He failed approximately twenty times.
On the twenty first he felt it work before. Just briefly. Just a moment where his intent and the flow moved together instead of in parallel, and in that moment the warmth he'd felt earlier in the day doubled in intensity for exactly three seconds before he lost the thread and it settled back.
Three seconds.
He spent the next forty minutes chasing that three seconds again.
He caught it twice more.
◈ SOVEREIGN CULTIVATION ◈
Stage 1 [Circulation]
Progress: 3% >> 9%
Internal Mana Density: Low [Increasing]
Active Circulation: Unstable [Developing]
Note: Progress rate above expected baseline.
Reason: Sovereign Core compatibility with cultivation method is high.
Projected Stage 1 completion at current rate: 11 days.
◈ ◈ ◈
Eleven days.
He'd have two days before the selection trial if that projection held.
