Chapter 0113

Little did Tempest know her little plan was already seen through by Cardis.

Mages have horrible external senses. A skilled mage can combine their senses with their elements and use it to scan the surrounding. Although it takes years of practising and most mages never get the hang of it, the sensing abilities of mage when they master the skill is better than the external senses of the other realms.

Soul cultivators external senses are limited to the soul. They can’t sense inanimate objects or objects that has awareness but no soul like a weapon spirit.

Mind cultivators external senses are limited to intent. It is best liken them to high-powered empath. They are great for determining the feelings and intentions of a cultivator but they are limited to creatures with intelligences. Traps, arrays, formations and inanimates objects can not be sensed.

The divine sense of the body cultivators can sense everything within a given range. It is Jack of all trade type sense instead of a highly specialize sensing ability. Divine sense can not compete with the other sensing abilities in terms of intentions and emotions but the almost universal application of these abilities outweigh the cons.

A mage’s ability to combine with their elements can be considered a sensing technique. A mage can sense anything in their elements. The drawback limits the number of mages who can use the technique drastically. Only mages with affinities higher than 80 can use the technique and even then it a high amount of skill to master it. If they suck, then they suck. No pills, elixirs or precious objects can increase their ability to merge with the elements. It is like talent - you either have it or you don’t.

Once the technique is mastered, it can be considered the best sensing technique. First of all, the sensing technique is considered natural. As long as the elements exist in the space, the mage can use the technique spy on others but they can’t be detected by the other party. Arrays, formations or other barriers don’t work on a mage sensing technique. If they tried, they would only notice the element and not the mage using the element to spy on them. The other sensing techniques are limited to this plane. Secret realms and small pockets of space aren’t exempted by the technique.

Cardis had mastered the skill before he became an immortal. It is one of his known trump cards. Not only can a mage use sensing technique to scout the area, they can use it to escape. Mages are essentially merging their senses with the elements. Taken a step further, they literally become the element. In this state, it is hard to harm them. Offense is exchange for the impressive defense. A mage can’t be attacked when they are merged with the elements, however they can’t attack either.

Before the portal tossed Tempest out of the Weapon Pavilion, Cardis had already sense the fluctuation in the air. He moved away 1,000 km from the exit portal and continued to monitor the area with his earth and wind elements.

Tempest may be a True Daughter of Storm and had the potential to surpass Cardis but she is still young and inexperienced.

Ventus had the ability to block Cardis from using the wind element to spy on them. Cardis can still use his earth abilities, which Ventus can not counter without alerting Tempest or Cardis.

Cardis wanted to mock Tempest.

Tempest was the poster girl image of a child being bullied - disheveled hair, red teary eyes, dirt on her face and clothes, bruise on her dainty cheeks and nary a weapon to be seen.

He wanted to say, “Where did this beggar come from,” but he buried the comment in his heart. No matter what, Tempest is his little Successor.

Cardis is aware they started off with Tempest having the wrong impression of him and he never did anything to change her image of him. He didn’t care enough to try. He was the Son of Volcanoes, a legendary mage in his own right and a power to be reckoned with in the Cardinal Realm. He never cared about anyone’s opinion, much less a little mage with massive potential and no control.

When he brought her to the guild, he had every intention of passing her off to one of the more compatible mages. They only had wind as a common element and his other two elements, fire and earth contradicts Tempest’s water and lightning element.

Yet he hasn't done so.

She was too amusing to hand to someone else. At least he can say his little Successor made him laugh wholeheartedly. It has been so long, he almost forgot the feeling.

So Cardis truly accepted the little rugrat into his heart. He decided to make amends for his previous callous attitude.

Cardis gently cuddle the ragamuffin in his arms and began his lecture. He loves lecturing the fool. “Tempest, you should learn well from this experience. When other people bullies you, you must learn how to forebears. TPO.”

“Time, place and opportunity?” Tempest was surprised by the acronym. This is a world completely based on magic, the very concept rejected by science. How can two worlds be so similar and yet so different?

“Huh? What? Oh, no, time, place and opponent.” Two out of three isn’t bad.

“Time and place I get. Why opponent?” Doubt was clearly written on Tempest’s face.

“We can’t sense the cultivation level of our opponent, so we have to pick our enemies carefully.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that.” Cardis saw the serious face on his little Successor and it made him want to tease her. A studious personality doesn’t suit his little Successor. Her silly personality is more preferable. He’s gain more joy out of her antics.

Cardis cuddle her close to his body as he counsels the shorty in his arm. “Let of the grievances you experience in the Weapon Pavilion. No matter how much you desire it, picking a fight with a weapon spirit isn’t the ideal choice. Weapon spirits are the embodiment of their wielders, nurtured through killing. They have no choice but to be what they are now. I think they are more pitiable than you and I. They gain sentient, but along with their awakening, they realized their fate is not under their control. Furthermore, there are preset rules built into the Weapon Pavilion that limits them. You should not hold a grudge for the things out of their control.”

Tempest sat really still while Cardis was lecturing her. Although Cardis took care of her like a father his daughter, the man whore image of him lurks in the back of her mind, ready to spring forth when there is any untold action on Cardis part.

Tempest is sitting on his lap. She can feel his lack of interest in her as a partner. The man is flaccid as a deflated balloon. Never once was he inflated.

Still, his outwardly show of concern had chills running up her spine. Strangely enough, she feels more confident handling the flirtatious man whore than the concern parental figure. She can poke fun of the man whore without fear of sexual retaliation. The man might be a passionate man whore with questionable taste, but he has never done anything to any female.

During the three days she stalked him, she saw him provocatively flirt with any and all females. He never took it any further than flirting. Plenty of offers were sent his way. He’d flirt then run. Flirt then run. Always flirt then run.

The teacher-student relationship she can handle. It is the parental figure relationship which brings out her wariness of the man.

Her mother isn’t great. She horrible as a mother. Tempest is bias against that woman who she blames for sending her to the hospital.

Even though she was subpar as a parental figure, she demanded the respect of a mother, and everything it entails without acting like one.

Tempest doesn’t want Cardis to be a parental figure. She is worried he demands the respect of a parent without fulfilling his obligation as one. In short, she doesn’t want a deadbeat dad.

She wants to destroy this bout of intimacy as fast as possible.

“I wasn’t bullied by the weapon spirits. It was me who bullies them. Here, speak to Ugly and you’d know I’m telling the truth.”

Tempest brought out Ugly to show Cardis. The two mages stared at the forlorn weapon spirit before the Ugly punched Cardis in the face, sending him flying as he did Tempest.

“You!”