Chapter 9

Chapter nine : 

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After returning to her room, Mai couldn't leave the thought that something was wrong with her body. She started pacing back and forth, lost in her confused thoughts. She wondered, "Maybe... using magic in this world is different from what I know?" 

When you set a starting point, ideas flow. 

Mai decided to look for answers in her grandfather's library, but getting in wasn't that easy. She went to look for him in his room, it was already late in the evening, but she couldn't find him, so she turned to Stella, who refused when she knew she wanted to search for magic and mana. 

Mai was upset and left with only one option, sneaking out. But there was one problem, Mai couldn't read or write. She knew this from her memories that she had regained this morning so she had to drag Irin along to read to her. 

Irin can already read even though they are the same age, 3; she just doesn't have mana so it's unlikely that she would know the answer to her own question, well it's not that she doesn't have any but she refused to attend the awakening ceremony because she saw it as a waste of time, she'll unlock her mana naturally later. This made her feel that convincing her would be difficult and to her shock Irin agreed, only postponing the library visit until tomorrow. 

The next morning, Mai headed to Irin's lab and was waiting for her, so they went together to the library. 

They managed to get in through one of the side windows and were surprised by its size. 

The air in the library was filled with the smell of old paper, 

And piles of books are spread in every corner of it. It is a place full of old books, and among them there are books that tell about magic and even myths. 

After hours of research and flipping through the pages, as Irin explained to her, she discovered that the methods of using magic in this world are very primitive.

They are limited to using the mage's mana from the heart of the mana to embody spells in reality and rely on chanting; while these methods have become a thing of the past in her life as a dark elf and a small part of the mage's mana is now used to control the mana in nature, instead of consuming it to the point of drying up, and although it does not compare to the ability of the original nature mage, it is useful.

Of course, chanting was used in the past, but many researches were conducted and it was developed as she gained experience in the methods of using magic such as chanting spells quickly and when changing the vocabulary of the spell, the result also changes. She learned to cast spells without chanting or speaking, relying on visualization. 

She also had experience in using ancient magic where the affinity of the elements did not matter and they could all be used, as well as non-elemental magic which consisted of pure mana without elements. 

There was also the method of acquiring external mana to form rings around the heart, which became a classification system for magicians based on the number of mana rings, and it was widespread for a long time. 

Her previous world was rich in magic methods and theories, unlike this world which seemed modest in comparison. She felt disappointed, she had already tried this simple method, she couldn't forget the basics and it didn't work. 

'What do I do if mana itself doesn't respond to me?'

She thought with frustration 

When Irin saw the tension in her features, she decided to stop reading magic books and picked up one of the books lying on the floor. 

"What is this?" Mai asked. 

"Umm?... This is the story of the immortal path." 

Mai looked expectantly, Irin laughed and started reading the legend. 

"Once upon a time, in the Three Thousand Worlds, where the pursuit of eternal power never ceased, there was a human struggling for the chance to achieve immortality by learning immortal cultivation methods. 

He ascended from the mortal world, where humans and weak creatures who had been abandoned by the heavens above lived, the mortal world where resources were scarce and conflicts were frequent; he arrived at the middle world, where great cultivators and ferocious beasts resided, the world where conflicts for better resources were no less fierce; and his journey continued to the immortal heavenly world; where true immortals and immortal rulers gathered. 

The journey of cultivation begins with a sense of the soul essence and a deep understanding of the material world, where the basic elements of the universe are in harmony, and cultivators focus their spiritual energy to strengthen their body and soul and expand their consciousness. Cultivators ascend from one stage to another as they change from mortal to semi-immortal. But immortal cultivation is not limited to physical strength, it also requires a deep awareness of the present moment and an understanding of the eternal cycle of nature.

In this world, pain is an integral part of the process of change and growth. A cultivator cannot evolve without going through pain and hard trials, because pain is what purifies the soul and makes it stronger and more resilient. In order to attain immortality, a cultivator must learn unity, that is, to become one with everything around him - with the elements, with the universe, and with himself.

But cultivators who seek immortality must rid themselves of all impurity in their souls, as any impure part may hinder their development. True cultivation is only possible when the cultivator can maintain purity of heart and mind. 

After Irin finished reading the tale, Mai felt a mixture of curiosity and frustration. This story of immortal cultivation wasn't just a myth to her; it reminded her of aspects of her old world, when she was a half-dragon, where greedy humans had used her as an experiment to research the secret of immortality. 

Mai exclaimed in shock and excitement, " Immortal cultivation! It's... it's..." But as she continued speaking, her voice gradually faded until it was barely audible, as she mumbled in disbelief, "Here too? Impossible... how could that be?" 

Then Irin's irony interrupted her: 

"Really, how can this be true. Forget about those complicated puzzles, there's no way to achieve immortality."

That made Mai think; ever since she came into this world, she had thought so in her heart too, but... 

"Can these methods be used here as well? I thought the rules were different since I'm in a different world. I've experienced magic and witnessed immortal cultivation. I've lived in a world that doesn't have either of those as well, so why wouldn't these powers exist together in the same world? Why wouldn't other powers exist as well?"