40 Understanding Elements (1/2)
Arnin sat on a table with dozens of books stacked beside him. All of them were about the various ways of cultivation a person could choose to go about. Cultivation manuals were separated into various elements which would help to direct the cultivation towards that specific element. Fire, water, air, and earth were the four main cultivation manual types. Each of the cultivation manuals had a particular pattern for absorption of essence based on the element they were related to. Although the four types were considered the main elements, there were still countless other types out there. Some of them were related to darkness, some to light, and many more.
When people decided to find a cultivation manual, they would look at many different types of cultivation manuals, however all of them would be under the same element. Looking at different elements could ruin the state of a person's mind and even impact the pattern of someone's cultivation. It was a risk people didn't want to take. Arnin, however, was different. He had a bunch of cultivation manuals stacked beside him, and many of them were of different elements. The surrounding Moth students and teachers were dumbfounded when they saw the various manuals beside him.
”What is that kid doing? Doesn't he know that if he looks at all of those different types of elements, he may fall astray?” A kid asked his friends. They looked at Arnin with pity and even mockery.
”Who cares? That's one less genius to worry about. Haha!” Another kid couldn't help but laugh slightly.
Unlike Arnin. who came from a humble background, most kids in the Moth group were from prestigious families. They were taught many things about cultivation before they headed towards the academy. Arnin didn't know about the cultivation realms after Essence Manifest until he heard about one from Dane, however everyone in the Moth group knew about it beforehand. The education they got before entering the academy was superior when compared to Arnin's, who received basically no previous instruction.
Surk heard the commotion coming from the cultivation manual section and couldn't help but raise one of his ink-like eyebrows. He walked towards the laughter and chatter, and couldn't help but feel dumbfounded at the sight. Quickly, he walked towards Arnin with a worried face.
”Hey, Arnin, you shouldn't look at so many elements at one time. They can ruin your future. Here, let me help you find a suitable cultivation manual.” Arnin looked up and stared into Surk's eyes,
”I am fine with what I have. Don't worry, I know what I am doing.” Arnin looked at Surk expressionlessly. Surk shook his head and released a sigh.
”If you know what you are doing, then that is fine. However, remember not to go overboard, or your cultivation could be affected.” Surk could only warn Arnin with words. He wasn't able to forcefully stop Arnin from doing what he wanted since it was none of his business, but he couldn't help but lament Arnin's terrible decision making.
Arnin watched as Surk left as quickly as he came. He couldn't help but smirk before drowning himself with cultivation manuals once more. He had learned quite a lot about the cultivation patterns that the different elements go through, and although it wasn't enough for him to create his own, it was still a decent amount.
Although all of them revolved around the orb of a person, but the way they rotated, the path they took, and the amount of energy used in a circulation was very different. Not only that, but the cultivation manuals helped to circulate specific components of essence. Although they still had other components inside of them, it was still acceptable. Only when one reached the Essence Manifest realm would they be able to properly divide each component, so only then would the cultivation manuals be very helpful.
Arnin had memorized how the four elements cultivated, and he even looked at other minor elements, such as darkness and light. Elements like metal, wood, lightning, and many others were rare, so he couldn't find anything on them. There were so many different elements, however some of them were not even considered an elements by definition, one example being wood. This was not an element by definition, however it still fell under the element category because it functioned in a similar way to elements in cultivation.
Since he had read the main manuals on the first level, he wanted to head over to the second level and see the difference.
Arnin walked back to the front desk and asked Surk to take him to the next level. ”You're already done checking those manuals out? Did you find anything that suits you? Remember, we can still do a test to see what your affinity is, and with that we will know what sort of element you should focus on.” Surk kept reminding Arnin of the same thing over and over again. He didn't want Arnin walking down the wrong path. Cultivation was the basis of life in Afloria; If one stagnated or even completely lost their cultivation, that would be a fate worse than death. Plus Arnin was a Moth student, which showed that he had great talent in cultivation, so it would be a real loss if he couldn't progress in his cultivation.
Arnin shook his head and rejected. ”I don't need to do a test. I am just looking at the moment, and if I find anything that suits me, then that is my luck. I don't want to do some test for it.” Although Arnin said that, he wasn't really looking for anything specifically. Even if he stumbled upon something that was suitable for him, at most he would look at it with more detail. His goal isn't to find a cultivation manual that suited him, rather it was to create one. This was why he didn't want to do unnecessary tests for affinity. He already had an element that he wanted to focus on, and that was time. People were able to focus on more than one element, however it was hard to find a cultivation manual that would allow this, and it was also much harder to progress in. Arnin had decided that his main element would be time, while space would be his secondary element, and so on. He was going to have many elements to focus on because he wanted to progress his Demon Lord cultivation. He couldn't be lax, and so he was looking to create something major.
Surk sighed deeply before walking towards the second floor with Arnin. ”I have a question for you. How do we know what is an element and what isn't?” Arnin's question was based on the facts that some of things that weren't actually elements were called elements.
”Hmm? Well, when you get to Essence Manifest, you will be able to separate essence into different components. We call these components elements. Whenever a new one is discovered, it is considered an element.” Arnin finally understood. Everything was based on the separation of essence. Time was considered an element because of it being a component of essence.
Arnin nodded his head and continued to follow Surk to the second floor. He got his answer, so there was no need for him to ask any more questions. Surk looked at Arnin weirdly, unable to comprehend what he was thinking.
'What is weird person, he asks a sudden question and just goes quiet after. What is he thinking?' Surk pondered about Arnin. He knew that Arnin was actually a great talent, as only people with really high talent would be able to access the second floor right away. Even he himself didn't get that privilege.
”Alright, we are here.” The second floor looked exactly like the first floor. There was, however, a greater abundance of book than on the first floor.
Arnin quickly followed Surk towards the cultivation manual bookshelves. Surk looked at Arnin as he picked out various books right away. ”Remember not to go overboard. You don't want to ruin your cultivation.” Surk knew that Arnin wouldn't listen to him, so he waved his hand and walked away while shaking his head.
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Kurse was leading Elidia and the rest towards the library. Although Butterfly students were not allowed into the library until tomorrow, he could still try and let them through with his identity as a Moth student. Every Moth student was able to take in one outsider into the library, however that person would need approval from the academy. Kurse could take in Elidia, while Torne was going to take in Lilise. Since they were both already students of the academy, it wasn't going to be difficult to take them inside.
All four of them arrived in front of the large doors. Since it was not the first time that Kurse and Torne were going inside the library, they knew the procedures pretty well. Quickly, both of them scanned their ID cards on the sphere, and then the door opened up with loud, thundering sounds. The girls began to get excited. They had seen books in their old home, but they were very basic. Being able to go into an academy library excited them greatly.
Torne and Kurse saw the expressions on their faces and felt relieved on the inside. The happier that they made the girls, the harder both of them would try to free them. Their hearts were palpitating at the thought of freedom. It hadn't even been a day yet, but they were frightened by Arnin.
When the doors finally opened, the two girls couldn't help but widen their eyes. The amount of books was greater than the amount of people they had seen in their life. They looked around, nodding their heads.