The first thing Vulcanus did was have Rowan meditate so that the boy could get a better grasp of his mana.

  The task turned out more difficult than he thought. Rowan had grown so accustomed to mana exchange with the Mother Tree and it had become a hindrance when practicing alone.

  “The World Tree purifies everything that is near its existence, mana included. Impurities are the same as food. Most organism’s mana are a mix of different elements that come from the environment. The most optimal condition for their mana would be when their mana is solely made of one pure element. Mainly the element that suits the organism the best. Of course that's a nearly impossible.”

  “When you perform the mana exchange, it takes in your mana and cleanse it. The cleansed mana returned to your body which in turn made you stronger. The problem is that you are barely using ten percent of your mana. Since you barely use the rest, the majority of your mana becomes dormant. What you need to do is dig deep into yourself and draw out the mana hidden in your body.”

  That was easier said than done.

  Now that Rowan was aware of the problem, he focused inside his body. All Rowan could feel was the regular flow of mana. There was nothing different. It looks like it might take some time for him to find what Vulcanus was talking about.

  Therefore he spent a few hours every day meditating and searching inside his body. Vulcanus didn’t stop teaching him in the meantime.

  One day, Vulcanus asked Rowan a question.

  “Do you know what the most sought out material for weapons for elves?”

  “No,” Rowans answered.

  “The branches of the World Tree. It has the natural durability and flexibility that meet the requirements for their bows. Not to mention few can match the toughness of a weapon made from the World Tree. Few plants can match their capabilities. They also have the ability to repair themselves, given enough time. There's an added bonus of symbolic means to the elves.”

  This was the first time he heard about the self fixing ability. He had heard of few weapons that could fix themselves and they were the stuff of legends.

  “For elves, the World Tree is sacred, therefore any weapon produced as a byproduct of the World Tree is also sacred to them. The fact that your arms are made up from the World Tree would have two results on the elves. The first result is that some would immediately drop down and start worshiping you.”

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  That didn't sound too bad to Rowan.

  “The second result, which is more than likely to occur, is that they would call blasphemy and try to kill you since their god is on a human and not on an elf. Their belief in the World Tree could match the fanaticism of the believers of the gods.”

  Rowan changed his mind. That sounded terrible. “Okay I understand that elves treat the Mother Tree like a god. Was there a reason why you bought up this topic when you were talking about mana?”

  “Yes, I was getting there. Just take note to be careful of showing off your arms. Not only elves would go after you, so would humans Especially if they knew you could grow them as you please. If you’re not careful, you could end up on the human black market. Few weapons forged by man could match a weapon formed by the World tree. One defining characteristic of such weapons is mana channeling. Good for mage’s staves and spell casting. It also allows mana to be stored for later use. Your arms contain a good deal of mana that you have yet to tap into.”

  Rowan appreciated the warning even though it sounded like something he would need to be weary about far in the future. He was more excited about learning he had another secret weapon he could use, even if he didn't have accessibility to it yet.

  “Wait. if the material from the World tree is so good, how come it didn't hurt you?” Rowan remembers the illusion that Vulcanus used on him through killing intent. The dragon had said there was no falsehood shown and Rowan remembered how his arrows had bounced off the dragon.

  “Do you think mere arrows can scratch my scales? Not to mention that you were not even properly attacking. Turning your fingers into arrows is very innovative of you, but that's the only compliment I can give you. As mentioned before, you weren't using the right method. If you had properly channeled the mana into the arrow to attack me, then the arrows may have scratched me. However yours arrows were hollow and the mana dissipated when it left your hand. That made them no better than twigs.”

  Vulcanus words stung. Rowan thought he had been doing pretty well for combat, but now he learned he had only been flailing about the whole time.

  But that was the reason he was here right?

  To learn and be better.

  “This is why you need to learn how to handle both your mana and body properly. Those are the basics of basics, child. Now there's a method to help you get more acquitted with both your body and mana. The World Tree sculpted your body to make it into the best possible condition, but you don't understand your own body yet. The best way to do that would be through combat.”

  Vulcanus led Rowan to a different cavern.

  “Please tell me you're not going to use killing intent on me again.”

  “Haha, as entertaining as thinking of how many different ways to kill you is, I will not. Killing intent works best on unsuspecting people and only for the first time. The more you use it on the same person, the less effective it is. No, I have something else in mind for you.”

  They made their way down the cave where he found a similar silhouette.

  “I believe you are already acquainted, but let me do the introductions. This is my daughter, Ember. She’ll be your combat partner.“

  Right in front of Rowan was the red dragon that he had nearly battled to the death.