Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein was burning through Arcane points in Sky City much faster than he had anticipated.

He was soaking up knowledge like a sponge.

At first, he had focused on lumen elemental mysteries and apothecary, but before he knew it, he had “accidentally” ventured into summoning arts, hydro and geo elemental magic, and even bloodline mysteries.

Sein had been so engrossed in his studies that he lost track of time and even his original purpose.

In the boundless ocean of knowledge, he was dazzled and drawn instinctively toward whatever fascinated him most.

When one walked the path of magic, it became clear that all mysteries and truths would inevitably converge in the end.

The elemental mysteries of different disciplines shared commonalities, and at the highest levels, the power of laws replaced mere energy, becoming the true foundation of power for Rank Four and above beings.

Sein, of course, was still far from grasping the essence of laws, but his expansive studies across multiple disciplines granted him new insights every day.

It was only now that Sein truly understood why, after the Wild Gorilla World War, Master Lorianne had encouraged him to explore new fields, even those he had never previously before.

A broader foundation of magic knowledge and an open mind would ultimately shape him into a stronger, more adaptable mage.

As Sein delved deeper into the ocean of knowledge within Sky City’s many libraries, he noticed that only a very few spellbooks he studied contained complete spell models.

Even when he did come across them, they were mostly functional spells with limited combat applications.

The reason was that the books Sein had access to were primarily theoretical texts, meant for general academic study, not combat mastery.

There was no such thing as a free lunch.

The cost of advanced magic theories and fully developed spell models was far beyond the Arcane Points he had spent in the library.

After all, knowledge was priceless!

What he could do, however, was study, research, and innovate.

By combining his theoretical knowledge with his personal experience, he could develop new spell models of his own.

With Sein’s ability, creating a few lower-tier spell models was no challenge at all—all he needed was to read up on a few concepts and piece them together.

However, when it came to the truly profound mysteries of truth—like the Art of Reija he had recently obtained, the Ashen Flame, or the body tempering technique—it was a different story.

Developing such advanced elemental mysteries demanded not only immense time and dedication but also substantial financial resources, materials, and a fair amount of luck.

The pursuit of magical truth was long, arduous, and often monotonous.

There was no such thing as a shortcut in this world.

The true benefit of Sein’s intellectual feast in Sky City greatly expanded his knowledge reserves and broadened his perspective on magic.

In the short term, this did not seem to drastically enhance his strength.

Yet in the long run, it was a fundamental transformation!

Had Sein’s Arcane points not started running dangerously low, he could have easily stayed here for centuries or even millennia.

Then again, even with thousands of years, it would still be impossible to absorb all of Sky City’s accumulated wisdom.

Even the overmages of the Magus World would not dare dream of mastering all of the knowledge held within this city.

The Magus Civilization had amassed its wisdom for millions of years, with countless generations of mages contributing to its vast archives.

How could a single person ever hope to absorb it all?

Even the overmages of Rank Seven and beyond only specialized in certain elemental fields.

To comprehend the full breadth of magic across the Astral Realm, one would likely need to reach Rank Nine—and even then, it remained uncertain whether such a feat was truly possible.

No single being could fully explore the vastness of the Astral Realm and its boundless depths of knowledge.

Even a top-tier civilization was nothing but a drop in the ocean when measured against the sheer scale of the Astral Realm...

In the end, Sein remained in Sky City for seven years.

He had immersed himself completely in the libraries, forsaking sleep and food, so much so that he barely noticed his dwindling Arcane points.

It was not until they dropped to 1,000 points, triggering an automatic reduction of his Arcanist rank to Rank One, that he snapped back to reality.

Only a Rank Three grand mage could sustain such an extreme state of learning, abandoning all physical needs like eating and sleeping for so long.

Rank One mages still had to eat, and even Rank Two mages needed occasional rest after prolonged exertion.

Yet, mages of Rank Three and above possessed pure elemental energy reserves and immense mental focus, allowing them to partially transcend their bodily limitations.

For example, Sein could absorb elemental energy directly from his surroundings, eliminating the need to eat or drink entirely.

And his unparalleled mental focus allowed him to study for years without rest.

If Rank Three mages were already this formidable, then Rank Four and above spellcasters were likely on an entirely different level.

It was said that Rank Four and above mages measured their magic research not in days or years, but in centuries.

When Sein was the dean of the Divine Tower of Dark Flame, he had only met the tower master a few times.

During those centuries in between, the tower master had vanished into seclusion, conducting experiments unknown to anyone.

Sein had initially planned to maintain at least 1,000 Arcane points to keep his Rank Two Arcanist title.

After finding out about his sudden demotion, he could only sigh in resignation.

There were simply too many mysteries of truth waiting for him to unravel. A part of him was even reluctant to leave.

Despite his reluctance, he knew he had to leave. After all, he did not wish to be forced out of Sky City once his Arcane points hit zero.

Every year, many mages overstayed their resources. If one walked along the outer edge of Sky City, white meteors streaking across the sky were a common sight—they were, in fact, the mages being forcibly expelled from the city.

With only a few hundred Arcane points remaining, Sein made a decisive choice.

Instead of spending his final six months in Sky City continuing his magical studies, he turned his focus toward the largest museum in the city.

He had always been deeply curious about the history of the Magus Civilization.

Sky City housed the most comprehensive historical records of the Magus Civilization spanning the last several hundred thousand years.

The archives contained not only major and minor events of the Magus World, but also the founding of the Magus Alliance and the history of the powerful enslaved realms within the alliance.

Sein also wanted to delve into the history of the demons and gain insight into their genealogy.[1]

Since he had the Flame Demon bloodline, while his wife, Natalya, carried the Baator Demon bloodline, they might uncover ways to strengthen themselves by understanding the true origins of the demons.

Outside of Sky City, it was unlikely that such comprehensive information on the demons existed anywhere else.

1. Please take note that there is a term change for ”Demon” and ”Devil”. For more information, please visit the footnote of Chapter 910. ☜