However, just as Ian stepped into the Aether Furnace, he slowly stopped his steps, no longer going deeper.

The Fairy Queen, who was holding his hand, also stopped in place, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

[What’s wrong, Ian? Why did you suddenly stop?] The Queen, somewhat confused at first, quickly noticed that Ian seemed to have thought of something and curiously asked: [Did the Aether Furnace inspire you in some way?]

"A lot."

Reaching out to touch the inner side of the Aether Furnace, Ian felt he was touching something grand and distant... If it were someone else, they might not even be able to describe it, but as a ’Prophet’, Ian could sense that what he had just touched was not only the vast power contained within the Aether Furnace but also a long stretch of time spanning past and future.

He thoughtfully turned his head to look in the direction of the Falling Star City Plaza earlier and then surveyed his current location in the depths of ’Falling Star City’: "The Spirit Casting Machine... really has similarities and differences with the Arcane Pathway I developed."

When he previously heard the four Fairy Instructors introduce some of the capabilities of the ’Spirit Casting Machine’, Ian had a strange sense of familiarity but couldn’t pinpoint its source.

But now, seeing the Aether Furnace before him, Ian suddenly realized.

Firstly, the ability to modify the soul, isn’t that exactly what the Meditation Technique is?

Secondly, the ability to write life programs can be vaguely associated with ’Origin Structure’ and ’Spirit Energy Structure’, and further, ’Aether True Body’ and ’Voidrealm Machine God’!

Thirdly, the ability to bestow life with primal power... isn’t this the Essence Furnace Core?

Although the actual operation is quite different, which is why Ian didn’t initially categorize them together, the more he pondered, the more he found similarities.

Whether it’s the Meditation Technique or the Spirit of the Fairy, both pursue ’the transcendence of the soul’.

Whether it’s self-constructing the Origin Structure or the Spirit Energy Structure, and eventually forging the Aether True Body and Voidrealm Machine God, all are ’the sublimation of the body’.

Whether it’s mastering the primal power of life or grasping the power of one’s life to the extreme ’Essence Furnace Core’, the ultimate end is ’artistic finesse’.

"Soul of Origin, Body of Light, Radiance of the Stars." Ian slowly uttered the three parts of the Rites of the Star Gods, and as he locked eyes with the Fairy Queen, he saw the surprised expression on her face: "These are just guidance, indicating where our path leads. Each different race has different methods to reach their end, perhaps the Fae needs the ’Spirit Casting Machine’ and ultimately the perfected ’God Casting Machine’, while Humans and other species with material Flesh and Blood need my ’Arcane Pathway’."

"But whether they are Fae, Humans, or any other strange creatures, they all need a most fundamental basis."

"Energy."

Raising his head, Ian looked at the Aether Furnace behind the Fairy Queen, that endlessly, timelessly rotating ’Sub-Eternal Engine’: "The infinity of energy."

"Only life possessing a transcendent soul, a sublimated body, mastery of artistry, and a source of near-infinite energy can be called a ’Star God’.

"No—perhaps still missing a bit. But we’re already very close."

"The ancient civilization of Terra was a spiritual civilization. They pursued the transcendence of the soul, creating Voidrealm Machine Gods and other constructs. The Sparks of the Thousand Stars gave them inspiration for the sublimation of the body, leading to the creation of life forms like Crystal Dragons and Modern Terrans."

"The current Terran civilization mainly pursues powerful strength, which is the sublimation of the body and infinite energy. But they lack sufficient control and technique, so even if they forge an Aether True Body, it is short-lived."

Saying this, Ian turned around, extending his hand, attempting to resonate with ’Falling Star City’—but even with Ian’s immense reserve and accumulation of Aether, he felt he was attempting to resonate with the entire land, sky, and ocean.

——With the Aether Furnace and the ’Falling Star City’ where the entire Fae race resides, once activated, it can virtually equate to the ’God of Sparks’ of other civilizations, even... due to millennia of accumulation, it could be far more powerful than an average God of Sparks.

Unable to contend with the entire Falling Star City single-handedly, Ian withdrew his hand, smiled, and said, "And the Fae—you possess a transcendent soul, mastery of artistry, combined with the Aether Furnace left by the Star Gods, and are now attempting to create your own sublimated body using the Spirit Casting Machine."

"You are the race closest to the Sixth Echelon, and there is evidence of that, which is... Fairy Queen, you do not have the Top Seat’s Blood, you have reached the Fifth Energy Level purely by your strength, by the immortality of a pure Fae!"

[...Indeed!] 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The Fairy Queen’s expression was quite joyful, she proudly gave a thumbs-up, pointing to herself: [Though I don’t know why, after my third death and resurrection, I naturally became Fifth Energy Level]

[Although at that time, the Fifth Energy Level was already quite common on Terra, I believe I am certainly the first Fae... no, the first creature throughout Terra to ascend to the Fifth Energy Level by my strength!]

"Truly the strongest creature in Terra’s history!"

Ian sincerely praised, because even he had inherited Hiliard’s legacy and the Rites of the Star Gods, not to mention the Ether Furnace Core of the Aether Crystal Dragon and the Super-dimensional Divine Marrow of the Blazing Suspended Star Dragon.