Re-Awakened :I Ascend as an SSS-Ranked Dragon Summoner - Chapter 96

Chapter 96: Practice makes perfect Chapter 96: Practice makes perfect “Domain” a voice broke out as the sound of water provided a backdrop in the background.

The air shimmered as Noah materialized within his domain, the familiar sensation of crossing dimensional boundaries washing over him.

The moment his feet touched the ground, a streak of azure blue shot through the air.

Storm landed gracefully before him, wings half-spread in greeting.

“Still keeping watch, huh?” Noah murmured, scratching under the wyvern’s chin.

Storm let out a low trill, pressing into his touch before pulling back and hopping onto a nearby rock, watching him closely.

Across the domain, Nyx remained curled on the elevated platform, his deep red scales pulsing faintly as he slumbered.

The Red Death dragon still hadn’t stirred from absorbing the Harbinger core, his massive form exuding an aura of quiet power.

Noah exhaled slowly.

He wasn’t sure whether Nyx would wake up stronger-or different.

Pushing the thought aside, Noah moved to his usual meditation spot, near one of the floating rock formations.

The air here was thick with energy, the domain itself pulsing like a living thing.

Storm tilted his head, watching as Noah sank to a cross-legged position and closed his eyes.

‘Back to this again,’ Noah thought, suppressing a sigh.

Master Anng’s teachings echoed in his head: Your body is a vessel of power, waiting to be unlocked.

Find your core, and you find yourself.

It had been difficult before, and it was difficult now.

Noah took a deep breath, slowing his thoughts.

The trick was to sink beneath his conscious mind, to let himself feel the energy rather than force it.

The minutes stretched on, and sweat soon dotted his forehead.

The energy was there-two glowing triangles of pure white, their tips meeting at his core where the orb resided, just as Master Anng had described.

Noah could see them, feel them, but moving them was an entirely different matter.

He focused on trying to guide the energy upwards again.

The moment he did, resistance flared through his body.

It felt like pushing against a wall, like the energy didn’t want to be moved.

His muscles tensed as he struggled to force it just a little further than last time.

The moment he overextended-pain.

A deep, clenching cramp seized his stomach, making him double over with a sharp gasp.

His hands shot to his abdomen, fingers curling into his shirt.

It felt like something inside him had twisted the wrong way, like his body itself was rejecting the movement.

Storm let out a sharp chirp from where he stood watching in curiosity.

Noah gritted his teeth, forcing himself to breathe through it.

‘Alright.

That’s new.’ The pain didn’t last long, fading into a dull ache as soon as he stopped trying to move the energy.

He relaxed, letting the core settle back into place.

Slowly, the tension in his muscles ebbed, and the cramps dissipated.

‘Overextending locks my body up.

Noted.’ Noah exhaled, rubbing his temples.

This was harder than he’d expected.

Master Anng had made it look so damn effortless, shifting his energy with nothing more than a thought.

But Noah?

He was stuck moving it a few inches before his body shut down.

He tried again.

This time, he focused on smaller movements, coaxing the energy instead of pushing it.

He nudged it upward, just a fraction, and the resistance was there-but it didn’t feel as painful.

It was more of a strain, like lifting something heavy in slow increments.

A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek.

Slowly, the energy inched toward his chest.

The moment he pushed just a little too much-another cramp, this time in his ribs.

Noah hissed and let go, falling back against the rock.

Storm flapped his wings once, clearly unimpressed.

“Yeah, yeah,” Noah muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead.

“I get it.

Take it slow.” But even slow wasn’t working.

He wasn’t getting anywhere.

Noah sat up again, staring at his hands.

‘There’s gotta be a trick to this.

Something I’m missing.

Why does it resist so much?

Is it because I’m used to void energy?’ Void energy had always been responsive to him-fluid, malleable, aggressive.

It moved how he wanted, when he wanted when ever he channeled attacks using his skills.

The natural core was different.

It was grounded, stubborn, refusing to be controlled the same way.

‘Maybe that’s it.

Maybe I can’t control it the same way I do void energy.’ He frowned, thinking back to how Master Anng had demonstrated it.

The man had never forced his energy.

He’d moved with it, guided it like a river flowing through a channel.

‘Flow, not force.’ Noah inhaled, this time trying to listen to the energy rather than manipulate it outright.

He felt it sitting at his core, steady, constant.

Instead of forcing it upward, he focused on allowing it to move, creating an internal pathway.

A strange sensation rippled through his body.

For a moment, the energy moved smoothly-only a little, barely a shift, but it was progress.

Then his concentration broke.

The energy snapped back, and exhaustion hit him like a brick wall.

Noah groaned, rubbing his face.

‘Alright.

That was…

something.’ Storm let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Noah muttered, shaking his head.

The wyvern simply flicked his tail, eyes gleaming with amusement.

Noah sat there for a while, catching his breath.

The soreness in his body reminded him that he’d been at this for hours.

He wasn’t sure if he’d made any real progress, but at least now he knew what not to do.

Overextending made his body cramp up.

Forcing the energy led to backlash.

But when he let it flow-even a little-it responded better.

‘This is gonna take a hell of a lot more practice.’ His gaze drifted upward to the shifting sky of his domain.

The gala was tonight.

Sophie would be there.

And he?

He was sitting here, covered in sweat, frustrated beyond belief.

Noah let out a dry laugh.

“Yeah.

Great way to spend my time.” He pushed himself to his feet, shaking out his limbs.

His muscles were sore, but not unbearably so.

It wasn’t like he’d be pulling off some grand energy feat at the gala anyway.

Tonight, all he had to do was show up, play his role, and figure out what the hell was going on with this energy after.

Storm flapped his wings, watching him carefully.

“Come on,” Noah said, stretching his arms.

“Let’s get out of here.” With a final glance at Nyx-still motionless, still pulsing with dormant power- Noah said a single word, “Domain,” .

The world flickered, and in an instant, he was gone.

The world shifted, and Noah materialized in his bathroom, the lingering sensation of domain travel still tingling across his skin.

He caught his reflection in the mirror-disheveled hair, face gleaming with sweat from his training session.

Steam filled the bathroom as he stepped into the shower, letting hot water wash away the exhaustion.

His muscles still ached from the energy manipulation attempts, but the warmth helped ease the tension.

Noah closed his eyes, trying not to think about how little progress he’d made.

Tonight wasn’t about training; it was about- A sharp knock interrupted his thoughts.

“I swear to god, Noah, if you’re doing your hair again-” Kelvin’s voice carried through the door, tinged with amusement.

Noah rolled his eyes.

“Give me five minutes!” “That’s what you said one hour ago!

And one hour before that!” When Noah finally emerged from the bathroom, towel around his waist, he found Kelvin lounging against the wall.

His roommate cut quite the figure in his black suit, complete with a hat tilted at just the right angle and a walking stick that he definitely didn’t need but somehow made work.

The whole ensemble screamed ’97 in the best possible way.

“Look who finally decided to join the living,” Kelvin drawled, twirling the walking stick with entirely too much flair.

“I was beginning to think you’d drowned in there.” Noah headed for his room.

“Some of us actually need time to look presentable.” “Presently boring, maybe.

You spend more time in that bathroom than anyone I know.” Kelvin followed him to the doorway, leaning against the frame.

“What do you even do in there?

Conduct séances?

Start a small business?

Write a novel?” “Ha ha.” Noah grabbed the grey suit, grateful that Sophie had insisted on getting it pressed yesterday.

“Maybe I just enjoy my personal space.” “Personal space?” Kelvin raised an eyebrow.

“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” Noah threw a sock at him, which Kelvin dodged with a laugh.

“Speaking of personal space,” Kelvin continued, “I heard through the grapevine that a certain Sophie Reign is your plus-one tonight.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“The grapevine being that you eavesdropped on our conversation?” “I prefer the term ‘accidentally overheard while definitely not pressing my ear against a door.'” Kelvin adjusted his hat in Noah’s mirror.

“But seriously, man, I’m happy for you.

Sophie’s…

well, she’s Sophie.

You hit the jackpot there.” Noah paused in the middle of buttoning his shirt.

There was genuine warmth in Kelvin’s voice, no trace of his usual teasing.

“Thanks, Kelv.” “Don’t mention it.” Kelvin pushed off from the doorframe, twirling his walking stick one last time.

“Well, I’ll leave you to finish getting ready-in this century, hopefully.

Don’t want to be a third wheel when your escort arrives.” He threw Noah a wink.

“Just remember: if the room’s rocking, don’t come knocking.” “Get out!” Kelvin’s laughter echoed down the hallway as he made his exit, the tapping of his walking stick fading with his footsteps.

Noah shook his head, fighting a smile as he turned back to the mirror.

The grey suit fit perfectly-Sophie’s eye for fashion was spot on.

As he adjusted his tie, he couldn’t help but think about how different this evening would be from his frustrating training session earlier.

No void energy, no stubborn core resistance, no Storm watching him fail repeatedly.

Just him, Sophie, and whatever the night had in store for them.

He just hoped it would be simpler than trying to move that damn energy.