchification process after I implanted your mana core? That's elevating you to a transcendent witch level. Speeding up witchification raises your life tier indirectly. So, how do you accelerate it? Guess."

She left it hanging, making me puzzle it out.

I'd already suspected, so I ventured, "By adding more mana cores?"

"Exactly—stacking mana cores! You're more clued in than I thought."

Bai Yu seemed surprised I'd connected those dots; she figured I knew little about this stuff.

Then it hit her: she couldn't view me through her old lens anymore.

Not after tonight's breakthrough—nailing meditation on the first try. That was a feat reserved for the elite of each class, like this year's top scorer, Tan Han. Her exam-perfect genius marked her as a transcendence prodigy, too. The why behind that hype? Way above a regular student's pay grade.

"Heh, I know a thing or two."

"This goes beyond 'a thing or two.' Fixed mindsets trip people up—plenty of freshmen hit mid-semester clueless that you can have multiple mana cores." After we exited the meditation wing, Bai Yu pulled out her broom.

"Mind hopping on? You look tired—I'll fly you back."

"Thanks, Bai Yu. Yeah, now that you mention it..." A yawn escaped me. Realizing how tired I was just made it worse.

Heading to the villa now meant sleeping in tomorrow for sure.

Maybe I should text Senior Ying Shiqian or Senior Tang Yihan? I'd been reliable lately; a sudden no-show deserved a heads-up, even for my flexible gig.

This was my third time settling on her broom, but nerves still kicked in. I gripped tight against a plunge.

The night air bit sharp, though, snapping me alert a bit.

"So? Yuehan, up for learning broom flight?" Bai Yu asked on a whim, eyeing my grip.

"Huh? But I can't afford one."

"Not now doesn't mean never. If you're game, I could get you one—once you get a flight license."

"Aw, no need to splurge, Bai Yu. Though flying does sound badass. License... someday, maybe."

"Why not now? Semester's ages off." Her tone held a spark of hope, nudging me toward it.

"Not a bad idea." After a pause, I caved. With weeks before classes, I couldn't rot at the bakery forever.

And solo broom flights? That'd be epic.

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