Eseaki, Bella's husband, had once been a strong martial artist. He had reached the Peak Divine Master stage of martial arts.
When he started training us, the first thing he told us was that foundation was the most important stage.
"The foundation of one's cultivation can separate them from everyone else," Eseaki explained. "With a weak foundation, you might have ten to a hundred times the strength of an average person. With a strong foundation, you can have thousands, even ten thousand times the strength of a normal person."
Eseaki took us to choose our Foundation Arts.
He then said, "These are the strongest techniques I have: Time, Space, Phoenix Fire, Water Serpent, Earth Dragon, Dark Spirit, and Divine Light."
My brother and I read through all the books. After I finished reading Time, Space, and Dark Spirit, a status menu popped up in front of me.
[Compatible Foundation Arts Detected]
Time + Space + Dark Spirit
Do you want to combine these arts to create Void?
[Yes] [No]
I pressed yes.
The three arts combined into Void, and I started cultivating.
My brother Rell read through the rest. His status menu allowed him to combine the elemental arts with Divine Light, creating Divine Elements.
Eseaki told us to take our time absorbing the techniques and not rush our foundations.
It took both me and my brother five days to reach Beginner Foundation.
When Master Eseaki checked our strength, he said I had reached around 13,000 times the strength of an average person.
Rell had reached 15,000 times.
Then we learned about another part of cultivation: Potential.
Potential was divided into four grades:
Low → Medium → High → Peak
Rell had High Potential.
I had Medium Potential.
The difference in our potential was already showing, so I knew I would have to work extra hard.
I also started to understand why Master Eseaki had told us to take our time absorbing our techniques. With Void and Divine Elements as our foundations, getting stronger came easily once we had properly established them.
It took about one month for both of us to reach Peak Foundation.
Afterward, Master Eseaki told us it was time to carve our own paths.
So my brother and I decided to set off through the forest toward a village in the western part of the region.
We thanked Bella and Eseaki for everything they had done for us, but before we could leave, one of Bella's children asked if she could come with us. She wanted to become a mage.
Bella and Master Eseaki seemed okay with it, so we agreed to let her come with us.
Then we set off.
As we traveled, I thought about the status menu that had appeared when Rell and I arrived in this world.
The people of this world didn't have levels like we did.
Levels belonged to Otherworlders.
Rell and I were both Level 15.
I also had 15 unused skill points.
I could put them into:
Intelligence
Strength
Endurance
Absorption
Dexterity
I decided to save my points. I didn't know what I would need them for yet, and I didn't want to waste them.
Before long, the three of us reached the edge of the forest.