Watching Anna who was sleeping like an infant, Ovid smiled and said gently in a whisper, “Thank you.”

He then said slowly, “Spend your life helping the poor and needy.”

Ovid’s principles had long been shaped by his mother, yet these words, he had spoken from his own mind - although it was certainly influenced by his mother’s teachings, it came from himself.

---

When Anna woke up, the streets had already been emptied, and the two were the last ones to leave the humble restaurant. Ovid, noticing that Anna had awakened, returned the liquor he was drinking back into his spacial ring,

Anna quickly lifted herself from the wooden table and returned Ovid and herself back into her minor realm. After watching Ovid struggle onto the bed he had stayed on for the past week, she returned to her own room and took out an ancient book.

The cover of the book was made from cloth, yet shows no sign of deterioration. The edges were decorated with gold leaves, as did the title of the manual. These letters were curled on their final stroke and seemed like clouds drifting through the sky.

Anna carefully opened the book and skipped past the pages that Ovid had read through before they arrived at Straton. Eventually, she flipped to the seventeenth page, which had the illustration of a man. Several parts of the person’s body were marked with white ink, which showed the points best to channel mana into the body through.

This book was unmistakably the one Cai Hua had stolen from the tributary given to the Emperor by Julia’s realm.

In the past month or so, she had read through the entire manual more than three times - yet knowing does not mean understanding. In something as hazardous as magic, only a fool would begin without the utmost confidence.

This was why Anna was hesitant to follow the direction written on page seventeen, as it details the critical transition from an ordinary person, to a deacon. The strength of a building lies in its foundations, as does a person.

Anna first lit an oil lamp, before sinking into meditation, separating her spirit from her body, she quietly drifted within the confined space of her room. Within her mind, she could faintly grasp her surroundings; the flickering flames of the oil lamp emerged in her consciousness after some time.

Most find it impossible to practice in an isolated world, as the constellation one relies on to obtain their mana cannot extend beyond the main world. However, Anna had already made agreements with the elves residing within her minor realm and could ‘leech off’ the mana within her ‘tenants’.

Mana has no defined shape or form, it could be as dense as uranium, or as sparse as the vast expanse of the galaxy. However, it was most common in a form like gas, easily slipping through clothing and skin, entering the innermost of the body and circuiting through one’s bloodstream.

As one’s preception would directly tired to mana, observing its flow through the bloodstream would commonly be called self-assessment by those in the clergy,

Before one reaches sainthood, it was impossible to permanently maintain mana within the body. Thus deacons, priests and bishops would seek to prolong the amount of time mana would circulate within their body, and consequently, the period of self-assessment.

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The level of deacon was the most accessible realm, for as long as one can directly manipulate mana, they could be considered to be of deacon level. If one wishes to advance further into the level of priests, the requirements were far stricter.

If one were to ask how self-assessment improves their fighting prowess, the most direct answer would be that the deeper understanding one the body allows for greater manipulation of mana.

Likewise, the lifespan of deacon was ill-defined, ranging from that of an ordinary person to over two hundred years. To take an example, the deacon Zoe had lived almost to the age of one hundred, twice the average life expectancy of an ordinary person.

Lifespan and self-assessment were all dictated by the manual one practised, this was why as to how the clergy possess such influence, for they hold access to the large collection of the finest manual in the Juliana empire.

As to why the manuals were so important, it is since the mana gathered from the stars would be converted upon entering their body. The final product of the mana flowing and aiding you in the self-assessment is crucial for advancing to the next level.

All the southern manuals require the use of the aether in the form of light mana - this was why it was impossible for Ovid to become a deacon, as his body could only channel dark mana.

Anna does not have such a big issue, though her circumstances are a little different from other aspiring deacons, as the mana she is using comes from the elves. As the mainstream method for humans to self-assess came directly from elves, it is a rather simple task to assimilate the mana into her own body. Moreover, the amount she requires is far more reduced, for it was easier to convert already the already converted mana than to process those coming from the celestial bodies.

Anna did not ponder this question, as she was already exploring her body, following the path of mana with her preception.

Like a gust of wind, she travelled with a murky vision, as the travel was happening at a great speed. Still, it was like exploring the stars, no matter how good the telescope is, the process is a slow one; slow enough for Anna to forget the passage of time.

She saw steep cliffs that compose mountains that were as white as chalk, perhaps these were her bones? Between these mountains were rivers flowing as grandiose as the Renos river, exhibiting both frenzied destruction and the illustriousness of life.

The wind travelled swiftly through these sceneries, as time passed, Anna’s perception adapted to the flow of mana more and more, and the scenes within her body became increasingly clear. The chalk mountains that seemed brittle stood as strong as the Himalaya and the rivers were deep and expansive, giving one a sense of majesty.

Anna had been chosen by Julia to become her successor. It was without doubt that her talent would be of the utmost quality. Yet such an overflowing vibrancy would even shock someone like Cai Hua, for his mountains were not as tall as Anna, nor was his rivers as broad.

Could Anna become a figure as great as those one hundred thousand years ago?

Of course, as Anna drifted across what seems like an unfathomable distance, she did not realise her fearsome potential. She naturally is incapable of understanding the value of the many features in her body.

All the rivers converged to one spot, forming a lake that spanned for tens of thousands of miles. The river was extremely murky, though it does not mean it was comminated, but rather, full of substance!

The water was free of growth, with no sentiments or earth. The only entity that seems to have made the entire river murky was a densely packed crimson substance that blocked out the light. However, the water seems to beget its own light. Like miniature flames, the crimson substance glowed in a lifelike manner.

This meant that Anna can create the most vibrant, and purest form of fire mana. One that could outshine the stars, and cross the worlds’ boundaries.

The lake was the manifestation of one’s heart, the most vital portion of the human body. It would be without a doubt that Julia had chosen Anna after discovering such a rich lake. If another saint such as Cai Hua discover it’s existence, they, without doubt, take Anna as far away as Julia and force her to inherit their legacy.

However, Anna was still most suitable to inherit Julia’s legacy, for the oldest dragon in the world, possesses an almost identical lake.

Annas’ preception once more travelled along with her mana, in a moment’s time, she covered several miles, yet could still see the edge of the lake.

As the mana touched the surface of the lake, it’s tranquil surface was lit aflame like a torch making contact with a stack of hay. The faintly glowing crimson substance immediately let out a brilliant light and then began to burn fiercely.

There was no sound nor smoke, only a raging blaze that rivalled the flames summoned by Julia.

The lake was as big as a small country. As it burned, it began to turn into something resembling magma, only still as free-flowing as water.

Soon, it began to flow in all directions as if without gravity, reaching the white cliffs then setting it aflame, and influencing the mighty rivers which were set alight.

Annas’ entire body seemed to have begun to burn, yet aside from her cheeks appearing somewhat rosy, she seemed undisturbed.

Within the minor realm, the elves that were meditating were abruptly awakened, their eyes full of surprise. Soon, it was replaced with frightfulness.

The elves who were gossiping suddenly found their chests very tight, and could no longer speak, their face becoming pale as their mana was deprived.

Anna’s capacity for absorbing mana was far too intensive, the combined support of two hundred elves even struggled to meet her demands.