Chapter 905: Rapid Progress

“So, Magus York…” Edwin swirled the wine in his goblet before taking a light sip. He then asked, “What brings you and your entourage to Ulier? Was it just to visit Adam?”

“When I heard you all were from Europa, I thought for a moment that the Grand Magus Tournament’s prestige had crossed the Galestine,” Marcella said with a light chuckle.

“Indeed, we have heard about the Grand Magus Tournament in Europa.” Kaspar York nodded with a faint smile.

“But we came here to meet the princess’s brother,” he added. “Our plan was to take him to Ignisra, where he could grow in a more… preferable environment.”

“But who would have thought, yes?” Edwin asked with a smirk.

“I wonder if you all thought Adam was still a Mana Liquefaction Magus when you set foot in Ulier?”

Kaspar revealed an awkward smile. “Truth be told, we all thought he’d still be a Mana Foundation Magus…”

Edwin couldn’t help but sigh heavily at how things had turned.

“I have a faint idea as to how he was able to advance through the ranks so rapidly,” he said with a bitter smile.

“Had I known at the time, I would have done my best to have him join the Tower.”

He turned towards the nearby pond and saw Adam and his grandson, Edward, having a wonderful time in each other’s company.

Edwin’s smile turned even more bitter. Shaking his head in slight frustration, he chugged the entire wine in the goblet.

“You’re saying you have an idea about how Adam was able to progress so fast.” Kaspar glanced at him with curiosity. “Could it be…”

This time, it was Elrod who answered:

“The child has a profound understanding of the Way.”

“As I thought…” Kaspar muttered in a daze.

“Indeed, that is the only reasonable factor.” Marcella Ridley nodded.

The four had lived for a long time and had a lot of experience. They could naturally come to this conclusion.

“No amount of external factors could have helped the Dark King advance so rapidly,” said the elderly woman, her eyes flickering with understanding.

“It had to be something that came from deep within. I was also inclined to believe that the Dark King had a deep understanding of the Way and how magic works at a fundamental level.”

After all, simply gathering mana and expanding one’s reserves wouldn’t propel one to the higher arcane stations.

One had to have a thorough understanding of the arcane arts. Moreover, the difficulty of grasping the profundities of magic increased as one advanced.

That is why it took one more and more time as they climbed through the arcane ranks.

The Way.

It was not merely a path, but the breath of creation. It was the uncarved essence from which all things arose and to which all things returned.

It was eternal. It was ineffable.

Governing the flow of existence, magic, and the universe itself… This was the Way.

It seemingly lay beneath the surface of reality, shaping the rhythm of life, death, magic, and even fate.

Those who pursued the Way did not master it. No, they harmonized with it, allowing its boundless current to carry them beyond the limits of form, power, and comprehension.

It was common for the giant factions of the Greater Universe to encourage their young Magi to start trying to grasp the concept of the Way from a very early age.

But the same could not be said about the factions of planets such as Tron that lay in the Outer Universe.

Here, the Magi learned about the existence of the Way much later in life.

But by that time… wasn’t it already too late?

No.

It didn’t matter if they were young or old when they starting touching upon the profunditites of the way.

After all… what did it matter if they would never be able to leave the Outer Universe and venture toward the heart of the cosmos to pursue the higher arcane arts?

The chances of a Magus from the Outer Universe going to the Greater Universe was extremely minisucle to begin with.

One needed to be blessed by fortune to even be eligible to make that journey!

So, when the Magus’s lifespan was limited and the arcane ceiling was fixed, what was the point of it all?

As a result, over time, Magi in the Outer Universe started paying less and less focus on this elusive philosophy and paid more attention to the technichal aspect of arcana.

It was not the greatest of mindsets, but it was something that was born out of necessity.

Hence, Magi would start learning about this esoteric concept when they had reached the Mana Vortex Rank, at the very least, and had a lot of time on their hands.

But Adam… he had comprehended the philosophy of the way even before getting admitted to the Clover Academy.

After all, it was during his journey to Moon City that he had absorbed his first soul!

Ever since Adam had stepped on the arcane path, he had wholly focused on two things – the mana extraction system and the philosophy of the Way.

Because of his deep understanding of these two fields, he had gotten to where he was today.

“Perhaps, one of these days I should sit down with him and discuss the philosophy of the Way,” said Kaspar York with a thoughtful look on his face.

“Aye.” Edward nodded in agreement. “That would be immensely valuable for folks like us.”

All four of them were hundreds of years old and not that far from advancing to the Mana Core Rank.

Even Elrod, despite his middle-aged appearance, wasn’t that far away. He was an elf, after all. They aged slowly compared to most of the races in the universe.

The group descended into a brief silence. Truth be told, it felt somewhat awkward to rely on someone so much younger to help them deepen their understanding of the threads of arcana and advance along their respective paths.

Usually, it went the other way around…

Thinking about the whole scenario, Elrod couldn’t help but chuckle. Shaking his head, he turned to Kaspar and asked the question he’d been meaning to ask for some time now.

“Magus York, if you would humor me for a moment,” said the elf with a faint, knowing smile.

“But of course.” Kaspar nodded, lifting the crystal goblet and taking a leisurely sip of wine.

Elrod leaned in slightly, his voice calm and casual, yet laced with subtle intent.

“How fares the political landscape in Europa these days?”

1 more in a few hours…