Elemental elements I dismissed immediately; my ice and light suffice. If I need others, I'll merge with my Elementals or send them into battle. Pointless direction for me.
White Magic. Complicated. I have Healing and spirit from it; plant element doesn't appeal despite versatility. Too few plants in the world rivaling Emperors, especially true ones. I know none. Blessing… its tastiest spells at High Tier, but by then, I can replicate effects with stolen talents, so useless for me now.
Dimension Magic. I have space, Summoning, time. Sound better for ally support, though the Ancient Emperor disagrees. Chaos element intriguing. But time element partly compensates, so not urgently needed. I'll take it post-High Tier breakthrough.
Black Magic. Though I banned this division for myself, one element shines beneficially: poison. Others tie to summoning Darkness dimension entities; to boost magic, merge with dark substances or get dark blessing, as Parthenon spiritual seal praise doesn't work. All open more Dark King access to mage soul—taboo for me.
But poison element… Unlike other dark magic elements, not gifted by Dark dimension being like Curse to Medusa Queen. No, poison invented by humans studying other dark elements. Parthenon seal won't affect it either. Unlinked to Dark dimension entities; no Dark King power over it.
Versatility rivals plants; mix poison for any scenario. Kill sea monsters? One brew. Blind enemies? Second. Disperse ghosts? Combine components!
Not just versatile, or I'd dismiss like plants. At Mid level, creates subspace in body for venomous insects, spiders, parasites, binding by contract. Mini-Summoning if used right!
Not enough; at High Tier, "Poison Armor" temporarily boosts normal mage to Commander-in-Chief! How much stronger with my tougher body? With control talent, I'll rebuild spell for High Tier ASAP.
Perfect body enhancement complement. With time element, especially my "Reverse" Law, rollback any bad body effects. How refuse such heavenly gift?
Only drawback: can't boost externally, so magic power depends on you. Tailor poisons to foes' weaknesses, requiring study. Lots of study.
Though Sacred Linden Fruit could boost, wasting on poison for one element? No, my brains fine. Spirit element eases learning. Just find time… I'll manage.
Sorted new element. Now, breakthrough Bula and Pikachu to Commander-in-Chief. Surprisingly easy. At Pack Leader peak over a year, foundations maxed. Need small push. Like before—feed mage cultivation. This time High Tier.
Internet search differed; instead of criminal mage clans, sought disgraced small-town leader like Bo City. No resistance there.
Found High Tier water mage in minutes; lightning took longer. But our state's history long, newspaper archives public. Thirty minutes later, got it.
Water mage: Di Shu, leader of now-destroyed Zayun town. His negligence caused it. Pocketed defense funds for untalented son. Stealing cultivation saves town. Unless replacement budget-lover sent.
Nothing special; city's only High Tier mage. Teleport, disorient with spirit strike easy. Bound with reinforced ice chains, drained cultivation for Bula's feed. Poor guy only had armor artifact—some leader.
Bula thrilled, absorbed immediately. Five minutes later, energy waves spread; he glowed deep blue. City mages sensed, fled far—not to leader's death site. With such boss, unsurprising.
Post-breakthrough, Bula unchanged outwardly; his image a water drop with humanoid outlines. Not like Fiery Hetera seen as child—who grows.
Bula's breakthrough done, recalled him, returned to Inner World, next second to second vic…cough, donor. Not dark magic; no calling donors victims.
Lightning mage: Da Sha, leader of destroyed Kote city. Familiar, but fools don't learn. He caused destruction too. Di Shu skimmed budget; Da Sha embodied pride.
Recall Bo City's treatment of Xu Zhaotin as lightning mage; Da Sha's pride clear. Rarest elemental, cultivated to High Tier. Small town view, no wonder he thought himself magic god.
Well, with his massive self-confidence, when he heard about the approaching Waves of Beasts, he just decided to take them on single-handedly, without even bothering to set up proper defenses for the city beforehand. And he predictably croaked, not even to the Supreme Commander, but to a Besh group of pack Chieftains working together. I hope that if I take his Cultivation of the main Element, at least some brains will kick in for him.
It went just as easily with Da Sha as with Di Shu. Neither of them had spirit-protecting artifacts or developed spiritual boundaries. Sigh, with my style of victory over enemies, the Shadow Element would suit me perfectly. But what can you do—the world dictates its own rules.
Pikachu, like Bul, didn't change at all after the breakthrough, retaining the concept embedded in him at birth of the famous yellow Rat. I didn't like Pikachu's evolution aesthetically in the cartoon, so I didn't build that possibility into my own Pikachu either.
Returning once more to the Three-Step Tower, I pondered alternative enhancements for my summons. After all, besides rank, elemental creatures could also absorb the power of Spiritual Seeds, taking on their effects and domains. Like how the Fiery Hetera fought using several absorbed fires at once, boosting her damage through them.
How are my summons any worse? And it's about time I upgraded my own Spiritual Seed to a Soul Seed. After all, it's not fitting for the famous "sweet boy" to walk around with old toys for too long.