Chapter 5 - Elemental Vision

“You don’t even know this, boy?” Wolfy looked smug.

“Ah, very well, let me tell you. You simply go into a meditative state. Sit cross legged and close your eyes. Simply feel the essence of the world around you. The different energies swirling around you, congregating and dispersing”

Astler followed this instruction as Wolfy spoke inside of his mind from his soul realm. He closed his eyes and could sense several energies around him. It was far weaker than before, he had used most of the surrounding essence to break through into the core realm. However, the essence of the world was infinite and six different colours were swirling around him.

“All you have to do is draw these energies into your core realm. Because your core is so dense, you can absorb this energy faster than most….Ah, let me tell you something else. You should see one or two different colours of energy, tell me which ones you see” Wolfy explains.

“There’s 6 actually, I see red, blue, yellow, green, white and brown” Astler replies.

“Impossible, you can see all 6? All the core elemental energies that make up our world are comprised of these 6 elements. To have an affinity with all of them is quite unheard of” Even Wolfy was surprised.

“Alright, kid, you obviously can’t train in them all right now, otherwise you’d never get anywhere. Close your eyes again and focus less and less until you can only see one colour. That will be the element that you have the highest attunement with”

Astler does as suggested. He tunes out and some colours start disappearing, soon he can only see 5 colours swirling around him. He focuses less and less and finds that the number of colours diminishes until he can only see 2.

“I still see two colours” Astler says. Wolfy sighs.

“I thought this might be the case, you’re really lucky, you know that? Your talent is monstrous, not only do you have an abnormally dense core, you can see all of the elements and you even have the legendary 6th sense, elemental vision!” Wolfy exclaims, exasperated by this kids absurd gifts.

“Not only one, but two degrees of elemental vision? Unheard of!” Wolfy is almost annoyed, but also secretly proud that this monstrous talent is his one and only disciple.

“What does elemental vision do?” Astler was a bit impatient, he wanted to train now, yet Wolfy just kept rambling.

“It represents an absurd attunement with a specific element. It has the added effect of being able to control an element slightly without needing any kind of skill. You won’t quite understand yet, but it means you have an insight into the profundities of an element from birth. It will help you greatly in your later training. It will also mean that you should train faster in these elements than the others. Tell me, which colours are left?” Wolfy asks.

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“I see green and white” Astler responds.

“That makes sense. Forest and wind element. No wonder you’re so relaxed so deep in such a dangerous forest. You’re quite at home in this forest, wouldn’t you agree? How else would you explain your ability to bypass the various beats? You inborn knowledge of the mysteries of the Forest has helped you in this area” Wolfy explains.

“So what does this mean in regards to my training?” Astler asks.

“Nothing right now. Just something to ponder and consider” Wolfy replies.

Astler frowns. If it doesn’t help him, then don’t mention it! There’s no point. What an annoying wolf.

Wolfy seems to sense Astler’s disregard of the information he’s sharing and frowns himself.

“Oi, you brat. Don’t think that this information is easy to come by. In an insignificant clan like yours, probably only the highest elders have even the most basic information in regards to the elements let alone the profundities of said elements. Hell, even your brat of a clan leader wouldn’t have 10% of the information I have on the subject. Don’t simply disregard it because it doesn’t help you gain strength immediately” Wolfy was pissed.

Astler was actually taken aback by this, Wolfy made it sound so simple, but this was such rare knowledge?

“With your soul realm and your dense core, rising beyond this realm is a certainty. I’m giving you the benefit of planning for the future and your disdain is what I earn?” Wolfy was really pissed. He’d actually been enjoying teaching Astler, so Astler’s apparent disinterest hit a nerve.

“I apologize Master Dreven, I simply had no idea your knowledge was so profound. Master Dreven simply makes such vast and complicated information sound so simple, so in my inexperience and naivety I took it for simple information. I hope Master Dreven will forgive me” Astler says uncharacteristically as he’s extremely respectful. 

Wolfy is clearly taken aback as well. Astler made sure to call him Master Dreven for effect as well.

“Well…..As long as you understand” Wolfy rather than angry is now clearly very happy and doesn’t quite know what to say.

“Listen, I’ll give you a hint. Focus on the green and white elemental energies for absorption. It will increase your speed of cultivation and give rise to greater elemental power in the future” Wolfy smiles, still happy with Astler’s show of respect.

This was the kind of thing Astler wanted to hear! He immediately began to cultivate vigorously.

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Two months passed. Astler was now 13 years old.

Something interesting about cultivators is that when they’re cultivating they don’t require nourishment. It’s theorized that the essence of the elements themselves nourish their bodies. So for this entire month, Astler hadn’t moved an inch. He had been sitting in the same place cultivating and he’d made some astonishing breakthroughs!

He was now in the 5th level of the core realm and about to break into the 6th! As long as he broke into the 6th level, he’d bring honor to his father and be allowed to continue cultivating in accordance with the clan’s rules.

Wolfy had been studying Astler’s cultivation process in a hope to gain insights. What’s more he’d discovered something astonishing.

“This kid is able to absorb so much elemental essence so quickly! To create his core after 4 years of this? How much elemental essence is in his core?” Wolfy was pondering the mysteries of Astler’s body when Astler made yet another breakthrough!

The 6th level of the core realm! Astler was overjoyed. He couldn’t wait to see his father. How much further could he cultivate in the remaining month?

Astler closed his eyes and began to draw in the elemental essences once more.

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 Almost a month passed. Astler had been able to breakthrough into the peak of the 7th stage.

The first few stages were fairly easy, but the latter stages required far more elemental essence in order to gain ranks. As Wolfy explained it, the core realm is basically an introductory realm, it’s a realm that serves no purpose in fighting. It is simply a realm that requires the absorption of elemental essence in order to get to the martial realm as quickly as possible. Anyone can enter the core realm given the appropriate amount of time, but it requires talent to enter the realms beyond.

“Master Wolfy, the tournament is in 2 days. Do you not have any techniques to teach me?” Astler asked meekly. He had reached the minimum cut off point, but he would probably still be deeply embarrassed during the tournament as he had literally no fighting experience. Everyone else would have learnt at least one core realm skill and practiced fighting.

“You impatient brat, core realm skill would be a complete waste of time! Not only that, I don’t think I even have any core realm skills to teach you. Such techniques are simply not worth my time or yours!” Wolfy exclaimed.

“At this rate I’m just going to get beaten up again…” Astler’s voice trailed off and a cold glint flashed in his eyes, he wasn’t willing to let this happen. Not again. Not ever again.

“Alright, alright kid. Thinking about it, I should have one movement skill that you can learn” Wolfy relented.