From Wizard Apprentice to Conqueror of Myriad Worlds

The first step in improving Gale Needle—deconstructing the Thrusting Spirit Seal—went more smoothly than Mo Ning had anticipated.

After all, all it had to push was a single needle.

Compared to the Metal Flying Disc Stone Soul had demonstrated in class, the weight of a single needle was less than one percent of the disc’s.

This meant the redundant structures in the Spirit Seal, designed for "large-mass objects," could be drastically reduced.

Furthermore, Mo Ning had already studied every node and Energy Circuit of the Spirit Seal until he understood them completely.

Thus, after only an hour, three highly streamlined, simplified Spirit Seals were laid out before him.

The Eye of Truth immediately presented a stream of data:

[First simplified Spirit Seal: Stores Magic Power. Second: Converts Magic Power into thrust. Third: Provides directional control.]

[Compared to the original Thrusting Spirit Seal, the simplified Spirit Seals reduce Magic Power consumption by 99.2% and Mental Load by 98.3%.]

Mo Ning nodded in satisfaction. "This will do for now."

He stopped there.

Lunchtime had arrived.

The Noble Lady had also sent him an invitation to "dine together."

Mo Ning walked out of his apartment and saw Anya and Reina standing in their "usual spot."

He noted with some resignation that, thanks to the Noble Lady’s deliberate and not-so-deliberate matchmaking, their little three-person team seemed to be solidifying.

Anya had probably gotten to know the Dazed Girl better in private and come to acknowledge her strength.

Mo Ning tacitly went along with it, not stopping the Noble Lady.

In the cafeteria.

The trio witnessed quite a scene.

Two rookies who had paid protection fees were carrying their trays. Just as they sat down at an empty table, a rough shout came from nearby:

"Get lost! Don’t stand there eavesdropping on us!"

The speaker was Gang Luo, serial number 036—one of the so-called "Strong Persons" among the new recruits.

He was sitting with two teammates at an adjacent table.

The two rookies’ faces instantly flushed red, and they stood there, at a loss for what to do.

One of the rookies gritted his teeth and shouted in righteous indignation, "We’re under the protection of the Battle Group! You have no right to make us leave."

Gang Luo’s expression flickered. He muttered a curse—"Damned Sitt"—then got up and left with his teammates.

A buzz immediately swept through the cafeteria.

Mo Ning and the others exchanged glances. They all knew it was just a show.

Reina secretly gave Mo Ning a thumbs-up, her face filled with an admiration that seemed to say, ’You were right on the money.’

This was because Mo Ning had predicted that the Battle Group would secretly orchestrate conflicts to serve as living advertisements, convincing more rookies to pay for protection.

And now, his prediction had come true.

*****

After finishing their meal.

Mo Ning returned to apartment 804. Without even warming his seat, he dove headfirst back into his calculations.

Soon, the initial structural framework for the new Witchcraft’s Divination model was established.

Back in the cafeteria, the Eye of Truth had been running nonstop, racing against the clock with its calculations.

Mo Ning’s Ink Tube Pen danced across the paper, fluidly sketching out the Divination framework stroke by stroke.

This was a necessary intermediate step, and also "evidence" for his Supervisor.

Making such a major change to a Witchcraft’s structure required establishing a Divination framework first.

With a flicker of intent, Mo Ning summoned another vision.

A third screen of light materialized, displaying the Divination Model for Gale Needle—six simplified Spirit Seals arranged in a staggered, yet orderly, fashion.

The three simplified Spirit Seals from the first screen transformed into three shooting stars and leaped into the third.

Integrating the simplified Spirit Seals into the Divination Model was the second step.

It was also the most critical and challenging part of the process.

Mo Ning issued a mental command: ’Begin the calculation!’

A torrent of data instantly flooded the bottom of the screen.

Integrating the three simplified Spirit Seals into the model was nothing like simply snapping together building blocks.

Magic Power Spectrum, Spiritual Spectrum, Spiritual Flow Transformation, Magic Phase, Magic Disturbance... dozens of Divination variables had to be considered at once.

An error in a single variable would mean the model’s construction had failed.

Even if it could be forced to run, its power would be far below expectations.

This also meant the calculations were both immense in volume and extremely difficult.

But the tip of Mo Ning’s pen never paused.

His Ink Tube Pen flew across the paper, listing one variable after another around the framework as if he didn’t need to think at all.

*****

「Deep within the Black Tower.」

「In the Observation Room.」

"Does this kid even need to think?"

The Sharp-eared Female Apprentice, Nasha, whispered, her face a mask of astonishment.

She had personally witnessed Mo Ning list a full seventy-three Divination variables on the scale pattern paper at a ridiculous speed.

When Nasha had first seen the framework containing nine simplified Spirit Seals, she had been highly skeptical that Mo Ning could complete the project.

Optimizing and improving a Level Zero Witchcraft wasn’t much more complex than this project to modify Gale Needle.

Strictly speaking, the two were on roughly the same level of difficulty.

She had leaned toward a negative answer.

But when Nasha saw Mo Ning write down seventy-three Divination variables in one breath, without the slightest pause, her certainty began to waver.

’So fast!’

’Such an astonishing writing speed represents an equally astonishing thought process. With a performance like this, he’s definitely a ’Strong Person’ in the Divination Domain.’

It was just as her mentor, Yi Lin, had said: "Don’t use your own pathetic level of Divination to measure a true Strong Person. You can never imagine their limits."

The Female Apprentice adjusted her viewpoint. ’Maybe if you give the kid two or three months, he could actually finish this project.’

But as for the word "innovative" in the project’s title, the Female Apprentice remained skeptical.

In the crystal ball.

The tip of the Ink Tube Pen suddenly paused.

Nasha said softly, "To unify so many variables and express them with the proper Divination Formulas... Hmm, let me think..."

Nasha pondered for a moment before whispering, "He’ll need at least fifteen formulas, maybe even twenty. The kid won’t get anywhere unless he mulls it over for a few days."

Selecting the most suitable formulas from the vast sea of possibilities was a true test of a researcher’s skill in Divination.

The Female Apprentice figured that if she were to take on this task, it would take her half a month at the very least.

It was only because the kid had that enviable Silver Pen Badge that she "slashed" her estimate down to "a few days."

To be more precise, she felt about five days was a more reasonable estimate.

However, a mere ten minutes later, the Ink Tube Pen in the crystal ball once again began to fly across the page like a dragon in flight.

Nasha noticed immediately and muttered in astonishment, "That’s way too fast, isn’t it?"

One Divination Formula after another poured from the tip of his pen, lining up neatly on the right side of the paper.

A straight line extended from each formula—as crisp and direct as if drawn with a ruler—connecting precisely to several variables on the left.

Despite being hand-drawn, it gave off an impression of unusual precision.

The Sharp-eared Female Apprentice stared intently at the crystal ball, trying to identify the symbols appearing in rapid succession.

"The first one is... Cato’s Linked Ring Collection? Hmm, that’s mainly for object manipulation, and this project is about Flying Needle Manipulation..."

She paused, then commented in a low voice, "That choice is... standard, I suppose. Nothing special."

The words had barely left her lips when the fourth formula "landed" on the page.

Nasha was left speechless. "This kid is a monster."

Regardless of the quality of his choices, his speed alone was staggering.

Her gaze fell on the second formula, and her brow furrowed slightly.

This one, she didn’t understand.

"This looks like the Beta Discrete Streamline Calculation Method. I remember this formula is mainly used to calculate the Magic Power energy levels for Elemental Faction Witchcraft. Using it for Gale Needle..."

She was about to say it was "unsuitable," but as the words reached her lips, her mentor’s advice suddenly surfaced in her mind.

The Female Apprentice changed her tune. "It’s strange to use it here."

The third and fourth formulas were also "strange" in this context; or rather, she couldn’t understand the reasoning behind their use.

The fifth formula she finally understood—a classic equation she had once seen in an old tome, used for calculating the decay of Magic Disturbance.

At that moment, Nasha faintly realized that the level of Divination being demonstrated had already completely surpassed her own capabilities.

’If I can’t even understand why he chose these formulas, what the hell am I even watching?’

The Female Apprentice made a decisive choice: call for backup.

She muttered to herself, "The mentor has always paid close attention to this kid. She might be interested in this calculation."

Nasha immediately pulled the Rose Silver Mirror from an inner pocket of her gray robe and sent a message to her mentor.

"Dear Mentor, Mo Ning is performing a major modification to the Sub-zero Level Trick, Gale Needle—one that’s practically a complete overhaul. I’m having trouble following his thought process."

Her words were laden with subtext.

Gale Needle—a Trick that most rookies struggle to master.

A major modification constituting a complete overhaul—a project far beyond the capabilities of a rookie, or even most Apprentices.

I can’t understand it—meaning even a Third Level Apprentice’s skills seem to fall short of his.

’This is an incredible event. Dear Mentor, are you really not interested?’

Nasha was confident that as long as her mentor wasn’t occupied with something important, she would definitely take a moment to look.

And sure enough.

After only three seconds, the Rose Silver Mirror began to change. A crimson line appeared in the center of its surface, and a rosebud "grew" forth from the mirror’s depths.

The Sharp-eared Female Apprentice grumbled inwardly, ’Every time Mo Ning is involved, the mentor is always especially fast.’

Outwardly, however, her expression remained placid as she respectfully lowered her gaze. "Mentor!"

The rose bloomed rapidly, its flowing red light coalescing into the face of a bald woman.

Her face was exquisite and severe. Her left eye was an intricately structured mechanical eye, a blue light slowly revolving within it, making it exceptionally striking.

Yi Lin, the Second Level Wizard, had arrived.

Yi Lin glanced at Nasha without saying a word. Her gaze immediately shot past the Female Apprentice, locking onto the crystal ball that showed Mo Ning.

The mechanical eye began to vibrate at a high frequency, the blue light within swirling faster and faster, as if it were reading every shred of information in the crystal ball.

Nasha didn’t mind her mentor’s cold demeanor.

She knew Yi Lin all too well. Her mentor treated everyone this way—no, there was one exception.

The Female Apprentice glanced at the figure in the crystal ball, a hint of jealousy welling up inside her. ’With Mo Ning, it’s completely different.’

In the crystal ball, the tip of the Ink Tube Pen came to a stop. Sixteen Divination Formulas were now neatly arranged on the paper.

Yi Lin stared intently for several seconds. The vibration of her mechanical eye grew faster and faster until the blue light within it blurred into a solid stream.

Then, the Second Level Wizard finally broke the silence. "Interesting."

Nasha’s turquoise pupils dilated, flashing with utter shock.

The mentor actually said it was ’interesting’!!

She had followed Yi Lin for so many years but had never once heard her mentor use that word to evaluate an Apprentice’s research.

The Female Apprentice instantly understood. Mo Ning’s line of thinking was highly viable; there was a very high probability he would successfully complete the project.

After all, one of the top Second Level Wizards, who was also one of the "three giants" of the Rose Council, would never make a misjudgment.

Nasha’s understanding of the world took a significant blow. ’A Witchcraft modification project nearly as complex as creating a Level Zero Witchcraft, and this kid found the right path in just an hour?’

It was unbelievable!

The Female Apprentice couldn’t help but ask a critical question. "Mentor, can Mo Ning even solve such a complex system of Divination equations?"

She asked herself honestly: if it were her, spending half a year trying to solve that system of equations would be normal. It wouldn’t even be surprising if she couldn’t solve it at all.

It wasn’t just her. The result wouldn’t be much different for any of the other Third Level Apprentices at the academy.

This was because as Witchcraft structures grew more complex, the computational workload increased exponentially.

One person working alone was simply not enough to handle it, which was why Wizards were forced to start working in "teams."

This took the form of "research groups," with multiple Wizards or Apprentices collaborating on a single project.

Each person would take on a portion of the work, which vastly improved efficiency.