Frostbound

Chris

I'd read Abigail's precious books enough to know the difference between one grade to the next was more than the percentages signified. A Perfect Ignition was so much more than a few percentage points than a Full Ignition.

A Mana Heart was more than only a mana pool. It linked the physical aspects of my body to my magical aspects. A melding of both flesh and blood along with arcane. The percentages only referred to one side, while there were benefits for both that the grades didn't explicitly come out and mention, leaving percentages the main way to break them apart.

Mana Cores weren't like that. They were rather simple in their execution. Their grade was solely based on how well the Core was forged. That was only a start of the two techniques differences.

If Body Refining could be considered the Pure Physical side of the Body Path, Mana Cores could be considered the Pure Magical side.

Forging a Core would forever keep the two separate.

Igniting a Mana Heart would start the process of linking the two.

One book even stated that Mana Cultivation and Body Refining didn't use to be separate. That once, long ago, they were one and the same. It was why they were both considered part of the Body now even though for most, they were entirely separate.

If Capacity, Concentration, and Regeneration were the absolute goal, Mana Cores were hands down the best. They were those three ideals taken to the extreme at the expense of everything else and failed to offer any other benefits.

Cores did those three things the best, but only those three things.

Mana Hearts, while also increasing Capacity, Concentration, and Regeneration, did more than just that. Where they fell behind in that area compared to Cores, they provided other benefits that made it more than a worthy trade-off.

It was the Path a Warrior usually took while Cores were the Path of the Mage.