He seized a tendril of his mana within his will, and started to coax it out of his core, drawing it past his now depleted stores of elemental energy and Dao energy. He could feel the two powers trying to grasp at his mana, and suborn them to their will, but they were too weak to penetrate his protective coating that he had extended around his tendril of mana.
A few seconds later, he threaded it down his hand, and summoned a tiny flame of pure mana to his palm. He could immediately tell the difference, and he wondered how he had never noticed something of this magnitude of importance before. This mana felt far more powerful than his normal mana, more attuned with the fundamental concept that defined it.
Sam closed his eyes, and started to condense the ball of mana, making it as small as he could go. Upon opening his eyes, he found that a tiny speck of purest light was hovering over his hand, and the amount of power that he could feel within it was immense. He turned to face Pelar, who was smiling broadly.
“Well done, my boy. Well done. Gordanus will have to eat his own words at this. However, you achieved your goal in a somewhat roundabout way. Such a technique works for practicing your control over pure mana, but it is useless within a battle, hells, practically dangerous, as it requires you to get rid of your own power.”
“What is the answer then?” Sam asked. “Also, what do you mean, hells? Is that a real thing within the Multiverse, or was that just a turn of phrase?”
“The real method that you have to gain is not achieved through brute force, or even talent, but simply through practice. You must become adept enough within your body to manipulate all three of your energies at once, in order to let your mana reach your skin. Otherwise, it is pointless,” Pelar responded. “As for your other question, yes, the Hells are a real place.”
Sam could practically hear the capitalized word this time.
“Is it like the hell of my planet’s myth? A fiery place where those who have sinned go after death?”
“Quite similar. However, most people do not ever go there. You see, you need a certain amount of permanence upon the mortal plane in order to manifest enough power to create an immortal spirit. People without enough power are simply animated shells, walking around in the only life that they will ever get. Now, nobody knows what happens to them after they die, but the Hells that are a reality are places where evil cultivators go. They do not see this as a punishment, but rather as a reward. If they become powerful enough, they can eventually escape, and claim their rightful place back in the Multiverse.”
“What is this level of power?” Sam asked, concerned.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. You will most assuredly reach it before too long. The cutoff point is the beginning of E Rank, or, alternatively, either the Second Threshold in all stats or a Dao Seed. Any of those will grant you access to the Hells, or the Heavens, if you are of that karmic bent.”
“You’ve given me a lot to think about,” Sam replied sincerely. His mind was aflame with the ramifications of this idle chatter, and he now realized that there was far more to the world than he had ever thought. He had heard about the exploits of the more powerful cultivators of the Multiverse, but he had never really contemplated anything except for the physical world.
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“Well, I should hope so! Such are my duties as a teacher. Now, I feel that you have learned enough for the day. Why don’t you go back to the real world and solidify your insights? I’m sure Gordanus is waiting for you?”
Sam nodded in thanks, and then left, appearing back in the cave. There was a click beneath him as he shifted, and he was suddenly blasted into the air.
Half an hour later, Sam had regenerated enough of his lost skin and his pride to be able to talk face to face with his mentor. Gordanus’ face was neutral, but Sam could tell that the man was laughing on the inside. He had caught Sam completely, and the resulting explosion had blown up a ten foot wide crater on the cavern floor.
“Did you manage to gain what you needed out of Pelar?” Gordanus asked, without a trace of a smile on his face.
“I did, Master. Was that explosion really necessary? I could have died.”
“Explosion? What explosion? You seem to be in fine health,” Gordanus replied.
Sam groaned softly. He knew how this was going to go.
“Sorry, I must have been mistaken then. As I was saying, I need to test out my new insights in the real world. Is there somewhere for me to discharge my elemental energy and Dao energy?”
“Just go outside the cave. You can just send your attacks off into the sky, or whatever you are planning to do. Just don’t bother me. I have a date with a certain fiery liquid, and it’s calling out my name.”
Sam nodded, and left the other man to his alcoholic vices, clambering up the cliff that separated the cavern from the entrance tunnel. As Sam walked, he inwardly fumed at the way that he was being treated. Abuse and violence he could handle, but it was almost as if Gordanus was going out of his way to annoy Sam. Not that there was much that he could do about it, of course, but it was still starting to get on his nerves. He consoled himself by simply accepting it as part of his training.
As he exited the cave, he started to circulate his power within himself. Sam gathered his Dao energy and elemental energy into his hands, creating a set of his new projectile skills, one for each hand. The two lances of energy came into being a moment later, leaving him feeling empty. He stumbled, and only caught himself at the last moment, using one of his skills as a crutch. They were perfectly inert until they left his hands, so it was safe.
Sam got to his feet, feeling far weaker than he had in a while, and then threw the lances into the sky, watching them arc off into the distance. They landed on a nearby hill, blowing its top off in an explosion of red light and dust.
Sam quickly headed for his mana core, and started to circulate his mana, drawing out a tiny tendril of it into the world around himself. He focused on his task, and dragged the mana through his corespace, protecting it from the encroachment of his other power sources. It was far harder than it had been in the Interweb, and Sam almost failed halfway there. However he refused to be beaten so easily, and he kept at it, drawing more of his mana along to bolster his tendril. A few seconds later, he had sent it down his arm, and a tiny flame of pure mana blossomed in his hand. Sam smiled, and was met with a skill notification a moment later.
You have gained a new skill!
Advanced Mana Control: Legendary
The power of mana increases with its purity, but few ever recognize this, instead sullying it with their other energy sources, thinking that it is only fit to be used as a stabilizing agent within more complicated skills. However, mana is the lifeblood of the universe itself, the most basic form of energy that there is. Everything is made up of mana, tainted in various ways by the Dao and the elements, but if you remove their influence, all that is left is the purest form of energy imaginable. You have found the strength to separate your own mana from the desires of your other powers, and now are able to create pure mana in the world around you. As this skill progresses, expect a large increase in your fighting capabilities.