Usually, a mage has to train for a long time, learn spells, or better understand this world and magic to come close to breaking the Barrier. But, deadly situations have always been one of the best ways to become stronger, no matter the time or even the world.
One could gain strength and reach heights one never dreamed of before by overcoming oneself. When a mage approached the breakthrough of his Barrier, he had to spend quite a lot of time breaking every link in the chain around his Warp.
However, when the Jade Serpent made his final attack, which was to kill Evan, he broke through his first Barrier. Evan had never heard of such a thing before, no mage should have broken through the Barrier so abruptly without prior preparation. But Evan didn't have time to think about it.
Check my new novel - Nameless King. Please, vote for it!