Chapter 51 - Spiritual Roots

Cale turned back slowly, meeting Silvester’s gaze.

The old man was looking at him differently now—not with lazy amusement, but with something far more penetrating.

And indeed, he was looking right into Cale’s soul.

Silvester’s expression shifted into something between a smile and a knowing smirk.

"A soul-bound armor and sword, heh," he said quietly, the words carrying weight. "You’re a kid with many secrets, huh? How about it—will you work a job for me? Well, it’s not me who’s recommending you. It’s a girl who wants you to go with her."

He already expected someone of his caliber to know about such things. Its not like he was trying to hide these things anyways. The more he hid, the more these people would doubt them, so showing at least half of what he has was helpful in some ways.

Cale tilted his head, processing. "A... girl?"

He thought for a moment, his mind cycling through possibilities. Then it clicked.

"Oh, is it... her... what was the name? You know, hmm—you must’ve known I fought her before. Umm, Scythe? Is that right?"

Silvester nodded, "Yeah, that one."

Cale’s mind immediately began thinking. He had indeed fought her. And he already had a strong suspicion about her true identity, though seeing her again would confirm it. But more importantly...

Why would he do this for free?

That’s when the system chimed:

[QUEST UNLOCKED:] [Complete the mission assigned] [REWARD: A Physique or Body based on host’s performance] [ADDITIONAL REWARD: Sword Spiritual Root]

Cale’s entire body went rigid for a microsecond. A Sword Spiritual Root? This thing was gifting him spiritual roots like candies! One has to know spiritual roots is a concept not even exactly ’known’ in this continent. Normally people had one or two, but some very rare cases had more too. Though having more isn’t considered a good thing. You’d have to cultivate four different energies and try maintaining their balance. If it tips off too much on a side, you would need to spend tons of resources to balance them again.

And just balancing them again takes at least a decade or two, meaning two decades wasted without cultivation. But with this system’s handling, his balance would be near same as always. It really was quite useful in such times.

Ahem, it was useful all the times.

But he kept his composure from breaking into a laugh like some movie villain. Instead, he looked at Silvester, raising an eyebrow.

"What do I get from it?"

Silvester sighed, already sensing what was coming. "Well, I was going to give you something anyway. What do you need?"

Cale had his answer ready. In fact, the very reason he’d made initial contact with Silvester beyond basic academy politics was for this specific technique. His "Fundamentals of Arcane Body Arts"—a technique created with the express purpose of channeling mana, qi, and any other forms of energy through basic body arts.

Punches, stabs, strikes, parries and many more—simple things made extraordinary.

Most would call it basic, elementary even. But Cale knew better. This was the technique for which the Moonlit Sword Order’s head knight had betrayed his entire organization during the calamity attacks on the academy. A technique so valuable that someone had been willing to commit treason for access to it.

Also, no one else had ever created anything like it. Not in his previous lives, not in any academy or sect he knew of. Yes, even the other continents had not ’yet’ learned of this method.

Silvester’s version was crude and experimental—still in its developmental phases—but for someone like Cale? It would be easy to develop it into a complete technique on his own.

"I need the Fundamentals of Arcane Body Arts," Cale said directly, meeting Silvester’s eyes. "You must’ve finished its phase one by now, right?"

Silvester stared at him for a long moment, trying to guess how Cale even knew about that technique’s existence.

He wasn’t surprised, this kid had many secrets. Heck he had even seen him using a domain at his stage, which should be impossible. The old man’s expression cycled through surprise, thinking, and finally settling on something that looked like he had to accept it anyways, so why stress over it.

"You’ve got good sources," Silvester said slowly. "Or maybe you’re just smarter than you look. Either way..." He leaned back in his chair, studying Cale with renewed interest. "You know what you’re asking for, don’t you? That technique isn’t something I just hand out."

Silvester stared at Cale with an intensity that made the younger man realize he’d just touched on something quite sensitive here.

"I don’t know how you heard of it," Silvester said carefully, "but it isn’t something you can learn, even I can’t exactly practice it, you know?"

It was something that defied conventional cultivation theory.

Cale smirked,

"Leave that part to me. You must’ve wanted a test subject too, right? Someone who would practice it so you could research more, refine the technique further. Why not me then?"

Silvester fell silent, his expression shifting as he began to think through the proposition seriously. His fingers drummed against the armrest of his chair.

’This isn’t a bad offer,’ Silvester thought. ’The kid has proven himself to be far more than what people see on the surface. He can even use a domain, something that should be impossible at his cultivation level. He even uses foreign techniques and most importantly...’

Silvester’s eyes narrowed.

’He has proper control over both mana and qi. That shouldn’t be possible.’

The reality of cultivation was harsh and unyielding: humans were a race that had to choose a side. Either mana or qi, one had to be the main and other the passive. You couldn’t cultivate both equally or simultaneously, even if you desperately wanted to. The very structure of the body prevented it.

Mana required a cultivator to establish Circles within their body—intricate magical constructs that took years to develop. But spiritual roots—those were inborn, existing within the body from birth itself. They naturally aligned with qi cultivation.

In most cases, becoming a mage through mana circles was theoretically easier, faster initially. But they hit a bottleneck after the fourth or fifth circle, their progress grinding to a halt. This was why qi cultivation remained vastly more popular—it offered a longer, more sustainable path to power. There was always a chance to advance even if it took more time, you’d never exactly have ’bottlenecks’.

Spiritual roots came in several classifications:

The Main Five—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—corresponded to the natural material forces of the universe itself.

Then there were the Rare Combinations, formed when basic elements merged or mutated into advanced forces like Lightning, Ice, or Wind. These were far less common but exponentially more powerful. Emma had one of Ice and Water.

And finally, the Yin and Yang Spiritual Roots—Primal roots that predated even the elemental breakdown. They represented fundamental cosmic duality, the bedrock forces upon which all other cultivation was built. Extraordinarily rare, and there were also tons of others too which were either rare or maybe were something one possessed individually.

Based on everything Silvester had observed about Cale, he was beginning to suspect the kid possessed something even more extraordinary.

’His comprehension is nearly as similar to mine own. Hehe, he’s like a one-in-a-million gem. The perfect test subject for something as revolutionary as the Fundamentals of Arcane Body Arts. Sigh, I do want to reject him but I would turn out the fool if I did so. And look at that grin plastered on his damn face!’

It was the opportunity Silvester had been waiting for. Someone capable of bridging the impossible gap between mana and qi cultivation. Someone who could prove whether his technique actually worked.

He sighed heavily,

"Alright, alright," Silvester conceded, leaning back in his chair. "But you gotta come in every alternate day to help with my experiments."

"Yeah, why not," Cale said happily, "Well then, call her now."

Silvester pulled out a communication device—a pendant like object with a button on it, it was a crystal that pulsed with faint light. He tapped it twice, sending a signal through some kind of network that Cale didn’t fully understand.

Less than five minutes later, Silvester called out. "Alright kid, lets go."

"Hm? Go where?"

"You dumbass, you’re going right now."

’Haah... there goes my rest.’