"Okay, that should be enough."
Theo stopped the process right as his two disciples broke into the fourth rank, mere moments after they reached the maturation of the third stage.
With the flawless form of the cultivation, there was no backlash from advancing through the stages. In theory, it meant Theo could push them even higher, to match or maybe even exceed his own cultivation…
But he decided against it.
One part of it was the rational sense of self-preservation by keeping his disciples below his own level. The other part, however, was much more ordinary.
Even though the two of them were fourth and fifth rank respectively just a few hours earlier, the moment their cultivation vanished, so did their natural ability to absorb mana.
As a product of one's cultivation, it needed time to properly kick in by way of the body adapting to one's changed state.
