In truth, whether it was Earth System magic or the magic of any other system, each had its own unique effects. And as a Holy Domain Grand Mage of the Earth System, Derinkoort naturally held his own school in the highest regard. Eight-year-old Lin Lei was already swept up in excitement by everything Derinkoort told him.
"Grandpa Derinkoort, hurry up and test me—see if I have the talent to become an Earth mage!" Lin Lei was practically bursting with eagerness.
Derinkoort chuckled. "All right, I'll test you right now."
"First, let me tell you that a mage's talent is mainly divided into two aspects, so the test will also have two stages." Derinkoort was in high spirits. After over five thousand lonely years locked away inside the Coiling Dragon Ring, he was more than happy to have a bright young child to teach.
"Magical talent consists of two things: the strength of your affinity with the World Elements, and the level of your Mental Power." Derinkoort began his preliminary education on magic.
"What do those two things do?" Lin Lei asked with a puzzled look.
Derinkoort guided him gently: "Lin Lei, before I answer that, let me ask you something first. When a mage casts a spell, what does it depend on?"
"Magic incantations!" Lin Lei answered immediately.
He had watched that mysterious mage riding the Rapid Dragon cast spells before, and every time the mage murmured incantations under his breath first.
"Wrong."
"But I've seen mages cast spells—they all chant incantations!" Lin Lei shot back right away.
Derinkoort stroked his white beard with a smug grin. "When a mage casts a spell, the most important things are the 'Magic Power' inside their body and their 'Mental Power.' If your Mental Power is strong enough, you can even cast spells instantly—no incantations needed. Incantations are nothing more than a supplementary tool."
"Instant casting?" Lin Lei looked at Derinkoort quizzically. At that moment, he felt a vast magical world slowly unfolding before his eyes. It was still blurry and indistinct, but Derinkoort was gradually pulling back the mysterious veil that shrouded it.
Derinkoort nodded with a smile. "That's right. To cast a spell, you first need your body to supply enough Magic Power, then use your Mental Power to command that Magic Power to draw in more World Elements and form a spell!"
"The World Elements?" Lin Lei was surprised. "Grandpa Derinkoort—casting spells requires absorbing the World Elements from the outside world?"
"Haha, of course! Lin Lei, did you really think a massive spell could be powered by nothing but the Magic Power stored inside a mage's body? Impossible. Take a Forbidden Magic spell, for instance—the Magic Power inside a Holy Domain mage accounts for barely one percent of it. The other ninety-nine percent is World Element energy."
"Think of it this way: the Magic Power inside your body is essentially refined and purified 'World Elements.' You can think of Magic Power as a general, and the World Elements as the soldiers. The mage sends out his own Magic Power and then commands a far greater number of World Elements to come together and form a devastating spell. Does that make sense?" Derinkoort smiled as he watched Lin Lei.
Lin Lei furrowed his brow.
"Oh… I get it now," Lin Lei said with a grin, nodding. "The Magic Power inside a mage's body is like Uncle Hillman, and the World Elements are like our group of young trainees. Uncle Hillman can lead a whole bunch of us in training on his own. He can also lead us all into battle!"
Derinkoort nodded approvingly. "Exactly. So the Magic Power inside a mage's body is very important—if there isn't enough of it, you won't be able to cast any spells."
Lin Lei nodded as well.
"But compared to Magic Power, Mental Power is even more important," Derinkoort said with a smile. "You already know that Mental Power is essentially 'Soul Power'—it's a form of control!"
"Lin Lei, think about it: a huge amount of Magic Power, drawing in even more World Elements—all that energy, with nothing to control it… What do you think would happen?" Derinkoort stroked his white beard and quietly watched Lin Lei.
Lin Lei frowned in thought.
"Grandpa Derinkoort," he said slowly, still frowning, "I've read some books on military strategy. They say: 'To defeat the enemy, first capture the leader.' For example, with bandits—if you kill the bandit chief, the whole army will scatter and flee. Mental Power is like the chief's 'control' over his subordinates. Without Mental Power to control the vast amounts of Magic Power and World Elements, those energies would run wild."
Derinkoort burst out laughing.
"Haha, Lin Lei, you're a clever one!" His face split into a broad, delighted grin.