Chapter 118
Another Puzzle Piece
Chu Shen faced the two kids after they introduced each other. “So. Are you ready to begin?”
Aslo nodded. “I’m ready.” The girl nodded as well.
Chu Sen nodded. “Alright then. Aslo, you are a battle mage and so is Chrissa, correct?”
“Sure am.” Aslo said, pride evident in his smile.
“Okay then. Let me go ahead and start with you then. Sit down over here.” Chu Shen approached Aslo and sat down behind him. Chu Shen closed his eyes and used his spiritual sense on Aslo. When he did though, Chu Shen’s eyes flew open in shock.
He stood up abruptly, pointing a finger at Aslo. “You, you… You’re already a Rank 4 mage!”
Aslo looked at him in confusion. “Well yeah. In another week I’ll be a Rank 5 mage as well.” Chu Shen just stared at him, his mouth wide open. Just what kind of cultivation speed was this?!
Then Chu Shen remembered something he read at the library. A mage can connect their mana rivers to their magic source at any time. This is why warriors were considered inferior to mages. A mage could reach tremendous power in less than a year. A warrior needed years to reach the same amount of power.
Despite being able to connect mana rivers at any time, it is recommended that mages connect one mana river a week. The reason for this was that the body would become stressed and experience pain. The more mana rivers opened at once, the more intense the pain. A mage once connected five at once and died after his body exploded. The mage was only nine years old and had been too impatient to impress his parents.
When you open a meridian, the body becomes flush with mana which strengthens it. However, the body must adapt to this new amount of mana inside it. Otherwise, just as with martial arts, it can overload the body and cause it to self destruct. Which, of course, explains the pain of those that open multiple major meridians.
As Chu Shen followed this thought, he immediately realized something. How could the teachers he helped with their major meridians withstand that pain? He remembered though, that their reactions to the first meridian were to immediately connect it to their magic source. After that though, they wouldn’t connect any of the newly opened mana rivers.
Now it all made sense! They were worried about overloading their body with mana from those new mana rivers. As a result, they did not connect the mana river to their magic source. Most likely they would wait after a week to connect their mana rivers to their magic source.
Chu Shen realized just how ignorant he had been to this issue. Maybe he needed to warn the kids when he helped them open their major meridians otherwise it could be very bad indeed.
Chu Shen, who had been lost in thought, was rudely awakened by two hands that grabbed his shoulder and started shaking him. “Uh, h.e.l.lo? Chu Shen are you there? Come on! You need to open those mana rivers for me right?!”
Chu Shen brushed Aslo’s arm off. “Hey! Let go!”
Aslo shrugged. “I just got a bit tired of waiting for you to stop staring off into s.p.a.ce.”
Chu Shen smiled. “Fine, I just needed a bit of time to think. Anyways, go ahead and sit back down so we can get back to opening up your major meridians.”
Aslo sat down with his back to Chu Shen. “So what is this major meridian you spoke of.”
Chu Shen froze for a second before sitting down behind Aslo. He casually explained his accident slip up to Aslo as he did. “It’s nothing. Just another name for mana rivers.” A drop of sweat fell down his forehead as he spoke.
Aslo nodded sagely. “Of course of course. I just didn’t recognize the name that’s all. So, who calls it that exactly?”
Chu Shen’s shirt was starting to become damp from all the sweat. “Well, that’s not important. We need to get back to you opening your mana rivers.”
Aslo immediately became distracted. “Well then, let’s get on with it! I need to become stronger!”
“Alright then. Now focus. I am going to put my mana inside your body. You need to make your mana follow mine. Eventually, if you follow my mana properly, you will sense something blocking your mana. All you need to do is break through that barrier and it will unlock a mana river.”
Aslo’s face scrunched up. “How is that possible though?”
“Well you see, inside our bodies are all mana rivers. Most of them are blocked off from us. Just like a dam, it prevents any mana from coming inside us. However, by breaking the dam, we can allow the mana river to flow. The mana river will be off course though. We still need to force the mana river to flow into our magic source.”
Aslo still looked confused but eventually he nodded. “Alright then. I may not understand what a dam is but I don’t need to in order to get a new mana river. Let’s get started then!”
“Hold on.”
“Now what! Why can’t we just get started already?”
Chu Shen shook his head. Aslo was quite impatient. Though, that was understandable since his mother had died in front of him. “I just wanted to make sure that you know not to link any more mana rivers after you open them. I don’t want your body to explode or anything.”
Aslo rolled his eyes. “Of course I know not to. I’m not an idiot after all. Now can we get on with it. Sitting on the ground is not exactly comfortable, my b.u.t.t is falling asleep.”
Chu Shen smirked at that. “Fine, let"s get started.” Chu Shen wasn’t able to help Aslo much since he could only open up one more major meridian, just like with the teachers.
However, doing this was life changing. Remember that those four powerful sects had only ten Rank 6 adventurers and none that were of a higher rank. With this, the two twins became a Rank 7 and Rank 8 battle mage. This would let either of them become almost unrivaled in the city they were raised in. They could be considered the elites of the world by now!
Chu Shen just helplessly shrugged his head. Maybe it was time for him start advancing his cultivation level again. Otherwise, the protector may just become the protectee in only a month.
He then helped Chrissa unblock another meridian as well. She was silent throughout, only nodding or shaking her head when Chu Shen asked a question.
Aslo looked on helplessly as Chu Shen helped her. His sister was an outgoing person before but ever since she saw her mother killed she had clammed up. She barely even spoke a word unless it was to him.
He sighed. They had truly had a tragic life so far.