Cultivating elements means increasing the orbs in size.
To do that, one would (carefully) infuse the orbs with mana, lots of it.
With limited mana, tempering both physique and elements wasn't advised, so most chose between the two and stuck with their choice.
This was the most deciding factor between Knights and Mages.
Cultivating the physique leads to increased flexibility, strengthened bones, drastic increase in five senses. In essence, an overall increase in body capabilities.
Whereas…
Cultivating elements leads to stronger elemental attacks for less mana, increased aura capabilities, and increased versatility of element. In essence, increase in overall element usage.
This is why Cavarl - a Master-rank mage - was able to conjure blades of wind.
Whereas the Emperor could only use lightning beams to decimate troops or imbue it in his weapon.
'Others don't take both paths because they can't bear mana requirement' Ezra theorized.
He looked at his arm.
'But in my case, I've got mana stones'
He chuckled at the ridiculousness, before turning serious once again.
'Now then, let's see'
He took out a mana stone, placed it on his interlocked hands, and took a lotus sitting with closed eyes.
Concentrating, he drew the mana in through both arms.
Now, instead of sending it through his meridians to clear out impurities, he sent it to his chest.
Like a snake, the line of mana connected to the deep blue orb.
His chest quivered as he heaved a heavy breath, calming thereafter.
The orb began to absorb the mana, and as it did, Ezra felt his body begin to release cold winds like melting ice.
Externally, the changes were visible. Internally, he barely felt anything.
An hour passed, but the situation remained the same.
He wondered if he was doing something wrong, but shook his head. The orb was clearly absorbing mana.
'So…why don't I feel anything?'
It was the mana from a mana stone, so he expected that the cultivation would be accelerated.
'Was I wrong?'
What won't work, won't work. Ezra wasn't fond of just 'hoping' he was doing it right, there had to be a way to check.
With the passing of the second hour, he exited the chamber and headed to the royal library.
There, he confronted the librarian - Mr. Lennon - with his questions.
As an avid reader, Mr. Lennon was friendly with Ezra, who visited the library regularly since he was three years old.
Mr. Lennon pulled off his reading glasses, raising an eye in puzzlement at Ezra's question.
He had green eyes on a thin body covered in pale skin, garbed in white clothes.
"A Mage's cultivation? What would you want that for?"
Ezra was tongue tied, but only for a few seconds.
"I might fight mages in the future. I thought it only natural that I learn what I could about them, starting with how they cultivate"
Lennon sighed. He was reading through one of his favorite books for the seventh time when Ezra arrived.
Alas, he'd grown fond of the boy, so he couldn't turn him away.
He smiled, beckoning Ezra with two fingers.
"Sit"
Ezra blinked. What was this about?
Smiling, Lennon began.
"I'm a mage. I can give you an answer better than anything you'll find in those books. Trust me, I've read them all"
Ezra straightened his back.
"Yes Sir"
Lennon nodded.
"Now, a mage cultivates just like you do. They use mana, but instead of stuffing it into their meridians, they stuff it into their element orbs…do you know what that is?"
Ezra nodded.
"Then, they wait till their mana regenerates and do it again, that's all'
"Umm, so…does the orb grow?"
"Yes, it does. The bigger it gets, the more powerful the mage, but it takes time"
"How long?"
"When starting, talented youngsters advance in a month. After that, ten months, then three years, and so on. Though it largely depends on one's talent"
"Talent?"
"One's affinity grade"
"Oh!" Ezra's eyes widened.
"Does that answer your question?"
He nodded.
"So, they don't have minor stages like Knights do?"
"We have, but you'll have to reach Expert-rank before those matter"
"What rank are you then?" Ezra wondered.
"I'm an Expert mage. I could've reached Master-rank, but I chose to stop"
"Why?"
He smiled.
"If I was a Master, they wouldn't let me read books all day"
Ezra smiled.
'To be so carefree…how envious'
With his questions answered, he bowed and exited, arriving at the cultivation chamber minutes later.
Taking a lotus position, he sorted his thoughts.
'It was stupid of me to think element cultivation would be easy'
'But then…'
He wanted to know.
'…with normal mana, reaching Adept-rank takes a month. But I'm using a mana stone with A-rank affinity. How long could it possibly take?'
He stuck to his choice. Till the Ice shower ends, he would cultivate his ice orb.
He had mastered the scythe to a decent level, so doing something else for a month wasn't that bad of an idea.
Hours went by and the next day came.
Then the next, and the next.
Before long, four days had passed.
On the dawn of the fifth day, something happened.
The blue orb shook and changes took place.
Ezra felt agony as his stomach twisted.
'Not again!'
He hurled his food, then hurled blood.
After ten grueling minutes, his body calmed down.
He then cleaned up the mess and took his former sitting position to look at the changes in his body.
'Oh!'
The ice orb had grown in size.
If it was the size of a bead before, now it was the size of a frog's egg.
He was now an Adept-rank ice mage.
'Should I say half-mage?'
Increasing one's element level didn't make one a Mage, just as cultivating one's physique didn't automatically make one a Knight.
You had to have a mana technique and master a combat manual to be a full-fledged Knight.
Likewise, you had to set up mana circles and create at least one spell to be a Mage.
Regardless, cultivating elements had its advantages.
Ezra wanted to know what they were.
He enlarged the scythe and channeled ice mana into it.
The scythe absorbed it faster than before.
Then he struck, and the scythe released a blue slash.
Upon hitting the wall, ice formed on it.
Ezra knocked on the ice.
'It's harder than before'
Then he looked around.
'And colder than before'
He nodded, satisfied with the test.
'Element cultivation will give me increased versatility. With five affinities, and none below A-rank…should I have become a mage instead?'
Mage was a new path, and Ezra chose the path he was familiar with. It was too late to change choices now.
'Hmm…' he creased his forehead, when a thought popped up.
He stood, slashing against the walls, but with fire this time.
Upon touching the ice, it melted into water.
'Ah!'
It was a normal phenomenon, but the fire of a novice mage shouldn't be able to melt the ice of an Adept.
He remembered the red fruit he ate.
'So that's what it did!'
He had previously concluded that it allowed him better fire control.
But in actuality, it increased element rank!
He fishes out the remaining fruits, six in total.
Two red, four blue.
He ate only one because he wasn't sure of its uses, and he gave his mom only one for the same reason.
He dug into the red fruits, eating them in less than a minute.
Once done, he expected to feel a gush of energy as his fire element rose in rank once more.
Alas, reality was out to disappoint him.
Nothing happened.
'Hmmm…?' he was stumped.
'Was I wrong?' he wondered.
He sat in concentration, this time focusing on the fire orb.
He saw it, and to his surprise, the orb was still the size of a bead.
'So…I was wrong?'
Now he was confused. The element strength matched the ice, but the bead hadn't increased in size.
With no answer in sight, he tapped his head.
'There has to be something, something I'm missing. What is it?'
Tapping his head, he realized.
'I can increase its rank'
He would compare the speed of increasing the element rank, so he began cultivating his fire element.
Seven hours in, change occurred.
The orb grew in size.
'I see. I think I understand now'
The fruits didn't increase element rank.
Instead, it became a base multiplier for element cultivation.
A-rank affinity and quality mana gave him an element cultivation speed surpassing most.
Then, the fruits made it even faster by boosting his affinity - by however little - resulting in him advancing his fire element rank just seven hours into cultivation.
Mind you, as ice showers increased the potency of ice, they reduced that of fire.
If not for the ice shower, he might have advanced in an hour.
These fruits came from a tree.
He heaved in realization.
What a humbling experience.
He wasn't sure before, but now he was.
'Last time, these were found by Avilla. I don't see them skyrocketing in strength because of anything else'
In his past life, Avilla had ransacked the mountain.
He nodded while holding his chin.
Many things were starting to make sense.
Again, he was stumped.
Another glorious opportunity came his way.
But this time, it didn't seem like he could make the most of it.
"Sigh…"
