5. Selection of Techniques

Seeing the flame in Mo Fei’s palm and sensing the magical energy it emitted, Vivienne and the others were all astonished. Even Mona, who had just been mocking Mo Fei, stood agape. “This person really can use magic. So what he said about sensing multiple magical elements is true. Could it be that he’s actually a magic prodigy?”

“Mo Fei, be honest. Who exactly are you? Why did you join us—do you have some ulterior motive?” Mo Fei’s identity suddenly became shrouded in mystery in Vivienne and her companions’ eyes.

Strange appearance, odd attire, an inexplicable background, suddenly appearing in the Magic Beast Forest, ignorant of the continent’s knowledge, behaving like an ordinary person all the way—these traits had seemed insignificant before, but now, combined with the identity of a magic prodigy, everything about Mo Fei appeared even more enigmatic.

“Um, didn’t I already tell you? I just got lost in the forest and happened to meet you all. It’s our first meeting—what could I possibly want from you?” Seeing everyone begin to doubt him, Mo Fei felt like slapping himself. Why did he have to show off? Now he’d caused a misunderstanding.

“Then what about your clueless behavior along the way? And if you’re a mage, how could you be frightened by a Jumping Rabbit?” Mona refused to accept Mo Fei’s explanation, pressing further.

“I really didn’t know—I was adopted as a child and lived in a distant place. Where I grew up, I’d never seen such a huge rabbit. Being scared the first time I saw one is perfectly normal, right?” Mo Fei was nearly in tears. Could they please stop bringing up this matter?

“You’re really not lying to us?” Vivienne asked uncertainly.

“I truly haven’t lied to you. Besides, I only learned what mages are like from Mona just now. I can only conjure a small flame, and it’s only useful for lighting fires.” Seeing the others believe him, Mo Fei breathed a sigh of relief.

In the end, Vivienne and her companions chose to trust him. They left the Mercenary Guild, bought a carriage in the city, and prepared to return to the imperial capital.

On the carriage, Mona’s curiosity got the better of her and she kept pestering Mo Fei. “Mo Fei, exactly how many magical elements can you sense?”

“Well, just five—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. But I can only use a small flame at the moment, just good enough for lighting a fire.” Although he could sense other colored magical elements, Mo Fei didn’t know how to use them yet, so he didn’t mention it to Mona. Little did he realize that even this much was enough to shock everyone in the carriage.

Though Mo Fei’s current power was weak, the mere fact that he was a five-element mage was enough to convince everyone that he would surely become a formidable figure in the future.

After all, all the passengers were distinguished students of the Imperial Academy and hailed from noble backgrounds. They had seen many powerful people; even within the academy, there were Sword Saints and Grand Magi aplenty, and some geniuses could wield two or even three types of magic. But no one had ever met a prodigy capable of mastering all five types.

“You’ve really decided to return to the academy with us?” Mona asked eagerly.

“You’ve seen for yourselves—I can sense magical elements, but I don’t know how to use them. If I don’t go to the academy, where else can I go? Why don’t you tell me more about your academy now?” This world lacked pure spiritual energy. Relying on divine sense to recombine and absorb magical elements was slow work, and who knew how long it would take to recover his strength. So Mo Fei decided to visit the academy and learn how people cultivated in this world.

“Our Imperial Academy was founded two hundred years ago and is the largest advanced academy in the Dragon Rock Empire. It’s divided into a Magic Academy and a Battle Aura Academy. Both deans are renowned Sword Saints and Grand Magi of the continent. The students are the most talented from all over the empire, and every year, a great number of powerful graduates emerge. With your talent, I bet the old dean will grin from ear to ear!” Mona explained.

Mo Fei was very interested in the battle aura Mona mentioned. He roughly understood the principles of magic, but battle aura, which he’d seen Vivienne and the others use in the Magic Beast Forest, fascinated him. He was curious about this energy that could be infused into both the body and weapons.

“Battle aura is much like magical elements, divided into different attributes. Through cultivation, battle aura is produced within the body. It can be used in combat and also strengthens the body. When warriors fight mages, they always try to get close, because their bodies are stronger and mages need time to chant spells. So, if a mage is caught up close, they stand little chance of winning. Of course, if one reaches the rank of Archmage, spells can be cast instantly. And warriors at god-level can wield battle aura to control objects and kill enemies from a thousand miles away.” Noticing Mo Fei’s slight disdain for warriors, Vivienne felt compelled to explain their strengths.

As the princess of Dragon Rock Empire, Vivienne valued Mo Fei’s potential to join the Imperial Academy as a future powerful mage.

Dusk gradually fell. Mo Fei and the others pitched tents by the roadside, preparing to rest for the night before continuing their journey. Tuck took the responsibility of keeping watch outside. Inside the tent, Mo Fei was consulting Hughes about magic.

After Mo Fei had stolen the limelight in front of the two beauties, the usually narcissistic Hughes was seething with envy. Now, seeing Mo Fei humbly seeking his guidance like a junior, Hughes’ vanity was greatly satisfied, and he generously began to explain the principles of magic.

“First of all, a mage must meditate for long periods every day to strengthen their mental power. When your mental power is strong enough, you can command more magical elements and thus cast more powerful spells. Your casting speed will also be greatly increased. But to cast magic, strong mental power isn’t enough—you must also chant the corresponding incantation. The incantation’s purpose is to organize the magical elements you can summon into specific combinations to create different spells.”

According to Hughes, powerful mental strength allowed one to command more magical elements. Mo Fei realized his own divine sense should serve the same function as mental power, but wondered why, despite its strength, he could only summon very few magical elements. Back in the forest, even after exhausting his divine sense, he had only absorbed a trace of spiritual energy. Hughes’ explanation left him puzzled—it seemed something was amiss.

What Mo Fei didn’t know was that Hughes’ explanation applied only to ordinary single-element mages. If Mo Fei could use just one type of magic, his divine sense’s strength would allow him to cast forbidden spells without difficulty. But he was combining the five elements according to the principles of mutual generation and restraint to synthesize celestial energy. This continent lacked pure spiritual energy precisely because the elements were too wild to harmoniously fuse and form it. Forcing the five elements to unite consumed enormous divine sense.

Moreover, the inhabitants of this continent, having evolved and cultivated in such an environment, possessed meridian structures quite different from those of cultivators like Mo Fei. The tiny, subtle branches found in cultivators’ bodies were not opened up by the warriors here. Perhaps some had attempted it, but over time discovered these fine channels couldn’t withstand the wild energy of this world and would rupture, causing serious injury.

Thus, the warriors of this continent gradually abandoned cultivation of the subtle meridians. The battle aura techniques handed down operated solely through the main meridians. Their simple meridian structures limited the grade of martial skills, and there were no advanced methods. That’s why the most elite warriors on the continent, capable of sword control to slay enemies, were hailed as Sword Gods. In cultivation, however, reaching the Golden Core stage and taking an enemy’s head from a thousand miles away was commonplace.

For Mo Fei, a cultivator, there was little difference between magic and battle aura, since cultivators were essentially a fusion of both. They could cast powerful spells and, relying on their formidable martial techniques, kill enemies up close.

Now, he pondered whether, in this world with its unique cultivation environment, he should follow the original training methods of the Jade Void Art, or combine magic and battle aura to develop a system suited to himself.