Grim's practice session had ended, but the princess and Lianna lingered, clearly waiting for him to finish putting away the training equipment. Rowan and Marcus had moved to the far side of the yard, still deep in their discussion about tournaments and politics.
"Did you like the sword techniques?" the princess asked eagerly as Grim approached. "They looked amazing!"
"They were adequate," Liana said with feigned disinterest, though Grim had caught her leaning forward in rapt attention during the demonstration.
"They're useful," Grim replied noncommittally, though internally, he was still buzzing with excitement. Finally, something with practical combat applications after years of basic stances and forms.
The princess fidgeted with the ribbons on her dress, she was getting nervous. "Grim, I wanted to ask you something."
"What?" He asked the princess.
"Mother is throwing a ball for my birthday next month," she said, soeaking faster than she would have liked. "There will be dancing and music and lots of important people from all over the empire."
"Sounds boring as hell," Grim thought, but kept his face neutral. "That's nice."
"I was wondering if maybe..." the princess continued, her cheeks turning pink. "If maybe you would come as my... as my special guest?"
Lianna snorted. "She means as her date," she clarified, clearly enjoying the princess's discomfort.
"I do not!" the princess protested, though her deepening blush suggested otherwise. "Well, not exactly. Just as my special guest who would... maybe save the first dance for me?"
Grim stared at her, momentarily at a loss. He was five years old, for fuck's sake. She was eight. This was ridiculous.
[Royal favor is valuable,] the voice in his head reminded him. [And rejecting the imperial princess's invitation would be politically unwise.]
"I'd be honored, Your Highness," Grim replied. "Though I should warn you, I'm not very good at dancing."
The princess's was no longer red, she was excited. "That's okay! We still have a month to practice. I can help you!"
"Great," Grim muttered. More time wasted on social niceties when he could be perfecting his new techniques.
Lianna rolled her eyes. "How romantic," she said sarcastically. "The princess and the water boy, dancing the night away in front of the whole empire."
"No one asked for your opinion," the princess said, in a nasty tone.
"Will you be attending as well, Lady Levenhart?" Grim asked, to get the girls to stop fighting.
Lianna was surprised by the question. "Of course," she said after a moment. "Father says I must learn to tolerate the."
"Maybe we could dance too," Grim asked. Even he was confused why he asked that "After the princess's dance, of course."
Now it was Lianna's turn to be embaressed. "I..... well... I suppose that would be okay. Just don't step on my feet."
The princess looked between them with a sad look. "I should return to my lessons," she said quickly. "The dancing instructor will be waiting. I'll see you tomorrow, Grim." She curtseyed and left quickly.
Lianna watched her go, then turned back to Grim. Her face had changed to something serious "Don't get any ideas, water boy. I'd only dance with you to show how nice of a person i am."
"I Wouldn't dream of it, you crazy pyromaniac," Grim replied with a slight smirk. "Try not to set my clothes on fire."
She hesitated, as if wanting to say something else, then left without saything another word.
"What the hell was that about?" Grim wondered.
[Interesting dynamics,] the voice observed. [The princess clearly has a childhood infatuation with you, while Lady Levenhart's feelings appear more... complex.]
"They're children," Grim thought with irritation. "And so am I, physically at least. This is absurd."
[In this world, noble children are often betrothed by your age. The princess's interest, while innocent now, could have serious political implications later.]
Grim shook his head and headed back toward his quarters. Politics and girls were the last things on his mind.
Back in his room, Grim saved Sera away, saying he wanted to rest after his training session. Once alone, he sat cross-legged on his bed and closed his eyes.
"Now's a good time to work on what Father explained," he thought.
[Cultivating both water and light mana simultaneously will indeed accelerate your progress,] the voice agreed. [But it requires finer control than you've needed until now.]
Grim took a deep breath and focused on his senses. Feeling for the mana in his surroundings. Water mana was easiest to detect. It flowed through the air as humidity, through the walls from pipes, even in the small cup on his nightstand. Water mana was in most thing, just not always in large quanities. Light mana was more subtle, present in the sunbeams filtering through his window, but also in the ambient glow of the room.
"How do I draw both at once without them conflicting?" Grim asked mentally.
[Visualize them as complementary, not opposing,] the voice suggested. [Water reflects light; light illuminates water. They enhance each other when properly balanced.]
Grim tried to picture this relationship as he carefully drew strands of both types of mana toward himself. The water mana came easily, responding to his now-practiced call. The light mana was more reluctant, flickering and slipping from his grasp several times before he managed to maintain a steady stream.
As both energies flowed into him, Grim focused on directing them toward his mana heart. This was the tricky part—filtering out impurities while maintaining the dual flow.
[Imagine a sieve made of your intent,] the voice advised. [Let the pure essence pass through while the impurities remain behind.]
"For fuck's sake, that's easier said than done," Grim grumbled mentally, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he concentrated. The dual-filtration was mentally exhausting, like trying to solve two complex equations simultaneously.
After several frustrating attempts, something clicked. The two mana types began flowing together in a harmonious stream, enhancing rather than interfering with each other. The sensation was completely different from his usual cultivation—warmer, almost bubbling, as the light and water mana mixed and purified each other.
"Holy shit, it's working," Grim thought with excitement. "I can feel the difference."
[What you're doing is extraordinary,] the voice noted, a hint of surprise in its tone. [Most cultivators can only work with one mana type at a time. Even those with dual affinities typically alternate rather than simultaneous cultivation.]
"Is that why it feels so much more efficient?" Grim asked. The mana flowing into his heart seemed to be condensing faster, enhancing his capacity more rapidly than his normal practice.
[Perhaps this is connected to the gift the god mentioned,] the voice mused. [This ability to harmonize opposing elements is... unusual.]
Grim's concentration deepened as he settled into the rhythm of dual cultivation. Time seemed to slow, then stop having meaning altogether as he lost himself in the ebb and flow of mana. It felt like an hour passed in this meditative state.
When Grim finally opened his eyes, expecting to see the afternoon sun. He was shocked to find the room had barely any sunlight in the room.
"What the actual fuck?" he yellled, staring at the sunrise. "Did I cultivate all night?"
His still felt like he had energy. It was
s if he'd slept deeply despite remaining in the same cross-legged position for 10 hours.
[You entered a cultivation trance,] the voice explained. [A rare state usually achieved only by advanced practitioners. Time perception distorts in such states.]
Grim stretched his cramped muscles, marveling at how refreshed he felt despite not actually sleeping. More importantly, he could sense a significant change in his mana heart.
[Your capacity increased by nearly 5% in a single session,] the voice informed him. [At this rate, you could reach maximum capacity for your first heart within days rather than years.]
"Now that's what I'm talking about," Grim thought with satisfaction. If dual cultivation was this effective, he could advance far faster than anyone expected—including his father.
A knock at his door interrupted his thoughts.
"Young master?" Sera called. "Are you awake already? Lord Ambrose will be expecting you for morning training in half an hour."
Grim grimaced. After cultivating all night, the last thing he wanted was to run five kilometers and do fifty each of push-ups, sit-ups, and squats. But he knew his father wouldn't accept cultivation as an excuse to skip physical training.
"I'll be ready," he called back, hauling himself off the bed.
As he splashed cold water on his face, his mind buzzed with possibilities from last night's discovery. If he could maintain dual cultivation regularly without anyone realizing how quickly he was advancing, he'd have an edge no one would see coming. Let those noble brats with their "superior bloodlines" think he was just another kid struggling to keep up. Soon enough, they'd learn what it meant to underestimate Grim van Ambrose.