Continuing reading down, there were still some interesting aspects to be analyzed.
First were his elemental affinities: Earth and Wood.
This seemed about right. These dual affinities were the factors that started Lao's reputation as a genius within his old sect.
Usually, individuals are born with a natural affinity towards a specific element. This innate predisposition is developed from birth and is almost impossible to change or alter. One must make do with the hand they are dealt.
Elemental affinities can be categorized into three groups: Naturia, Chemstria, Chaos, and Seraph.
The Naturia category consists of the Water, Fire, Earth, and Air elements. These are the most common affinities, with approximately 65% of the cultivator population awakening an affinity towards one of these elements.
The Chemstria category comprises the Ice, Lightning, Metal, and Wood elements. These elements are less common, with only about 34% of cultivators awakening an affinity towards any of them.
The Chaos category consists of only two elements: Light and Darkness. These elements are exceedingly rare and seldom seen. Only about 1% of cultivators are fortunate enough to awaken an affinity towards either of them.
As for the Seraph category, there wasn't much known about it. Perhaps only some ancient sages and hidden experts at the pinnacle of the cultivation world possessed any information regarding them. The only widely known aspect about this category was that the elements within it were all related to the creation of the universe, and it was deemed impossible for any human to have a natural affinity towards any of them.
In terms of power, the elements of Naturia and Chemstria categories were very similar. Despite the Chemstria elements being rarer to encounter, this disparity did not manifest in a difference in power when compared to the Naturia elements.
In contrast, both elements of the Chaos category were stronger than any element in the previous two categories, and by a wide margin. This is why anyone born with an affinity towards light or darkness would typically end up as one of the strongest experts of their generation. Even if their martial talent, raw power, or experience were lacking, they could more than compensate for the difference simply with their elements. That's how oppressive those two elements were compared to all the others.
So, how would the process of gaining an affinity work exactly?
The process of gaining an affinity is intrinsic and begins at birth. However, this inclination toward a specific element only fully develops into a complete affinity by the time you turn 10 years old.
At 10 years of age,
Inside your body, there exists a spirit root. Before your Qi pathways are opened, this root remains dry and lifeless. However, this changes when Qi finally comes into contact with it. The root absorbs some of that Qi and undergoes a mutation.
Ultimately, the form that the spirit root takes after this mutation represents your affinity.
It was this spirit root that allowed the affinities of every young would-be cultivator to be measured with a special device as soon as they turned 10. Typically, a grand ceremony would be held to measure all the talents of the young generation.
This was crucial not only to verify if any of the children had a particularly special affinity but also to facilitate the creation of a more tailored training regimen for each child, nurturing them based on their strengths.
During these ceremonies, a special event would sometimes occur: when one child showed affinity towards more than one element.
This was extremely rare, with only about 2 in every 100 children ever displaying such talent.
Though not as impressive as awakening a
Having
Lao was one of these individuals. Displaying his Wood and Earth affinities in the yearly awakening ceremony marked the beginning of his short-lived legend as the greatest genius his sect had ever seen. However, in the end, the title of genius didn't seem to be enough to save him.
The values in front of his affinities, if he were to follow the same principle of cultivation talent, seemed to represent the level of affinity he had towards each of the elements.
Of course, just because two people have the same affinity towards an element, it doesn't mean they interact with it in the exact same way. Some individuals have a naturally deeper connection and understanding towards their element than others.
Usually, there would be no way of improving this, as it was something innate. However, there were certain materials and world-defying treasures that could enhance it. They were extremely expensive and rare to find, as one would expect.
His own connection to his affinities seemed quite strong. If the scale still ranged from 1 to 10, then he had a solid connection with both elements. This would certainly make his life easier in the future.
The final point mentioned in his overview was the weapon affinity. It seemed like he had a general affinity towards heavy swords.
This point worked in a very similar manner to elemental affinities. Simply put, everyone would have a natural talent for certain weapons. Some would excel with bows and arrows, others with spears, others with swords, and some with multiple weapons.
It seemed like Lao had quite a lot of talent with heavy swords. That was interesting, considering from the memories he got from him, he had never seen Lao practicing with them.
He would have to put that to the test later.