Mage Manual-Chapter 1332 - 974: Ash, I Want to Become a Mage

Kingdom of Allstars, onboard the rapidly flying Jashi.

"It actually... really succeeded..."

Vishi pressed her face against the window glass, staring blankly at the ’red glow’ spreading across the night sky, "We’ve really offended the Divine Lord this time..."

"Don’t act like you could have a good relationship with the Divine Lords." Ash jumped down and said: "As the Ghost Prophet, you should be aware that you’re the enemy of the world."

"It’s different now; before, I dragged you down, now it’s you dragging me down." Vishi sighed: "The difference is as big as whether I’m sleeping with you or you’re sleeping with me..."

"Are we leaving?" Nia asked.

"Not yet," Ash felt around, "I still can’t sense my body in reality; I might have already starved to death from malnutrition..."

"Really!?" Filly exclaimed in surprise, then quickly changed to a worried tone with upturned lips: "Really?"

Ash flicked Filly’s forehead, annoyed, "Or maybe it’s just because the Heavenly Curtain of Allstars hasn’t completely shattered yet. Although there’s a big hole in it, it should hold a little longer; it has to fully shatter to lift the inside-outside blockade."

"As expected, the Heavenly Curtain of Allstars doesn’t have a self-repair function; its destruction is only a matter of time." Vishi looked at the ’red glow’ constantly eroding the night and said: "Dazzling Star Magic Master never considered that someone would strike the curtain from inside Allstars. After all, even demons and mages wouldn’t act to save Allstars; only a visionary Master would embrace a selfless belief, though even a Divine Lord can erode a Master’s iron will!"

"You can just call me an idiot, don’t be courteous." Ash pouted, "What do we do next?"

"Take out your amulets and smear them with a drop of your fingertip blood until they’re saturated." Vishi advised.

Ash, Igula, and Harvey didn’t hesitate, taking out knives to prick their fingertips and smear their amulets.

Nia and Filly were taken aback; Filly asked, "Do we need to do it too?"

"You don’t need to; you’re not leaving this world." Vishi replied: "This is a Soul Coordinate Ritual. Besides enhancing Ash’s memory of each city, your mind amulets will also strengthen our memory of this world, becoming our soul coordinates."

"Allstars is an inner world hidden within Ruby Mountain; it’s not easy to enter, but having soul coordinates makes it possible."

"Leaving this world is just the first step; more importantly, how to return."

"We estimate we’ll come back often." Ash laughed: "Hell Trials are still too early for us; we need to break wings repeatedly to buy time."

"And since Vishi is a Soul Demigod, with some research time, she might create a suitable body for you to descend to our side."

"Though I’m dissatisfied with you stuffing me with tasks," Vishi said: "I’m quite anticipating the scene of them meeting the two mistresses again, so rest assured, I’ll do everything I can to witness rivers of blood sooner."

"Leaving... Allstars?" Filly’s eyes showed worry and confusion as she fiddled with her fingers: "If that’s what you wish, Ash..."

Even Nia was conflicted; she surely didn’t like this world, but that didn’t mean she was eager to go to an unfamiliar realm. At least here she could act without restraint, boss around Filly, but in another world... she’d likely be bullied by the Sword Maiden.

"It’s certainly not mandatory; you can stay wherever you want, but just as you introduced me to Allstars, I wish to introduce you to the world of mages." Ash said seriously: "I hope you’ll become mages too."

"Saving Allstars isn’t over; it’s just letting the Source Angel escape, forcing Dazzling Star Magic Master to stay with the Kingdom of Allstars, but its fate still depends on a single thought from Dazzling Star Magic Master, a precarious situation."

"But if you become mages and grow enough to control Allstars, we’ll help you seize control from Dazzling Star Magic Master, liberating Allstars to be your celestial kingdom, completing the mission to save Allstars regally."

Vishi nearly burst into laughter, even Igula’s lips twitched, Harvey looked at them confusedly: "Did Ash say something wrong?"

"There’s nothing wrong, except that going from ’becoming a mage’ to ’controlling the kingdom’ might take an outrageous amount of time." Vishi laughed tearfully: "For someone like me with slow progress, it took thousands of years and two lifetimes and hasn’t been achieved."

Upon hearing this, Harvey and Igula exchanged glances, Igula said with a complex expression: "Compared to Ash, you’re indeed a bit slow, Vishi—Ash became a mage in less than a year."

The smile disappeared from Vishi’s face as she wiped away the tears from her eyes.

Nevertheless, Filly and Nia understood the difficulty of what Ash said. Nia showed some confusion: "Can’t you control the heavenly kingdom already? Wouldn’t it be easier if you controlled Allstars instead?"

"Because I have no obligation to do so." Ash calmly said: "I’m happy to save Allstars, but that doesn’t mean I have to take care of it forever, nor does it mean I must strive to save it."

"If even you aren’t willing to work for it, then what was everything I did for?"

The main reason Ash said these words was to inspire their fighting spirit; in this world, ultimately, only becoming a mage allows you to control your own fate. He knew Filly and Nia were intimidated by the mage world, but if they wouldn’t even take this step, they’d be bound by fate their whole lives.

Moreover, Ash also wished for them to have broader aspirations, because a fascinating life shouldn’t be just about romance but also poetry and the horizon. He was somewhat aware of himself; storming into their world so grandly, they could never return to an ordinary life, so Ash had to show them a broader world, leading them on a more glorious journey.

Plus, Ash had a slight sense of urgency—going back to meet the Sword Witch, who knows what might happen. The increase in capable competitors would at least improve the odds of rescue, even if Ash ended up locked in a dungeon cell later.

"That persuasion might not work," Vishi said nearby: "You need more direct temptation and threats—Ash is now a mage with a heavenly kingdom; his lover must also possess a heavenly kingdom to be his equal. Or, if you have a heavenly kingdom, the Sword Witch won’t be your match either."

"I understand!" Filly clenched her fists, "I will strive to rule the Kingdom of Allstars!"

Nia didn’t speak, but her determined eyes conveyed her attitude clearly.

Igula mused, "The threshold for a marriage contract candidate is a Divine Lord from the Heavenly Kingdom. Ash, your options are quite limited. Even if we don’t restrict it to females, you only have five choices at most."

"If we don’t limit it to the living, then there are six." Harvey reminded, "If you can bring me the corpse of Lord Senluo, I will risk my life to make it your marriage contract candidate!"

Ash couldn’t be bothered with them. He noticed Rose quietly sitting to the side, gazing at the red glow at the edge of the Heavenly Curtain, so he went over and asked, "Will you come to see the Mage world in the future?"

"I don’t know." Rose turned to look at him, "Are you leaving?"

"Yes, but I’ll be back," Ash said. "Aren’t you curious about the Mage? Let Vishi make you a body, and let’s see if we can help you become a Mage."

"Become a Mage..." Rose murmured, then suddenly asked, "If I become a Mage, can I continue to be your assistant?"

Ash was taken aback, then quickly smiled, "Of course, I would be very happy, but I think once you become a Mage, you’ll want to pursue your own path."

"Maybe," Rose tilted her head, "but before that, I still want to witness your future. Alright then."

She looked at Ash and gave a slight smile.

"Ash, I want to become a Mage."

Ash was stunned. After knowing her for so long, it seemed to be the first time he saw Rose smile.

At that moment, everyone’s soul shook violently, and the pressure became so immense they couldn’t breathe, making them acutely aware that terror had arrived.

Ash turned his head and saw from afar through the window that the red glow was gone, and the Heavenly Curtain was also gone.

The profound darkness that was heavy enough to crush the world penetrated Ruby Mountain, ignored the internal and external barriers, and descended calmly yet coldly upon the Trialists.

At this time, someone actually triggered the Demigod Promotion Ceremony!?

And the trial speed was abnormally fast. Within a few breaths they observed, the first level of Hell had already struck down, and the second followed closely!

"What are they doing?" Igula murmured, "They want to prevent the Heavenly Curtain from shattering? But it’s of no use."

"Divine Lords find it difficult to interfere with the first four layers of the Void Realm."

Vishi’s voice was so light it seemed she feared awakening something, "But the boundary between Hell and the Heavenly Kingdom is very blurred. If a Divine Lord is willing to pay a certain price, interfering with Hell is not difficult. If a Divine Lord is willing, they can even help a mortal ascend to Demigod."

Harvey asked, "So is this a Divine Lord helping the Mage pass the Promotion Ceremony?"

"No." Ash’s face was extremely unpleasant, "What Vishi means is—"

"A Divine Lord’s power can reach the world directly through Hell!"

When the fifth level of Hell descended, the five layers of Hell did not disappear but rather eerily paused there.

Then, the first level of Hell spewed an endless Blood Sea, submerging the earth, overturning the Heavenly Curtain!

"It’s said within the Time Continent there is a Blood Sea," Vishi murmured, "where every drop of blood can grant rebirth."

The second level of Hell spread out a pitch-black curtain, covering the sky and blotting out the sun, reaching everywhere!

"The Black Curtain, the most mysterious World Secret Domain, is the destination of all secrets and the record of every epic, the grave of all stories."

The third level of Hell emitted a heartbeat-like tremor, then countless earth and stones generated around, condensing into land in the sky.

"Humans have hearts, and the earth has a core. Wherever the earth core exists, it forms the body of the land."

The fourth level of Hell grew countless tender green strips, forming an unimaginably large canopy that shrouded the world.

"No way..." Vishi said in a daze, "I read in a note that the top of Ruby Mountain wasn’t always barren, but instead there grew a World Tree. Its canopy could cover the entire Ruby Mountain, yet no one in my era heard of the World Tree..."

The fifth level of Hell let out a river made of stardust. Though not expansive, it felt grander than the Blood Sea, Black Curtain, earth core, and World Tree canopy; though each stardust piece was tiny, it shone brighter than anything in the world.

"The Galaxy."

Vishi plopped softly to the ground, tugging at Ash’s sleeve, and said, "This is the Dazzling Star Magic Master’s Galaxy."