CHAPTER 66: BREAKING THROUGH TO THE SECOND LAYER! (2)

He could feel the magical threads of the Loom stretching in all directions around him, a complex web of threads that responded to his conscious will.

The sensation was like having invisible hands that could reach out and touch the fundamental forces of reality.

Now came the incredibly difficult part. He needed to compress all of this expanded mental range back down to a single, tiny point of concentrated consciousness.

The technique required him to gather every bit of his mental energy and focus it into the smallest possible area while maintaining perfect control.

The process was like trying to force an ocean through a drinking straw. His expanded consciousness naturally wanted to remain spread out, and compressing it created enormous internal pressure.

His brain felt like it was being squeezed in a vice, and waves of pain shot through his skull with each attempt.

Sweat continued pouring from his body as he struggled with the compression. His muscles trembled with the effort of maintaining perfect stillness while his mind underwent this incredible strain.

The magical crystals in the room began flickering as his intense mental activity interfered with their stable energy patterns.

He held the compressed point of consciousness for as long as possible, then tried to push it deeper into the structure of the Loom itself.

The first layer felt solid and familiar, but beyond it lay something else entirely. The second layer was like trying to see through thick fog, barely visible and constantly shifting.

Each attempt to penetrate deeper resulted in immediate failure.

The compressed point of his mental range would hit what felt like an invisible barrier and bounce back, leaving him exhausted and frustrated.

His head pounded with the aftereffects of the intense concentration required for each try.

But Ren refused to give up. He knew that this breakthrough was essential for his success in the tournament.

Every failed attempt taught him something new about the process, and he could feel himself getting closer to understanding what was required.

The hours passed in a blur of intense concentration and repeated failure.

Ren’s body remained motionless on the training room floor, but his mind was engaged in the most difficult battle of his life.

Each attempt to break through to the second layer required him to push his consciousness beyond what seemed physically possible.

His training clothes were completely soaked with sweat, and small puddles had formed on the stone floor around him.

The magical crystals continued to flicker and dim as his mental efforts created waves of interference throughout the room.

Any observer would have thought he was seriously ill or injured based on his physical condition.

But internally, Ren could feel progress being made. Each failed attempt brought him slightly closer to understanding the exact technique required.

The barrier between the layers wasn’t solid like a wall, but more like a membrane that needed to be approached in just the right way.

The compression technique was becoming easier with practice, though it still required enormous effort and concentration.

He could now gather his mental range into a focused point more quickly and maintain it for longer periods.

The pain in his head had become a constant companion, but he had learned to work through it.

As the hours continued to pass, Ren began to notice subtle changes in how the Loom responded to his probing attempts.

The second layer seemed to be becoming slightly more visible, like trying to focus on something in the distance that was slowly getting clearer.

There were moments when he could almost sense the deeper patterns that lay beyond the first layer.

His determination never wavered despite the physical and mental exhaustion building up in his body.

The importance of this breakthrough was too great to allow temporary discomfort to stop him. Every prospective in the tournament would be pushing themselves to their limits, and he needed to push even further.

When Ren finally took a break for food and rest, he had been practicing for nearly eighteen hours straight.

His body was completely drained, and his mind felt like it had been put through a blender. But he had made measurable progress, and that gave him hope for continued improvement.

After a few hours of sleep and a quick meal, he was ready to continue.

The second day of attempts began with renewed energy and refined technique.

His understanding of the compression process had improved significantly, and he could now achieve the focused point of consciousness more efficiently.

But the breakthrough itself remained elusive. The second layer of the Loom continued to resist his attempts to penetrate its mysteries.

Each failure was becoming more frustrating as he came tantalizingly close to success but couldn’t quite achieve the final push needed.

The physical strain was taking its toll on his body. His muscles ached from maintaining the same position for so many hours, and his head throbbed with constant pain from the intense mental effort.

By the afternoon of the second day, Ren was beginning to feel truly miserable.

The combination of physical discomfort, mental exhaustion, and repeated failure was testing his resolve like nothing ever had before.

Part of him wondered if he was attempting something beyond his current capabilities.

But giving up wasn’t an option. He forced himself to continue despite the growing urge to quit and try a different approach.

As evening approached on the second day, Ren prepared for what he hoped would be his final series of attempts.

His body was pushed to its absolute limits, and he knew he couldn’t maintain this level of intensity much longer.

If he couldn’t achieve the breakthrough soon, he would need to abandon this approach and find another way to prepare for the tournament.

He spread his mental range to its maximum extent one more time, feeling the familiar web of magical threads extending ten meters in all directions.

The compression technique had become almost automatic after so many hours of practice. His consciousness gathered itself into a tight, focused point with practiced efficiency.

This time, something felt different. The compressed point of his mental range seemed more stable and concentrated than ever before.

The pain in his head was still intense, but it felt more controlled and purposeful. He had finally achieved the perfect balance of compression and focus needed for the breakthrough attempt!

He directed the focused point toward the barrier between the layers with careful precision.

Instead of trying to force his way through with brute mental strength, he approached the membrane-like boundary with delicate probing motions.

The technique required a combination of power and finesse that had taken him nearly two days to develop.

For a moment, nothing happened. The familiar resistance met his mental probe, and he prepared for another failure.

But then, almost imperceptibly, something began to change. The barrier started to give way, not breaking but rather opening like a door that had finally found the right key.

His compressed mental range slipped through the opening and suddenly expanded into an entirely new realm of sensation!

The second layer of the Loom revealed itself in all its complex glory, a vast network of deeper patterns and more fundamental threads than anything he had ever experienced!

It was absolutely beautiful!

The moment Ren’s consciousness fully entered the second layer of the Loom, the training room erupted in spectacular magical phenomena.

A brilliant formation of light appeared beneath his prone body, spreading outward in intricate geometric patterns that covered several meters of the floor around him.

The formation pulsed with colors that seemed to exist beyond the normal spectrum of light.

Ancient symbols and modern magical equations rotated slowly within the glowing pattern, representing the deep relationships that governed the loom at its most fundamental level.

The sight was breathtakingly beautiful and profoundly complex.

Ren’s body remained motionless, but every cell seemed to be vibrating with newfound energy.

The exhaustion and pain that had been building for two days suddenly disappeared, replaced by a sense of clarity and power that was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

He had done it!