Sefina’s birthday had clearly passed a long time ago. In the memories of that birthday, there was the sweet scent of cake and the clumsy yet sincere blessings of the students, warm and lively…
But the latter half had taken a sharp turn for the worse due to a fierce backlash from a magic modification, becoming absurd and awkward.
It was something Sefina still found difficult to let go of. She estimated that every time she thought back on it in the future, time would seem exceptionally long.
However, life eventually had to return to its established track.
That morning, the classroom for the elemental magic class was still bathed in the bright light pouring through the tall windows.
The room was quiet, with only Sefina’s cold and steady voice echoing, occasionally interspersed with the rustling of quills moving across parchment.
Sefina stood on the podium, wearing a deep blue button-down coat. Her burgundy eyes calmly scanned the faces below. There was no superfluous expression on her face; everything was the same as any other day.
“Today, we will explain the basic principles of mana cultivation and the magic tier system commonly used on the Continent.”
Sefina went straight to the point without any unnecessary pleasantries.
“As everyone knows, mages are generally divided into several clear ranks, from Tier 1 to Tier 9. The higher the rank, the stronger the power, representing the ability to control more profound and powerful magic.”
As she spoke, she raised her hand and used mana to outline several increasing numbers in the air. The symbols, composed of light and shadow, were clearly visible.
“The core criterion for judging a mage’s level is actually very simple — it lies in whether you can stably release magic belonging to that level.”
Sefina paused for a moment to give the students time to process, her slender finger lightly tapping the illusory numbers in the air.
“To successfully release a spell, two basic conditions must be met. First, during the casting process, the corresponding Array structure must be constructed accurately. This requires a great deal of study, memorization, and practice. Second…”
Sefina emphasized her tone, as this was the focus of the lesson.
“Possessing a mana total and density sufficient to support the release of that magic.”
“Therefore, on a mage’s path of cultivation, the two core focuses are the study of Array knowledge and the improvement of mana density,” Sefina summarized.
A student raised a hand to ask a question. “Teacher Sefina, we can study Arrays through books and practice, but what does mana density specifically refer to? And how can we improve it?”
Sefina nodded slightly and signaled for the student to sit down.
“Mana density, intuitively speaking, refers to the energy intensity contained in a unit volume of your mana. It is an important standard for measuring the depth of a mage’s cultivation.”
Sefina walked to the edge of the podium, her gaze calm.
“Assume two mages of the same rank release the same offensive spell. Typically, the one with a higher mana density will have greater power and even superior penetration capabilities.”
“As for how to increase mana density…” Her voice was steady, but it carried a tone that guided their thinking. “I can summarize it in one word — compression.”
She gestured to the students below. “Now, you can try to close your eyes, calm your mind, and carefully sense the mana flowing through your body. Imagine its form — what does it look like?”
The students closed their eyes as instructed, and the classroom became even quieter. After a moment, a student spoke in a low, uncertain voice.
“Teacher… I feel… it’s like a cloud of warm gas, flowing through my body…”
The voice was exceptionally clear in the silent classroom.
“Correct,” Sefina affirmed. “For the vast majority of Tier 1 to Tier 2 mages, the form of mana in their bodies is exactly as this student described — it is closer to a gaseous state.”
Her voice resonated clearly in the quiet room. Sefina began to use a more vivid metaphor to explain.
“We can imagine everyone’s body as a sealed container with a fixed capacity. The process of cultivation is like constantly injecting gas into this container.”
“In the early stages, you absorb external mana elements through meditation to increase the amount of gas in the container. This directly increases your mana total, which is the increase in your rank, from Tier 1 to Tier 2, and then to Tier 3.”
“However, the capacity of the container is limited.”
Sefina changed the subject, looking at the students’ focused eyes before continuing.
“When the gas increases to a certain extent, the pressure inside the container will increase. But if you continue to simply inject more, the efficiency will become lower and lower, and it may even be difficult to make any further progress.”
“This is also one of the reasons why many people encounter a bottleneck at the peak of Tier 2.”
Sefina looked around the classroom. Most of the students showed thoughtful expressions.
Currently, most of the students in the class were at a level between early and mid-Tier 2, and the mana form in their bodies was precisely this gaseous state.
“However, from Tier 4 onward, the situation will be completely different.”
A trace of solemnity entered Sefina’s voice. She raised her palm, and her hand moved slightly.
A droplet of light blue liquid, shimmering with a soft glow, slowly condensed and took shape above her palm.
It was not composed of water elements; the pure energy fluctuations clearly told everyone that this was a drop of highly concentrated liquid mana.
“This is the representative mana form for Tier 4 to Tier 6 mages — the liquid state.”
Sefina held the drop of liquid mana, letting it slowly float and rotate.
“Compared to the gaseous state, liquid mana contains energy that grows geometrically within the same volume.”
“This means that in the fixed ‘container’ of your body, if you can transform gaseous mana into liquid, your total mana volume and density will achieve a qualitative leap.”
Sefina’s gaze swept over the students, who looked enlightened or solemn.
“Many people will remain stagnant at this stage for many years, and some may never break through in their entire lives. This is because it is not a simple accumulation of quantity, but a true metamorphosis.”
“Gaseous mana might be able to barely release some low-level Tier 4 magic through high pressure or technique, but to easily and stably cast spells of Tier 4 and above, liquid mana is almost a necessity.”
“Therefore, how to compress the ‘gas’ in your body into ‘liquid’ will be the top priority on your future path of cultivation.”
Sefina ended her explanation of mana forms, and the liquid mana on her palm quietly dissipated.
“As for Tier 7 and above…” She paused slightly, seeing the curiosity and inquiry flashing in the students’ eyes, but she only said faintly, “Their mana forms are even more special. It is still too far away for you, so we will not mention it today.”
Sefina walked back to the center of the podium and clapped her hands lightly, pulling everyone’s attention back.
“That is all for the theoretical knowledge today. Next…”
At that moment, Sefina’s gaze inadvertently swept toward a corner of the classroom. There, Ellaria was slightly lowering her head, quietly looking at the tabletop.
Starting from several days ago, Sefina had vaguely sensed that this child… seemed to be avoiding direct contact and eye contact with her for no apparent reason.
She no longer appeared near her at the perfect moments like she used to.
This feeling was all too familiar.
It was just like those shy young girls from her student days — they had a crush in their hearts, but because of shyness, cowardice, or other reasons, they didn’t dare face it directly.
They could only pay attention in secret, and once discovered, they would immediately look away…
A trace of emotion that Sefina hadn’t even scrutinized herself flashed through her heart, but on the surface, she remained calm. She announced the news that instantly made the students’ nerves tense in her usual cold tone.
“Next, we will have a pop quiz.”