It didn't take long for Basil to sleep. He was already recovered an hour later. In the first place, he felt tired due to Qi exhaustion. Therefore, when his Qi was back at full capacity, the fatigue also naturally disappeared.
However, the quick rate of recovery was also thanks to Mana Amulet. It gathered the surrounding Mana around him, and thanks to that his body could absorb Star Energy from the gathered Mana. Coupled with [Star Withering], the recovery rate was naturally brought to a whole new level.
Basil climbed down the crest to reach the Clear Water pond once again. He was going to concoct the Catalyst there. It was secluded enough for him to not receive any disturbance. The scenery was also peaceful. It was necessary to keep his mind clear.
By the time he reached the ground, he readily set all of the ingredients and the necessary tools to make Crystal Clear. He took a stack of Adrenaline Grass and ground it to mush. By the time he finished that, he mixed it with clear water and put it in a vial.
The vial was put on a holder, while the burner was put underneath. With his superb Qi manipulation, he produced a fire on his finger. The fire quickly lit the burner and the vial above was quickly heated.
He adjusted the heat carefully according to the knowledge he had gotten by the Guide. It was all done to extract the essence of the Adrenaline Grass. And thus, the concocting progress continued on.
While doing all this, he split a part of his mind to ask the Guide.
'Guide, what is a Sword Soul?'
[Answering the Host's ignorance...]
[Sword Soul, as its name implies, is a manifestation of a sword conscience. For a sword to gain a conscience and awakened its soul, one needed to spend a lot of time wielding the sword. By constantly injecting Mana or pouring one's consciousness into the sword will accelerate the awakening of the Sword Soul.]
'Does that mean Sword Soul is also a part of the wielder's soul?'
[Yes. However, the Sword Soul and the wielder was no longer the same entity. They only have the same body.]
'Is Vagus a part Zepar's soul?'
[...]
'Right.. stupid question.'
He knew it already, however he wanted to make sure. He had never hesitated to ask something he wasn't sure about. There was no need for him to feel embarrassed.
The next question was naturally how to utilize (read: exploit) a Sword Soul the best. Vagus who was in his mindscape suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. She had the urge to talk as to lessen this feeling.
"Anyway, what Catalyst are you going to make, Darling?"
"..."
"Darling..?"
Her puzzled look was genuine. She didn't seem understand what was wrong. In the other hand, Basil had a quite comical look on his face.
'What is she blabbering about?'
Luckily, he was already experienced to this kind of treatment from a woman. He had no reason to be flustered. Just treat them as nothing, and the other side would tire on herself. He was sure of it.
"I am going to make Crystal Clear."
"Oh! Crystal Clear!"
"Yes. Do you know it?"
"No. What is Crystal Clear?"
"..."
He had promised to not have any regrets in this second chance of life. However, it seemed he had a regret already.
...
It took him 4 days with minimal time to sleep and rest to finally succeed in concocting the Catalyst. If he had followed the knowledge he had got and not experimenting by himself, he would have already finished it days ago.
However, he was determined to make the formula his! And finally, today he had made the necessary batch to aid himself in awakening his Mana Heart.
"Huuh... I finally made it."
"Congratulations! Your days of effort has finally paid off!"
A small smile unconsciously graced his face. This was the feeling he missed. The feeling of accomplishing something. Only now that he realized, every trivial thing he had experienced in the past was worth remembering.
"Darling, you smile like an old man."
He lost his smile instantly. His face turned neutral, and in the next moment, he sighed lightly. Vagus, to say the least, was a chatterbox. She had so many to talk about, that one could wonder how she got the topic.
— Hey, Darling.. if there is a watermelon, how can there not be a firemelon?
— People add ice to their water, however isn't ice a solid water? Does that mean they add water to their water?
— If we put ourselves in the water while raining, does it count as bathing or enjoying the rain?
She even asked something that Basil had never thought, due to how stupid it was. However, what was shocking was the fact that he had actually pondered some of them. He was surprised, and that was for sure for his stupidity.
There was also a time where he tuned her out by forcefully closed his connection to her. It was so peaceful externally, however he felt a sense of foreboding inside. By the time he reopened their connection...
— Uhu-hu-hu! I hate you! Why are you so cruel!?
A heart clenching cry was heard from her. He didn't know what she looked like inside, however he instinctively pictured her crying tears of blood. Rather than a peaceful of mind, he got more headache. Since then, he decided to never tune her out.
"Vagus..."
"Yes, Darling?"
"I have told you not to... Huuh.. whatever."
"Hm?"
"I am going to awaken my Mana Heart. Will you kindly guard me while I do that?"
It was basically a request to stay shut. He just worded it out kindly. Vagus wasn't surprised hearing he was about awaken his Mana Heart. She had already accepted anything about him. Going back in time was already strange enough. What else could faze her?
"Of course, as a wife, I will dutifully guard you."
He wanted to retort, however he didn't want to hear her headache inducing reasoning. Therefore, he just accepted it. He took a deep breath and gulped three Crystal Clear. The effect was immediate as he could already feel the Mana rushed into his body.
Quickly, he channeled all the Mana in accordance to [Heart Clenching]. All of the Mana was circulating in his body. It passed through his vein, cleansing it in the process. For an unknown amount of time, Mana ceaselessly circulating in his body.
The efficiency of the newly improved Crystal Clear was mind boggling. Not only could he awaken his Mana Heart, but also practice [Star Withering] in the process. While his vein was being strengthened and widened, his bone was refined by the Qi he had.
Impurities were expelled from his body. Black viscous substance was seeping out of his pores. Not enough with the nauseating stench, the substance was also sticky. It stubbornly sticked onto his skin.
However, Basil wasn't bothered. The process wasn't done yet. He hadn't awakened his Mana Heart yet. The three Catalysts he had popped earlier had lost their effect. Reaching out to his side, he quickly took another three Catalysts.
Gulp.
The Catalyst immediately took effect, however it wasn't as efficient as before. His body naturally had adapted to the Catalyst. However, it didn't matter to him. He didn't plan to consume the same Catalyst over and over for the rest of his life.
He quickly channeled the Mana circulating in his body toward his heart. He utilized it in accordance to [Heart Clenching]. Immediately, a startling pain assaulted him. It seemed the technique quite unbefitting of the name.
The sensation he got wasn't heart clenching. It was heart twisting! He clenched his jaw tightly as he literally felt his heart twisting unstoppably. He had a strong mind not to cry in pain, however his body wasn't the case. He could feel the pain, and it was amplified by his currently active nerves.
However, he knew it was necessary. He intended to purify his body along with awakening his Mana Heart. He endured all the pain with clenched jaw. His face didn't contort even a little bit. Aside from his clenched jaw, no one could know he was in pain.
When the Catalyst lost its effect, he popped a new one. Never once he stopped in his awakening process. The Impurities coming out of his pores already drenched his clothes. It was mixed with his sweat, giving a pungent smell.
However, he couldn't smell it. His attention was solely focused on his awakening. Just like that, three days passed.
Boom!
Powerful aura swept the surrounding. The aura was originated from Basil. The air exploded due to the sudden influx of Mana out of his body. At last, he managed to awaken his heart.
Cough!
He quickly threw up a mouthful of black liquid out of his mouth. It was the Impurities from his heart. He felt light, and underneath the Impurities covering his face, could be seen a healthy skin tone.
His heart that was normal previously had now turned crystal like. It kept its shape, however it was no longer a normal heart made out of flesh. It looked like a heart shaped crystal. And strangely enough it was beating like a normal heart.
First Stage of Mana Heart Cultivation: Crimson Heart. In this stage, he could gather Mana as much as a Third-Circled Mage. However, it didn't mean he would be able to control it as good as them. Therefore, he needed to carve his circle before being able to use it effectively.
Vitality filled his body. Not only had his heart awakened, but his bone had also been refined. He could feel the density of his bone changed. His body turned muscular, however it wasn't ripped. His body was buff healthily. Noticeable but not too big.
He sighed. Right then, he could smell the pungent smell his body was having. He quickly stood up and undressed himself. However, at that moment —
"Kyaa! Pervert!"
— a girly shout was heard.
Basil quirked an eyebrow. He had forgotten the fact that Vagus could share her vision through him. He shrugged nonchalantly and proceeded to close the connection between them. However —
"You don't have to cut me off!"
— a strong rejection was heard from Vagus.
Basil was puzzled. Her sometimes indecisive attitude quite irritated him. However, he had never took his annoyance seriously. She behaved like a child. There was no point in fussing over the strange behavior of a child. In short, he didn't feel the need to treat her seriously.
While dipping his body into the water, he scrubbed all the Impurities sticking on his skin. His Impurities covered skin was slowly revealed. A bright and smooth skin that could make women sigh in jealousy could be seen. His skin was no more as white as a snow, however it was still whiter than most women's.
"Uwah.. uwah.. uwahh! He-he-he!"
A creepy laughter rang in his head. He felt a chill ran down his spine, however he ignored it. He was already used to the spine chilling feeling. He shook his head while closing his eyes.
"Huh? Hey! I can't see anything!"
"..."
"..."
Vagus shut her mouth. She was covering her nose along with her mouth. Blood was dripping from her nose. She stood silently on the porch of the wooden house inside his mindscape. Her face was crimson red. She seemed aware of what she just said.
Basil shook his head helplessly. It couldn't be helped. What was Vagus? She was called Sword of Lust due to her association with Zepar. There was nothing strange if she behaved this way.
'Too bad, too bad. Her beauty is wasted due to her rotten personality.'
Basil sighed and smiled faintly.
"Aren't you the pervert one!?"
Then, he exclaimed indignantly.