Even looking up close at Xuan Li, the baby panther couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.
'No matter from which angle, he just looks like a stupid mortal to me…' In the end, the baby panther gave up on trying to see through the human in front of him.
But since the mortal had asked for an explanation, the baby panther couldn't ignore his request.
'If I can not give him a thorough explanation, this mortal would just have a reason to mock me!' The panther thought that it could also be Xuan Li's trick to make fun of him.
After much thought, the baby panther finally made his decision. He looked up to see Xuan Li staring impatiently at him.
"If you don't know, that's fine. I won't make fun of you." Xuan Li thought the reason that the baby panther took so much time to think was because he was looking for an excuse and was actually unaware of the details.
"It is not like that, Kid! If even the great me didn't know these basics, then who in this world does?!" The baby panther spat, irritated that this man would always find a way into his mind with his words.
"Then why do you need so much time to think about it? Heh, are you revising for a school test or something?" Xuan Li asked, sarcasm laced in his tone.
"Don't test my patience, Kid! Sit tight, and let me explain now." Since the baby panther couldn't win in the battle of words, he decided to shift the topic.
"I'll start by explaining the discipline of cultivators. They just call it cultivation-" The baby panther was interrupted.
"Eh?! Cultivation? As in cultivating crops? Why are we talking about farming now?" Xuan Li looked curiously at the baby panther.
Though the baby panther was furious with Xuan Li's rude interruption, he decided to ignore it and continued his explanation, "... This is different. Instead of crops, the cultivators cultivate Qi-"
"Oh! So it's like in the stories that grandpa told me! So, what is this Qi again?" Xuan Li remembered that his grandpa used to tell him stories about something similar as well.
"Kid! Stop interrupting and let me finish my sentences at the very least!" The baby panther lost his calm this time and couldn't help but shout out at the insolent mortal.
"Okay okay. Don't get all grumpy on me now." Xuan Li scratched his head, realizing his mistake.
"Ahem! As I was explaining before being rudely interrupted, Qi is one of the natural energies in the atmosphere. The cultivators make use of this energy to gain strength." The baby panther continued once he answered Xuan Li's queries.
"Cultivation has 9 ranks. In the 1st rank, the cultivators strengthen their bodies to the extreme so they can handle Qi in the latter stages. Their body works as a vessel for them to use Qi. This stage is called Body Strengthening." The baby panther let the words sink in, checking if Xuan Li had anything to ask.
"After the 1st rank comes the 2nd, which they usually call Qi Reinforcement. As the name implies, the cultivators can start using Qi to reinforce their attacks during battles. They can then easily crush rocks with their attacks."
"Qi reinforcement is followed by Qi Awakening. In this stage, the cultivator will 'awaken' some part of their body. The awakening will strengthen a part of their body or senses."
"Is it chosen randomly? Or else, which part or sense is usually strengthened?" Xuan Li asked after the baby panther had finished his sentence.
"No. The cultivators have full control over the Qi inside their bodies. They decide their future path themselves." The baby panther replied.
"Moving on, the 4th stage is Qi Manifestation. This one is quite complicated because the cultivators in this stage must create or, more accurately, manifest a weapon using Qi. This weapon would later become something like a signature move of that cultivator. Sometimes, these manifested weapons become even more famous than their wielder."
Xuan Li again had no questions.
"The next stage is called Qi Spiritualization. At this stage, the cultivator can project the Qi outside his body, creating a protective layer around himself. It is just like a defensive barrier.
Next comes Qi Rejuvenation. In this stage, the cultivator enhances their body using Qi to the point where they can live for hundreds of years!"
"Heh, who would even want to live for so long." Xuan Li muttered to himself.
"Kid, I think you would be surprised to know that except for a few like you, everyone wants to live for as long as they can." The baby panther replied.
"Next, I'll explain about what mages do-"
Before the baby panther could finish his words, he was once again cut off in the middle by Xuan Li, "Wait a minute! Didn't you say that there were 9 ranks in each discipline? What about the other 3?"
As the baby panther heard Xuan Li's words, his expression turned into one of amusement. He looked mockingly at him and said, "First, reach the 6th stage, and then, I will tell you. It's not like you can even survive till that point."
Xuan Li's eyes twitched, looking at the smug baby panther in front of him. Only now he realized how petty Dumdum could be.
This time, the baby panther stood up and stretched his arms and legs before he continued, "Now, where were we? Ah, I was explaining the discipline of the mages. They are called Mage Arts."
"Though this discipline sounds simpler, the actual process is quite difficult. The mages haven't named each stage and simply call them Rank 1, Rank 2, and so on."
"Their primary source of power is Mana, also energy like Qi. Unlike the cultivators, mages gain their power from other living things, like absorbing mana from magical beasts. Mages have a core inside them in which they store their mana.
Each mage is born with a certain amount of affinity with the elements. However, there is usually only one element that an average individual would excel in. They only absorb that specific element of mana from the cores of the beasts."
*Yawn*
"So, what about the ranks?" Xuan Li asked while rubbing his eyes, which had a small teardrop hanging on his eyelashes after yawning.
"Well, a person is considered a rank 1 mage when he has first formed his core. After that, it's all about the magical circles. The mages use these magical circles to discharge the mana from their cores to perform the spells."
"Spells?" Xuan Li questioned curiously.
"Yes, mages use their mana to perform magical spells." The baby panther patiently replied.
"All of this depends on the circles, though. With each new circle, the rank of the mage increases. So a mage at rank-1 has 1 magical circle while a mage at rank-6 has 6 of them. These circles are generally quite complicated. Each one is more complex than the previous one."
"Can't they just memorize them?" Xuan Li asked, not understanding how complicated a 'simple' circle could be.
"No, each magical circle is different and unique. Based on their pattern complexity, a genius mage is distinguished from an untalented one."
"Now, let me explain the ranks. As I already said, with each new circle, the rank of the said mage increases. However, it's not just that simple. Each new circle not only lets you cast an extra spell at the same time, but the consumption of mana is also reduced. When-"
Just as the baby panther was going to continue, he noticed that Xuan Li was actually starting to doze off!
"Kid! Why are you dozing off again!?" He was boiling inside. He had been explaining things for this mortal, and he dared to just fall asleep in the middle of it?!
*Yawn*
"...It's just that it was quite boring. I mean grandpa already explained it better in his stories than you did." Xuan Li replied innocently.
"You! Ughhh!!! Then why did you ask me to explain all of this if you knew it already!?" the baby panther was finally at his wit's end. He felt like pounding Xuan Li into a lump of meat any moment now.
"I just wanted to confirm if I remembered them correctly?" Xuan Li said. However, his tone sounded as if he was unsure of himself.
The baby Panther's eyes darkened. He had enough of him. "Quit playing with me. Otherwise, I will kill-"
"Which is what I want… and you obviously can't." Xuan Li finished the baby panther's sentence, looking at him with a smug look.
His words left the baby panther speechless again. He didn't know what to do anymore.
"Enjoy it while you can, mortal. It will be your last day when I fully recover." The baby panther finally gave up and just laid down, curling himself into a ball before shutting his eyes.