A voice toned in tension raced through Rentaro's mind, [Rentaro, I need you to listen carefully to the three cultivation stages, I'll glaze over the three basic stages of this realm, but it's imperative that you listen to the stages of the cultivation technique I teach you.]
'Understood, I'll listen carefully to everything you say.' Rentaro earnestly remarked.
[Un. If you need me to slow down, repeat myself, or have a question, just let me know.] Wilhelm couldn't help but soften his tone, lightening up his former tense attitude.
[The first true stage of cultivation, the most basic of all, is Energy Condensation. Energy Condensation is the act of absorbing the energy from your surroundings, then refining a wisp of it within your own body—more specifically—in the dantian.]
'What do you mean by, "the first true stage of cultivation"?' Rentaro asked sharply, taking on the air of a young scholar who thirsted for nothing less than truth.
[Hehehe. Rentaro, I'm glad you pointed it out!] Spoke Wilhelm in a jolly manner.
'You don't plan to keep testing me to see if I'm listening, do you?' Rentaro muttered in an exhausted manner, dropping the air of a scholar in a heartbeat.
[Of course, of course! Back to the topic at hand. There are naturally two requirements to begin cultivation.] Wilhelm paused, waiting for Rentaro's answer.
After a brief, and quite awkward, moment of silence, 'Oh, you're waiting for me to answer? Well, the first step is to train the body.'
Grunting, [Uh-hm, that is the first step. One must first train and strengthen the vessel before filling it. I've already gone over this step indirectly earlier. Do you know the second step, however?]
'They can only fill the vessel with energy if they can feel it. So, they must first learn to sense the energy in their surroundings... right?'
[Heh. That is correct once again! Factored into this step are innate talent—which is something from birth that can't be changed without miraculous treasures—and repeated meditation to connect oneself with the energy in their surroundings.]
[Naturally, those with higher innate talent are able to absorb more from their surroundings and the time they take to sense the surrounding energy is substantially lowered. Furthermore, when they draw in the energy of external resources like pills, medicinal concoctions, beast cores, and treasured ingredients, they absorb more of the core essence. Lower innate talents would inevitably lose more of the core essence in the process of absorption. You understand everything so far?]
'Uh-hm!'
[Good. As I've mentioned, you won't be cultivating the same way as everyone else in this realm. You'll be cultivating the Scripture of the Elementalist, a cultivation technique put together by yours truly.]
Feeling as if his currently non-existent eyes were shining and mouth agape in joy, Rentaro's thoughts immediately poured out in a childish manner, 'So cool! You actually made a special scripture for me!'
[Simmer down, I need to finish my explanation.] Wilhelm replied smugly contrary to his words, clearly proud of his achievement.
[The first stage of the Scripture is known as Affinity Awakening. Instead of feeling the energy in your surroundings, you need to sense the elements around you and feel which ones are closest to the root of your life. Then, you must form a wisp of elemental energy in your dantian.]
'Only a… wisp?' Rentaro asked.
[The smallest of improvement will take you a long way.]
'I see. Then with Affinity Awakening... am I stuck with a specific affinity my whole life? I'd rather choose which one I like the best, if that's possible of course.' Rentaro cheekily remarked.
[We'll discuss the idea of you choosing an element once your body has finished reconstructing. Back to the topic at hand, the second stage of cultivation for the people of this realm is known as Foundation Establishment. Foundation Establishment occurs once a cultivator has refined enough energy and formed an Energy Pond in their dantian.]
[As a cultivator continues to refine more energy from their surroundings, the Energy Pond in their dantian slowly expands. The nine levels of Establishment Foundation are known as Pond, Creek, Stream, River, Lake, Lagoon, Cove, Sea, and Ocean. As that doesn't roll off the tongue easily, they are more commonly referred to as stages 1–9.]
[The second stage of your cultivation is Affinity Establishment. During Affinity Establishment, you need to increase your affinity with nine different elements, but with my help and the missions to guide you, don't worry about the difficulty too much.]
'Only nine different elements, huh? There's quite a few types of elements, especially if we look at different elemental subtypes, aren't there?' Mumbled Rentaro, as he unknowingly drifted into thought concerning which elements he'd pick.
[Naturally, the nine you pick should be your basic affinities. Just pick nine elements that will help you use the subcategories of elements through the combinations of your basic affinities or that are directly under the basic elements. Furthermore, these are for your foundation and will be very important to your future cultivation. As for other elements, you can still gain affinities in the future.]
'What if I make an affinity with an element that doesn't conform to the basis of my other eight elements? Would that mess up my foundation?'
[Don't worry about that, it is possible to have more than nine elements when you break through Affinity Establishment. At the time of your breakthrough, you'll understand how to set up your foundation. After all, each individual creates their own foundation unique to their Dao Heart.]
'Unique to the Dao Heart…?'
[The Dao encompasses everything. As you gain affinities for different elements and gain enlightenment on what each element means to you, you'll start to awaken different Dao Insights.]
[Naturally, there are Daos for more than just elements, as the Dao encompasses all paths you choose to walk down. No need to overthink the subject of Daos, you'll clarify everything for yourself when you start cultivating and follow your heart.]
'Alright, but one more thing! Is there a limit to how many elements can be used in one's foundation?'
[Anything is possible if one has a strong enough will and heart. However, there are times when such successes can only be chanced upon, not sought out. Furthermore, you can't force more than nine elements if they don't fit together, otherwise your foundation would be unstable and could backfire, putting you in danger instead of helping you. Only time will tell the outcomes of the future.]
'Seems like I'm overthinking everything. Thanks, I'll leave the rest for the future.'
[No problem. It often takes someone who's on the outside to give the simplest solution to a problem. If any other questions crop up, just leave it to me for the answers.] Wilhelm spoke in a rather noble fashion, but with a budding hint of narcissism.
'Oh yeah, what's the third stage of cultivation?' Rentaro feverishly asked.
[Huh? Oh, yeah, Core Formation. Once a cultivator reaches the peak of Energy Foundation—Energy Ocean—their dantian starts to overfill and crumble. If a cultivator isn't careful and lacks willpower, then they might be crippled or even die if they fail during core formation.]
Wilhelm spoke in a "as a matter of fact" tone, as if such consequences in case of failure were rather simple.
Taking in a rather deep breath, "Thankfully, I don't have to cultivate such a technique. Your ability to create such a scripture is very reassuring, Wilhelm. Core Formation sounds a bit too extreme.' Had Rentaro reformed his body, they'd see his eyes glistening, on the verge of tearing up, as he thought of Wilhelm's act of creating him the Scripture.
Startled by his Rentaro's reaction and realizing there was a misunderstanding, Wilhelm could only come out with the truth, [Uh, Rentaro… sorry, but... your third cultivation stage is Paktierer Core Formation....]
'...' Stunned into silence, Rentaro didn't know how to respond and felt as if one of his five senses was back—the sound of touch—as he thought he could feel tears pouring out of his eyes uncontrollably and down his cheeks.
[I... I can only change the normal cultivation technique so much for the Scripture of the Elementalist. The core is an essential part to every cultivation technique....] Wilhelm, feeling as if he failed to properly provide for his brother, immediately tried to remedy the situation.
[Don't worry, Rentaro, core formation won't occur for a long time. We'll definitely find another way by then! Furthermore, there are plenty of items in existence that will guarantee you success and minimize any possible pain.]
Rentaro's condition slightly improved upon hearing Wilhelm's words. After all, he had no desire of putting himself in a situation where he might die for a second time.
Realizing that Rentaro was feeling a bit better, Wilhelm decided to go all out and throw in a little white lie to make the situation all better.
[Heck, I even have a mission that offers a special item that will guarantee your success, you'll just have to complete the mission in the future when you're strong enough.] Thinking to himself, 'Rentaro will definitely be okay with the idea of core formation after living in the Perpetual Realm for some time, so this little lie of mine shouldn't cause much trouble.'
Deciding to wrap-up the three basic stages, [Ahem. To reach Paktierer Core Formation, the most crucial aspect is balancing and sustaining the harmony between the elements you use for your foundation when condensing them together.]
'I-I understand. We're not going over any other cultivation stages for now, right?' Rentaro spoke hesitantly, hoping to relax for a bit.
[Nah, not now. That'll have to wait for the future when you're closer to those cultivation stages.] Wilhelm spoke exasperatedly, giving relief to Rentaro who needed time to digest all the newfound knowledge, while also allowing himself to take a break from explaining.
'Hey, Wilhelm, do you think I'll be able to reach the peak? Becoming the strongest in the realm?.' Rentaro abruptly asked, seemingly forgetting about his earlier distress and finding it impossible to stop their conversation after finally having a companion in life.
[Eh? Of course! You'll have me on your side after all. Just wait till you see and unlock my other system functions in the future. You'll get to the peak as long as you stay strong, regardless of what you experience in the cultivation world.] Rather surprised by Rentaro's sudden question, Wilhelm gave an answer seething with determination.
'Alright, Wilhelm, I swear that I won't give up along the way!' Rentaro spoke resolutely.