"Mages are the strongest for a reason. Even if you train hard and use mana to reinforce your body day after day, you'll never surpass even the weakest tier three apprentice." Lucius said, his eyes closed and holding the bridge of his nose between two fingers.
No matter how hard a body cultivator trained, a mage could end his life a hundred times before he could close the distance. Some even learned morphing spells, turning into deadly magical beasts and becoming more powerful than anyone who relied on their bodies.
That's why physical training became useless for magic art practitioners after reaching their second tier of mastery, not to mention that every noble knew body cultivation was a dead-end, with reaching tier-three after a life of strenuous efforts as the limit.
'It's so frustrating. We'll have to rely on luck for him to reach tier four now.' Lucius thought, his brow twitching. Julius' potential was now hindered, and they could only rely on his natural talent for mana to fuel his progress. Unfortunately, a person can only unlock a talent once in their life. Further attempts are pointless and wasteful.
"Sorry for unlocking a useless talent." Julius apologised, his expression a mix of sadness and guilt. His fears had materialised, and, to his dismay, he really unlocked a useless talent, prompting him to consider a question. 'If I focused on mana more, could I have gotten a better talent?'
His mood took a dive, and his shoulders slumped as he prepared to endure his big brother's taunting, knowing how he enjoyed making fun of others. But those words never came.
Confused, he looked in Adam's direction, noticing his stunned expression and bulging eyes.
'Aren't we in a magic world? How did he unlock that!?' Adam thought, unable to believe he unlocked that.
After a moment, he recovered his bearing and thought, his eyes glowing like two stars, 'It's a great thing he unlocked it. He'll develop a terrifying body for me.'
After thinking for a bit, he felt it was logical for Julius to unlock a talent like that. After all, he made him train ever since he was a baby and ensured his good health, telling and teaching Theodore about balanced diets. His body's potential was off the charts for a kid his age and heavily overshadowed his magic potential.
"Hahaha, well done, kid. You unlocked an amazing talent!" Adam said, chuckling happily at the excellent news. But his joy only startled the boy.
'Is he serious, or is this a new technique to make fun of me?' Julius thought, staring at him to find clues. But Lucius cut his thoughts short.
"You can return to your room. We won't have classes today." He said before tumbling out of the alchemy room, exhaustion and disappointment veiling his face.
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Left alone, Julius lowered his head in depression for a few moments before he felt a soft push on his back.
"Why are you standing and looking at your feet like a fool? Quick, move to your room!" Adam said excitedly with a broad smile, impatient to confirm his suspicions.
Looking at him, Julius wondered why he was the only one happy and silently went to his room.
Upon reaching it, Adam spoke enthusiastically, "Change of schedule, give up your training on everything mana-related!" he declared.
"Heh?? Why, big bro? I know my talent is useless, but I can still become a mage if I train hard." Julius said, his sad voice echoing in the room. He didn't want to give up.
"Your brain is the useless thing. Your talent is the best!" Adam yelled in answer, his hands trembling in excitement.
"But Lucius said it was useless to reinforce my body... Big bro, are you pranking me again?" Julius questioned, unconvinced.
"Tsk, I see you don't trust me anymore... You changed!" Adam retorted, shaking his head in disappointment.
'Heh? When did I change?' Julius thought, perplexed.
"Listen well, fool. If I'm right, your talent goes well beyond body reinforcement." Adam revealed seriously, suspecting Julius' talent was related to the Eastern cultivation systems in Earth's mythology.
If he were right, instead of mana, he would need to use life force or spiritual energies to sublimate and strengthen his body, slowly transforming it from a mortal and flawed shell to an immortal and perfect masterpiece. This talent would be incredible and probably unknown to this world.
"Your talent aims to enhance you in an all-rounded manner, emphasising balance between body, mind and soul and seeking harmony and unity across these aspects," Adam said, trying to remember the novels about cultivation he used to read on earth.
Upon hearing the description, hope filled Julius' face. Explained like that, his talent undoubtedly didn't look as bad as Lucius made it sound.
"I'm not really sure about the names of each tier since they changed from one book to another, but your first tier should be called the Qi Gathering Realm," Adam said, finding it hard to remember much and realising it had already been years since he had read them.
"Ooooh! Tell me, big bro, what do I have to do?" Julius asked excitedly, his eyes sparkling.
"Hum, try to focus on gathering, refining, and cultivating your Qi by understanding and harnessing the fundamental life energy around you," Adam said, not really sure if he was right. "If you understand, leave magic and mana to me and focus on Qi cultivation."
Happy that his talent turned out much better than he thought, Julius nodded like a hen and said, "I understand, big bro. I will cultivate hard!"
Not wasting time, the boy sat on his bed, closing his eyes to begin his cultivation journey. Then, he tried to remember the feelings he experienced in the alchemy room and focused on sensing life energy.
Soon, he felt it around him and absorbed it inside his new pathways, called meridians before, guiding the energy to his dan tian or abdomen. It was a slow process but yielded small results each time, prompting him to continue as he felt his body strengthen gradually.
Amidst his cultivation, he reflected on the newfound path his talent had led him into, excited and determined to thread it until the limit.