31 One with the Storm

Back in the castle, we climbed to the highest tower as Ariel spoke. "We have thousands upon thousands of techniques acquired from all over the universe! However, the most important ones are kept here at the top of the tower. I want you to remember that there are no bad techniques here, only compatible and incompatible ones. Pick what you feel is right for you, not what seems to be the most powerful! Finally, one of your techniques MUST raise your Water Elemental Affinity to Max if you wish to pursue spirit calling."

Nodding in understanding, I stepped into the final tower and was met with a single bookcase holding only twenty books. Walking to the bookcase, Ariel took book from the bottom shelf that was pushed into a corner and covered in dust. Blowing the dust off, she waved me over to a table where another book already sat.

"Every one of these manuals is at least as powerful as your family's barrier technique!" She said as she sat down and pointed to the book that was already sitting on the table. "Read that one first."

Picking it up, the title read 'One with the Storm (Vol. 1)'. Opening it, I read the introduction "This manual takes advantage of the ability to use Storm Elemental Energy to refine the entire mind faster then almost any other type of energy, however this comes at a cost. After unlocking 40% of the mind, the energy requirements to continue refining the mind are impossible to satisfy with only the mindscape, requiring the user to re-cultivate in order to open the dantian. After unlocking 70% of the brain the body can no longer withstand the massive amounts of energy required to further refine the brain so you are forced to once again re-cultivate after opening the heartforce."

I put down the book, and turned to Ariel in confusion. "I've never heard that you have to open another energy vessel to completely cultivate the mindscape before."

"Most people don't, but we aren't most people." Her sweet smile had turned arrogant and domineering, "Volume 2 covers opening and training your dantian, while Volume 3 covers opening and training your heartforce, becoming an elementalist. There's also another manual called 'Eye of the Storm' that allows you to follow the body refining path if that's your choice."

Claudius spoke up then, "Almost all high level cultivators open their other energy vessels. After reaching a certain level of power, it becomes the only way to continue forwards. You can't control your energy if you haven't opened your mindscape, leading to a cultivation deviation and death. You don't have enough energy if you haven't opened your dantian, so you find yourself unable to advance any further. Without a heartscape, your body finds itself unable to withstand the massive energies involved in truly peak level cultivation, leading to your body exploding."

Ariel waved her hand dismissively, "You won't have to worry about that for several thousand years, what's more important is to understand that only 8-10% of your brain is currently unlocked. One with the Storm will slowly unlock every part of your brain as you train it, but every time you open a new energy vessel you have to destroy your cultivation base and start over from the beginning. That's why choosing your targeted techniques is so important, every time you have to re-cultivate these portions of your brain will remain unlocked so you don't have to start all over again."

I nodded in understanding while accepting the second book from Ariel. Checking the title of it, I smiled at it's name, 'Storm Caller'. Reading the introduction I was shocked. "This is a technique that pursues the Elemental Law's of the Storm. Only usable by those marked by the Storm Emperor, it requires a Maximum level affinity to Lightning, Air, and Water Elemental Energy, as well as a Medium level affinity to Storm Energy. This technique unlocks 1% of the brain. However it unlocks the most difficult portion to refine, the portion that allows you to interface with, and begin understanding Elemental Laws."

Flipping further into the book, I read how it's practiced. "The first time you refine your mind, you split some of your focus to refine a specific part of the brain, summoning a low-level Storm Spirit using the Mark of the Storm. If you meet the minimum requirements, you'll be able to sign a contract of equals with the spirit. After contracting with the Storm Spirit, it'll help you to refine your brain faster, while also giving you the ability to sign a contract with a single Lightning, Air, and Water Element Spirit."

I was smiling more and more the further into the book I got. 'This is exactly what I was looking for, by focusing on my family's barrier techniques I could stay alive laughing as my Spirits tear my enemies to shreds! Not only that, but it helps me refine my brain faster!'

Looking up from the book said, "Perfect! Why doesn't everyone use this, it even speeds up the speed of your refining."

"The requirements to use it are too difficult, most of us start out with a low level affinity to Storm Elemental Energy. Only by staying awake during the branding process and receiving the complete inheritance are you qualified to practice this. This is a technique that the Storm Emperor personally passed to us, you could say that he's looking for candidates for his children to pair off with. Only those he approves of can dream of signing a contract with a Storm Spirit."

My smile grew broader the more she explained, but before I could ask anymore questions Claudius appeared carrying three manuals. "These are all the manuals that will raise your elemental affinity of Water to Max when you first use them. When you refine your mind the first time, you'll want to use one of these manuals, then your family's techniques, and only then Storm Calling." Handing them to me, he sat down beside Ariel and they began talking as I read the names of the techniques and their general introduction.

'Hurricane' A technique that focuses on combining Wind and Air Elements in attacks, with it's ultimate goal being to allow the user to create an actual hurricane. It unlocks 8% of the brain at it's peak, and raises the users affinity to Air and Water Elements immediately.

'Frozen Palace' A technique that focuses purely on the Ice aspect of Water, allowing the user unparalleled control and strength over Ice. Unlocking 5% of the brain at it's peak, massively increases affinity to the Water Element.

'Riding the Storm' A technique that focuses on allowing it's user to control Storm Element Energy to move at incredible speeds. Unlocks 3% of the brain at it's peak, increases Water, Air, and Lightning Elemental Affinities.

I spent a long time ruminating over my options, but finally decided to look at my family's training manual before I decided. After receiving it I'd never even bothered to check it out, assuming that it was bad ass just because of the aura my Grandfather had emanated when he spoke of cleaning up the family. Closing my eyes, the boisterous voice of my Grandfather sounded in my brain.

"I created this technique after I opened my mindscape. At that time, I had already reached the peak as a Fire Elemental, and in order to go any further I needed to unlock another energy vessel. I'd always been jealous of the easy control over the elements that mindscape cultivators had, so I decided to unlock my mindscape."

"Imagine my surprise when I learned that in order to fully refine my mind I'd have to re-cultivate a third time to get enough energy. To make matters worse, I was already a Fire Elemental, which requires a lot of energy by itself, so I was only able to refine 50% of my brain. I spent years wracking my brain trying to figure out the best way to overcome this. After all, I have tons of enemies and people who want to see me fail. I couldn't afford to re-cultivate from the beginning a third time. Then, I realized who cares if I have enemies! If they can't hurt me ,what can they do?"

"I spent over a hundred years travelling and acquiring every barrier and defensive technique I could get my hands on. In the end, I'd acquired and learned several thousand of them. Comparing all of them, I managed to learn that the most important part of a barrier is how you control your Elemental Energy when creating and maintaining it. Then, I figured out what parts of the brain were responsible for controlling Elemental Energy when creating, controlling, and maintaining a barrier. Finally, I created a technique that targets that area of the brain for refining."

"This is the third, and most powerful version of the technique Refining 6% of the brain when trained to it's peak, it allows your barriers to become nearly impenetrable. Trained to it's peak, you'll be able to create and maintain barriers around other people, which many thought to be impossible before I figured it out!"

After his voice finished reverberating around my brain, a flood of information about how to cultivate it hit me. A minute later, my eyes opened. I had already made my decision.

'Riding the Storm, combined with my family's barrier skill will make me nearly impossible to kill! That's the entire point of focused techniques, giving cultivators who lose the vast majority of their powers when they have to open a new energy vessel the ability to survive as they re-cultivate.' I pushed away the other two techniques and gathered up 'One with the Storm', 'Storm Calling', and 'Riding the Storm'.

"I made my decision." I said, confidently.

"You're sure?" Claudius asked.

"Completely!" I affirmed

Ariel pulled a glass bottle out of nowhere and thrust it into my hands. "This is a perfect recall potion, drink it then quickly memorize everything in those manuals."