To absorb the energy from a Monster Core you should ball your fist around it, then let the energy slowly seep into you. This is the incomparably shorter version of Archibald’s answer. Anyone who knew anything about Internal Energy would at this point realize that the old True-Namer was an absolute amateur on the subject.

Without knowing a technique that would allow the Sword-Sage to absorb the Internal Energy leaking from a Monster Core, Archibald’s advice was as useful as someone telling you to drink water by keeping your hand in a pond.

“Sticking it in my mouth would be more effective.” Wolf said without thinking once his father’s lengthy exposition was finally over.

In one of the lives he had lived in the dreamscape he was a Sword-Sage. Now that he heard something wrong this memory came to him on its own. It was one of the few remnants from that lifetime, since Wolf lacked the fundamental knowledge one needed to become a Sword-Sage.

One of the scarce remaining observations from back then was that sucking on an energy source would yield better results than keeping it in your palm. He even knew the reasoning behind it. The energy that would scatter and seep away from his fist would instead scatter inside his mouth with nowhere to escape.

Remembering this, Wolf wondered why he never tried to swallow a Monster Core in the Dreamscape. He was unaware that this was one of his many wrong conclusions and erased memories.

“If you say so son. Just so you know, it’s said that dragons have Monster Cores larger than watermelons. I’m not sure that your approach would work with those…” Archibald had a straight face, but Wolf could tell that his old man was teasing him.

Wolf didn’t deign him with a response. He just rolled his eyes and popped the two blueberry sized half-spheres into his mouth after rinsing them with water.

He seated himself comfortably and started following the instructions from the scrolls he got. He could feel strands of energy slowly flow out from the Monster Core. Following some kind of invisible current, the energy seeped into Wolf’s flesh and spread out through his body.

As this strange, warm energy started coursing through Wolf’s physique the boy felt a resonance from deep within his soul. After a couple of minutes his body got used to the ebb and flow of the energy and started repeating the cycle on its own. Meanwhile Wolf’s mind was drawn into his Mind Hall. Wolf’s Mental Aspect gazed at the fifth column and could see that the technique he was currently practicing had some similarities with the carvings.

As the energy flowed through his body Wolf could clearly tell it followed the principles displayed on the fifth column. However, that was not all. Wolf could feel the same strange resonance from the third column. There he could finally see that the sword-master practicing his techniques was actually using Internal Energy while performing them.

As Wolf observed these columns some of the techniques from his former life slowly returned to him. He could tell that the unity of Soul and Internal Energy these two columns displayed could be used to achieve various effects.

There were techniques that could rouse one from abnormal states or immediately end the effects of various poisons. Some could harden his skin for a brief period of time, while others could boost his movement or allow him to perform a variety of other feats. The most plentiful however were offensive maneuvers, one of them being the maneuver which had sliced the dragon-blood bear in two, Sunder the Mountains.

All of the techniques he recalled had one thing in common. They all used up Internal Energy to achieve a certain effect. All except two that is.

One technique was used to gather energy from outside sources, such as the environmental World Energy or Monster Cores.

The other one was used to refine that energy into Internal Energy and increase the body’s capacity for storing Internal Energy. Those two techniques combined made up the ebb and flow which was currently occurring within Wolf’s body.

The boy carefully examined these two arts as he observed them work in unison. He noticed that Soul Force was the controlling mechanism, maybe even a catalyst for this process.

Suddenly Wolf realized something.

Soul Force could be used, albeit ineffectively, to generate Internal Energy!

He had the feeling that this action could even damage the Mind Hall. Wolf would personally never use it, but that gave him an inspiration.

If Soul Force could be used to refine Internal Energy, was the reverse process possible? Could he create a spell or technique that could repair one's Mind Hall at the cost of consuming vast amounts of Internal Energy? If that was possible then there was a way to fix his father’s damaged soul!

Wait. If something like that is possible, shouldn’t someone have already created a spell or a maneuver that could do such a thing?! I mean if I, an eight year old child can come up with such an idea, someone else surely must have noticed it too by now. Right?

What Wolf failed to realize was the fact that his perspective came from the experience of a World Power level Sword-Sage. Not just that, Wolf had spent a whole lifetime as a Mage and a variety of other professions.

Wolf’s tendency for experimenting and proficiency at coming up with hypothetical solutions to problems was quite possibly unmatched within the ten empires of man. In the current era Wolf was probably the only person with qualifications to even contemplate this problem…

***

While Wolf was meditating Archibald still had a bunch of things left to do. Currently he was muttering to himself while processing the mountain lion Wolf had killed immediately before slaying the dragon-blooded bear.

“I wish I was a kid again. Then I could just go to sleep and let someone else butcher this damn cat for me... I’m so tired. Still, this has to be done and there is nobody else but me here.”

Archibald lifted his gaze and looked at his son’s sleeping form. Pride, sorrow and guilt all swirled inside him at the same time as he watched his boy. He really didn’t want to leave his child alone…

With a heavy sigh he returned to the butchery. There wasn’t much usable meat on the mountain lion’s corpse, but those same organs he had offered to Wolf could be useful for him. Maybe buy him a day or two?

At the very least they were very nutritious and would somewhat improve the state of his body, maybe… Probably not… He could dry them and then sell them off as medicine for common people.

“Nah, we’re not desperate for gold now. But I’ve eaten a great deal of higher quality meat. The odds of this helping me in a meaningful way is really slim.” The man grumbled as he stared at the dark lump of flesh that was the mountain lion’s liver. Yet, for a bit of time and effort he just might buy himself a day…

From time to time the big man would glance towards Wolf. He could see his son’s serious, frowning face. The boy looked like he was thinking hard about something. Archibald smiled happily as he looked at that cute face and the even cuter grownup frown.

I wonder what kind of problem you’re trying to solve?

***

Hours passed. In the dead of night Wolf slowly opened his eyes. The energy from the Monster Core was spent. Wolf spat it out, not paying attention to the change it had gone through.

The previously pristine white halves of a pearl that were practically glowing now appeared like a pair of withered fossils from a bygone era. As soon as they hit the ground they crumbled into wet dust.

Wolf could tell that subtle changes had happened in his body. For the last couple of years, ever since he started practicing the Star Body Body Refining art, he had a constant feeling of becoming heavier and heavier. He wasn’t really growing fatter, rather his body was becoming more solid.

But now, with Internal Energy coursing through his body, Wolf felt as light as a feather. Glancing around, Wolf saw that his father was sleeping next to the embers of a dying fire, less than a meter away from him. Seeing the man peacefully snoring, Wolf decided not to disturb him.

I’ll wait ‘till morning for the experiments. Maybe I can improve it before the sun comes out?

Wolf closed his eyes and went back to meditation.

He wasn’t aware of his current Sword-Sage Order and was eager to find out what it was using maneuvers. Just like spells for Mages, various maneuvers had different requirements for Sword-Sage’s ability. Again, just like with Mages and spells, a Sword-Sage’s Order was determined based on the most powerful maneuver they could execute.

***

Wolf woke up in time to see the sunrise. His father woke up a couple of minutes later, when the first rays of light shone on his face. The big man yawned and was about to mutter something about the night being too short when he saw that Wolf was looking at him with sparkly eyes.

“Yes son, what is it?” The sight of Wolf’s gaze evoked the same feeling in Archibald as seeing a merchant about to fleece him…

“Dad, last night you said that the dragon-blooded bear we killed had a Monster Core equivalent to that of a ninth Order Monster Beast. Right?”

“Yes. Based on the size, it was at peak ninth Order, maybe even on the verge of tenth. Why?” The man had barely opened his eyes. He was trying to figure out who he was and where he was and yet there Wolf was, interrogating him even before he truly woke up… A true joy of parenthood…

“That means that eating enough of its flesh would allow a person to become a first Order Sword-sage. Right?”

Archibald paused for a moment. He had confirmed who he was and where he was and that the incident with the bear yesterday wasn’t a nightmare. Finally the man nodded.

“I suppose so. Why are you mentioning this now?”

“I think you should eat the meat. It would be good for you.” Wolf’s eyes had a stubborn look to them.

Archibald sighed with a here we go again expression. Didn’t they go through this last night? What was the point of having this argument one more time?

“Son, listen, I don’t suffer from any bodily issues. What troubles me is my soul, which is not in the most stable state…” Archibald started explaining his problem once more in an exhausted manner.

“Wait dad. I understand what your problem is. This will be easier with a practical demonstration…” Seeing is believing and the easiest way to get Archibald to listen was to give a practical demonstration.

It would waste some of Wolf’s hard earned Internal Energy, but to have his father listen to his proposal… It was well worth it.

The boy looked around and found a large boulder not too far away from where they were sleeping last night.

Wolf approached it and sized it up once more before nodding in a satisfied manner.

Archibald stared with confusion as his son for some reason evaluated a rock and in the end found it satisfactory. He wanted to argue, but if he was given the spare time, he would have much rather spent it sleeping.

Suddenly the silver-hilted replica of that damned sword appeared in Wolf’s hand. The boy raised it above his head and then swooped it down at the rock with everything he had in him.

“Son, don't!!” Archibald shouted with a bit of panic.

What Wolf was doing was no different from hitting a rock with a steel bar. Once it connected he was going to suffer a painful rebound.

Unfortunately, the big man’s panicked shout came in too late.

Contrary to Archibald’s expectation, the silvery sword in Wolf’s hands cleaved through the rock as if it was cutting through paper, shearing off a part of the boulder.

Wolf turned around, trying to act like an expert. Unfortunately he wore his heart on his sleeve. A dazzling shine in his eyes and the wide grin plastered to his face gave away how excited and surprised he was.

Archibald was too busy to notice his son’s theatrics. He was staring at the top part of the rock as it slid off and then loudly thudded to the ground.

“I figured out how to use maneuvers last night! I’m at least a Second Order Sword-Sage now. The maneuver I used is called Rock-splitting strike! It’s a Second Order maneuver! More importantly, I came up with an idea I would like to share with you! But first we have to increase your Sword-Sage Order as fast as possible! Otherwise it won’t work.” Wolf felt happiness beyond words.

He was now a true Sword-Sage! More importantly, he had figured out how to solve his father’s condition and stabilize his Mind Hall, preventing further deterioration! Maybe he could even help Lord of Thunder make a comeback!

Archibald’s lessons:

While a Portable Mansion can’t be destroyed, that doesn’t mean you can’t get trapped inside one and die of natural causes such as thirst, hunger or old age. If you think about it, they are the perfect traps people walk into willingly on a daily basis.