Elder Austin was a bit surprised by that sudden question, but he soon understood that Noah was simply having doubts about his centers of power.
It was normal to linger on certain questions since the heroic ranks differed on a deep level from the human ones, it wasn't just an absorption of energies anymore.
"The word soul hasn't been used to indicate the minds of the cultivators for a while. In the past, the sea of consciousness was called soul world, but the experts were forced to abandon that nomenclature since it was too limited."
Elder Austin began to explain as he sat on the rocky terrain of his quarters.
Noah had won the lava lake, preserving the elder's training area, but the latter had yet to give him a substantial reward.
It couldn't be helped, the situation on the new continent was too messy, and they were both busy with their training.
Then, the crisis arrived and postponed that trivial matter.
However, Noah was actively asking for his help now, and Elder Austin felt that he had to do anything in his power to provide him with the best guidance that he was capable of.
"All living beings have a soul, which is just a messy mixture of instincts and thoughts that have yet to be defined. Your soul is the expression of what your mind contains, so you should be able to understand that the word "soul" can't express the real might of that center of power."
Noah sat in front of the elder at that point, he wanted to give him his utmost attention.
"Cultivators improve their mental spheres in their journey, and that center of power eventually defines the nature of their existence. I might say that your soul is violent and cold, Prince, but that evaluation won't express the entirety of your individuality, which is why the terminology eventually changed."
Noah repeatedly nodded as the elder explained.
In the end, soul and mind were just words, the cultivators had just chosen the most general one to express the same feature.
"I will give you a demonstration of my individuality and how it should affect the centers of power of a cultivator."
Elder Austin said at that point.
His guidance couldn't just stop at the history of the nomenclature of a center of power, he wanted to do more for the Demon Prince.
Flames surrounded his figure once again, they flowed around his body in an orderly manner.
Noah saw how the violence of that element was suppressed to the point where the flames had assumed liquid features, they resembled red rivers that flowed in the air.
"I've reached the fifth rank with cultivation techniques created by others, my current level is the result of my understanding of the laws of the fire element. My individuality didn't allow me to rely on such a wild element, so I've always pursued techniques that gave me high control over my flames. I believe you can understand why I value the lava lake so much now."
Noah nodded at the elder's words.
Powerful flames that flowed in an orderly way, the lava lake clearly matched Elder Austin's individuality.
"The new insights that the lake gave me expanded my individuality, which eventually affected my other centers of power. The flames created with the "Breath" inside my dantian are slowly turning into magma because my mind expresses the features of a volcano ready to explode. My body is the hard terrain that contains these unstable energies."
Elder Austin pointed at his low-waist, head, and heart in succession as he explained the nature of his centers of power.
Noah felt that he could really see him now, the elder was a quiet mountain ready to explode and release rivers of lava whenever he wanted.
However, there was one point in his explanation that he didn't completely understand.
"Did your individuality modify the nature of the "Breath" inside your dantian?"
Noah asked.
According to the elder's words, his "Breath" took that fiery but liquid form because of his individuality.
Yet, Noah had never gone through similar changes during his enlightenments, only the aura naturally released by his mind had been affected.
"Prince, you are still young, and your amazing battle prowess isn't linked to the depths of your individuality. Rank 4 cultivators have just begun to fuse their individuality with their centers of power, the aura that you radiate changes often after all."
Elder Austin smiled when he said those words.
He knew that Noah had improved a lot since his Heaven Tribulation, but those improvements weren't that substantial in his eyes.
Noah was still in the gaseous stage, and the growth of his dantian was mostly related to the cultivation technique that he had personally created.
"Am I still that far away?"
Noah asked, and his helplessness could be clearly understood from his tone.
"The exact opposite. I'd say that you are improving far faster than any other rank 4 cultivator in history, how many do you think have managed to create a rank 4 cultivation technique in the human ranks? No one! It is possible to reach similar results with the backing of a powerful existence, but you are still far ahead of anyone else. Yet, that's not thanks to your understanding of the darkness element."
Elder Austin explained the situation as clearly as he could.
The creation of a personal cultivation technique allowed Noah to improve extremely fast, even if his understanding was lacking.
Ordinary newly advanced rank 4 cultivators would take decades to reach the level of his dantian.
"Prince, it took me one hundred years to cross the entirety of the fourth rank and reach the fifth. I've pondered over the meaning of fire and explored the depths of my individuality for decades only to reach my level. I understand your eagerness, but the heroic ranks are too vast. You can't hope to become a god in a few years and not even in a few decades."
Elder Austin stood up at that point.
He had explained his individuality to Noah and showed the capabilities of his centers of power, there was nothing else that he could do to guide him.
The cultivation journey was lonely and personal, and imitating someone else could only bring small benefits.
Noah had to ponder over his issue and solve it on his own, everything had to start from inside him.
"Prince, your individuality seems incredibly vast and ambitious. I see sharp blades, a cold death, violent energy, a burning ambition, a magical beast, and a cultivator whenever I look at you. Yet, you must go deeper, you must link all those features together and let them influence your other centers of power. Don't force it though, enlightenments can't be controlled, they are something that you will naturally gain when you are ready."
Elder Austin concluded his explanation with that phrase and left his underground quarters, leaving a pensive Noah still sitting on the rocky terrain.