The days slowly ticked by, but Leonel hardly noticed them. His body was as light as a feather, following along a natural progression that didn't even seem difficult to him.
Then, one day…
BANG!
SHUUUUUUU!
A hot steam shot all around Leonel's body.
Well, at first look it was just steam. But, upon second inspection, one would be shocked to find that it was actually Force. Tangible Force!
This wasn't the kind of Force only those with Internal Sight could see. Even mortals who hadn't come into contact with Force a day in their lives would very clearly be able to see it. This sort of shocking Crystallization was the likes of which even King Arthur hadn't reached!
Leonel took a deep breath.
All the dense fog around him seemed to surge into his body, entering through his pores and boring into his soul, leaving him feeling incomparably refreshed.
'I did it… This should also be the Strong Stage…'
Leonel realized that when his body suddenly sucked in all his Force like that, his body broke through another shackle and reached the Strong Stage.
It had to be remembered that refining one's Metal Body in the Third Dimension was split into five phases. The Weak, Standard, Strong, Superior and Perfection stage. This could be considered the foundation one laid to enter the Fourth Dimension.
This was another reason Leonel wasn't worried about not having the rest of [Dimensional Cleanse] just yet. Even if he couldn't progress to the Fourth Dimension with his Force, he could still do so with his Soul Force, he could still comprehend the Four Seasons Realm, and he could also bring his Metal Body into the Fourth Dimension as well.
Regardless of which of these three paths it was, each of them would give him the strength of a Fourth Dimensional entity. So, what did it matter?
As things stood now, if Leonel wanted, he could bring his Metal Body to the Fourth Dimension this very instant. But, as a person who opened all Nine Doors, how could he waste his potential like that? He had to reach Superior Stage at worst before progressing.
Leonel flexed his forearms.
'My body is already nearing the strength of a Pseudo Fourth Dimensional Ore. It wouldn't be easy even for Fourth Dimensional entities to harm me…'
Leonel took a deep breath. This gave him even more assurance to form his Tenth Node. He knew that no matter how much he planned it all out, the process would still be impossibly painful. After all, he was trying to break through restrictions set by the universe itself. Even if this could be considered to be a minor restriction in the grand scheme, to the current Leonel, it was an insurmountable mountain.
Leonel took a deep breath to adjust himself. Then, he took another long bath and deep sleep before finally returning, his body brimming with vitality.
No matter how you looked at him, Leonel seemed to be a pointed spear. All the hatred, humiliation and grievance he had suffered those few days ago seemed to become his whetstone, sharpening his edge to unimaginable degrees.
"Let's begin." Leonel spoke to no one in particular.
His breath shot out like an arrow, trembling the space before his lips.
He sat crossed legged, a vial of thick, milky liquid in his hands. This was none other than the Dew he had collected in the several months he had the stalactite for. Just a single drop was more than enough to form a Node, but Leonel actually had almost a dozen.
In that moment, Leonel began to circulate [Dimensional Cleanse] in full force. The speed of his rotation his Stars experienced accelerated and his body suddenly felt bloated.
Leonel split his mind in two directions, both focusing in on his kidneys.
Leonel had calculated everything out. If he tried to form his Nodes one at a time, he would get stone walled when he tried to form his Tenth. The only chance he stood was to form them both at the very same time.
For the current Leonel, splitting his mind in two directions was as easy as breathing. After Crystallizing his Spirit Pressure to perfection, he could already split it over eight ways. So, how could two possibly be an issue?
Leonel guides his Force, stimulating his life energies, rearranging the cells of kidneys.
The kidney was an extraordinarily important part of the body. It was responsible for cleaning away many of the impurities of the blood. However, for anyone who had ever suffered a kidney stone before, they would know that even the smallest particle could cause everything to go wrong.
For Leonel to rearrange his cells, though it wasn't as dangerous as when he had done so with his brain, the immediate pain was definitely far more potent.
However, from the outside, one would never guess that Leonel was in pain.
In just an hour, Leonel had already rearranged a hundred cells worth of space, creating a nice pocket for his two Nodes. To this point, despite the pain, everything had gone perfectly. All he had to do now was form his Node within the pockets he had created and connect them with his others. By then, his foundation within the Third Dimension would become perfect.
Leonel's chest expanded, his thick Force building.
In one swift motion, he unhesitatingly swung his head back and gulped down the whole vial of dew.
BANG!
Leonel's body suddenly expanded by a size. However, it wasn't proportional in the slightest. He looked as though he had suddenly gained a hundred pounds and that his body would burst at any moment.
However, under the strength of his Metal Body, he kept himself together as his face contorted.
Blood leaked from his lips, but he willed himself to focus.
In that instant, all the Force in his body rushed to two locations, carving out a Node Pathway with impunity.
Leonel's brow trembled, but he bit down on his teeth hard.
He compressed his bloated body, squeezing his muscles and flexing with all his might.
Cracks began to spread not only across himself, but even the floors of the Lab Setting. It seemed that he might implode at any given moment.
But it was exactly then that he felt the Node Pathways complete. One to his left kidney and the other two his right.
Just when Leonel was about to feel ecstatic, he suddenly felt as though someone had stabbed through the right side of his body and twisted the knife.
In that moment, a scar Leonel had hardly thought about his whole life suddenly lit on fire. From a faint mark near his liver, it suddenly exploded, radiating out with a blinding light.
"AGH!"
Leonel couldn't control his roar. The pain was so excruciating that his eyes rolled back until only their whites remained. His body convulsed uncontrollably.
There was no need to even mention his breakthrough attempt. He had completely lost control of his Force, his body bursting apart at its seams.
He flopped to the ground, his body spasming as blood leaked from his orifices. The scar continued to burn brighter and brighter, stretching up the side of his body as though to swallow him whole.
Leonel could have never thought that the reason he felt nine Nodes weren't enough was precisely because of this scar his father mentioned in the note he left to him all that time ago…