Chapter 50: Overview of Cultivation

Damian immersed himself deep into the first few pages of the inheritance of the scroll and it was a massive eye-opener for Damian.

The first few pages were a summary and description of cultivation and were much more detailed and profound than anything he had ever heard of or come across up until that point.

[There are 4 base elements used by cultivators that are a part of almost everything. Fire, Water, Earth and Wind. Most mages and fighters unknowingly are elemental mages that manipulate an element that corresponds with the element of their Soul Spirit, which is the base and focal point of humans' cultivation.

Fire Mages are known as Pyro Mages, Water Mages are known as Aqua Mages, Wind Mages are known as Acro Mages and Earth Mages are known as Terra Mages. It is the same way for fighters that have Soul Spirits linked to the 4 base elements] recited Damian within his mind.

Damian was fascinated by everything he was learning about and his desire for knowledge continued to increase as he discovered more and more.

[It says that the 4 base elements are the most common elements and are the elements that are part of most other elements, but they are not the only elements and there are many other elements and specialisations that are not widely known and I don't currently have access to the knowledge about them] read Damian frustratedly, wanting to know more.

The Fire Element allows Mages to perform Pyrokinesis, the ability to manipulate and create fire. The Fire Element tends to be the most destructive of all elements, with very few defensive properties and skills. While also having similar effects on fighters, granting them explosive power and speed, and the ability to use Fighter Skills of the fire element, but not much defence.

Abilities that use the Fire Element can be affected by the weather. When it's sunny and arid, the potency of Fire is enhanced, but while when it's raining, humid, or underwater, the Fire Element becomes difficult and or even impossible to use.

The Water Element allows Mages to perform Hydrokinesis, the ability to manipulate water at will. Water Magic can be considered to be the most adaptable of all the base elements, having the ability to transform into various states, like Ice and Vapor.

However, unlike the Fire Element that has much more obvious and common applications and Soul Spirits, the water element has almost no fighters that use it.

Also, most mages are not capable of using its different states with their Soul Spirits, as it requires the ability to use more than one element. For example to produce vapour it would also require the fire element to evaporate the water and would require a Soul Spirit with dual elemental affinities.

The Water Element can also be affected by the environment, mostly depending on the humidity and weather.

The Wind Element allows Mages to perform Aerokinesis, the ability to manipulate air and create wind at will. Unlike other elements, Wind Magic is not directly countered by any of the other elements, and can be considered the deadliest element.

Users of the Wind Element make up for the lack of physical defense capability with deflective and evasive moves. The Wind Element can also be destructive depending on the Mage's or fighter's potential that would have similar applications, but different methods.

Acro Mages would use their internal energy to manipulate the air around them and use the wind element, they have an affinity with, to enhance the speed of their bodies. While Acro Fighters, who would mostly be External Cultivators, directly use their affinity with the Wind element to use Fighter Skills that enhance their bodies with the wind element, but wouldn't be able to manipulate the air.

And unlike other elements, Wind Magic can directly affect weather, creating hurricanes or other wind-based phenomena, but it is stated within the inheritance that only top masters were capable of doing so.

The Earth Element allows Mages to perform Geokinesis, the ability to manipulate earth at will. While it's not necessarily earth, Geokinesis allows the user to manipulate most earthen minerals or any form of earth, such as rocks, sands, minerals like gemstones and crystals, and even Mud.

Boasting raw physical power and great mass, the Earth Element is strong in both defensive and offensive capability, as well as pure destructive potential at the cost of the user's mobility, because Earth Magic is often accompanied with slow movement to be accomplished.

While fighters wouldn't have the capability of Geokinesis, they would be able to intwine their bodies more with the Earth element, gaining more physical strength and fortitude than Mages from the earth element.

Damian felt completely enlightened about how most Soul Spirits worked, as there were Soul Spirits that didn't have elemental affinities such as beast Soul Spirits and Body Augmentation Soul Spirits.

However from what Damian read, beast Soul Spirits would be formed from the humans either sharing the bloodline with the beast and or being descendants of the beasts, or humans who had a close affinity and similar composition to the beast to form a Soul Spirit.

While Body Augmentation Soul Spirits were merely mutations formed by cultivators becoming more and more common and people absorbing energy to enhance their body, which formed the elementless Soul Spirit that enhances the user's body.

From what he read, Damian could see that it seemed that Mages had the complete advantage over Fighters as they had their own unique capabilities and could also use skills and techniques that were meant to be unique to Fighters, but people still believed that Mages should only be support or ranged combatants, instead of close combat fighters.

Utsusu who was learning with Damian, was unlocking more and more knowledge that he had sealed within him and the more he learnt from Damian, the more he understood from his own sealed knowledge.

[In the current state I am in, I should become both a Pyro Mage and a Pyro Fighter and after I gain other Soul Spirits I will delve into the other elements. But for now I will focus on the fire element] decided Damian after digesting the overview of cultivation he had just read through and analysing the situation he was in, but he still couldn't relieve his curiosity.