Karl nodded approvingly at Arin's question before opening the System's documentation once more. Rather than answering immediately, he carefully reread the relevant section to make sure he did not overlook any important details. Designing a breathing method was not something they could afford to get wrong, especially when the technique would likely guide generations of descendants. Once he was satisfied, he closed the book and looked around the room.
"According to the System's instructions, there is no meaningful functional difference between using the heart or the lower dantian," Karl explained. "The only real distinction is the location where the mana is gathered. Beyond that, the refinement process, cultivation speed, and overall function remain effectively the same." He paused for a moment before adding, "That doesn't mean individual cultivators might not experience slight differences, but accounting for every unique circumstance isn't our responsibility."
Several members of the Elder Council nodded thoughtfully.
"Our goal," Karl continued, "is to create a breathing method that works safely and efficiently for our entire family. If someone later develops a technique better suited to their individual Physique or Class, they are free to pursue it. Right now, however, we must establish a solid foundation that everyone can understand and cultivate without unnecessary complications."
Arin leaned back slightly, listening carefully.
The explanation made sense to him, but it also raised another question. If the placement itself mattered so little, then why did the System dedicate so much documentation to designing the central gathering point? It seemed like an awful lot of effort for something that supposedly made very little difference.
Karl seemed to anticipate that confusion.
"The real challenge," he continued, "isn't deciding where the mana gathers. It's deciding what that place actually looks like."
Several eyebrows immediately rose.
"Looks?" more than one person repeated in surprise.
It was such an unusual way of describing cultivation that even the older members of the family looked puzzled. Most of them had expected discussions about mana circulation, breathing rhythms, or energy pathways. Instead, Karl was talking about appearance, almost as though they were designing a work of art rather than a cultivation technique.
Karl smiled knowingly.
"Yes," he replied. "When a faction designs its own breathing method, the System doesn't simply ask us to describe how mana moves. It guides us through hundreds of small decisions, but all of those decisions ultimately rest upon one central image. That image becomes the foundation of the entire technique."
The room grew completely silent.
"The documentation explains that this image serves several purposes," Karl continued while walking toward the whiteboard. "It helps practitioners guide mana correctly, refine it into something that naturally belongs to their bodies, and prevent it from dispersing once it has been gathered. The clearer that mental image becomes, the easier cultivation will be."
He tapped the whiteboard gently.
"In short, the image becomes an anchor."
Everyone slowly began understanding what he meant.
When cultivating, people naturally concentrated more effectively if they could picture something tangible rather than trying to manipulate an invisible force through pure instinct. A clear mental image gave the mind something to focus upon, allowing the body and soul to work together more naturally during cultivation.
Karl continued explaining.
"Technically speaking," he said, "you don't actually need a visualization at all."
He paused long enough for several hopeful expressions to appear.
"However..."
Those expressions immediately disappeared.
"...cultivating without a visualization is extraordinarily difficult."
Karl folded his arms.
"Unless someone possesses an exceptional natural talent, refusing to use a visualization is little different from deliberately handicapping yourself. You would make every aspect of cultivation more difficult for absolutely no benefit."
No one argued.
The System itself had reached that conclusion, and none of them possessed enough knowledge to contradict it. Besides, every member of the family wanted a breathing method that future generations could learn as easily as possible. There was no reason to intentionally increase the difficulty.
Karl picked up the marker again.
"So," he said while drawing a large circle on the whiteboard, "we need to create a mental image that everyone in our family can understand."
He wrote three words beside the circle.
Body.
Soul.
Mana.
"Our visualization must represent all three."
Karl turned back toward the group.
"The body must have a clear representation."
He pointed toward the first word.
"The soul must also have its own role."
Then he indicated the final word.
"And finally, the mana itself must exist somewhere within that image."
He placed the marker down.
"If our family cannot easily picture it, then the breathing method will never function as smoothly as it should."
To help everyone understand, Karl offered a deliberately simple example.
"Imagine an ice cream."
Several people blinked.
Even Arin looked momentarily confused.
Karl couldn't help smiling.
"The wooden stick could represent the body," he explained. "The chocolate coating surrounding the ice cream could represent the soul because it keeps everything together. Finally, the ice cream itself would represent the refined mana stored within the structure."
A few chuckles spread throughout the room.
The example sounded ridiculous, but everyone immediately understood what Karl meant. The object itself didn't matter nearly as much as whether the different parts clearly represented the relationship between body, soul, and mana.
"So," Karl concluded, "I'd like everyone's suggestions."
He looked around the room expectantly.
"We need something that all of us can visualize clearly because it will become the very center of our breathing method."
Silence followed.
Not an uncomfortable silence, but the silence of dozens of people thinking as hard as they possibly could.
Ideas certainly existed.
Unfortunately, agreeing upon one proved far more difficult than anyone expected.
Half an hour gradually slipped by.
During that time, suggestion after suggestion appeared only to be politely rejected or temporarily set aside. Some proposals represented the body well but completely failed to incorporate the soul. Others stored mana effectively but lacked any symbolic connection to the family's traditions.
One of the earliest serious proposals involved a tree.
Considering the family's affinity with nature, many people initially believed it would make the perfect visualization. The trunk could symbolize the body, the roots the soul, and the leaves the circulating mana. Yet despite its elegance, the idea never truly resonated with everyone present.
The discussion continued.
Some suggestions were practical.
Others were far less so.
At one point someone jokingly suggested using a ketchup bottle.
Technically speaking...
It actually worked.
The bottle represented the body, the cap represented the soul by controlling the flow, and the ketchup itself represented mana. The room spent several minutes laughing at the absurd image before unanimously agreeing that future generations would probably never forgive them if their family cultivation method centered around a bottle of ketchup.
Someone else proposed a saw.
That suggestion fared little better.
Although it also fulfilled the System's basic requirements, nobody particularly wanted to spend every meditation session imagining woodworking tools. Even the person who suggested it eventually admitted that perhaps the idea sounded better inside his own head than when spoken aloud.
Gradually, frustration began replacing enthusiasm.
People shifted into increasingly relaxed positions around the room as the brainstorming session dragged on. Several elders rubbed their temples while others absentmindedly stared at the ceiling searching for inspiration. Even Karl occasionally sighed while crossing another possibility off the growing list.
Arin quietly watched the room.
It became increasingly obvious that this particular problem might not be solved by logic alone. Everyone present possessed enough intelligence to understand the System's requirements, yet that very understanding made it harder rather than easier to choose a single image.
Sometimes too many good ideas became the greatest obstacle.
Just as Karl opened his mouth to suggest taking a short break...
"I've got it!"
Grandma Lilly suddenly shot to her feet.
Her chair nearly toppled backward as she hurried toward the whiteboard with surprising speed for someone her age. Before anyone could ask what she meant, she seized the marker from Karl's hand and immediately began drawing.
Several quick strokes appeared across the board.
First came a bow.
Then a quiver.
Finally, a collection of arrows resting neatly inside it.
The room became completely silent.
Unlike every previous proposal, everyone immediately recognized what they were looking at.
The image required no explanation.
Every member of the family had grown up surrounded by bows from their earliest childhood. Their first toys had often been little more than sticks tied together with string because their young bodies lacked the strength to pull real bows. Long before they understood cultivation, they understood archery.
For this family...
The bow represented home.
Lilly smiled as she turned back toward everyone.
"The wooden frame of the bow represents the body," she explained confidently. "It must possess both strength and flexibility. A bow that is too rigid breaks, while one that is too soft cannot fire properly."
Several heads immediately nodded.
"The bowstring represents the soul."
She gently pointed toward the string.
"It binds everything together and directs every action the body takes. Without the string, the bow cannot fulfill its purpose."
Her explanation continued naturally.
"The quiver becomes the vessel that stores our refined mana."
Finally, she pointed toward the arrows.
"And each individual arrow represents a portion of our mana reserves waiting to be used."
A thoughtful silence filled the room.
Unlike every previous proposal, this one naturally incorporated every element required by the System while also reflecting the family's identity. More importantly, every member of the family could picture it without effort.
Lilly smiled proudly.
"I also hope," she added with a chuckle, "that this symbolism might allow us to develop some rather interesting skills in the future."
Karl couldn't hide his own smile.
"Thank you, Lilly."
He looked once more at the drawing before addressing everyone.
"I honestly don't see any flaws with this proposal."
He folded his arms.
"It perfectly represents our family's lifelong dedication to the bow while satisfying every requirement laid out by the System."
Karl looked around the room.
"Does anyone have any questions or objections?"
Although the visualization appeared slightly more complex than some earlier suggestions, separating the bow and string from the quiver actually made the relationship between body, soul, and mana even clearer. Rather than confusing people, the distinction helped explain exactly how each component supported the others.
For several moments...
Nobody spoke.
Then Bennie slowly raised his hand.
"I don't object to the design," he said sincerely. "In fact, I think it's excellent."
He looked around the room.
"But before we officially submit it to Gaia, I'd like the rest of the family to see it as well."
His expression became more serious.
"This breathing method will shape our descendants for generations. I'd rather spend one extra day gathering opinions than spend decades regretting that we overlooked something important."
Several people immediately agreed.