Magic is an energy that comes from and is generated within your soul, it is the force through which your soul exerts its will on the world. Every being with free will (aka a soul) has this power; otherwise, how could we interface with and give orders to our brain? All souls have nigh-infinite power, but you can't access this power in its entirety, you have to pull the magic from your soul (which exists on a different dimension/wavelength/plane/level of reality), and your ability to draw magic is limited by your will, skill, and your perception of your soul (all of these can be increased with effort). Magic is omni-versatile, it can do anything with enough power. That being said, it is much more efficient to do things when you have some idea of the process; this is what we call skill. Will could also be called intent, it is the strength and clarity of one's desire for a thing to happen. If you can perceive your soul than you can control it. Trying to draw magic without perceiving your soul would be like trying to walk without any of your senses, almost impossible. Doing magic is simply drawing power from your soul to your body (how much depends on your perception), and directing it to do what you want. Like with directing people you have to tell your magic what you want (will/intent) and give it instructions (skill). The less instruction you give it the more magic is expended accessing the akashic records (a level of reality containing all information) in order to fill in the blanks. To grow your will you must exert it, to grow your skill you must gain experience in using your magic, and to grow your perception of your soul you must strive to know yourself.
Magic is in the air. Take it into your body and cast a spell or strengthen yourself. Change the body to be more suitable for magic. Soul and body is connected but both do not have to be equal
I think your description fits cultivation rather than magic. Magic is external, Cultivation is internal. For the former, you need to rely more on external catalysts to manipulate the forces of magic. For the latter, it's dependant on using your inner self rather than rely on outside stuff. Also, yours pretty much resemble cultivation since you draw power from within rather than outside forces.
I somewhat agree with this.... But from what I seldom encounter... Magic is external. The magical veins or the body acts as a container for the accumulation of magic hence reinforcing the body as it also is a communication tool by your mana inside to the mana outside(magic perception)... That is why naturally gifted beings of magic like dragons have an easier understanding of magic since their capacity and perception is usually at the higher end of the power spectrum even at birth while humans have smaller since their vessel can't accommodate such power at the beginning..... Also there are classic cases where when there are problems with the magic system inside an individual their magic gradually disperse Qi/Chi on the otherhand is somewhat similar since it builds up itself and draws energy from the world temper it and make it power for themselves(in terms of body, power, soul, and mind) and integrating it for them to power up, with cases of those power inside gradually dispersing, used to as a final trumpcard of perishing along with enemies, etc. Dragons also have been depicted to be on the upper spectrum of this system... Laws also apply eventually to the systems Actually dragons are naturally apex since they're born with high mana/chi/vessel/soul strength and even bloodline strength & memories on other occasions. If you think about it magic and qi eventually blur the lines between themselves as there are similarities and their endgame prospects even affect the natural laws of the world/universe whataoever.
Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei has one of the most realistic magic system according to me. It has its limitations, and the reasons behind why some people are good at magic, how magic is invoked, etc is well explained.
...I feel that in most of those cultivation stories the cultivator take in a lot of things from the outside. Pills, magical water, miracle fruits, primal flames... This is just doping.
Yes, only problem is that whenever it hits somthing made of regular matter they would destroy eachother, and may or may not result in a explosion, where the size depends on the amount of dark matter used. Ohh... i belive it was less than 1g (gram) of dark matter is more than enough to blow up a mansion (it's a long time since i heard about this so don't take the numbers seriusly, but if i rememver right it was far less than 1g you actualy need). EDIT: Sorry, mixed dark (black) matter into this, when talking about dark energy.
Both magic and qi rely on external things to boost. But the question is the source. Magic is mostly natural meaning it comes from the environment. Qi relies mostly on artificial means, specifically from cultivating your inner self. Also, a huge difference is its power scaling. Magic is linear, Qi is exponential. Though, in some cases, magic skips right through godhood if certain recquirements are satisfied. But cultivation? One cannot skip right through godhood.