Sovereign of the Ashes

Lately, Sein had been living quite comfortably within the Martial Civilization.

The Emperor of the Dawn Empire had already decided to personally lead the army into battle, but mobilizing the entire empire for war was not something that could be done overnight.

As a result, Sein would need to remain in the Dawn Empire for a while longer.

Once preparations were complete, he would return to the Magus Civilization’s battlefield together with the Dawn Empire’s legions.

When Mel, the Rank Four Dragon Warlock, came to the Dawn Empire to request reinforcements, she naturally brought communication equipment capable of connecting directly with the Magus Civilization.

Even across vast stretches of space-time, the device could still maintain stable contact.

The device in Mel’s possession had most likely been crafted by an overlord-level being.

Taking advantage of Mel successfully recruiting the Dawn Empire, Sein also used the opportunity to send news of himself and Tourmaline back to the Magus Civilization through her.

Sein never expected the upper echelons of the Magus Civilization to reward him for bringing the Myriad Springs Worlds and the Martial Civilization into the war effort.

His only purpose in sending the message was to reassure his family and the Verdant Flame Faction that he was safe.

In truth, Sein had already gained quite a few benefits during his stay in the Dawn Empire.

This included the major improvements he had recently made in his body tempering process after surviving his latest journey through the space-time passage.

Clang! Clang!

That day, Sein was hammering something inside his laboratory.

He was conducting another alchemy experiment.

The jet-black heavy ax he received from Gongsun Wudi had long since been melted down into a pool of precious liquid metal.

At the center of the experimental table was a jet-black magic scepter.

“After replacing the shaft, the Ashen Scepter’s hardness, weight, and impact resistance have all improved significantly. The only issue now is the material for the scepter’s ornament... it still feels somewhat lacking. I wonder if I will be able to find something more suitable after returning to the Magus Civilization,” Sein mumbled as he examined the weapon before him.

The shaft of the newly reforged Ashen Scepter was forged primarily from the melted remains of a near world-class battle ax.

On top of that, Sein had added many rare materials he had collected over the years.

This new creation could easily be considered the culmination of everything Sein had achieved in alchemy so far.

Unfortunately, he still had not found a material worthy of serving as the scepter’s tip.

In the end, he temporarily embedded two planar hearts with pyro and lumen attributes into it.

At Sein’s current level, divine relics left behind by Rank Four or Rank Five beings no longer held much appeal for him.

Although he had already participated in several Rank Six battles, the spoils he obtained from those conflicts unfortunately did not match his elemental affinities very well.

Finding a truly top-tier material perfectly suited to oneself was never easy.

Some alchemists wandered the Astral Realm for countless years and still never found the materials they sought.

Sein already considered himself fortunate. Thanks to the Magus Alliance’s enormous marketplace and the flood of resources generated by the Clash of Civilizations, he had managed to acquire a great number of high-quality materials. What more could he possibly ask for?

After finishing his alchemy experiments, Sein stepped out of his magic tower.

The testing process for his newly forged magic scepter was still ongoing, and he also needed to try out several new spell models he had developed recently.

With the Dawn Empire preparing for war, the entire nation was busy from top to bottom.

Yet amidst all that activity, Princess Gongsun Wudi appeared unusually relaxed.

And that was perfectly normal.

The Dawn Empire had the Emperor overseeing everything at the highest level, ministers managing affairs in the middle, and a mature administrative system supporting the empire at every lower level.

There was very little Gongsun Wudi actually needed to concern herself with.

Her role was primarily that of a military commander, not an administrator.

As Sein walked out of the magic tower, Gongsun Wudi was practicing on the training grounds inside her residence.

Sein had watched her train more than once before. In his eyes, every movement she made blended perfectly with the surrounding world, as though each motion itself embodied the law of nature.

This unique cultivation system and path of power left Sein deeply impressed.

Although Gongsun Wudi never turned to look at him, she immediately sensed Sein’s presence.

Like a passing breeze, her figure suddenly appeared before him.

It was not spatial magic, but speed and power brought to absolute perfection.

She fully deserved her place among renowned figures such as Celloza of the Magus Alliance.

Sein believed that even if he teamed up with Fermera, the two of them still would not stand a chance against Gongsun Wudi.

“Come train with me for a while,” Gongsun Wudi said.

A trace of hesitation appeared on Sein’s face.

When mages tested new spells or new equipment, they usually did not need an opponent to spar with.

During all the time Grandmaster Feylis instructed him in magic, she had never personally sparred with him...

The differences between civilizations really did lead to vastly different cultures.

At the moment, Sein had no desire to fight anyone. He simply wanted to quietly continue his experiments.

Gongsun Wudi naturally noticed Sein’s hesitation. Raising an eyebrow slightly, she summoned a lotus-shaped flame between her fingers that radiated unique pyro-attribute law fluctuations.

“If you manage to land a hit on me, I’ll give you this Pure Lotus Flame,” she said. “Your Dao path seems to revolve around fusing different kinds of flames together.”

Sein immediately shook his head. “It’s not simply about fusing different kinds of flames. I’m not some pyro elemental creature, after all. A pyromancer’s true pursuit lies in exploring the truths and deeper mysteries hidden within the laws of flames!”

“Besides, I’m not only a pyromancer. Over the years, I’ve also made considerable achievements in mechanical arts and alchemy,” he added.

Even Sein was not entirely sure why he felt the need to explain himself to a peak Rank Six powerhouse from another civilization who knew practically nothing about magic.

Perhaps it was because he subconsciously did not want to appear weak in front of Gongsun Wudi, though he was indeed far inferior to her.

“So, do you want this flame or not?” Gongsun Wudi asked.

She had only recently obtained the flame from a star domain under the Dawn Empire’s control, and it was extremely valuable.

A special flame carrying law power like this was also of great use to the Dawn Empire.

Sein glanced at the flame between her fingers.

“Of course I want it,” he replied.

And so, a sparring session soon began in a corner of the Princess Guardian’s residence.

For Sein, fighting against a peak Rank Six powerhouse was an exceptionally rare opportunity.

He could even treat the battle itself as an experiment to test his own limits while closely observing Gongsun Wudi’s combat style.

Of course, the most likely result of this “experiment” was him getting beaten up.

Before long, the Magus Civilization’s elemental magic and the Dawn Empire’s martial techniques met in a head-on clash.

Facing the waves of elemental magic unleashed by Sein, Gongsun Wudi did not even bother activating her vigorous qi for defense.

With graceful and fluid movements, she effortlessly avoided every spell Sein cast.

Even when he locked his mental focus onto her movements, Sein still could not land a single hit.

Gongsun Wudi showed no urgency to attack either. Instead, she was studying Sein as well.

Clearly, she was very interested in the Magus Civilization’s magic that Sein wielded.

Long ago, both her father and elder brother had told her that the Magus Civilization was a top-tier civilization even stronger than the Dawn Empire, and that there was much the empire could learn from them.

Back during the Rongyue World War, Gongsun Wudi had already been quietly observing Sein.

Now, this was her chance to study him far more closely.

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