The porcelain teacup rested upon the limestone table, its surface as calm as a frozen pond.
A pale spiral of steam rose lazily into the morning air.
Deep within Kaelen Vance’s dantian, the bronze boundary gears of Track 3 and Track 1 engaged simultaneously.
A chime resonated through his soul as the two tracks entered their 60-minute burst windows:
[Track 3 (Alchemy Comprehension): 7,210x ACTIVE] [Track 1 (Cultivation Vessel): 7,210x ACTIVE] [Track 2 (Martial Combat): 7,210x READY (Held in Reserve)]
The flow of time in Kaelen’s perception stretched and broadened.
Seven thousand two hundred and ten hours of baseline mental focus poured into his consciousness with every sixty seconds that ticked past, meaning five burst minutes equaled thirty-six thousand and fifty baseline hours.
One minute now contained over three hundred days of pure alchemical mastery.
