As Ovid watched warm ashes disappear, the mana surrounding the mountains and sky covered him slowly and quietly, penetrating into his body through his thick stola and his skin below, forming a mild yet unstoppable force.

At the peak of the mountain closest to the heavens, Ovid who had felt something suddenly entered a perplexing state. He stood silently under the shadow of the mountain peak and sensed the mana with his eyes closed. He did not move an inch for a long time.

The mana of the world, hidden beneath the stones, in the snow, air, and creeks quietly surrounded his body. The circulation of the mana in his body sped up exponentially, with an invisible but seemingly tangible essence slowly flowing in.

When the mana from Tanin was dispersed in various parts of the body, the essence in the path became rather thin. Yet the path was soon widened, filled with the aura that flooded into his body from both the heavens and earth. This feeling was like reading an endless library of books without worrying from growing tired or drowsy.

This feeling was very pleasant. When the essence from the world passed through the most vital parts of his body, it was as if spring water had cleansed his body and soul, nourishing every part of his muscles and bones, and brought him a kind of warm and fresh sensation.

The changes in his body were also observable on the surface of his skin to some degree as well. The stola made by the owner of North Weave that is meant to be knife-proof, weather-proof and fire-proof seemed as thought to have absorbed a large amount of rain, as it stuck closely to his body. The extremely aethereal aura seemed to have a certain kind of attraction. It not only attracted the aura hidden in the snow and beneath the rocks, but also attracted things from the mundane world.

No wind blew at the mountain peak, yet the small stones quivered ever so slightly. This was because the pieces of rocks were falling towards his body. At the same time, the snow has piled up over countless years slowly drifted upwards and gradually gathered at his feet.

An unknown amount of time passed before Ovid slowly opened his eyes. A dull light flashed in his eyes before swiftly fading away. The stones on the mountains that had been unmoved since ages unknown slowly curled back to their position. Only the snow at his feet continued to accumulate, and this made it seem as though his feet were sinking into a thick pile of snow on the ground.

Ovid watched the moving snow and did not say anything. He knew that although his strength or proficiency at manipulating mana had not increased compared to earlier, he had inched slower to the next step to eternity. Moreover, he understood that this was not caused by ordinary means of absorbing mana through constellation or starlight, but rather by the changes left behind by his mother when she entered this world.

Ever since entering this world, the times he had attempted to manipulate mana could be count on two hands. Although he could be considered talented in this field, he had lived in this world shorted than the age at which pupils of the clergy are official first taught magic.

After inheriting Glafx’s technique, he had advanced beyond even the wildest dreams of the most talented individuals, becoming the youngest person to ever reaching half-sainthood. But because of this, his foundations were non-existent, akin to a tower to heavens built on sand, it could crumble at any moment. Were it not for Cai Hua’s exceptional teachings and his talent in the sword, compared to any other bishop, he was like dirt to the clouds.

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“In the end, I owe quite a lot to Cai Hua.”

Looking at the lonely peak that stood tall above clouds and reached beyond the world, Ovid sighed. His expression was still calm, but his soul was rather unsteady, party due to the injuries, and also because of the strange essence entering his body.

The essence slowly flowed through his body. Even though it seemed like an unstoppable river, it actually encountered some obstacles from time to time. The nature of this essence is completely different from the mana Tanin possess, causing it to stagnate. Ovid remained expressionless though he looked a little pale from the pain and discomfort brought by this spiritual disharmony.

After all, it was two essences from two different worlds. When his mother, Theresa had first crossed worlds, she had dispelled all the mana from her body in order to cultivate with this essence, and so did not have any struggle with this disharmony. In contrast, Ovid’s body was a blend of many different energies, each with varying nature. Were it not for his perversely good luck, his body would be in countless pieces, scattered across the mountain range.

That trouble alone is enough for any clergymen to abandon all hope and wait for death, but for Ovid, there was also the issue of the natural world’s hostilities toward him.

Although the worst possibility about his body had been disproved, he had served as a bridge for his mother to return to this world. As the natural world is fairly protective of its world, while he was no longer the focus, he would still be targeted by the world’s ambassador if found.

In his current state, holding up to these ancient creatures would be impossible, especially since Cai Hua had ascended.

Fortunately, it was not impossible to solve these two problems, and his mother did not need him to act for the next decade.

Ovid turned his body to look back at the cave and walked slowly toward its entrance in silence.

---

Ovid’s mother had once told him the never-ending story. But on this mountain, there was no temple, and certainly no old monk or little monk. There was only the recently built cave and the skies that had silently existed for countless years. It was a completely different place from anywhere else.

In the cave, it was even lonelier. The entrance was very small, yet still able to eat anything up, including sun rays, seasons, time and all the feelings connected with time.

However, Ovid was a person who wouldn’t think about these things, for they distract his mind too much. He did not even think about when he would solve the two problems regarding his body and get out. As long as it took him less than ten years, whether it be a few days, weeks, months or years did not matter to him.

Actually, he never thought about the possibility of him remaining in the cave not for ten years, but for the rest of his life. In his mind, his actions were simply that of exchanging ten years of his life for a hundred years, a thousand years, or perhaps a million years.

The most precious things in the world in time, and that the best way to use time was to exchange it for even more time.

It was all quiet in the cave. And without any wind, the air was stiff and dry.

Ovid sat on the stone bed and looked at the faint light entering the cave. Even under that faint light, he could still see that shards of ice forming on the wall quite clearly.

However, Ovid soon closed his eyes to meditate. The connection between his soul and Tanin began to ferry over mana, while the essence of heaven and earth started floating around before entering his body.

---

The sun gradually faded, and the Great Dividing Range was shrouded in darkness. While this meant for most people that there was no more source of light, for people so high up like Ovid, the starlight was especially bright.

The light was on Ovid’s eyelash, reflecting off the frost that had gathered, making them so shiny that is seemed as though he was wearing some form of makeup.

A piece of golden cloth appeared beside the peak, and was drifting to and fro with the wind. One would faintly see a pretty figure under the clothes. It was Li Zhan, who had now regain her composure after receiving news of Cai Hua’s departure.

Li Zhan stepped into the cave, and stood before the bed Ovid sat on. She took out an old book from her sleeves and handed it to Ovid. She softly said, “Aside from destroying all but one of the forces in your body, there is only one way for you to solve the problem.”

On the cover of the book were a few words, reading to be ‘The Phenomenology of Essence.”

Ovid glanced at the book and asked earnestly, “Teacher’s wife, what book is that?”

Li Zhan stroked her hair and put it behind her ears, saying, “A forbidden book.”