Chapter 4: Elemental Swordsman
Translator: J_Squared Editor: J_Squared
Merlin still had the dull look in his eyes as Anson next to him spoke in an envious tone, “Swordsman Pero is getting more and more powerful. The impact he made last time was not even as strong. The chances are ten to one that Swordsman Pero is going to succeed in becoming a Second-level Fire Swordsman. Indeed, elemental affinity has a high influence on the cultivation progress. Swordsman Pero only cultivated for three years and he will soon become a Second-level Fire Swordsman. He’s considerably one of the fastest in the church in Blackwater City.”
“Fire Swordsman?”
Merlin’s heart jolted. He heard Swordsman Pero mentioning earlier the term “Elemental Swordsman” numerous times, but he had no idea what it actually meant. He thought it was just the way they addressed a person who practiced swordsmans.h.i.+p, but now it seemed there was more to that.
Merlin’s memory was only partially merged. Hence, many key memories were still unable to be retrieved. Among them was the memory related to this Elemental Swordsman. Merlin had no impression about it at all. He was eager to know everything about Elemental Swordsmen, but he also knew that he could not inquire directly without risk raising doubts from others.
Therefore, he beat around the bush and asked Anson in a subtle manner. Fortunately, Anson did not suspect anything. Besides, he was a close friend of Merlin, so he revealed a lot of information inadvertently.
It turned out that Swordsman Pero was not just another Swordsman, but an Elemental Swordsman of a powerful force!
In this world, many people were born with an elemental affinity. These people could absorb invisible Elements in the surroundings into their body. When the degree of Elements was acc.u.mulated to a certain level, the force could be guided out of the body by special methods and erupt into a powerful force. These people were called Elemental Swordsmen.
Of course, swords were not the only necessary tool in introducing Elements into the body. For instance, some people with an affinity to the Wind Element could become amazing hunters with the a.s.sistance of a strong bow. The reason why they were called Elemental Swordsmen was that the vast majority of people in this world utilized swords in this cultivation.
Swordsman Pero was already a true Fire Swordsman. However, in the case of Cawthon and Macy, they only had the elemental affinity without yet the ability to completely guide the force of the Elements out of the body, or perhaps the acc.u.mulation of Elements inside the body was not enough. Hence, they could not be considered real Elemental Swordsmen.
However, as long as they persevered in practice, they might become powerful Elemental Swordsmen on par with Swordsman Pero who could perform such terrifying punch.
Merlin felt really excited at the knowledge of this. Did it not mean that he could also possess such a powerful force?
However, Anson’s next words extinguished his hope.
“Merlin, Elemental Swordsman are tremendously powerful, and their future is boundless! However, we don’t have any elemental affinity. It is destined that we will never be an Elemental Swordsman. You might get off better as your sister Macy is one of them with a high affinity to the Fire Element, perhaps she will turn out a Fire Swordsman in the future. On the other hand, you are the absolute heir to the Wilson family. Even if things don’t turn out well for you in the time to come, you can easily become a baron, but what about me? I have two older brothers, so it’s impossible for me to inherit to the t.i.tle…”
Anson was getting low-spirited as he spoke about this and finally kept his mouth shut.
“No elemental affinity…”
It was as if Merlin had just been splashed with a bucket of cold water. He calmed down in an instance. According to Anson, elemental affinity was the key to becoming an Elemental Swordsman!
For instance, Swordsman Pero who had an affinity to the Fire Element was able to introduce Fire Element into his body as his own power and eventually became a powerful Fire Swordsman.
Generally, the stronger the elemental affinity, the easier it would be to introduce the Elements into the body, thus becoming a swordsman. Swordsmen were divided into categories based on the different types of Elements, including Fire Swordsman, Ice Swordsman, Wind Swordsman and many other.
However, the n.o.blest and the one with the brightest future were the Light Swordsmen that possessed affinity to the Light Elements. Once the Light Elements were absorbed into the body, the person would become a Light Swordsman.
Almost every Light Swordsman would become a Guardian Swordsman of the Church of Light. They received help and support from the church, and their speed of cultivation was comparably quicker than other Swordsmen.
However, no matter what type of Elemental Swordsman, the elemental affinity was fundamental. People without elemental affinity would never become Elemental Swordsmen. Like Merlin and Anson, they precisely belonged to the cla.s.s without any element affinity.
The people who came to practice swordsmans.h.i.+p with Swordsman Pero were divided into three categories. The first ones were civilians who did not have any slightest background status. Each of them possessed elemental affinity and belonged to a higher cla.s.s of people, so they were allowed here by the church. If they were fortunate enough to become an Elemental Swordsman, they would be taken in to join the armed forces of the church. Cawthon was one of the best among them.
The second category was the children of the aristocratic, but the aristocrats that possessed elemental affinity. Compared to the civilians aforementioned, these aristocrats with high background statuses had a brighter future. Once they became Elemental Swordsmen, their families would send them to a larger city for further studies. Their future was promising. Macy belonged to this cla.s.s of people.
The third category was people like Merlin and Anson. They were also children of the aristocratic, but they have no elemental affinity and that limited their achievements in the future. Although these three types of people practiced swordsmans.h.i.+p under Swordsman Pero, they were distinct from one another as each belonged to their own small circle.
After a long time, Merlin thought of Cawthon who had showcased his outstanding performance. He then whispered, “How about the elemental affinity of Cawthon?”
“Cawthon? He is probably the most talented among us, because of his affinity to the Light Element. Once the Light Element is introduced into his body successfully, he will go leaps and bounds to become Guardian Swordsman of the church. He is definitely going places. He has already attracted the attention of the church even though he has not yet become an Elemental Swordsman, even Swordsman Pero has accepted him as a disciple. For him to become an Elemental Swordsman is only a matter of time.”
Anson glanced at Cawthon who was in the front row when he finished speaking. His eyes showed a glint of envy.
As if noticing Merlin was feeling quite disheartened, Anson murmured, “Cawthon is born a talent, but your sister Macy has a high potential too. She also has an affinity to the Fire Element just like Swordsman Pero, so he will definitely spend effort in educating her. With Macy, your Wilson family will not decline in the next few decades. Compared to me, you’ll be in a way better position in the future.”
Merlin had a sudden inspiration. He was surprised to learn his sister Macy had such extensive potential. Besides, as Anson mentioned earlier, it was noticeable that Swordsman Pero frequently checked on Cawthon and Macy from time to time, closely watching their cultivation process. This showed that he had high expectation on Cawthon and Macy.