Crack—
With a wave of her hand, space fractured before the Ancient One.
As usual, she opened the Mirror Dimension, intending to check on Qin Xiao.
But the moment she cast the spell—
something shocked her.
The dark energy she had been drawing from Dormammu's dimension—
surged entirely into the Mirror Dimension!
It was as if…
her body no longer needed that dark energy to sustain itself.
The realization stunned her.
"How is this possible…?"
She stepped into the Mirror Dimension.
But instead of going to find Qin Xiao—
she sat down cross-legged.
There were things she needed to reconsider.
Things she thought she had already understood.
The Age-Age Fruit had not significantly enhanced her combat power.
Her mastery of magic far surpassed what the fruit alone could offer.
And yet—
it brought an unexpected transformation.
For centuries, she had relied on dark magic to sustain her body.
Just like Pangborn used magic to walk—
he wasn't truly healed.
He was simply maintaining his ability through magic.
And because of that, he had no strength left for deeper study.
The Ancient One was the same.
She continuously drew upon Dormammu's power to preserve her vitality.
That was how she remained youthful for centuries.
If she slackened even slightly—
time would reclaim her.
That was also why faint signs of aging had begun to show.
She had tried, more than once, to sever her connection to Dormammu.
But the result was always the same—
she weakened.
And without a successor as Sorcerer Supreme,
she had no choice but to continue.
So she never stopped.
Not for a moment.
But now—
after consuming the Age-Age Fruit—
everything had changed.
At first, she thought the greatest gift was the feeling of "living again" when she looked into the mirror.
But only now did she realize—
that wasn't the true benefit.
Her body—
was now naturally maintained by the fruit's power.
She no longer needed dark energy to sustain herself.
That energy—
was now free to be used purely for magic.
She looked up at the Mirror Dimension.
It was larger than usual.
Because more magical energy had been poured into it.
"The Age-Age Fruit… has fundamentally changed me.
What if… I stop drawing power from the Dark Dimension entirely?"
She didn't hesitate.
She released the dark energy within her.
Crack—
Crack—
The vast Mirror Dimension began to shrink.
Without that power—
it collapsed to half its previous size.
And yet—
a smile spread across her face.
A genuine one.
"For the first time in centuries… I feel this light."
No dark energy.
No whispers from Dormammu.
No risk of being consumed.
She let go of everything—
and entered a deeper meditative state.
Her consciousness drifted through the cosmos.
Across endless space.
Then—
a presence turned its gaze upon her.
A vast, unfathomable awareness.
It was—
Eternity.
Time passed.
Eventually, her spirit returned.
"Time… Eternity… the future holds far more possibilities than I thought."
She stood.
Opened a portal.
And soon—
arrived at Qin Xiao's door.
Knock.
Qin Xiao opened it.
His brows were furrowed.
Something felt different.
The Ancient One looked the same as before—
but her presence had changed.
Before—
she was calm, noble…
but faintly touched by decay.
Now—
that same calm and nobility remained.
But there was something new.
Life.
Vitality.
The Age-Age Fruit…
could do this?
"I have consumed the Age-Age Fruit," the Ancient One said.
Qin Xiao already knew.
The system had told him.
But what he cared about was something else.
"Did it enhance your power?"
The Ancient One nodded.
"The fruit did not directly increase my strength.
But…"
She paused slightly.
"It has completely transformed me."
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