Chapter 679: Two Bumpkins
How could Seth not be excited?
The Mana Seed is the very first step to becoming a mage—no one, not even a Sky Rank Mage, can skip this step!
Only those who possess a Mana Seed have a chance of becoming a mage!
At first, the Mana Seed is just a speck of magical power—so insignificant it might as well not exist. For any apprentice mage, the mana within the seed is practically negligible.
But once the Mana Seed grows stronger, it transforms into something every non-mage is familiar with.
The Mana Vortex!
As the Mana Vortex continues to grow, it evolves into an Arcane Sigil. For most mages, the thing they fuse with their core meditation laws is the Arcane Sigil.
No matter how powerful a mage becomes, everything that forms inside them originates from the Mana Seed.
Everything—all of it—begins with a tiny Mana Seed, a fragile spark of flame that seems like it could be snuffed out by the gentlest breeze...
This is the very foundation of every mage. As long as the Mana Seed—or the Mana Vortex or Arcane Sigil it evolves into—remains, there’s always a chance to overcome any hardship.
Just like before, when Leon encountered that monster, his mana was forcibly drained—most of it ripped away. But not long after, it all came back.
That’s because the Mana Harness was still intact. As long as the Mana Harness remains, even if every last drop of mana is depleted, it can be restored quickly.
But Seth—when he lost all his mana, even his Arcane Sigil collapsed. The sigil reverted to a Mana Vortex, the vortex regressed to a Mana Seed, and finally, the Mana Seed itself was drained away by the monster.
It was only because Seth’s Mana Seed was destroyed that he became an utterly ordinary person. Even if Leon flooded him with mana from the Mana Pool, Seth couldn’t retain a single drop.
Normally, if a Mana Seed is destroyed, no matter how powerful the mage, they’ll become a cripple. The Mana Seed is nearly impossible to revive.
Because the Mana Seed represents a mage’s magical life. Just like a person's actual life—once it dies, resurrection is almost impossible.
When Leon explained this to Seth before, Seth didn’t really believe him—or rather, he didn’t believe it at all.
But even if he didn’t believe it, Seth was like a drowning man clutching at straws—in the darkest moment, you’ll believe anything might save you.
Originally, he was just hoping for a miracle—‘let’s try anything, it can’t get any worse’—but when he actually felt the Mana Seed revive within him, Seth was utterly stunned.
His eyes were filled with the faint glow of the Mana Seed, and his mind was nothing but a thunderous roar.
He honestly couldn’t even describe how he felt right now.
When Leon heard Seth’s shrill, ecstatic cry, he released his grip on the Natural Semi-Plane. The tremors and upheavals within the semi-plane gradually subsided, and the Mana Pool returned to calm.
After channeling the semi-plane’s power for so long, the mental strain was overwhelming. Leon’s face was sickly pale.
Seth had no idea just how powerful Leon’s actions were. He simply thought Leon had lucked into finding a developed Natural Semi-Plane.
He didn’t realize that, at first, this semi-plane was just a drifting chunk of dirt. Forget sun, moon, or stars—it didn’t even have a shadow of the Four Elemental Laws. The surroundings were pure void, and any random void storm could have wiped out this Natural Semi-Plane.
From the moment it barely formed as a Natural Semi-Plane to its current state—not only does it have a sun overhead and the Four Elemental Laws, but the continent itself now stretches nearly three hundred miles.
It went from having almost no mana, barely qualifying as a semi-plane, to now boasting hundreds of mature Mana Vines and a Mana Pool overflowing with concentrated magic.
Leon has practically grown alongside this Natural Semi-Plane; his mark is imprinted in every corner of it.
The only thing holding him back from fully controlling the Natural Semi-Plane is his rank.
Channeling such immense power to cleanse Seth’s body, using the semi-plane’s strength to shield and protect him from magical harm—this kind of treatment, even for someone with zero magical talent, would allow a Mana Seed to be born.
In fact, Leon knew that this method, even thousands of years later, would produce a powerful Heavenly Mage.
This person named Novis was born into a powerful magical family—there were seven or eight Heavenly Mages in the clan, and even the servants pouring tea were apprentice mages.
Yet Novis, the only son of the family head, had no magical talent at all. At fifteen, he was still just an apprentice mage—a disgrace to the family.
Then, during a family dispute, his Mana Seed was destroyed…
His father adored him and took him to a newly opened semi-plane, channeling its power to cleanse Novis’s body. Novis nearly died from the overwhelming force, but at the last moment, his Mana Seed revived.
With the purest Mana Seed, Novis’s talent skyrocketed—he became a mage that very year, a Grand Mage the next, a Magus in five years, a Title Archmage in ten, and by fifty, he had reached Heavenly Mage.
This method spread far and wide, until the magical golden age arrived and baptismal elixirs appeared. Only then was this risky and unreliable technique abandoned.
The only way to guarantee the birth of a Mana Seed without risking death is to have a mage with a Natural Semi-Plane!
The advantage of a Natural Semi-Plane over an artificially created semi-plane is just beginning to show here.
Of course, not everyone can control power as deftly as Leon, as if it were his own fingers.
Leon sat on the ground, resting, watching Seth meditate with excitement written all over his face. Leon smiled silently.
An hour later, Seth reluctantly opened his eyes; the magical fluctuations around him were already at the level of a fifth-level apprentice mage.
His Mana Seed had revived, and it was even purer than before. Plus, the mana here was frighteningly dense, making meditation extremely efficient. Just an hour of meditation had allowed Seth to reach the fifth-level apprentice mage.
Feeling the weak mana surging inside him, Seth's eyes grew red.
This joy of being reborn, compared to the pain and despair from two hours ago, made Seth feel as if he were dreaming.
Especially feeling the mana inside him continually growing, Seth knew very well that in just four or five months, he would fully recover his strength—back to what it was before!
He had already gone through this once before; repeating the process now would be effortless, just a matter of time.
Just four or five months—as long as he could recover, even four or five years would be worth it.
Seth felt a sour ache in his heart, as if a force was pressing against his chest—he wanted to cry his heart out to release it. Not only had his Mana Seed returned, but there was hope he could go even further...
Seth suppressed his urge to keep breaking through, hurried over to Leon, and couldn't help but grab Leon's arm, his lips trembling.
“Lord Merlin, I... I really don’t know what to say. You’ve given me a new life...”
As he spoke, Seth choked up. Thinking of his former self, he felt he’d been such a fool. Merlin may be young, but he’s truly a great person—a genuinely good man.
He used to think Leon was just a fallen scion of the Merlin Family, never properly taught, a nouveau riche who’d used gold coins to force his way into the family.
But now, looking at it, if the Merlin Family really raised geniuses from childhood, could they have produced someone this remarkable? Could any of their so-called prodigies compare to Leon Merlin?
Just look at what he’s done: at eighth-level Magus, he already had the strength of an eighth-level Title Archmage—and a strong one at that. Breaking through was as easy as eating or drinking. Others would rush to advance, but look at Leon: he was about to break through, yet held himself back.
No wonder he’s traveled so much, experienced so much, and is so knowledgeable—he knows the importance of a solid foundation.
Leon frowned slightly, watching Seth choke up and space out. He was a bit worried—had this guy lost his mind from joy and sorrow?
“Lord Seth, are you alright?”
Leon tentatively asked, and Seth snapped back to reality, looking at Leon with deep shame: “Lord Merlin, I’m truly sorry—I misjudged you...”
Just look—Lord Merlin is such a good person. He doesn’t even mention the conditions I agreed to before, and instead, he asks if I’m alright. I was so petty...
Leon was baffled by Seth’s behavior. He wondered if the guy’s brain had been scrambled by mana—one moment he wanted to cry, the next he seemed ashamed enough to want to die.
Leon shook his head. “Alright, let’s leave here for now. There’s still unfinished business on the Dauntless...”
Seth quickly nodded. He understood that his Mana Seed had only just revived—he couldn’t meditate for too long. The mana here was too rich, and rapid growth wasn’t good. Especially now, with this new beginning, he could correct past mistakes. He couldn’t waste such a good opportunity.
Leon led Andefa and the others out of the demi-plane. Meanwhile, the two ancestral spirits were still pestering the little wolf, trying to brainwash him.
Leon let out a cold chuckle, pulled out seven or eight mana crystals of over level twenty, and called out to the little wolf. The wolf cheered, instantly crossing over a hundred meters to leap into Leon’s arms.
“Here, take them—don’t eat too fast...”
The little wolf grinned from ear to ear, nuzzled Leon in a babyish voice, then ran off clutching the mana crystals. In the distance, the two ancestral spirits looked heartbroken.
Andefa gave a cold laugh, and all three of his faces spit at the same time.
“Pah! Two bumpkins—still trying to pull tricks? Next time we come in here, if a single blade of grass is missing, those two bumpkins will have to pay with a Soul Mana Crystal!”