Spring Passes, Autumn Comes (Part 1)

In truth, whether it was Earth-element magic or any other kind, each had its own special effects. As an Earth-element Saint-level Grand Magus, Doehring Cowart naturally held his own element in the highest regard. Eight-year-old Linley, meanwhile, had been swept up by his words.

“Grandpa Doehring, hurry up and test whether I have the aptitude to become an Earth-element magus.” Linley could barely wait.

Doehring Cowart laughed. “All right. I will test you right away.”

“First, let me tell you this. A magus’s aptitude is mainly divided into two aspects, so the test will also have two stages.” After more than five thousand lonely years inside the Coiling Dragon Ring, Doehring Cowart was delighted to have an endearing child to teach.

“Magical aptitude consists of two things: one’s affinity for the elemental essence of heaven and earth, and the strength of one’s Spiritual Force.” Doehring Cowart began Linley’s first lesson in magic.

“What are those two things for?” Linley asked, puzzled.

Doehring Cowart guided him patiently. “Before that, tell me: what does a magus need to cast a spell?”

“A magical incantation!” Linley answered at once.

He had seen the mysterious magus atop the Raptor cast magic only after quietly chanting an incantation.

“Wrong.”

“But every magus I have seen had to chant a magical incantation,” Linley protested immediately.

Stroking his white beard, Doehring Cowart said smugly, “The most important things for a magus to cast a spell are the Mana and Spiritual Force within the body. If one’s Spiritual Force is strong enough, one can even cast instantly, without chanting an incantation. Incantations are merely an aid.”

“Instant casting?” Linley looked at him in confusion. A vast world of magic was opening before him. It remained hazy, but Doehring Cowart was beginning to lift its mysterious veil.

Doehring Cowart nodded with a smile. “Correct. To cast a spell, you must first supply sufficient Mana from within your body. Then you use Spiritual Force to control that Mana, drawing in more elemental essence from heaven and earth to form the spell.”

“Elemental essence from heaven and earth?” Linley was astonished. “Grandpa Doehring, casting magic also requires drawing in elemental essence from outside?”

“Of course. Did you think a massive spell could be achieved through the Mana in one’s body alone? Impossible. For example, when a Saint-level magus casts Forbidden Magic, the Mana in the body accounts for only one percent. The other ninety-nine percent is energy from the elemental essence of heaven and earth.”

“Put another way, the Mana inside the body is refined elemental essence. Mana can be called the general, while elemental essence is the common soldier. A magus guides the Mana within his body outward, then uses it to control more elemental essence and form a terrifyingly powerful spell. Do you understand?” Doehring Cowart asked with a smile.

Linley frowned.

“Oh... I understand.” He nodded with a grin. “The Mana inside a magus is like Uncle Hillman, while the elemental essence is like a group of children such as us. Uncle Hillman can lead us in training, or lead us in an attack and a battle.”

Doehring Cowart smiled and nodded. “Exactly. That is why the Mana in a magus’s body is important. If there is not enough Mana, no spell can be cast.”

Linley nodded as well.

“Compared to Mana, Spiritual Force is even more important,” Doehring Cowart said. “You now know that Spiritual Force is actually the power of the soul. It is a power of control.”

“Linley, consider this. A great amount of Mana draws in even more elemental essence. With so much energy, what will happen if there is no Spiritual Force to control it?”

Linley knitted his brows and thought.

“Grandpa Doehring,” he said after a moment, “I have read some books on military strategy. They say to capture the enemy, first capture his leader. If the bandit chief is killed, the bandits will scatter and flee. Spiritual Force is like the bandit chief’s control over his men. Without Spiritual Force controlling all that Mana and elemental essence, the energy will go berserk.”

Doehring Cowart laughed.

“Ha! Linley, you are very clever.” He beamed.

“That is right. A great deal of Mana and elemental essence, controlled by Spiritual Force, finally forms magic. Sometimes a particularly powerful spell places excessively high demands on Spiritual Force, so magical incantations are needed as assistance.”

Linley felt as though he could suddenly see the basic principles behind immense magic with perfect clarity.

Doehring Cowart smiled and continued, “Of course, that is merely the basic principle. The real world of magic is far more complicated than you imagine. How Mana and elemental essence are arranged to form a spell—that is what matters most.”

“What use is having Mana if you do not know how to cast magic?” Doehring Cowart sighed. “The world of magic is exceedingly complex. Magical research is difficult and dangerous, yet nations compete, and countless magi continually study new spells.”

“Every nation researches how to arrange Mana and elemental essence in different ways to create different spells. But magical experiments are dangerous. The more destructive the magic, the harder it is to test, because it can sometimes bring disaster upon one’s own side.”

Doehring Cowart said lightly, “At ordinary magic academies, one can generally learn only first-rank through sixth-rank magic. Seventh-rank, eighth-rank, ninth-rank, and even Saint-level magic are kept secret. Unless you join a nation, you may not be able to learn any of them.”

Linley had read many books, so he understood.

“If no one teaches you, then no matter how much Mana or Spiritual Force you possess, you will not be able to cast even one spell,” Doehring Cowart said. “The secret of every spell lies chiefly in how one controls Mana and elemental essence to form it.”

“After countless years of research and exploration, magic has developed into an almost perfect system.” Stroking his beard, Doehring Cowart laughed. “Linley, do not worry. In the future, you will not have to bow and scrape to any nation or powerful figure, because I can teach you seventh-rank, eighth-rank, ninth-rank, and even Saint-level magic.”

Linley drew a deep breath.

He felt that he had stepped onto a new path.

Under Grandpa Doehring’s guidance, he no longer needed to follow the path of a warrior. He would follow the more mysterious, more powerful path of a magus.

“Come. I will first test your elemental affinity. Sit cross-legged, close your eyes, and enter a meditative state,” Doehring Cowart said softly.

“A meditative state?” Linley’s heart began to race.

What would his aptitude be like?

“Do not worry. Carefully sense what you can, and then tell me.” Doehring Cowart gave him an encouraging smile. Linley immediately closed his eyes and worked hard to calm himself.

“Do not worry. Just follow my instructions,” Doehring Cowart said quietly.

...

Meditation was the foundation of a magus. Whether one was absorbing elemental essence from heaven and earth and refining it into Mana, or increasing one’s Spiritual Force, both required meditation. Entering meditation for the first time was rather difficult and dangerous, but with a Saint-level Grand Magus like Doehring Cowart assisting him, Linley found it fairly easy.

After roughly half an hour of guidance, Linley finally entered a meditative state for the first time.

Doehring Cowart smiled faintly as he looked at the meditating Linley, then waved a hand.

At once—

A great quantity of Earth-element essence began gathering around Linley. Under normal circumstances, the density of Earth-element essence in any given place was about the same. But relying on his formidable Spiritual Force, Doehring Cowart made the concentration around Linley nearly a hundred times denser.

“If he cannot sense Earth-element essence under these conditions, there is no hope at all,” Doehring Cowart thought to himself.

At a hundred times the usual concentration, even an ordinary person could sense it.

Fully immersed in meditation, Linley felt delighted and excited. He had never known that so many marvelous things existed around him. Countless earthen-yellow motes floated nearby, densely packed and almost frighteningly numerous.