The books Yinsen currently had mentioned more than once that when a Mage first absorbed energy and converted it into Magic Energy they could wield, they had to be extremely cautious—especially when choosing the energy. They absolutely could not make a casual decision.
Take elemental energy, for example. Generally, a novice Mage would choose a particular element. Besides granting the Mage better control over that element, the energy would also affect the Mage in turn.
Having one's Mental Power assimilated and acquire some of that energy's traits was considered a mild consequence. Extreme energies like Fel Energy could even affect a Mage's personality and thinking. Given enough time, they might completely become another person.
That was why, although all forms of energy could serve as Magic Energy for Mages, most Mages were deeply wary of certain extreme energies.
Yinsen had initially set his sights on Water Element energy. Besides the fact that the first spell he had learned was the Water Creation Spell—though the Water Creation Spell did not actually use Water Element Magic Energy and was merely an application of Mental Power, so strictly speaking, it did not count as Water Magic—the most important reason was that the Sea of Tranquility was a world filled with water. Water Magic would receive a tremendous boost in such an environment.
At the same time, Ice Element, a variation of Water Element, was also extremely versatile—and it looked cool when used!
Of course, for true Mages, things were not like in games, where choosing one elemental energy as their Magic Energy meant they could no longer use spells outside that element. It was simply that the speed of Magic Energy circulation and energy consumption would vary according to the conflict between the spell's affinity and one's own Magic Energy.
Relatively speaking, a pure elemental Mage whose base Magic Energy was Water Element energy would find Fire Magic somewhat inefficient to use.
There were certainly many Mages like Isendra who had mastered three elements, but either they had completely brought elemental energy under control and had more than one type of elemental energy within their Magic Energy, or they used another form of energy as the foundation of their Magic Energy—one with exceptionally strong plasticity that could be freely transformed, such as Arcane Energy.
"If I'm not mistaken, you initially wanted to absorb Water Element energy and begin your path as a Mage by mastering elemental affinities."
In truth, there were nowhere near so many messy classifications in the world of Mages. Elemental Mages, Arcane Mages, even mana-web systems and blue-bar systems—there was no real difference. True Great Sorcerers would never allow themselves to have shortcomings in Magic Knowledge. They understood nearly all relevant knowledge and could freely switch their casting methods and the attributes of their own Magic Energy.
But on the path toward that goal, the influence of magical attributes on a Mage would determine how far they could travel down that road, and could even determine where their journey ended.
"Yes."
Yinsen had already lived with Merlin for two days. During those two days, Merlin had not taught him anything. Instead, Merlin had assessed Yinsen's abilities from every angle. Only now was he preparing to begin teaching.
"Actually, there is nothing wrong with your choice. If I were in your situation, I might have made the same decision." Merlin carefully considered his wording. "However, if I had a path that suited you very well, yet was far more difficult to walk—but promised unimaginable achievements in the future—would you be interested?"
Yinsen was somewhat puzzled, because Merlin's words were far too vague.
"Great achievements? How great?"
Merlin thought for a moment. Perhaps he was choosing a reference Yinsen could understand clearly. In the end, he decided to compare it directly to himself.
"I do not know how strong you will ultimately become. That depends on you, not anything else... But if you can firmly continue down this path, your final achievements will at least not be inferior to mine."
Yinsen's heartbeat uncontrollably quickened. Fortunately, he had seen enough of the wider world that he regained his composure after only a moment and did not lose his bearing before Merlin.
"The ability to observe endless planes, break through the Planar Barrier, and even possess the strength to completely destroy a plane?"
Yinsen was certain Merlin could accomplish the first; the second was highly likely as well. As for destroying a plane, that was harder to say. But by the most conservative estimate, destroying a planet should not be difficult for Merlin. The Ancient One, who guarded Earth against invasions from the multiverse, probably would not find Earth sufficient to wreak havoc on if she truly let loose.
This did not mean those two Mages could shatter a world with a single punch or forbidden spell. Rather, they possessed countless methods and trump cards. Take the Ancient One—if she were willing to embrace darkness and release Dormammu...
That was what made Mages terrifying. No one knew what they might do, or what they might be capable of accomplishing. This uncertainty was also one of the reasons people feared and dreaded them.
Yinsen wanted to become such a Mage as well, so he was very interested in the path Merlin had proposed.
"You should know that Mages are people who rely on powerful Mental Power to control energy and achieve their goals. Whether it is a fireball spell or deeper magic, their essence is the same."
Yinsen nodded and waited for him to continue.
"Therefore, Mental Power is the foundation of Mages. Increasing Mental Power means being able to control more energy, which means casting more powerful magic and achieving greater goals."
Yinsen's Mental Power had not been sufficient, so he had been diligently training to improve it. Furthermore, ever since the Space-Time Pointer appeared, it had trained his Mental Power to some extent. He had practiced for more than seven years to reach his current level—yet he was still just short of becoming a Mage.
"In fact, powerful Mental Power does not merely allow a Mage to use more energy. It has many other benefits as well."
As the foundation of Mages, the importance of Mental Power was naturally beyond question. The extent of Mages' research into it and the care they took with it far exceeded Yinsen's previous imagination.
Accordingly, Mages had uncovered many of Mental Power's "secrets." As a top-tier Mage, Merlin's understanding of Mental Power had reached an extraordinary level.
"Besides controlling energy, the strength of your Mental Power also determines which of you holds the dominant position—you or magic."
"What does that mean?"
Merlin explained in detail, and only then did Yinsen understand. The relationship between a Mage and Magic Energy was not as simple as master and servant.
Put simply, while increasing their Mental Power, a Mage also had to determine their own "limit" and avoid absorbing too much Magic Energy, lest the energy invade them in turn.
As Yinsen had read in books before, a Mage's mind being "contaminated" by the energy they absorbed was one of the mildest symptoms. More severe cases would affect their personality.
For example, some Mages of the Fire Element would become increasingly irritable after cultivating to a certain point. That was because they had absorbed more Fire Element energy than they could control.
"To give an example, if your Mental Power is one, and that amount can perfectly control ten units of Magic Energy, then exceeding that number becomes dangerous." Of course, this was not absolute. The quantity of Mental Power could be the same, while its quality differed, so Merlin was merely putting it this way for ease of understanding.
Upon hearing this, Yinsen seemed to understand Merlin's meaning. "You mean I should continue focusing on cultivating my Mental Power and not absorb energy too early to convert it into Magic Energy?"
Merlin smiled and shook his head, directly dismissing Yinsen's guess. "In fact, the path I am suggesting requires you not to absorb external energy and convert it into Magic Energy."
Yinsen froze. He could no longer guess what kind of path Merlin had designed for him.
"You should know that besides absorbing external energy, Mages can also nurture Magic Energy within themselves."
Yinsen shook his head. He had not encountered this yet, but according to the books he had read, after Mages absorbed and converted energy into Magic Energy, then used up their stored Magic Energy, they could indeed recover what they had spent through themselves, aside from once again absorbing energy of the same attribute from the outside world.
From this, it could be seen that Mages were capable of producing Magic Energy themselves.
"The Magic Energy produced by Mages themselves differs from energy absorbed from the outside world. It has greater plasticity and could even be called the purest form of Magic Energy. Its plasticity is the strongest."
Merlin sighed helplessly at this point. "Unfortunately, by the time many Mages realize this, their Mental Power has already been contaminated to some degree by external energy. The Magic Energy they nurture under those circumstances will inevitably lean toward the attributes of the energy they previously absorbed. The exact extent depends on how severely that Mage's mind has been contaminated."
It was precisely for this reason that Mages called the invasion of external energy into their Mental Power "contamination." Mages had many different ways of dealing with such a situation. But no matter how they dealt with it, they would waste more time and effort before reaching the end.
Yinsen had effectively received a professional lesson. Thinking back to his previous decision, with the little Mental Power he possessed, he would have been almost unable to avoid contamination by Water Element energy. Never mind his future plans to learn and absorb other elemental energies; once his Mental Power was contaminated, even his control over Space-Time Energy would risk declining—no, it would definitely decline.
Realizing he had narrowly avoided a disaster, Yinsen gradually understood the path Merlin wanted him to take.
"The path you have arranged for me... could it be that I should continue focusing on cultivating Mental Power, then rely entirely on my own Mental Power to nurture Magic Energy?"
Merlin smiled and nodded. This time, Yinsen had guessed correctly. That was indeed the path Merlin was recommending.
However, this path was countless times more difficult than the ordinary path of a Mage. Especially in the early stages, Yinsen would be almost unable to use any magic, leaving him little stronger than an ordinary person. Therefore, Merlin believed Yinsen might need time to think carefully before deciding whether to walk this path.
What he had not expected was that Yinsen would make his decision far faster than he had imagined, giving him an answer on the spot.
"There is no need to think about it. I choose this path."
Before you continue