Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 493: Growth in Strength

Time seemed to fly when life was fulfilling.

Sein, for his part, felt as if he had only recently reunited with Leena, yet in reality, nearly two years had passed since they began traveling together in the Knight Continent’s trial zone.

In those two years, both Sein and Leena had seen considerable increases in their statistical values. They had also accumulated a wealth of materials and specimens.

Fortunately, Sein had received a space conch from Tourmaline. Without it, the limited capacity of their spatial storage equipment would have been insufficient for their extensive research needs.

During this period, Sein’s constitution had shown the most remarkable growth.

Perhaps the environment of the Knight Continent was particularly conducive to passive evolution.

Alternatively, the potency of the red potions Sein concocted could also be a factor.

In just two years, Sein’s constitution was nearly on par with his focus and mana levels.

As a pure mage, Sein’s constitution was impressive!

Unfortunately, Leena had to occasionally suffer the consequences of Sein’s less controlled experiments.

Sein had considered using the Verdant Flame Body Tempering technique to enhance Leena’s constitution, especially after witnessing its significant effects on Yuri.

Ultimately, he decided against it.

The Verdant Flame Body Tempering technique was an extremely harsh experiment. Leena was a mage and his wife; Sein did not want to risk it.

He could not bear the thought of causing her pain.

Moreover, body tempering offered minimal benefits for an elementalist like Leena.

Unlike Sein, who had inherited verdant flame magic, improving Leena’s constitution solely for the sake of their intimacy did not justify the effort involved.

It would be far more beneficial for her to devote her time and energy to advancing her magical studies.

“Hmph, I’ll try it again with you after my Umbra Body grows stronger,” Leena huffed.

Leena’s Umbra Body was akin to the Verdant Flame Body state that Sein was mastering with increasing proficiency.

Both of them were Rank One mages, striving to elementalize their bodies like Rank Two mages.

Attaining mastery in either Sein’s Verdant Flame Body or Leena’s Umbra Body would undoubtedly smoothen one’s journey to becoming a Rank Two mage in the future.

Visionary mages would always devise specific plans for their future development.

For both Sein and Leena, mastering the Verdant Flame Body and Umbra Body was merely one of the many phases in their growth journey.

It had been nearly three years since Sein entered the Knight Continent.

During this time, his focus and mana levels had steadily neared three hundred points.

However, such rapid growth was unsustainable as the journey of cultivation became increasingly challenging the further one progressed.

Despite Sein’s undiminished passion for exploring truths and mastering knowledge, there was a limit to how quickly he could enhance his strength.

Moreover, not all magical research yielded fruitful results.

For instance, two months ago, Sein’s whimsical attempt to create a spell by merging Necromancy with pyro elemental knowledge ended in failure.

Nevertheless, this experiment sparked new research ideas for Leena, who was working alongside him.

According to most cases, Rank One knights and mages could typically stay in the Knight Continent for over ten years.

Those of Rank Two remained for twenty to thirty years, and Rank Three could expect thirty to forty years.

Tales of anyone staying for a century were unheard of by Sein and Leena, likely a feat only achievable by formidable trialists of Rank Four or higher.

Sein harbored no grand ambitions; he was already content as long as he could spend about twenty years in the Knight Continent.

By then, he hoped his focus and mana levels would exceed five hundred points, meeting his expectations.

Ultimately, the superficial measures of focus and mana were still of secondary importance to him.

However, he was not overly concerned as he would have ample time to meditate and improve them even after departing from the Knight Continent.

In his pursuit, the acquisition of knowledge and truth remained the only elusive goal.

***

THUD!

The dull sound of a heavy object falling to the ground echoed throughout the area.

A massive Iron-Backed Black Ape, nearly seven meters tall, finally collapsed on one knee under a relentless barrage of energy strikes.

Red and green elemental flames ensnared the black ape like twisting ropes, effectively binding it.

The Rank One Iron-Backed Black Ape tried to rise several times, but each attempt ended with a roar of pain, causing it to fall back.

Dark-colored blood began oozing out from its pectoral muscles.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Leena was in the sky, unleashing one umbra energy ball after another from her hands.

Sein had been planning to craft a new magic rod for Leena.

Although he possessed numerous rare resources, he had yet to find any that met his standards.

The eyeball of the Noctowl Stag, which Sein had previously gifted to Leena, would have served well as the main material for the head of a magic rod.

Yet, Sein was not satisfied with it.

If it were feasible, he would have preferred to use something as precious as the Heart of Verdant Flame for the tip of Leena’s rod.

Alas, such treasures were beyond his current reach.

He could hardly fathom extracting a crystal from a Rank Five creature at this stage.

At this moment, Leena was in her adult form.

Her long, black hair fluttered in the air as she released powerful balls of umbra elemental energy from her hands.

She possessed talents that surpassed Sein’s in certain aspects, especially when it came to magic utilization.

For instance, she could amplify the umbra elemental energy she drew from her surroundings by channeling it through her hair.

This was one of the ways she could utilize her Umbra Body, which differed significantly from Sein’s Verdant Flame Body.

Together, Sein and Leena effectively subdued the Iron-Backed Black Ape, a creature with a formidable physique.

The creature’s ferocious roars had dwindled to low whimpers, pleading for mercy.

The couple had been relentlessly pursuing this formidable foe for nearly a week.

The ape was not only incredibly strong but also possessed a surprising dexterity that belied its massive form.

Now, as the battle drew to a close, both Sein and Leena breathed sighs of relief.

Sein conjured a sharp-edged fire arrow from the tip of his Verdant Flame Heart Rod, aiming it directly at the center of the ape’s brow.

As the ape sensed impending death, its deep black eyes—once filled with arrogance and ferocity—now displayed a distinctly human expression of fear and a plea for mercy.

However, Sein was not one to show mercy.

He winced from a dull ache in his right arm, likely fractured during an earlier clash with the ape when he had activated his Verdant Flame Body.

This creature’s strength was unmatched by any other Rank One creature Sein had encountered.

With a decisive jab, the verdant flame arrow pierced the ape’s brow.

The ground was instantly stained by a mixture of red and white brain matter as the ape’s struggles gradually diminished.

Just as Sein was about to call Leena over, he was suddenly distracted by a violent elemental tremor from the western part of the jungle.

“What’s happening there?” Sein wondered, his gaze drawn to the distant west.