From Wizard Apprentice to Conqueror of Myriad Worlds

「Five minutes later.」

Mo Ning gently set down the manuscript in his hands.

He muttered to himself, "The Magic Mark should have more room for optimization, but it’ll require more data to support it."

Flower interjected at the perfect moment, "Mr. Mo Ning, your derivation of the Magic Mark is brilliant. I’m sure the reviewing Wizards will love it when you submit your research paper."

Mo Ning couldn’t help but smile. "Yes."

He knew exactly what the Artificial Soul meant by ’derivation is brilliant.’

It meant that the creation of the Magic Mark was based entirely on the results of Secret Divination.

The process was divided into three steps:

First, using the original Breathing Technique as a blueprint, determine the preset target values—the desired outcome—through Divination calculations.

Second, starting from the target values, use pure Divination derivation, combined with a large amount of experimental data, to determine a series of Divination Parameters and boundary conditions.

Third, using the Divination Parameters and boundary conditions as constraints, perform another round of more complex Divination calculations to finally obtain the Divination Model for the Magic Mark.

In short, it was a practical application guided 100% by Divination.

To Wizards, this was the purest form of Divination research. It was the Academy’s most favored research method and the lifelong pursuit of countless Wizards.

Another pioneer of the Era of Secret Divination, Lord Noah, who was also the first Wizard to ascend to the Legendary Tier, once said something that influenced countless people: "All things are Divination."

Simply put, generations of Wizards had striven to achieve one thing: to explain everything in the universe through Divination.

From the flow of Magic Power to the structure of a Spirit Seal, from the changes in the spirit to the essence of the soul, from the passage of time to the folding of space—everything could be described by Divination, everything could be expressed by a formula.

And Mo Ning’s derivation of the Magic Mark fit this philosophy perfectly.

Every step began with Divination and ended with Divination, like a perfect ring of Divination.

In contrast, most Witchcraft research projects relied on empirical conclusions for certain aspects, such as a specific boundary condition or certain Divination Parameters.

Their Divination "purity" reached 98% or 99%, but they were still a long way from being the "purest form of Divination research."

Mo Ning had once read a resentful passage in a journal left behind by a First Level Wizard:

"Those guys (note: referring to the three councils of the Black Tower Academy), their obsession with Secret Divination has reached an incomprehensible level.

"If you talk about experience in your paper, they’ll drone on and on about how experience is unreliable and unquantifiable.

"They’ll also say that the language of research must possess the key element of ’precision,’ and that experience isn’t precise, as different people have different experiences.

"I have to say, this argument is too arbitrary, too one-sided, and too extreme.

"Are we supposed to run a full set of Secret Divination calculations before fighting those reeking Dark Wizards?

"No! Only an idiot would do that.

"Even a child knows that on a real, life-or-death battlefield, a Wizard fights by relying entirely on experience.

"When both sides are of equal strength, whoever has more experience is the one who gets to go home alive."

Although the First Level Wizard had complained bitterly in his journal, it revealed a harsh truth: Wizards did not like experience.

They preferred to use Divination as a "ruler" to "measure" the world.

That was why Mo Ning was also confident that the derivation process for the Magic Mark would receive high praise from the reviewing Wizards.

Even if the Magic Mark’s Effect was relatively weak, the Academy’s evaluation wouldn’t be low.

After a moment’s thought, Mo Ning gave his first command. "Flower, bring me the high-Quality Calming Ointment, Calming Oil, and Golden Kui Essential Oil from the bedroom."

He planned to perform the first test of the High Mountain Magic Breath Technique.

It was both a test and a training session.

The high-Quality Calming Ointment was the reward for his Wind Chasing Needle paper, which had received a Star Badge Third Level evaluation.

Compared to ordinary Magic Potions, this jar of ointment had a surprising property: it could slightly increase the upper limit of one’s Spiritual Strength.

When Mo Ning first received this high-Quality Magic Potion, he’d had a strange intuition that using it in conjunction with a Breathing Technique might yield unexpected results.

"Understood!"

The Artificial Soul responded instantly.

The bedroom door opened automatically. Held by an invisible hand, three vials of Magic Potions flew out from the depths of the bedroom, passed through the doorway, zipped across the hall, and shot toward the wooden table in front of Mo Ning.

Just before landing on the tabletop, the potions slowed drastically, finally settling on the wooden table as gently as falling feathers, making barely a sound.

"Mr. Mo Ning, are you planning to use the power of the Magic Potions to collect data on the High Mountain Magic Breath Technique?"

There was a hint of curiosity in Flower’s voice.

Her guess was spot on, which clearly indicated a wealth of knowledge.

"Mm," Mo Ning said. "That’s right!"

He was becoming convinced that the greatest reward Lord Martin had arranged in the hidden assessment was not the Radiant Spirit Lamp or Walking into the Painting, but the Artificial Soul in the Cabin in the Woods.

Flower’s next words held a hint of eagerness:

"Should I apply the Magic Potions for you? I can spread them very evenly to ensure optimal absorption."

Wanting to test her limits, Mo Ning readily agreed. "Alright, you can do it."

Flower clearly had a deep understanding of how to use Magic Potions. The Calming Oil flew up first.

Mo Ning noticed this instantly, and his eyes flickered slightly.

He had only confirmed that applying the Calming Oil first was the best option after conducting his own experiments. He hadn’t expected Flower to know this from the start.

His estimation of the Artificial Soul quietly rose another level.