Mages

As everyone knows, mages don't have combat ability. Although mages can refine magic pills, their innate talent is not suited to martial arts. Therefore, normal low and mid level mages need to find a strong and powerful backer. As for high level mages, they don't have to look for backers. The backers will come looking for them instead. This is because martial artists need the high level magic pills refined by high level mages.

Therefore, most mages will choose to join a sect. The sect can protect them. Furthermore, if they perform well, they don't even have go here and there themselves in search of magic herbs.

All mages have colored auras. While humans can have them, demon beasts cannot. The colors are separated into three, six, nine levels, from light to dark: pink, yellow, green, teal, blue, and purple. Within each level are additional grades: low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade and peak. Peak is used when a mage is at the pinnacle of high-grade and is about to break through to the next level.

Low Level Mages (Level 1-3)
People with pink and yellow auras can only become low level mages.

Intermediate Mages (Level 4-7)
People with light green and green auras can become intermediate level mages. Most mages in the Lower Realms are low and intermediate level mages.

High Level Mages (Level 8-10)
Blue and purple auras can become high level mages. However the potential for the latter is much bigger than the former. For example, the purple aura, its potential is much more than the blue aura. Therefore there is hope of becoming a top level mage. High level mages are hard to come by in Long Xiang continent.

Mages, especially higher level mages, enjoy great prestige because of their ability to refine higher level miracle pills. Therefore, high level mages have always been the target of big-name sects.

Transcendent Level (Level 11-12)
Introduced in the latter part of the Long Xiang Arc is Rainbow Level. It is also known as transcendent level in LongXiang Continent. Rainbow level is divided into 7 grades: one through seven. The grade is determined by the number of colors that the soul radiates. For example, a mage with a 3-colored soul has the potential to be a Rainbow Grade Three mage. A 7-colored soul has the most potential and is the most rare.

Due to the natural restriction placed on Middle Realms, mages are unable raise their aura beyond level 10 (purple).

There are more mages with rainbow souls in the Higher Realm, since there is greater spiritual energy and no restriction; however, the grade they are born with still varies. Nonetheless, rainbow mages can still train their soul to reach higher grades.

A Grade 4 Transcendent Mage is equal to a 1 or 2 star Sacred Realm Practitioner (Ch 657)

Soul Force
***below are direct quotes***

"Mages are not the same as practitioners. Mages train the soul force. In order to have a breakthrough, not only does the capacity have to accumulate, a key moment is also needed. But this key moment is not something that will happen to everyone. So, it is only when one finds the right way, that there would be the opportunity to have a breakthrough."

"Putting pressure on your soul force is one of the ways. Like when you use up your soul force when refining magic pills. This is also a type of pressure placed on your soul force. You usually replenish it with spiritual water just in time, so this phenomenon is not clearly reflected on your body. But with the increase of your soul force, the result will get more and more obvious. As for why you didn't have a breakthrough when you didn't drink spiritual water before, it was most probably because you haven't reached the critical point required for a breakthrough."

The books stated that every mage would have a different concentration of soul force at each level. With each increase in level, the concentration of soul force would increase by up to two times, almost like a qualitative change. So, it required a key moment. For example, for a mage that continued practicing refining level one magic pills, after days and days of practice, there would be a huge amount, but that didn't mean there would be a breakthrough. There was a chance, but only a small chance. But if one had a book of soul training techniques, then it would be different. Soul training techniques for soul force were similar to practitioner's soul training techniques for inner strength. With each day of training, adding up to months and years, their skills got stronger and stronger. Training the soul force through soul training techniques also abided by this principle

"There are two ways to increase the soul force. The first one is through practice. With continuous practice, the soul force can be increased. But this method is rather slow. Changes will only be noticeable after a long time. Of course, you can compare yourself with your shixiong. If you can refine more magic pills than them at one go, it means that your soul force is more than theirs.”

"The second method is by using a soul training technique. Possessing a soul training manual specialized in reinforcing soul force will be more useful than you practicing from morning to night."

Known soul training manuals

Heavenly soul scripture

Overuse of Soul Force
Overusing your soul force is equal to overusing your soul capacity. Furthermore, the soul is the essence of a person. No matter if it is an ordinary person or a practitioner, when the soul is no more, you will disappear from this world. But for mages, this is even more critical.

"The soul force of a mage is not the same as the souls of practitioners. Your shixiong should have told you that only mages have a soul force. So, if there is no soul force, then you lose the ability to refine magic pills. When you overuse your soul force, you indirectly damage your soul.

Chapter 84: His soul force was also depleted because he was too tired, You XiaoMo didn't manage to drink spiritual water before passing out on the table …This sleep went on for two days and two nights

Soul Power
Due to the limit restriction, a level four mage is unable to materialise their soul power. However, under the skill training influence, it would be possible to use the soul power as a form of attack.

Soul power is inseparable from the soul, as it is equivalent to being a part of one’s soul. Once it was cut off, the soul would be wounded, and to a peak level mage, this could cause serious consequences. A soul injury and physical injury were on two different levels. A physical injury could heal shortly by using magic pills, but a soul injury was more difficult as it needed a special type of magic pill to treat. Moreover, it needed a longer time to recover, and this was just the case of slight injury. A heavier soul injury and it would very likely affect cultivation in the future.

Rarity in Long Xiao

Direct quotes

Speaking about mages, even though there are three big peaks in TianXin sect, the reality is, very few people can become mages. It's not a question of the lack of effort, but rather the lack of natural talent. In order to determine if someone can become a mage, the most straightforward method is to look at his soul. Only souls with colored auras can become mages. The martial artists on the other hand, all have colorless transparent souls. Long Xiang continent has thousands upon tens of thousands of people, however colored auras appear in only one percent of the people. That's to say, only one in a hundred can become mages. Furthermore, these may not necessarily be high level mages, most likely ending up as low level mages. Clearly, mages are a rarity in Long Xiang continent. Since surveying a person's soul is now widely used to identify potential mages, most major sects carry a soul detection crystal, the size of a small bowl. It's only because of this that You XiaoMo is able to avoid a disaster. After successfully entering TianXin sect as a probationary disciple, he no longer has to get his soul appraised. However, where he goes from here, still depends on his own efforts.