Noah stared at the black stone for some time before raising his gaze toward his Master.
"What does that mean?"
William still had his worried expression when he answered.
"Darkness."
Noah was surprised but happy.
'I have one of the rarest elements, won't that mean that my potential is ensured?'
However, when he realized this point he became worried too.
'Doesn't this imply that the inner circle will try to suppress me?'
He looked at William and spoke with a pleading voice.
"Can we hide this news from the inner circle?"
William shook his head.
"The Pharos stone is quite rare as a mineral. It has to be given back to the family in order to clean it from the "Breath" that tainted it to use it again in the future."
Then he lowered his head and continued.
"Actually, I already reported that your dantian formed. I needed to say the name of the cultivator that I had to test to borrow the stone."
Noah fell deep in thought.
'So they will be able to discern my element as soon as they get the stone back. I have a bad feeling about this.'
Noah sighed and then gave the Pharos stone back to William.
He put it away and then sat in front of his disciple.
"Do not linger too much on things that you can't control. For now, just focus on your dantian, I still have to explain how it works."
Noah nodded and listened attentively to his Master.
"Generally speaking, the rank of a cultivator is determined by the stage his dantian is in. I am a rank 3 mage with a rank 4 body and a rank 3 dantian, which makes me a rank 3 cultivator."
Noah was amazed, he knew that his Master was strong but he didn't imagine he was this strong!
"The dantian is where we store the majority of our "Breath", but the "Breath" is an energy too powerful for normal bodies to handle. Tell me, what will it happen if you accumulate too much power and you can't contain it?"
Noah's answer was immediate.
"You would explode."
William nodded and resumed the explanation.
"Exactly. I must say that if the family didn't give me a rank 4 body nourishing technique I would still be stuck at the last stage of the rank 2 dantian. That is about how much a rank 3 body can handle."
He went silent for a moment to sort his thoughts and then continued.
"Every rank of the dantian has three stages: gaseous, liquid, and solid. Every stage is vastly more powerful than the previous one. The training of the dantian consists of two phases: accumulation and compression. First, you accumulate "Breath" and enlarge the dantian till its maximum potential, then you compress it to make the "Breath" inside it change state. The process is not so easy as it might seem and cultivators usually have pills to help them in advancing stages. Actually, going through the compression phase is wearisome for the dantian and a failure might even damage it permanently. Remember to never attempt to break through if you don't have the necessary mental energy or some pills."
Noah maintained a calm expression but inside he was cheering.
'Now I know how to use the Earth pill!'
"Also once you are in the next stage your dantian will only accumulate "Breath" of that density so the process will be slower."
William pointed at the book near Noah.
"That is a rank 1 cultivation technique and doesn't even have requirements for the element, which makes it the lowest tier of cultivation techniques. A rank 1 technique can at most take you to the peak of the rank 1 dantian and there are specific ones for each element which speed up the absorption process. To break through ranks you need a reagent that will heat your dantian, purifying the "Breath" inside it. The solid "Breath" will be consumed and only a strand of gas will remain that will be of a higher purity than the gaseous "Breath" of the previous stage. Then you start again to cultivate in the stages."
Noah was about to speak when William stopped him and added something.
"Never advance in rank even if you find the reagent if you don't have the corresponding technique for the next rank. What's the point of reaching a higher rank if then you can't accumulate the purer "Breath"? Always remember that the technique comes first, and if you can, try to match it with your element, some higher tier techniques can also give peculiar proprieties to the "Breath" you store."
Noah finally had a complete image of the powers of a cultivator and was eager to go back to his room to train all day in the rank 1 technique.
He smiled innocently and pointed at himself.
"Master, so now I'm a rank 1 cultivator?"
William nodded and smiled.
"Yes, rank 1 cultivator in the gaseous stage."
Noah was happy, but then he remembered his position.
"There is no chance that I'll get a better technique than this one?"
William shook his head.
"No chance at all."
"How do I know that my dantian is ready for the compression?"
"You won't be able to accumulate more "Breath" once you've reached its limits."
Noad nodded in understanding, a plan was forming in his mind.
'I can only wait till the peak of rank 1, then I have to go away from here. Not only my advancements will be halted if I decide to stay, but my mother is also nearing her limit of endurance.'
He looked again at his Master.
"How long does it takes to cultivate the dantian?"
William thought for a little and then answered.
"It took me twenty-five years to reach the gaseous stage of the rank 3 but that was caused by the limits that my body had. Don't worry too much about the time spent, a cultivator's lifespan gets longer as you advance in the dantian or in the body."
He misunderstood his disciple's intention but still gave the answer Noah wanted.