Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 631: The outer city of balhae (2)

Magic is rarely seen in the Human Continent. 

It is not like there is no Mage but it is very rare.

It was so rare that even Arial had only met a human mage only once and that is when he was doing a quest for the Knight Academy.

And Mages is rarely employed in the household of nobles. Some nobles fear that Mages had spell that could muddle their mind and control them. 

And Arial knew that some mages does have that kind of spell. But only powerful Mages could do such a thing. 

Like an Archmage. 

And in the world, Archmage could be counted in one hand and rarely such Archmage would try to do such a thing for the consequences of being caught would be the annihilation of the Archmage family, apprentices and the magic community there

Nobles have been in existence since even before the Sky People came. And while many of them have been destroyed by the times, there are still ancient noble houses that survives until today

As such, even mages who were in the past had such powerful status also had to think about the consequences of trying to control a noble family with magic. 

After all, this is no longer the magic era in the past. 

It could even be considered that it is the era of martial arts 

Still, the method of the training between the two have similarities and it also have differences. 

Magic manipulate the energy of the world. 

As such, during the time when magical energy fill the world, mages could do incredible things.

One could even say that they borrow the power of the world. Other than some places with anomaly almost all parts of the world had the energy of the world

Some Archmage could even move mountains and split open the sea. 

Arial thought of the Archmage that created that magic in the Vern Imperial Palace. 

Even though that Archmage did not possess power to split mountain and sea, the fact that the Archmage could manipulate Time to that degree, shows how Mages is quite close to the operation of the Laws of the world. 

But the magic era ended

And because the energy of their magic was not theirs in the first place, when the magical energy went away, mages combat power declined. 

And it is then when martial arts truly take the center stage. 

While not all of martial artist have such explosive powers like the mages in the past, in a world without magical energy, martial artist reigned.

And years after years, limits after limits have been broken. 

Arial is at the forefront of that. Maybe he would find a new way, breaking the limit of a grandmaster. 

Martial artist stores the energy of the world in their body. It enables them to use this energy to do incredible and human surpassing feat. 

In the beginning most of them are only strengthening the body. At that time, martial artist is only slightly stronger than normal people

And the study of inner energy is wrought with difficulties. Like magic, martial arts also come from the trove of knowledge of the Sky People. 

But the Lost Generation who had inherited the knowledge of the Sky People had been buried in the vestiges of time. 

There is a reason why scholar called them the Lost Generation

Those who survive the destruction of the great Empire of Enoch spoke of an empire that ruled from their impenetrable island. 

What is lost after the destruction of such an empire is the knowledge that enables an island to control the world. 

Martial arts in the absence of magic become the new method to fight. And as people learn martial arts, martial arts study boomed and limits are broken

Training to strengthen the body become more and more comprehensive. Inner energy study also advanced. In the beginning, like mages, martial artist could direct the flow of the energy of the world toward the enemy

A blast of energy then could be generated. 

But it is unlike the mages magic. 

But some people found a manual that is rumored to be from the lost treasures of the Enochian Empire and found a new method.

Qi stored in the body. Instead of borrowing, they take from the world. 

When this theory first makes its way in the martial arts world, some people called it a heretical way. 

Mages respected the world. because their power comes from the world, they felt a heavy responsibility.

But martial artist took the energy of the world into themselves. 

It wasn't until decades had passed before almost all of martial artist believes that it is the orthodox way of practicing martial arts.

Any martial artist that accessed Qi could truly be called a true martial artist. 

as it is perfected, martial arts application become stronger and stronger and a new division had appeared in the martial arts world

There were two factions at that time

They clashed upon which one is the most important.

between the study of body strengthening and of internal energy which of these two is the correct way of practicing martial arts. 

These two schools of thought of martial arts application once fought each other before they agree that both of them complemented each other

Since then, martial arts grew exponentially and the one that raises the status of the martial arts in the Human Continent is none other than Arial own ancestor, Levitia the Great Hero.

Even now, Arial felt odd saying that Levitia, the man many thought a deity, the man that he always saw painted in the glass stained windows of churches is his ancestors. 

Those who master martial arts have leaping ability much higher and farther than an ordinary person.

They have heightened strength, heightened agility, heightened speed and endurance. 

Most of the normal human ability is all heightened when one could practice the inner energy cultivation of martial arts discipline or reach a high level in body refinement method

That is one of the reason why mages are no longer around in the Human Continent. 

Even if they are around, they could not shake the entrenched popularity of martial arts that is popularized by Levitia.

The other reason is simply because the study of magic is a long journey. And as such some mages who focused on other type of magic research would only master that kind of magic.

Not many of them are useful enough or powerful enough to change the course of a battle.

And with the emergence of martial arts in the Human Continent, Mages involvement in the military decreases.

But Arial had seen how powerful mages fight. He had met Velamina, a High Elven who had almost an infinite magical energy

She could summon all kinds of elements of the world to fight for her. But for the people of the Human Continent seeing magic is still something that fills their heart with awe.

Because it is so rarely seen.

Arial chuckles a bit. Still all of them is very disciplined and did not break ranks. 

Arial reminded himself that he is in a land that is full of magic. 

Old Gods still roam this land, and one always had to be careful to speak hubris in such a land.

Arial ride his horse along the mud road. He did not immediately go to the South Gate to duel that old man. 

Instead, he looks around the outer city first. 

Behind him, his soldiers follow him wherever he goes, fearing that if they let off their eyes from him even for a second and the Emperor got injured, that they would be blamed. 

'Your Grace!'

'Please, Your Grace' they shouted from behind with a pleading tone. They did not dare to try to stop him forcefully as that would be disrespect to him. 

Some stubborn officials insist to follow him trying to persuade him out of this duel.