Learning spells

Mana was, just like elemental energy, not only in the air, but also in all plants and animals. Even though it was in humans too, not everyone succeeded in forming a mana core, because of their lack in mana.

The difference between the two was that mana could be absorbed by everyone and elemental energy only by those who possess the same element. If one had a fire core, fire as the element, they could absorb more energy in the presence of fire.

That's also why earth element users were faster in their process than the others.

It could happen, that one awakens a mana core with more than one element. They were very few, but they were often much stronger than others. Their cultivation was faster too.

The element was also restricted by the range of the spells they could use. Some people could use magic over a wide range, others only use it to strengthen themselves. There were also cases where a person could do both.

Sometimes when too much mana is absorbed it could happen that one dies. The mana had to be refined thoroughly.

Not only could the mana core brakethrough, but the rank of the elemental energy too. It was the same rankings as the ones of the mana core, but it could boost your cultivation speed and efficiency. It would also make your spells stronger and faster to conjure them.

To start with breathing techniques, one had to first form their mana core. There were many of them for beginners, which were only able to absorb little mana and elemental energy, so that one would not die and first get used to cultivating.

The advanced ones were much more effective, but higher risk was involved too.

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Idris read through the different techniques and picked one. It was a middle ranked technique. With it, Idris could absorb not too few, but not too much either, perfectly balancing the mana, the body needed to refine.

He put the book back into the shelf and started with his cultivation.

Just as described inside the book, he began to breath slowly in a relaxed rhythm.

He needed to feel his mana core and the mana outside his body. After that, he connected the two of them, letting the mana from outside flow into him.

He felt the strength that came with the process. Power slowly welled up inside him. It wasn't much, because he did it for just an hour. Even so, he knew that he had made little progress.

His cultivation was almost at the 3rd layer of Body Tempering Realm.

He still didn't know how to activate his transformation. He assumed it had something to do with his reincarnation. Maybe it was the power that had threatened him back then. Both had similarities, like regenerating or a massive amount of force.

He needed to find a way to use this power at will, so he could become even stronger.

Idris walked out of the library and went into the living room, where he thought marquis Asteria was. After not finding him, he searched a bit longer until he saw him merrily writing something on the desk in his private room.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you, but I have a question." Idris said after being seen and invited into the room.

"Sure. Tell me what's wrong." Marquis Asteria replied.

Idris asked with a questionable face: "Are there some kind of tools to help my cultivation advance faster?"

The marquis laughed and answered: "Of course there are. Some people use beast spirits to aid their cultivation, and others use pills, made by the best alchemists in the kingdom.

Beast spirits drop after a beast is slain. But you need to refine them before using one.

The pills on the other hand help people absorb more mana at one time and you can buy them anywhere. If you need money to buy something, just tell me."

"Thank you for the information, but I don't need your money." Idris refused the offer and resumed, "How strong has one to be to slay a beast?"

The marquis thought for a moment before answering: " There are 9 ranks of beasts. The higher the rank, the stronger they are. For a rank 1 you need a cultivation level of the 3rd layer of Body Tempering Realm. The ranks follow the steps of 3 layers, that means for a rank 2 beast you need to be at the 6th layer, and so on."

The beasts had to be very strong at the higher ranks when even a rank 3 beast needed to be killed by a 9th layer Body Tempering Realm expert.

"Thanks for all the help." Idris turned around again and left.

His plan was to kill as many rank 1 beasts as possible, so he could boost his cultivation level further. He didn't know exactly how strong they were, but he should be able to deal at least some damage.

Before that he still needed to learn spells. If he didn't, he couldn't even defend against one strike, even though the cultivation process also strengthened the body and organs.

He returned to the library to look for a book about spells. After he found "Basic spell casting" he began to read.

For every element were spells listed in it, divided into ranks of beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert, king, emperor and god.

He started learning beginner and intermediate magic, since his mana was low and couldn't activate advanced or higher ranked spells.

Idris found out that he hadn't only one element, but several. He was very surprised. He was also able to cast magic over any distance he wanted to.

His elements were water, fire, wind and earth. He didn't test out others like ice or light and darkness.

He knew he could use darkness magic while transformed, but it was another story without his transformation.

The magic he learned were 4 beginner level spells: Waterfield, making the enemy slower, but doesn't work against much stronger opponents, fireball, shooting a fireball from one's hand, windblade, sharpening the air and throwing it at the enemy, and at last earth wall, a defensive barrier erecting out of the ground.

Even so, they were still far too bad to be considered real magic and he needed to practice more to perfect them.

It was already night when he decided to stop and go to bed to finally sleep.