The Extra's Rise-Chapter 194: Seraphina Zenith (2)

We climbed into the luxury car that Seraphina and Li had arrived in. It was sleek, high-tech, and effortlessly expensive—the kind of vehicle that made absolutely no sound when it moved, yet still managed to hum with the quiet promise of sheer, unrestrained power beneath the hood.

Of course, they had come alone.

With Li Zenith—a high Immortal-ranker, ranked in the top forty in the entire world—there was little need for bodyguards. The only reason anyone would even attempt to attack him would be if they had developed a sudden and overwhelming desire to die.

As the car smoothly pulled away from the airport, Li turned to me.

"Arthur, I wanted to ask you something."

I nodded, waiting.

"Against Lucifer," he said, his tone thoughtful, "you hesitated when he unlocked his second Gift."

I nodded again. It wasn’t something I was particularly proud of, but it had happened.

When Lucifer had activated his second Gift, I had felt it—a moment of uncertainty, sharp and paralyzing. Because in that instant, when his power had surged, something inside me had nearly cracked.

Because I didn’t know how to win.

"I almost gave up," I admitted. "I was forced back. I didn’t have an answer."

Li listened, his expression unreadable, as always.

"The problem was my Lich," I continued. "If I used him, I couldn’t use light mana."

Which, against Lucifer, was a serious problem.

Li nodded. "Only light and dark mana can hope to counter his white and black mana."

"Exactly."

Lucent Harmony had boosted my abilities, but it wasn’t enough. Against Lucifer, the lesser elements just didn’t cut it. His black and white mana existed on a different level—an ascended version of normal elements, beyond mere fire, water, earth, or wind.

Which left me with a conundrum.

If I abandoned light mana entirely, I could use Erebus properly—could wield my dark mana without restriction. But that wouldn’t change the outcome. The result would still be the same.

"I needed to use them together," I said. "And in that moment, I understood how. I couldn’t before."

Li studied me for a long moment before nodding. "Because there was no danger."

I met his gaze.

"Sometimes," he said, "a breakthrough only happens in danger."

I exhaled, leaning back against the seat.

He was right. Of course he was right.

Some things could only be learned when your life was on the line.

"So," Li said, settling back into his seat with the ease of someone who had long since mastered both power and patience. "What do you want to learn from me?"

"Second movement," I answered without hesitation. "I need a second movement for my Grade 6 art—something to balance God Flash. I’ll need it by the time I reach Integration-rank."

Li nodded, as if he’d expected as much. "And what do you think the second movement should be?"

"Power," I said immediately. "Overwhelming, destructive power. God Flash is primarily speed—it lets me move. I need something that strikes."

Li considered this for a moment, then gave a satisfied nod. "Good answer."

He tapped a finger against his armrest, thinking. "I have an idea for your training. Something that should help you develop exactly that."

That was promising.

"However," he continued, his gaze sharpening slightly, "this won’t be easy. Creating a second movement—especially one of destructive power—will take time. A long time. And you’re not even at Integration-rank yet."

I nodded. I wasn’t expecting it to be easy. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be worth doing.

Li exhaled. "The training is going to be very difficult," he warned.

He glanced at Seraphina.

"If it benefits Arthur," she said simply, "I don’t mind."

"Thanks for caring about me, Seraphina," I said with a small smile.

She blinked at me, expression unreadable. Then, in her usual, perfectly monotone voice, she replied,

"Of course."

"We’ve got a long drive ahead of us," Li said, stretching slightly as the car cruised smoothly along the road. "Let’s discuss this properly. Do you understand how you managed to turn God Flash into a Grade 6 movement?"

"Emotions," I answered without hesitation. "Conceptualizing emotions and embedding them into the specific arrangement of mana."

Li nodded. "Correct."

He tapped a thoughtful finger against the armrest. "There are two major ways to do this: positive and negative. You can channel virtues—benevolence, honor, resolve. Or you can draw from suffering—anger, grief, death. The key isn’t choosing good or bad—that’s meaningless. What matters is what resonates with you the most. What gives you power."

He looked at me carefully, gauging my understanding.

"This isn’t like the past, Arthur," he continued. "Negative emotions aren’t inherently bad, and positive emotions aren’t inherently good. It all depends on how you shape them."

I nodded slowly.

"For your training," he said, "we’ll begin with a discovery period. You’ll let various emotions flow through you, test them, see what clicks. Once you find the one that resonates—the one that works—we’ll refine it. Maximize it. You’ll get a concept, or at least something close to one."

His gaze sharpened. "And when you reach Integration-rank, that’s when you’ll forge your second movement."

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I leaned back, thinking.

Finding power in emotion, shaping it into something tangible… This wasn’t just about strength.

This was about becoming.

"This is a very complex process," Seraphina noted, her voice as measured as ever. "Much more than just learning a Grade 6 art."

"Of course," Li Zenith chuckled, the kind of chuckle that carried the weight of far too much wisdom and just a hint of condescension. "After all, to even attempt creating a Grade 6 art, you need Grade 6 talent. But to practice a Grade 6 art? You can scrape by with Grade 3 talent."

Seraphina raised an eyebrow.

"There’s a reason there are so few Grade 6 arts in the world," Li continued. "Right now, your mastery is still in its infancy. But one day, you’ll understand why they’re considered transcendent arts."

The drive continued in silence for a while after that, as I mulled over his words.

Soon enough, the Mount Hua Sect came into view. Nestled high in the mountains, it stood as a seamless fusion of ancient tradition and futuristic advancement—a place where stone pagodas and wooden training halls coexisted alongside mana-powered infrastructure and high-tech barriers that pulsed with barely contained energy.

As the self-driving car pulled to a stop, the three of us stepped out.

I breathed in the air, feeling the sharp, crisp mana flow through the very wind itself.

This was where I had spent a week before. Now, I’d be here much longer.

"With more time, you’ll make greater strides," Li said, watching me carefully. "From what I’ve seen, your Body aspect and Mind aspect are balanced—which is rare."

I stilled.

That wasn’t the first time I had heard that. Archmage Charlotte had said the same thing.

"So that means my talent for spellcasting and swordsmanship are the same?" I asked.

Li nodded. "Astoundingly enough, yes."

That was not normal.

"You have a Body aspect Gift in Lucent Harmony," Li continued, "but even then, your talent is evenly distributed. Which, frankly, is ridiculous, given your swordsmanship talent is already Grade 6."

I frowned. "Then what does that mean for me?"

Li shrugged. "Well, I’m not a spellcaster. But if you’re looking for an answer? It means you have the potential to redefine the current paradigms in spellcasting."

I exhaled slowly. No pressure, then.

"That being said," Li added, stretching, "spellcasting and martial arts are fundamentally different. You’ll have to figure that part out yourself. For now, Seraphina, take Arthur to get settled in before training begins."

"Okay," Seraphina said.

As she moved past me, her hand barely brushed against mine—so lightly it could have been accidental.

But Seraphina Zenith didn’t do accidents.

"Follow me," she said, as if nothing had happened.

I nodded and fell into step beside her.

"You’re staying in my living quarters," she continued. "I have multiple rooms, and you’ll take one of them. I don’t want you dealing with the other disciples."

"Thanks, Sera," I said, smiling.

She gave a slight nod, leading me through the sect grounds until we arrived at her residence—a three-story house that somehow managed to feel both modern and timeless at the same time. Traditional architecture blended seamlessly with advanced technology—paper lanterns floated in midair, subtly powered by mana currents, while sleek, high-efficiency lighting illuminated the pathways in soft, warm glows.

Inside, she gave me a quick tour, showing me everything from the expansive training hall to the minimalist yet luxurious rooms.

Then, we stopped outside a small courtyard.

A koi pond rested in the center, its water impossibly clear, reflecting the sky above like a perfect mirror. A plum blossom tree stood at its edge, its delicate pink petals occasionally drifting down into the water.

Seraphina stood beside it, gazing at the pond.

"The water here is very cold," she said, her voice softer than usual. "I like it."

I glanced at her. She wasn’t looking at me, but I could tell there was more to that statement than just a casual remark about pond temperatures.

But this was Seraphina. She would say more when she was ready.

For now, I simply nodded. "It suits you."