When I try to explain stuff through Ladriath TT_TT So much talking

I spent so much time in bed trying to make sure I wasn’t creating any significant loopholes

I had some ideas but they didn’t work by themselves, but when I mashed them together, they somehow made sense

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A Cultivator? Eldon could not help but widen his eyes in disbelief. Although barely anything was known about the path of cultivation, nearly every person knew that it was once regarded to be the ultimate path. In fact, the path of the swordsman and the magician are said to have been inferior derivations of the path of the cultivator. Originally, there was only the path of the cultivator, but it became nearly impossible to practice as the qi in the air grew impure. However, even if it became nearly impossible to practice the path of the cultivator, that didn’t necessarily mean that the ways to practice it would be lost, and that puzzled Eldon. But, Eldon knew that Ladriath was a very ancient being and that it would not be preposterous to say that he knew how to practice cultivation. It’s said that the ways of practicing it have been long lost, Eldon cautiously thought. No one knows how to become a cultivator anymore.

“Such a thing does not apply to me, Eldon. The reason that I rose to power was because I was the most talented and monstrous cultivator the world had ever seen before.”

I thought that only humans could practice paths, Eldon replied. Ladriath scoffed.

“Humans. Humans know very little about how the world works.”

“Eldon, you want to go back to Andy’s Steaks for lunch later?” Angus asked.

“Sure, but I think I’m going to get something else instead of steaks this time.” Eldon said.

“It’s a damn steak shop, Eldon. What else are going to get? Potatoes?” Brien smirked.

Angus clapped his hand on Eldon’s shoulder. “You’re a growing boy. You need meat, lots of meat!” Angus gave a meaningful look at Brien. “Their potatoes aren’t that bad either.”

Ladriath continued. “You are rather lucky to have met me, Eldon. Although your affinities are merely neutral, you still have good potential.”

How? Eldon asked.

“Think of it like this; the elements have not accepted you, but neither have they rejected you. Affinities can be changed, but you don’t need to know this now.” Ladriath sighed. With the impure qi in the air, however, becoming a cultivator is nearly impossible. BUT, I am able to refine the qi, and through that, cultivation becomes possible. When I chanced upon you yesterday, I was on the verge of death because I was not able to absorb the impure qi. When I tried to refine the qi, I found out that it took too long and my core would eventually run out of energy and break apart. My soul would then have no substance to reside in and therefore perish. By attaching my soul to yours and merging my core with your body, it makes it possible for me to survive. Dragon Cores are quite peculiar. Even though you are just a mere mortal boy, just having a body my core can reside in makes it possible for me to survive and thrive. The speed of my refining and absorption of qi has dramatically increased thanks to you. Although my power cannot be compared to what it was before, my cultivation level remains the same. With enough time, I can bring back the power in my core to what it was originally.”

What does that have to do with me becoming a cultivator? Eldon asked.

“Don’t be hasty, child. Although I had just begun refining and absorbing yesterday, the amount of qi I have accumulated is quite vast. Right now if I wanted to, I could infuse so much qi into your body that you would quite literally explode.”

…

“If you couldn’t tell, I was joking before. Once you are as ancient as a being like me, very few things interest you anymore. That is partially why I have decided to make you a cultivator; it will be quite interesting to see how you will fare in this world of impure qi. With me, I am sure that you can become quite powerful. Have you attended any classes yet?”

No. Right now, my friends and I are going to the entrance ceremony.

“I see. Hmm…Let me explain to you how I am going to make you a Cultivator. Pay attention.” Ladriath paused for a few seconds. “You had said before during breakfast that swordsmen and magicians absorb impure qi, or as you know as magical energy in order to increase their rankings?”

Yes.

“Cultivators more or less did the same thing, but our rankings are different. I will explain that later on also when you began your training. However, cultivators became powerful because they absorbed pure qi, not impure qi. I am sure that, thanks to the concentration of impure qi in the air now, cultivators have more or less died off. Refining impure qi is extremely difficult. I doubt that you could ever learn how to refine qi in your entire lifetime even if I tried to teach you. However, you do not have to worry about that at all, and nor will you ever have to absorb this impure qi from the air. I will provide all the pure qi for you and nourish your body and soul with it.”

Don’t you also need it to sustain yourself? Eldon asked. Ladriath snorted.

“It is true that I still need to refine and absorb qi for myself in order to survive. However, you are underestimating the extent of my abilities. The amount of pure qi I can absorb is nearly limitless compared to the amount you humans can even absorb impure qi. Because I merged my core to your body and attached my soul to yours, providing a little bit to you is no problem at all. This is the reason why I said you can become a powerful cultivator. My core is meant for the body of a dragon. You are a human; the body of a human and the body of a dragon simply cannot be compared to each other. You will virtually never run out of pure qi thanks to my core and that means you can train almost nonstop, ideally. However, the human body is quite fragile; even the most powerful of human cultivators that had challenged me to battles were quite squishy. Although I can replenish your qi when you exhaust your supply, damage builds up in your body over time. In a battle, I can heal your wounds and rejuvenate you with pure qi for a few times, but anything after that will start to deteriorate your body and harm you instead of helping you. Nevertheless, your training speed will surely be multiple times faster and more effective than your peers”

Eldon was elated. If everything Ladriath had said was true, then Eldon would surely become a powerful cultivator. You said that magicians and swordsmen derived from cultivators; does that mean I can also cast magic spells?

“Of course. However, if you only focus on spellcasting as a cultivator, you will never get anywhere far. The fundamental basics of a cultivator is training one’s body. Merely absorbing qi is not enough. You need to learn how to control it and make it a part of your body, and only through grueling physical training will you be able to unleash the full potential and power of a cultivator. The most effective training is exhausting your qi storage and body to beyond their limits. After you have done that, I will begin to replenish your pure qi in a very short amount of time. You have a clear advantage over others even though your affinities are neutral. With a powerful body, will you be able to tolerate and handle more pure qi and thereby increase your personal power.”

…

“I can tell that you are not the type of person who focuses on training one’s body. However, that is something we can change. Let me tell you the whole truth right now. With your current affinites, you will likely not get far at all in any of the paths without me. And even if you train cultivation but refuse to exercise your body, you will not get far ahead either.” Ladriath was silent for a while. “I have some terms if I am to teach you to cultivate. One: You must NEVER reveal to ANYONE that you are a cultivator. In school, just pretend that you are a magician and cast spells. Two: After you become powerful enough to graduate from this little place, I want you to leave and travel.”

Travel where? Eldon thought.

“Anywhere. I want you to explore whatever there is to explore. As long as I can meet new and interesting things, I will be content. A few battles with powerful beasts would be entertaining too.”

Eldon pondered for a while. Physical exertion is something I dislike, but...It looks like I’m going to have to confront with it soon. The temptation of becoming a cultivator was too powerful to resist for Eldon. Alright, but I have a question. Won’t people notice my abnormal growth and training speed? What if someone finds out that I am a cultivator?

“Back in my time, my ability to manipulate my power was unparalleled. I am confident that no one else today can even come close to matching my ability. I can easily suppress your true power and cloak your body with impure qi.”

“We’re at the main building now, guys.” Nikolas announced.

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A little short chapter, but I just needed to crank something out.

Wow, pacing is really slow now, but I plan to pick it up a little bit. Barely any time has passed since the last chapter xD