With the mana density in Vael-Khazul, breaking through to Mana Heart Rank 3 would come faster than expected. Kael estimated a few weeks, maybe less. His Transcendent Core drank the ambient mana passively, and the Breath of the Deep Green technique seemed to accelerate mana absorption when practiced alongside soul circulation.
His Soul Awakening progression was almost at the mid stage.
Each realm in the soul path was divided into four stages — Early, Mid, Late, and Peak. Kael had reached the edge of Mid in just over a week. At this rate, he would cross into the mid stage in a few days.
What surprised him most was the disparity. He was advancing faster in the soul path than he ever had in the mana path or the body path. Something about his broken and rebuilt soul structure made it receptive to soul force in a way that intact souls simply weren't. The gaps in his integrity created channels that soul power flowed through more easily — another flaw turned advantage.
