Even if Tian Yang said nothing else today, Damien already got what he wanted. He had been drifting aimlessly for so long that he felt extremely fulfilled with just this small amount of knowledge.
At first, he was confused as to why the 4th class mattered at all to him right now, since he had just reached level 115, but it all made sense after Tian Yang explained.
In fact, it wasn't just Damien who had gained something from this teaching. Even Ruyue was absorbed in thought over what she had just learned.
Being the little princess of the Xue family, she naturally had much more knowledge than Damien about such things. She knew about laws long before she became a 3rd class expert.
Still, any explanation about the subject or about how to reach that point wasn't given to her. With her monstrous talent, it was expected of her to figure it out herself.
And maybe she would have successfully done so, but it wouldn't have been any time soon.
When the duo returned their attention to Tian Yang, there was an extra hint of worship in their eyes.
It was only natural for them to feel this way. Tian Yang didn't actually say much at all, but his inflection and the way he led their thoughts made them both reach a level of enlightenment about their cultivation.
While it was new for Damien, Ruyue only felt adoration before today. After all, her master was also of the idea that she should figure most things out for herself.
But ever since this junior brother of hers joined the fray, her master was much more open with his teachings. She didn't know whether to be jealous or thankful for this, so she just stopped thinking about it altogether.
"Now that you've understood, allow me to go more in-depth about the concepts you both need to pay attention to. First of all, what exactly is mana?" Tian Yang questioned.
"It's the building blocks of everything," Damien replied almost instantly. This was the basis of everything he knew.
"It is the energy that birthed the universe." Ruyue followed up.
Tian Yang only gave a slight nod at their answers. "While you are both technically right, do you know why that is? Or rather, do you truly understand what you just told me?"
The duo pondered once more. What was there to understand past these points? Why was it necessary to know that?
Damien wondered what it truly meant for mana to be the building blocks of all things. For the sake of organizing his thoughts, he spoke out loud.
"Mana is present within everything. Animals, plants, or even just the air around us. But these things can exist without mana, right? Planets that haven't awakened their mana yet live like this for up to many eons without trouble."
"That's only partially true," Ruyue answered, doing the same as him. "While unawakened worlds live without a constant influx of mana, it doesn't mean that mana isn't present within them. Mana is within everything from the start of its formation, even if it's a minuscule amount. Without mana, life can't sustain itself."
"Well then, what about oxygen and nitrogen? What about the base elements and concepts such as physics? Mana breaks such laws simply with its presence, so how can they exist in a place where mana resides within everything?"
"Those concepts are simply human designs to label the unknown. Not understanding how things worked, they made such an explanation. And besides, mana itself doesn't break physics, it just bends the existing laws. It's the use of mana through elements that can totally break the concept."
Damien thought about what she said and understood that it had logic behind it. The existence of mana alone doesn't break any laws. Mana is a neutral energy that doesn't actually do anything unless it's willed to do so.
"So, mana itself is tame, but its usage is anything but. Mana existed before the laws of the universe were formed, thus being a higher form of power than them?"
"I…I'm not sure." Ruyue responded as her brows creased. "If mana is a higher form than laws, then why can we only use laws after entering the 4th great realm instead of manipulating them from the start?"
Damien also didn't know the answer to this, but there were plenty of theories swirling through his mind. As for the main one…
"What if…us lifeforms who exist in mana's sphere of influence don't have the capability to wield the laws that make up the world simply from the start? What if the use of elements for the first 3 realms is a build-up or something like training wheels before we can use laws?"
Ruyue's eyes widened. The answer was so simple, yet they couldn't think of it! Ruyue almost leaped at the thought, grabbing Damien's shoulders in excitement.
"That's right! Just like master said, we need to have a firm grasp on mana and the elements before we can use laws! Without it, it's impossible for us to control something so esoteric and powerful that actually forms the universe! Laws are too high in power for any normal being to use if they don't gather the appropriate strength first!"
Damien was a bit stunned by her move, snapping out of his tangent thoughts. He ended up staring into her bright golden eyes that were far too close for comfort.
Especially with the excitement she was showing at the moment, Ruyue was like a different person. Rather than the cold and distant senior sister he had gotten used to, she was just a normal and agreeable woman.
Ruyue wasn't in any better condition. She hadn't noticed her state of mind until she had already gotten close enough to Damien where if he wanted to, he could take full advantage of her.
Since when did they become close enough for her to act like this? The answer was that they hadn't. There was just something about Damien that made her drop her guard. Not to mention, their banter had been so smooth that she almost forgot he was essentially a stranger to her.
As she gazed into those red and purple eyes, she felt something that she hadn't felt in a long time. It was like she met someone she could actually enjoy spending her time with, even if it was just as fellow disciples under the same master.
"Kuhum…" a sudden cough interrupted their thoughts. "Now now, I don't mind if my disciples get closer, but I'd prefer you not do it in front of this old man. Hahahaha!"
The duo quickly separated, not daring to look at each other or Tian Yang at this moment. There wasn't even anything romantic about the interaction, so why were they acting like blushing children? It amused Tian Yang so much that he almost couldn't contain himself.
Shaking his head, he returned to the previous topic. "You're both on the right track. Although the things you said were just theories, they do contain some truth to them. As long as you continue digging deeper, you should be able to form a true hypothesis. At that time, come back to me for help.
"As for what to do from now on, well the synergy between you two is surprising even to me. When did you two become so similar? Last time I checked you were at each other's necks."
Tian Yang almost failed to hold back another fit of laughter but managed to continue.
"Because of this, it's probably best for you to work together from now on. I feel that the best way for you to get results is such. Not to mention, your affinities complement each other perfectly."
Although the two of them had some hesitation, they agreed that they wouldn't have been able to figure things out as fast if it wasn't for their combined effort.
Sighing in unison, they continued listening to the lecture.
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