Chapter 2079: The Path to Rank Six

After all the social engagements were finally over, Sein at last had some time to himself.

He first sent a message to Marie, informing her that he would soon be leading the Divine Tower of Ashes Legion back to Magus World.

Now that the law-wielding mages had entered a period of rest and recuperation, the mage legions under their respective divine towers, along with the cannon-fodder legions of enslaved creatures, could finally enjoy some much-needed respite as well.

After taking care of that, Sein returned to his laboratory.

Now that he was finally home, he could afford to relax for a while.

***

Those leisurely days did not last long.

Sein had always been an extremely disciplined mage.

After spending a few days with the Huusian sisters, Leena, and Reina, he soon returned to his usual routine of experiments and research.

Selina and Eileen, however, could no longer participate in many of Sein’s activities as they once had.

Although Sein had specially concocted a diluted Blood Crystal Potion to improve their physical condition, both women still showed clear signs of weakness in nearly every aspect of their health.

Of course, the bond between people was never limited to physical intimacy alone.

Lately, Sein had been making time to sit with the two women, chatting with them and discussing some of the experimental problems they had encountered over the years.

Unfortunately, Selina and Eileen truly no longer possessed the potential to advance to the Demigod Realm. Even Sein could only sigh at that reality.

The two women themselves, however, had already come to terms with it.

Aside from occasionally conducting experiments of her own, Eileen now devoted most of her attention to nurturing the younger members of her family.

She had originally come from a prestigious family of mages. After Sein established the Divine Tower of Ashes, the family, under Eileen’s influence, gradually shifted the focus of its development toward Ashenreach.

Looking back, that decision had clearly paid off. Today, Eileen’s family had already become one of the leading mage families in Ashenreach.

The family alone had produced two demigod-level mages.

Sein was familiar with one of them, a man named Mark. He was Eileen’s grandnephew and the current head of the family.

During their conversation, Eileen expressed her hope that Sein would continue looking out for her family in the future.

Looking at Eileen, whose appearance had aged considerably over the years, Sein nodded.

“I will,” he said.

Selina had even less reason to worry about her own family.

Her family was Sein’s maternal family, so both Sein and Marie, the dean of the divine tower academy, would naturally give its promising mages some priority when allocating resources.

What surprised Sein instead was that sometime during the past thousand years, Selina had actually taken on an apprentice.

That apprentice had already advanced to Rank Two.

“I don’t know how far this child will be able to go in the future. If I’m no longer around one day, just keep an eye on her for me. There’s no need to give her any special treatment. She’s always been quite self-reliant,” Selina said, holding the hand of the Rank Two female mage beside her.

Selina was already nearing ten thousand years of age. Standing beside her was a young Rank Two mage who had yet to reach even a thousand.

The difference between them, whether in appearance or demeanour, was impossible to miss.

As soon as Selina finished speaking, the young mage burst into tears and threw herself into her mentor’s arms.

Her name was Bonica, and she was also a registered mage of the Divine Tower of Ashes.

Sein did not know exactly how Selina had come to take her on as an apprentice all those years ago, but as he looked at the long brown-haired mage before him, whose features and figure bore a faint resemblance to Selina in her younger days, he ultimately nodded.

He would honor Selina’s request.

***

While spending time with his family, Sein also found himself thinking about having children of his own.

This was something he had actually been considering for quite some time.

Unfortunately, as Sein continued growing stronger, the chances of naturally conceiving a child became increasingly slim. Still, there was always a way.

As Sein delved deeper into bloodline studies, particularly after discussing related experimental topics with Mel in Divine Descendants World, he gradually began forming a clearer idea of how he might produce offspring of his own.

Among all Magus World spellcasters, the Bloodline Warlocks placed the greatest emphasis on bloodline inheritance.

Those immensely powerful Rank Five and Rank Six Warlocks were still capable of producing descendants, continuing their bloodlines, and establishing family clans. There was no reason Sein could not do the same!

The only slightly awkward part was that Mel herself was still a young, unmarried woman. Whenever Sein asked her about bloodline theory or related experiments, she could answer him clearly and confidently.

But when Sein asked how someone at their life level could actually go about having a child, Mel told Sein that she would have to return to the Dragon Warlock Clan and consult some ancient records.

Perhaps she would even have to discreetly ask her father about it...

Mel still had several centuries left as Sein’s assistant.

By the time the two met again, she would probably have plenty of answers for him.

***

After spending a pretty relaxed period at Ashen Fortress, Sein took some time to organise his recent experiments and research findings before returning to Verdant Flame Fortress to visit his grandmaster.

Naturally, the main purpose of his visit was to seek Feylis’ guidance on advancing to Rank Six.

It seemed Feylis had already anticipated his arrival. By the time Sein entered her laboratory, she had prepared an entire set of experimental equipment that might prove useful to him.

“Sein, do you know what the greatest difference is between a Rank Five mage and a Rank Six mage?” Feylis asked.

Sein pondered the question for a long while before answering.

“Changes in mental focus and mana intensity are merely superficial. The true difference should lie in one’s mastery over the power of laws. Exceptionally powerful peak Rank Five mages are already capable of transforming the laws they wield into something resembling a domain. My study of the Ashen Flame and Mechanical Fusion has already begun showing signs of development in that direction,” Sein explained.

“As for Rank Six... I believe the next step is to further transform and elevate this ‘domain’ into a ‘field’, fully integrating that power into one’s own strength and even one’s bodily cells, until it eventually develops into a core system of laws unique to oneself,”.

At every advancement, one’s understanding of power and laws changed accordingly. Compared to the past, Sein’s comprehension had clearly deepened by several levels.

When he mentioned the concept of a “field”, Feylis could not help but raise an eyebrow.

She had little interest in the Mechanical Fusion Sein had mentioned, but as someone who had watched over his growth for many years, Feylis naturally understood his Ashen Flame quite well.

“There are many paths leading to Rank Six, but in reality, most of us can only choose one and follow it to the end. And even walking that single path is rarely easy. The path I see in you is one of embracing all flames,” Feylis said.

“Study flames of different attributes and the laws contained within them. Then absorb and integrate as much of that understanding as possible into your own flame. From there, forge your own Path of Ashes,” Feylis explained.

As she spoke, more than ten extraordinary elemental flames appeared throughout the laboratory. Each carried its own distinct law fluctuations.

Feylis had painstakingly collected these rare flames over more than a hundred thousand years.

Naturally, anything she chose to display before Sein could hardly be called ordinary.

At the very least, the law properties contained within these flames were far more unusual and powerful than the purple flame Selphy had given him.

At the last Verdant Flame Faction gathering, Feylis had mentioned that she had once visited the Myriad Springs Worlds. That alone said a great deal about how many places in the Astral Realm this peak Rank Six mage had travelled to over the years.

She might have even visited the Immortal Realm Civilization.

As the saying went, with age came wisdom.

Almost immediately, Feylis had identified the path Sein himself had been walking.

Looking back on his own advancement, Sein realised that as early as Rank Three, he had already begun studying, analysing, and fusing various special law flames into his own.

Even Sein did not know whether this path was necessarily the right one. He had simply continued walking it.

And so far, his Ashen Law had shown no signs of reaching its limit.

If Sein continued along the path Feylis had pointed out, there was every chance he could eventually reach her level.

After all, his grandmaster had once been an explorer and pioneer herself.

Sein also had no intention of abandoning the path he had already chosen.

After an in-depth discussion about laws and elements, Feylis gestured toward the special law flames scattered throughout the laboratory.

“I’m not giving these flames to you. I’m merely allowing you to study them here in my laboratory. In about a year and a half, I may have to leave this plane and head to another battlefield. How much you can gain from them before then will depend entirely on your own ability. If you have any questions, you can come to me at any time,” Feylis said.

“Yes. Thank you, Grandmaster!” Sein replied sincerely.

Having an experienced elder to guide him could really save Sein from countless unnecessary detours.

Just the rare law flames in this laboratory alone would have taken him tens of thousands of years to collect one by one on his own!

And Feylis had undoubtedly studied every one of them in great depth beforehand.

Whenever Sein encountered something he could not understand, he could simply bring his questions to her. The exchange of different perspectives could sometimes lead to entirely new ideas.

The profound secrets of the Ashen Flame were not the only thing Sein sought Feylis’ guidance on.

The body tempering techniques he had originally learned from her were another major topic of discussion.

Sein brought out much of the body tempering knowledge he had accumulated through his own research over the years, along with the top-grade blood crystals he had obtained on the battlefield of Divine Descendants World, and shared his findings with Feylis.

The collision of different ideas could indeed lead to new discoveries.

As Sein explained the many profound principles he had uncovered within the Ashen Flame, Feylis nodded along from time to time.

Then, when Sein brought out the top-grade blood crystals and began discussing the body tempering secrets he had explored over the years, even Feylis, a peak Rank Six mage with profound attainments in body tempering, found herself gaining quite a few new insights.

“I used to think your rapid progress in body tempering was mainly because Lorianne had concocted large quantities of body tempering potions for you. But it seems you’ve developed considerable insight into this path yourself. You may have already progressed even further than Gregory in this,” Feylis remarked, running her fingers over one of the top-grade blood crystals in her hand.

“Master Lorianne has indeed helped me tremendously throughout my growth,” Sein replied.

“I still have plenty of these top-grade blood crystals on hand, and I’ve also established a fairly stable trade channel with the Demon Clan. I’ll set aside a portion for you and the other elders later. These blood crystals have an extraordinary effect on our faction’s body tempering techniques.”

Feylis chuckled. “There aren’t many mages who can establish dealings with the Demon Clan, much less obtain treasures of this calibre. Resources like these are normally accessible only to Rank Six demon kings.”

“You don’t need to be so generous with me, Gregory, and the others. Whatever price needs to be paid, or whatever you need in exchange, just tell us. If we keep taking things from you without giving anything back, how are we supposed to maintain a proper relationship in the long run?” Feylis asked with a smile.

Having such an exceptionally talented grand apprentice was perhaps a happy problem for Feylis to have. ℴ𝒗ⅇ𝑙.

Lorianne had experienced this particular blessing long ago.

Now, it was finally Feylis’ turn.

Sein had simply brought her far too many surprises over the years!

“You’re too kind, Grandmaster. Just these law flames in your laboratory alone are not something I could have easily collected on my own. You’ve helped me tremendously,” Sein replied.