Worlds Power Dynamics
A/N - Hey quick note. This chapter mostly just explains the basic idea of Mars' inheritance (there is more to it than I said in this chapter but I want it to be a surprise) and introduces the idea behind the ranking system so there is less focus on cultivation realms/levels in the novel.
In the next chapter you will get to see the ability in combat so stay tuned for that! If anything is confusing then please ask in the comments and I will clarify it.
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After several hours, Mars finally woke up from his meditative trance.
As he woke up, Mars gently rubbed his temple with his thumb and middle finger as he processed all the knowledge he gained.
The inheritance that Mars had gained was a unique one.
It alters the user's eyes into an illusion formation.
Generally, illusions aren't practical in combat. They require formations to be prepared beforehand and need countless spirit stones.
Because of this, they are immensely impractical due to the high cost and time needed to set them up.
Illusion formations are therefore rarely used.
From time to time they will be used to help with ambushes but they are mainly used to add an extra layer of security or to assist in hiding something important and or precious.
There are a handful of illusion masters who have managed to use illusions in combat.
But this power came at a great cost. They had to transplant an unknown number of spirit stones into their bodies.
Some even managed to create special spirit stone ink. The biggest drawback remains the cost.
While transplanting spirit stones into their bodies does allow illusion masters to use illusion techniques in combat without preparing the area beforehand it is only a one time use.
This means that every time they use an illusion technique in battle, they need to go through the pain of transplanting spirit stones into their body.
Because of this those who chose to do this appear once in a blue moon.
The cost just outweighs the benefits too much.
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Mars' on the other hand would no longer need to worry about things like the cost of spirit stones or setting up formations beforehand.
Within his trance, Mars' eyes had one of a kind inscriptions written within them.
This had done two things. First of all, it removed the need for spirit stones.
Spirit stones are formed when Qi is condensed under immense pressure within the earth.
There are varied types of spirit stones, some are worth more while some are less.
There are even rare elemental stones that are used to help train elemental techniques and create formations that utilize the elements.
Illusion techniques use spirit stones because of the large quantities of condensed Qi within them.
They need it to keep the illusion running and to invade the brain of whoever is caught within the illusion.
Illusions techniques use large amounts of Qi to assault the brain of whoever is caught within it. It becomes a power struggle.
If the individual caught within the formation is a weak cultivator and has less Qi or lower cultivation base than the formation they may be in trouble.
This of course depends on other factors like their grasp on reality, experience with illusions and other various things.
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However, with this change, Mars can use his Qi, meaning that his illusion techniques become the equivalent of battle arts/spirit arts.
Instead of working in a large area like formations that project illusions into the world.
Mars can just look into the eyes of an individual, trapping only a specific individual in an illusion.
This also lowers the amount of Qi needed significantly meaning that the illusions can theoretically be active for longer.
But this depends on Mars' cultivation level and the amount of Qi he currently has.
Just like any other technique if he runs out of Qi he won't be able to use his ability anymore.
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The second change was the fact that his eyes became formations.
Mars can now create and change the formation within his eyes with a simple thought.
Although he does have to create it once beforehand at least once, meaning he can't create a new formation/technique mid-battle, at least not easily.
Unfortunately, this is also the biggest weakness of the inheritance.
All known illusion techniques/formations are an area of effect abilities.
This means that you need to step within a specific area to be affected by it.
Mars on the other hand has to gaze into his enemy's eyes. They need to look into them to be affected by Mars' illusions.
If Mars is facing someone who doesn't use their eyes or avoids eye contact then that can spell trouble for him.
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Mars had realized that there is one more drawback to this ability. It is the same drawback that normal illusion formations have.
The drawback is the fact that the illusions still require a large quantity of Qi to use.
The more powerful the opponent the more powerful illusion he would need to use, this means he would need to use more Qi that will be rapidly drained every second.
Luckily whoever created this inheritance had also left a cultivation method that seemed to be designed to work in tandem with this ability.
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The cultivation technique was one of a kind and fitting for a divine inheritance.
The speed at which it allowed the user to gather and condense Qi within their core was out of this world.
But this was only a small thing in comparison to the other unique feature the cultivation method has.
It allowed Mars to split his consciousness in two should the need arise.
One part can cultivate and gather Qi while the other part can focus on battle or other tasks.
This meant that Mars or any holder of the inheritance would be able to gather Qi mid-battle.
There are drawbacks, however.
Mainly the fact that it's extremely taxing on the mind and body. It also cannot be used to gain a breakthrough to another stage in one's cultivation.
If Mars chooses to split his consciousness then he can only gather Qi that he has lost so he cannot gain more than he had.
The only way for him to improve his cultivation level is to sit down and cultivate as any other cultivator would.
This means it's only supposed to be a small bandaid, a stalling tactic meant to assist with combat, meaning that if Mars wanted to increase his strength, he would need to spend time and effort on it.
Fortunately for Mars, this could prove to be something much grander than a simple small bandaid.
He has memories from his past life, his combat prowess and general knowledge most likely can only be compared to great immortals from the past.
Being able to extend the fight by even a couple of minutes could mean life and death.
Most fights from his memory would be decided in an instant.
A single moment of weakness, a single tiny crack in their defences or even a minuscule drop in their concentration just for a single split of a nanosecond and their lives were forfeit.
Back then he would have to be careful with what ability he used and when as to not overexert himself.
Running out of Qi is equivalent to running out of stamina.
Once you start running low you need to sit down and rest, take your time to catch your breath.
But if Mars could gain his Qi back during a fight then he could be far less economical with his ability usage, unlike his opponents.
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Since the emergence of inheritance books the way of the world had changed.
In the past majority of techniques were very similar to one another in destructive power and usage.
Thousands if not tens of thousands of disciples would be taught the same techniques, the same knowledge would be passed on to most other than the select few who were fortunate and talented enough to become direct disciples of a powerful master or elder.
They would fight against the same opponents and learn to fight against them.
Most fights would be decided depending on which side had more cultivators with a high cultivation level.
Some powerful and talented cultivators would sometimes be able to fight one, two even in extremely rare cases three minor realms above theirs.
But with inheritance books coming into existence this had changed.
Some abilities transcended common knowledge in terms of power and versatility.
With them came the change in the world's power dynamics.
Normal cultivators became nothing special as inheritance users who could fight one, two, three, four etc minor realms above became common.
With this, the way power is measured in the world changed. Instead of basing everything on their cultivation levels, people are now ranked by their potential to fight up cultivation realms.
The lowest possible is [G-rank]. At this rank, you can't fight up a single minor cultivation realm.
From there on it goes
-[F | +1m]
-[E | +2m]
-[D | +4m]
-[C | +8m]
At B rank things slightly change. At [B-rank] you have to be able to fight up a full Major cultivation realm.
If every minor realm counts as +1 to your power, then every Major realm counts as +10.
This means a B rank who just became a cultivator would have only a +1 to his power.
But the cultivator he should be able to defeat would have +20 to his power.
-[B | +1M]
-[A | +2M]
-[S | +4M]
Currently, Mars is considered a [G-rank] talent in the world.
While even his father would agree that he has potential for cultivation, he is nothing without an ability book or powerful cultivation techniques and battle/spirit arts.
This means that he is unable to fight someone whose cultivation is only a minor realm higher.
But with his new inheritance, this could all change. At the very least he should be able to become an [E-rank] in his new life.
"HA HA HA HA HA" Mars couldn't help but laugh out loud at that thought. Him becoming an [E-rank]?
In his past life, the inheritance that he gained made him a [???-rank] his potential became immeasurable as the more souls one gathered, the more powerful they became.
Despite this, he was still pretty tame with his gathering of souls even for someone called a demon.
The amount he managed to gather would have at most given him the power to become a [B-rank] maybe even an [A-rank].
But due to his combat prowess and ability to stay cool and rational in the heat of battle, he had managed to make up the difference in power and became an [S-Rank]
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"Alright, I guess it's time to try out my new ability on some of the 'training dummies'" Mars finally hopped up and decided to make his way to his training grounds.
The training dummies are cultivators and ability users who were heinous criminals or prisoners of war or battle.
The Asura clan believed the only way to truly gain strength was through life and death combat.
Thanks to this the clan had countless slaves of varying ranks from G to B ranks.
"I guess I better start with a G rank and at most try my luck against an E rank, I don't want to draw too much attention to myself just yet"
With this last thought, Mars walked out of his cultivation chamber and made his way to the training arena to christen his new ability.