Mana Guns!
He had heard about them before. They were guns similar to guns on Earth, but they used mana instead of regular bullets.
He hadn't seen them before. Thinking about the guns, he couldn't help but ask.
"Are there any weapons like missiles?"
"Of course, there are."
Alfred nodded his head and explained.
"Missiles are generally weapons of mass destruction. They are only used in large-scale war. Each missile is designed to enhance the power of mana by twenty to fifty times."
"Even a cultivator at Mana Condensation Realm using a Mana Gun can destroy a large house, so imagine a Soul Sublimation Realm cultivator using a weapon that can multiply the power of their mana by so much."
"It can easily wipe out a city from the face of the world. That's why they are very rare. Of course, there are also S-Grade and even A-Grade Techniques that can produce similar results."
Hearing that, Tyler couldn't help but grumble.
"I thought cultivators relied on ten thousand mana swords for large-scale attacks."
Alfred couldn't help but feel speechless. He didn't hit Tyler, but he calmly replied.
"That's impossible. Even with my current mana amount, I would need to spend one-fifth of my mana to condense a sword out of pure mana."
"That's why Acquired Techniques are just as important as Inherited Techniques. They can transform a small amount of mana into a powerful force."
"Young Master, even if you reach the Law Creation Realm, you might be able to execute such a move. That's why cultivators chose to study and develop Mana Guns and Missiles."
Hearing that, Tyler waved his hand.
"You are dropping the status of a cultivator in my heart. So, in hindsight, the gap between realms is massive."
"The First Realm cultivators use Acquired Technique for combat. Once you reach the second realm, you can also use physical capabilities to fight, preserving your mana reserve."
"What about the Soul Sublimation Realm?"
Alfred shook his head and said.
"There is no need to explain it here. This realm is much more complicated than you can imagine. Even your current realms have many more mysteries."
"But you need to understand them on your own."
"Finished!"
Erena appeared in front of them and waved her hand. Despite so much killing, she had not a single drop of blood on her clothes or face.
Even her dagger didn't show any trace of bloodstains.
Looking at her situation, Tyler couldn't help but feel speechless. His journey in cultivation hadn't even started, but he had already seen a massive gap.
"Did you cover your dagger with that dark energy?"
Erena shook her head and said.
"My Inherited Technique is Dark Creation Technique. It allows me to create darkness using the ground, shadows, and darkness as the foundation."
"From what I understand, it is a mutated version of the Great Darkness Technique, an S-Rank Inherited Technique of the Vampire Race."
Hearing that, Tyler nodded.
"I see. You never told me this before."
Erena embarrassedly rubbed her head and said.
"Young Master, Inherited Techniques are often kept a secret. I have a big mouth in front of you. So, I was learning to keep secrets by hiding my actual technique in front of you."
"Besides, I never needed to use this technique before. I am sorry for hiding this from you."
Tyler shook his head and said.
"It's okay."
Alfred suddenly spoke.
"There is actually another reason why the techniques should be kept a secret. There is a special Acquired Technique known as Binding Vow."
"Using this technique, one can make a binding about the Inherited Technique. If you make sure nobody knows about your Inherited Technique and reveal it during the battle, your mana reserves will increase by three times to five times."
"This kind of boost is so massive that most people simply never reveal their techniques in their lifetime unless they are fighting someone."
Hearing that, Tyler rubbed his head.
"That doesn't even make sense. Mana is something one refines from spirit energy. You can't just increase its quantity."
Alfred sighed and said.
"Young Master, did you just forget about Yin-Yang Essence? Didn't it increase your mana level by twice or more?"
"Binding Vows are basically a commitment towards the Heavenly Dao. Once this commitment is made, one must never break it; otherwise, he will be punished miserably."
"And if they completed the Binding Vow, the Heavenly Dao gives the person a huge boost in return."
Hearing that, Tyler frowned and asked
"What if someone reveals your technique to others beforehand? Maybe they figured it out by watching others during a previous battle. Will it work? Will Heavenly Dao punish the person who made the Binding Vow?"
Alfred shrugged his shoulders and said.
"He will not receive any benefits. The Binding Vows come in different forms, not just for Inherited Techniques."
"In case of Inherited Technique, if the opponent knows his technique beforehand, he will not receive any improvement to his mana."
"But you could keep your technique a secret and reveal it little by little. For example, your technique is the Dual Cultivation Technique."
"You can reveal a little bit of that to someone, and even if he survives to tell others, people would only know a tiny bit about your technique."
"But that isn't enough to strip you of your benefits. Just like how knowing Erena's technique is related to Shadow isn't enough. Her actual technique is related to darkness instead of shadows."
"She can just control shadows because of her control over the darkness itself."
Hearing that, Tyler's eyes lit up as he said.
"Wait, what if I tell the world a wrong technique and, while fighting my opponent, reveal my true technique, will I get a bigger boost?"
Alfred was stumped because he hadn't heard of someone trying something like this.
It could work, but no single person would try to guess his technique. But it was the same as nobody knowing the technique.
After thinking for a moment, Alfred shook his head.
"It shouldn't work. Whether you tell them the wrong answer or do not tell them anything, you will receive the same benefits."
Tyler nodded, not caring about his idea failing. He didn't plan to use a Binding Vow now, so it was basically useless.
At this moment, Alfred put on a serious face and said.
"If you make any promises using a Binding Vow, you must complete it. Using a Binding Vow can be quite scary as it is basically the same as compelling someone to do something."
"Whether they want to do it or not doesn't matter. Many of the cunning and strong people control large groups using this method."
"After all, life is often more important than serving someone."
Hearing that, Tyler nodded. This was quite normal for him. Although this might not be the same cultivation world he remembered, there would be some similarities.
In the cultivation world, using people as corpses and puppets wasn't rare. Almost every person practicing corpse-type technique could do it.
Since this was nothing new, Tyler didn't think much. Instead, he asked.
"Alfred, you said control is the main strength of the second realm. So, what about those who awaken Body Cultivation Technique or have incredible control over their mana?"
"Can they compete with the higher realm?"
Alfred paused. He thought for a moment, and a silhouette of a man appeared in his mind.
"Yes, indeed! If they have enough control and Body Cultivation, they can fight beyond their realms, at least until the Soul Sublimation Realm."
"Because once you reach Soul Sublimation, the gap in strength between realms increases even more."
"I am only at the Soul Sublimation Realm, so I don't know much."
Alfred paused as his expression got serious.
"But at least, I can say even the most talented person had to reach the peak of the Treasured Body Realm with precious conditions to fight the first level Soul Sublimation Realm, cultivator."
Hearing that, Tyler nodded, understanding the gap in power between each realm. But he still had a question.
"What if a person is trained on multiple acquired techniques? Although they can't improve his cultivation speed, they can still add new strength, right?"
"Foolish!"
Alfred stopped his idea with a single word and explained.
"A person's capacity is limited. Our time is limited. You can't just try several things at once. It will only backfire."
"The best thing to do is practice one thing and take it to perfection. Every Acquired Technique consumes mana."
"So, the more Acquired Techniques you practice, the more mana you need to refine, which means more time will be spent on recovery every single time."
Tyler nodded his head and snapped his fingers.
"Let's say his refinement speed is fast, and he has more than enough resources. Now, if he practices more Acquired Technique, can he bridge the gap between realms?"
Alfred frowned, trying to disagree, but thinking about it for a while, he realized it was possible.
"But if you do this, your cultivation speed will be incredibly slow."