Chapter 33 - Qi and Mana (2)

"Calm down little one. Those bad men are gone now, and I will make sure that as long as I live in Corona, none of them will ever so much as get close to you again," said Captain Serena as she looked at Nerun and fondled his hair. This child had touched her heart and awakened her maternal instincts. "Young Elijah, if it is true that you wish to join the army, do not hesitate to seek me out. Ansem is always looking for brave and talented warriors like you. Use my name when you get to the regiment, I have some influence there." Serena clearly wanted to extend an olive branch to Elijah and in passing to her younger brother, Nerun.

"Thank you so much for defending us Beautiful Big Sister," said Nerun with stars in his eyes. Elijah likewise thanked the Captain and promised to look her up when he went to the Local Regiment to enrol.

Captain Apollo couldn't help but grumble and say "Let's get out of here, there's nothing to see" he walked away with his group of soldiers. He certainly wasn't going to speak or apologise to Elijah and company, nor could he openly threaten them with Serena present. That didn't mean he wouldn't try anything else, but at least, as long as they were in Corona, unless they made a grave mistake, he couldn't get his hands on them. But he could always use indirect methods. He surreptitiously sent one of his trusted soldiers to find out more about Elijah and the two brats.

"I owe you one Brother Reyes. If you hadn't arrived I'm afraid we could only have escaped with our tails between our legs. I hope you don't get into any trouble with Captain Apollo. He doesn't seem to have taken too kindly to your meddling," Elijah said, smiling at the Night Raven mercenary.

Reyes laughed again as he said to Elijah, "Please little brother Elijah. What are you talking about, don't treat me like I'm a stranger. It's nothing more than something I did in passing, other than that, the attitude of the Violent Tigers has always rubbed me the wrong way. And as for the Captain, don't worry, it's not like we've done anything illegal. While we Night Ravens respect and obey the Army of Ansem, it's not as if the Army can act however they please. The rules in the Army are very strict, and our leader the Silent Raven also has contacts with the top brass. However, it does not hurt to be warned that Captain Apollo can be a bit petty, so beware of him in the future. When you enter the military, try to associate with Captain Serena, she can protect you. Besides, with your talent, I'm sure you'll get a quick promotion and soon he'll be the one who has to fear you instead."

Finally, they said their goodbyes and Elijah left along with Nerun and Elijah towards the inn. Nerun told Elijah properly how things had actually happened, and they wondered to themselves, what could be the item, for the Violent Tigers to act that way even towards a couple of children. While these Mercenary gangs did not enjoy a very good reputation on the border, they tended to be careful not to cause major trouble within the Border Towns. This meant that whatever the object was, it was of great value to Sagat, the leader of the Tigers, enough for them to behave crazily.

"Elder Brother, Sagat is a Qi General right, does that mean he has a level between 40 and 50?" asked Nerun in the interim. While Maikal had taught them several times about Qi and Mana, Nerun only knew the name of the first three levels in the Way of the Warrior. Of the rest, he might have heard a title here and there, but he wasn't sure of them.

"No Nerun. A Qi General has a level between 50 and 60. It would be a good idea for you to learn the levels of Cultivation in the Way of the Warrior, which is the most common in Ansem and the neighbouring Territory of Rhodnius. Remember then well:

Qi Master: Levels 10 to 19

Qi Grandmaster: Levels 20 to 29

Qi Praetorian: Levels 30 to 39

These first three levels are known as the initial levels. In them, a Warrior will begin to accumulate Qi in his body, and will gradually mould his muscles, bones, tendons and in general all the tissues to the passage of Qi. The Qi strengthens all these tissues until they become almost impenetrable to ordinary weapons. The Qi manifests itself as whitish misty snakes of energy that circulate around the body and limbs, allowing the use of various simple techniques. The increase in power is usually double the previous level, however, this is not an exact value, but a general approximation. If you open auxiliary meridians this power is usually much higher, besides there are some people with special physical advantages, which allow them to accumulate even more Qi in their muscles, so their power advance is 3 or even 4 times higher for each level. In the initial levels, the important thing is to accumulate as pure a Qi as possible and to make sure that every part of the body is stimulated symmetrically and completely. Otherwise, you will accumulate impurities and it will be impossible to continue ascending levels, and you will be much weaker than other Warriors of the same or even lower rank".

"Ooooh," said Nerun and Sylvester, paying close attention to their brother's words. This knowledge of Qi was far more advanced than what they had previously received. It was not that Maikal had not wanted to teach them, it was simply that they were not even Qi Masters at the time. Having all this knowledge would be of no use to them and might even confuse them.

Elijah continued, "The subsequent levels are:

Qi Centurion: Levels 40 to 49

Qi General: Levels 50 to 59

Qi Monarch: Levels 60 to 69.

These are the intermediate levels. There is a big bottleneck between levels 39 and 40 and it is considered the first big bottleneck. The difference between a level 40 Qi Centurion and a level 39 Qi Praetorian is significantly greater than the difference between a level 30 Qi Praetorian and a level 10 Qi Master. And this happens because, in the intermediate levels, there is not only a quantitative change of Qi, but also a qualitative change. The Qi of a Warrior at these levels begins to take on elemental tones, similar to those of the Celestial Gates of the Adepts. The great difference is that while an Adept uses the elements that exist in the natural world, the Warrior develops these elements within his own microcosm. This means that while the use of these elements is much weaker than that of an Adept of the same level, their use is much quicker and more intuitive. Each Warrior's element is usually unique and depends on the first Central Meridian they have opened. Sylvester, for example, opened the Terra meridian, which means that his main element will be earth.

But this is not the main point of what makes an Intermediate Warrior stronger than an Initial level one. The most crucial thing for an intermediate-level Warrior is to determine his personal Path or Route, what makes him unique, and special and what is basically the foundation of why and for what he seeks power, a true introspection of the personal character and mindset of each Warrior. This may sound metaphysical, but it is real and is philosophically known as the TAO. Each Warrior's TAO is unique, and it is what allows his or her Will to begin to exert a clear influence on the world around them. A Warrior's Will supersedes the Will of the natural world and allows him to increase his power at a dizzying rate.

Every person in the world is different, therefore every TAO and Will is also different, and based on that Will of your own that you develop, your power can be increased by a factor of 2, 3 or even 5 times your base power. And this happens because an Intermediate Warrior can materialise his Will in the world to a certain extent, a power known as Voluntas. A Monarch Qi's Voluntas is able to materialise one hundred percent in the natural world, so it is like having an extension of your own willpower helping you in combat and affecting the world. It follows that in the intermediate levels, you must not only accumulate Qi and open meridians, but you must also understand your personal Tao or Path. The better you know and understand yourself, the better you can manifest your Will in the world.

That is why, while it is possible to jump levels to some extent in fighting someone in the same level rank, for example from Qi Master to Qi Praetorian, it is practically impossible for a Praetorian to challenge a Centurion, let alone a Qi General or a Qi Monarch. In fact, the elite soldiers of the army are precisely the intermediate-rank of Warriors, and every one of them is appreciated in all Territories. Many small sects and small clans subsist only by the existence of a Warrior at these intermediate levels, and even some medium-sized Clans and Sects have only a Qi Monarch taking control and holding the place."

Both Nerun and Silvester felt their hair stand on end. At that moment they realised that the enemy they had created in the person of Sagat was far more dangerous than they had first thought. The truth is that with Elijah's presence, they had believed that they had nothing to fear, but at this moment they realised that they were very, very wrong. A Qi General could get rid of them very easily, and they also understood why they had never met a warrior stronger than a Qi Praetorian, given their power and scarcity.

"As for the later levels of the Warrior, I don't know much about them myself," sighed Elijah. "What I told you before was taught to me by pops as I advanced to a Praetorian, and I must begin to seek and understand what my own TAO is. Each warrior's personal TAO, if limited from the start, will also limit how far you can go in the future. This is not to mention the opening of Central Meridians and Auxiliary Meridians, which is taken for granted and which will also affect the personal Tao, and of course how the Voluntas manifest in the world. I don't know what it takes to move from being an intermediate to a higher-level Warrior. Still, I know the names of these higher levels, the Olympus of the Great Way of Warriors.

Qi Emperor: Levels 70 to 79

Qi Saint: Levels 80 to 89

Qi Legend: Levels 90 and above

I have heard that in theory, the highest level a Warrior can reach is 95, although I don't know if this is true. However, Legend-level Warriors are extremely rare on the continent and are the most powerful Warriors in the world. Each Legend is given a Title by which they are known, and that Title is usually representative of the pinnacle of their understanding of their personal Tao and indicates that this Tao has been validated by the world. The Great Territories are so named precisely because they have Legend level Warriors in their ranks guarding them," Elijah finished, as he looked up, showing a great yearning to reach this level in the future. His personal dream was to become a Legend-level Warrior.

"As for the names of the Adept levels, I know the names but don't ask me about the specifics of what makes them special because I don't know. The arcane knowledge is guarded in the Ancestral Clans, The Great Families and especially in the Northern Territories, Brindisia, Mainal and Lutzomya. I only know that they are equivalent to the Warrior levels. These are:

Mana Adept: Levels 10 to 19

Great Mana Adept: Levels 20 to 29

Mana Scholar: Levels 30 to 39, like Lord Menke

Magus: Levels 40 to 49

Arch-Magus: Levels 50 to 59

Magick Pillar: Levels 60 to 69

Magick Emperor: Levels 70 to 79

Sage: Levels 80 to 89

Arch-Sage: Levels 90 and above"

Nerun and Sylvester couldn't help but shiver with excitement at Elijah's words. After all, what child hasn't dreamed of having superpowers, or in this case, being able to intimidate other territories from attacking you? "So, are there many Legend level Warriors in Ansem, do you know of any?" asked Nerun eagerly.

"Yes, Nerun, of course, there are Legend-level Warriors in Ansem. How many are there? That's another question and I'm afraid that's a secret of each territory, as each Warrior or Adept of that level are the most important strategic resources they possess. Therefore, I don't know how many Warriors of this calibre exist in Ansem. The King of Ansem is rumoured to be a powerful Legend level Warrior and his exploits are told throughout the Kingdom. I know of two others, more well-known today. First is the Second Dragon General, the overall commander of the Magical Hosts of the Realm, The Titan - Rafal Sen Buran, the only Arch-Sage of Ansem. The last one is the most renowned among them, the leader of the three Dragon Generals and is currently the Protector of the Realm, the highest position a person in Ansem can receive, second only to the King. His name is Falma No Eremia - The Sword Saint".

___

Voluntas: Will in Latin