“What do you mean?” Alreis’s question struck Wude’s heart like a hammer. He was slightly unsure of her intent.

“So—you, Wude—as the master of this Ascendant Sovereign, shouldn’t you possess strength befitting your status?” Alreis blinked, sending him a cryptic look.

“Are you saying… there’s a way for me to get stronger?” A flicker of hope lit Wude’s eyes, then dimmed. “Sacrificing others’ lives or something? I’ve already said no to that!”

“What are you even thinking?” Alreis puffed her cheeks, genuinely offended. “How could I suggest that? Harming innocents is strictly forbidden—and strength gained that way shatters easily. Honestly, whether such rituals even exist today is doubtful…”

Seeing her reaction, Wude exhaled in relief, then leaned forward eagerly. “So… Alreis, you really have a method?”

As a transmigrator, Wude had longed for power. But unlike legendary predecessors—blessed with absurd physiques or destined to rise from “useless” to unstoppable—he was just ordinary. All he had was a Slave Contract, which granted him no personal growth. Still… a faint yearning for adventure lingered.

“Mmm~ I wasn’t going to tell you,” Alreis said, suddenly shifting into a tsundere tone. “But seeing you so down… this Ascendant Sovereign shall graciously enlighten you!”

Wude perked up his ears.

“Wude, you’ve been in this world over three years, right?”

“That’s right. Why?”

“Do you know of power beyond magic?”

“?! Power beyond magic?!” Wude froze. He’d once speculated—based on anime and novels from his world—about forces like *douqi* or *zhenqi*. But Lingyue, an Ascendant Sovereign, had firmly denied it.

“But Lingyue said this world only has pure magic! No ‘douqi’ or ‘zhenqi’!”

“*Douqi? Zhenqi?*” Alreis tilted her head, puzzled.

“Ah—just speculative terms from my world. Don’t overthink it. Our world had no supernatural abilities.” Wude realized she wouldn’t know these names.

Alreis frowned slightly. “It’s normal Lingyue doesn’t know. Honestly, it’d be strange if *this era’s* Ascendant Sovereigns did.”

“This era…” Wude studied her carefully. “Alreis, your age… could it be—” He quickly backtracked under her murderous glare. “Never mind.”

“Ahem!” Alreis cleared her throat. “Wude—what’s the most fundamental power of living beings?”

“The body’s own strength?” Wude recalled wild beasts he’d seen. Some emitted minor magic—like the crimson glow from that wild boar—but their true trait was rugged toughness. Their raw power was absurdly formidable.

“Exactly! Even if you haven’t seen it, some Colossal Beasts can challenge—and slay—Ascendant Sovereigns!”

“I’ve heard… Lingyue admitted she couldn’t defeat them.”

“And they resist *Forbidden Spells* with their bodies alone—*Ascendant Sovereign*-level Forbidden Spells.”

“What?!”

*(If “Innate Domain” marks an Ascendant Sovereign, “Forbidden Spell” is the Sage’s pinnacle art—the crystallization of a Sage’s magic.)*

“See? The mortal body holds immense potential!” Alreis declared.

“But… my body can hardly grow stronger…” Wude murmured.

Alreis knew he trained hard. Running a blacksmith shop demanded strength—he’d likely hit a plateau.

“You think *ordinary* training makes you strong?” Her disdain stung, but Wude endured it. *To grow stronger… I must.*

Alreis glanced at him, surprised he wasn’t angry. *Huh? I thought he’d discipline me… Wait—why do I feel disappointed? No! Unacceptable!*

“Hmm… Long ago, an organization called the Holy Church existed,” Alreis began carefully. “It fell centuries ago. But in the era of coexisting races, it was humanity’s strongest faction—and had a unique trait.”

“The Holy Church?! One of those ‘god’-worshipping groups?”

“Close enough. Unimportant. Their magical prowess helped humanity win the Great Race War.”

“What does this have to do with physical strength?”

“Let me finish.” Alreis noted how Wude—usually so composed while teasing her earlier—now seemed childishly eager.

“They theorized: use magic to forge the human body like raw iron, crafting flesh that withstands Ascendant Sovereigns. The project failed due to limits. Later, war consumed the Church. No one revived it.”

*(Alreis had lived the early part; the rest she glimpsed via Temporal Magic—unobscured by any Sovereign.)*

“Theoretically sound. They created bodies resisting Sixth Rank magic. But Seventh Rank? Impossible. Some call it the threshold between human and… *beyond*. Not ‘non-human species’—you know what I mean.”

“Mm. Seventh Rank’s leap places one outside ordinary humanity,” Wude nodded.

“Researchers blamed innate limits. Demonkin subjects reached Eighth Rank in tests—but Ninth Rank was too costly and dangerous to attempt. *Theoretically*, Demonkin could cross it…”

*…* Wude stayed silent. This was far beyond him.

“But that limit vanished with this new continent’s discovery.” A glint sparked in Alreis’s eyes.

“You know Ascendant Sovereigns constantly battle Colossal Beasts, right?”

“Yes… Though risking life just because beasts are dangerous feels unreasonable. Why never tell me, Lingyue…?”

Alreis smirked. “Because Colossal Beasts carry something every Sovereign craves!”

She reached into her spatial storage, withdrawing a gray bead wreathed in ashen mist. Her expression turned grave as she layered spatial distortions around it—a containment field. For a Sixth Rank like her, it was visibly taxing.

“What is this?” Wude asked.

“The culprit that drew the beasts. I never expected its aura to leak *inside* my storage.”

“Then why weren’t they drawn to our home?” Wude’s mind raced.

“…Your home was where Lingyue stayed. Her aura of Darkness masked it. Plus, she set protective wards around your house.”

“I see. Continue.”

“This bead comes from a Colossal Beast. Their strength likely stems from it. So… if one could harness this—” Alreis gave him a *you-know-what-I-mean* smile.

“I see! How exactly…?” Wude rubbed his hands together, barely containing his eagerness.

“Allow me to explain… step by step.”