Gaode once again entered a state of Meditation, his mind immersing into the Magic Star Sea.
The first Star Seed was successfully fixed in place to serve as the origin point.
Capturing the second Star Seed and beginning to move it to coordinates (4/3, 1, 1/4).
Capturing the third Star Seed and beginning to move it to coordinates (2, 3/2, -1/4)...
The second Star Seed drifted, its coordinates shifting to (4/3, 9/8, 1/4). Correcting the position of the second Star Seed...
Correction complete.
Fourth Star Seed, coordinates...
The third Star Seed drifted. Beginning correction... Correction complete.
"Oh no, I was so focused on the third Star Seed that the first one drifted..." Gaode thought.
The position of the first Star Seed had drifted... Attempting to correct its position... Abandoning correction. Failure.
Gaode exited his Meditation state somewhat disheartened. He rubbed his brow to gather his wits while pondering the issue. Originally, the construction of this Magic Model was proceeding smoothly according to his expectations. However, when the first Star Seed drifted, it forced him to abort the attempt. A problem he hadn't considered before had surfaced.
The first Star Seed acted as the origin point, and the coordinates of all other Star Seeds were established based on it. While the other Star Seeds could be corrected by referencing the origin when they drifted, what would happen if the first Star Seed's position drifted?
The first Star Seed itself had no reference point and could not be positionally corrected like the others. Although he could technically reverse-engineer the location of (0, 0, 0) based on the coordinates of the other non-drifted Star Seeds, that presented a new issue: Without the origin reference, how could he guarantee that the positions of the other Star Seeds hadn't drifted as well? Wouldn't that mean he had to start all over again?
Gaode didn't give up on his idea because of this. If a problem arose, he just needed to solve it. No matter what, his approach to constructing Magic Models was still much more efficient than the original method. At the very least, he only needed to start over if the first Star Seed drifted. In any other scenario, he could continue constructing the Magic Model by promptly correcting the positions of the drifted Star Seeds.
But this exception alone made Gaode feel incredibly frustrated. It wouldn't be too bad if it were just Tricks. After all, the Magic Models for Tricks consisted of at most ten Star Seeds; starting over wasn't a huge deal. However, when it came to a First-Ring Spell or even a Second-Ring Spell, their Magic Models were composed of dozens or hundreds of Star Seeds. Having to start over after completing more than half of the work simply because the first Star Seed drifted would be utterly maddening.
"If only I could find a fixed point..." Gaode muttered.
But in the Magic Star Sea, there was absolutely nothing besides Magic Star Seeds and Magic Models. Since Magic Star Seeds were undoubtedly in constant, irregular motion, where could he possibly find a fixed point?
A fixed point, a fixed point...
"Wait!" In a flash of insight, Gaode caught onto a crucial detail. "The Magic Star Sea contains nothing but Star Seeds and Magic Models... That's for other people. But there's one more thing in my Magic Star Sea!"
His eyes suddenly brightened. Wind Spirit Moon Shadow! Yes, the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow.
Gaode didn't know the origins of the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, but it hovered there quietly and steadily at the very center of his Magic Star Sea, radiating a pure, bright glow. It was completely motionless. Was this not a ready-made origin point?
Gaode picked up his charcoal pencil and began to recalculate the coordinates for the nine nodes of the Acid Splash Magic Model.
With the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow as the new origin, the first Star Seed was no longer considered the origin point, and its coordinates were naturally no longer (0, 0, 0). Gaode set it at (1, 1, 1) to serve as an equidistant ruler for the Magic Model. Based on this, he derived the coordinates for the second Star Seed as (7/3, 2, 5/4), and the third Star Seed as...
Soon, the nine new coordinates were listed on his Magic Formula.
He spent a few minutes memorizing the nine arrays of three-dimensional coordinates once again. Fighting through the slight throbbing pain in his head, he entered the state of Meditation for the third time to construct the Acid Splash Magic Model.
Staring directly at the brightly glowing Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, he captured the first wandering Star Seed in its vicinity. Using the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow as a reference, the first Star Seed was successfully moved to the (1, 1, 1) position...
The second Star Seed to (7/3, 2, 5/4)...
The third Star Seed...
The fourth Star Seed...
The coordinates of the second Star Seed drifted. Beginning correction. Correction complete. Resuming capture of the fifth Star Seed...
The fifth Star Seed was successfully moved to its coordinate point... The first Star Seed drifted. Beginning correction...
Gaode fully immersed himself in constructing the Magic Model, much like solving an intriguing math problem. For a moment, he entered a state of absolute flow, completely oblivious to the throbbing headache caused by the depletion of his Spiritual Power.
The sixth Star Seed...
The seventh Star Seed...
The eighth Star Seed...
Correcting the drifted sixth Star Seed...
Moving the ninth Star Seed to its coordinate point... All nine Star Seeds were in position. Beginning connection...
Following the optimized steps, Gaode proceeded methodically, one step at a time. His Spiritual Power started from the first Star Seed, extending outward to connect with the second. Because the nine Star Seeds were already fixed in their positions, he didn't need to drag those disobedient little things around, making the speed of forming the Star Orbits exceptionally fast. In almost the blink of an eye, Gaode's Spiritual Power had linked the nine Star Seeds together.
In an instant, a stunning Star Orbit appeared among the nine brilliant Star Seeds. Radiating a faint starlight, this Star Orbit used the first Star Seed as its starting point, dragging out a long trail of brilliance that pierced through all nine Star Seeds. The Star Orbit was formed, and the Magic Model manifested! A brand new, constellation-like Magic Model appeared within Gaode's Magic Star Sea.
The exact moment the Magic Model was successfully constructed, Gaode sensed that he had grasped a miraculous power.
"It worked? It actually worked just like that?"
Even though he was confident that his optimized construction method was superior to the traditional approach, he hadn't expected it to go so smoothly. He had actually managed to successfully construct it on merely his second attempt.
Under normal circumstances, for a Magic Apprentice like him who hadn't been cultivating for long, mastering a Trick would take at least half a year, and up to a full year. Even for an experienced Mage Apprentice like Mage Seda, mastering a Trick required more than a month. Yet, the time he had spent was merely... one day!
This level of efficiency in learning Magic could only be achieved by an official Mage. But according to the Mage Level classifications, Gaode was currently still at the very bottom of the Mage Apprentices—a First-Class Apprentice.
The cultivation stage of a Mage Apprentice was divided into three tiers: First-Class Apprentice, Second-Class Apprentice, and Third-Class Apprentice. Compared to official Mages, the division of apprentice tiers was much simpler, determined solely by two metrics: Mana and Spiritual Power.
Take the apprentice Meditation Technique as an example. If the Meditation Technique manifested one petal of a lotus or more, and the caster could release one Trick, they were a First-Class Apprentice. If the Meditation Technique manifested an Eight-Petaled Lotus or more, and their Mana could support releasing five Tricks in one breath, they were a Second-Class Apprentice. If they manifested sixteen petals or more, and their Mana supported releasing twenty Tricks in one breath, they were a Third-Class Apprentice.
From this, it was easy to see that although both were Mage Apprentices, the gap in strength between a First-Class Apprentice and a Third-Class Apprentice was like the difference between heaven and earth.
"Let's test the effect!" Having successfully constructed a Magic Model and grasped Extraordinary Power for the first time, Gaode couldn't wait to try his new Magic.
"Acid Splash," he chanted silently in his mind.
At that moment, his Mana circulated, surging up from his lower abdomen in an instant before flowing into his Magic Star Sea. It raced along the tracks of the newly constructed Acid Splash Magic Model, transforming into a new force. It then surged out of his body, gathering in his right hand under Gaode's Guiding intent.
An acid sphere the size of a bowl suddenly materialized, hovering lightly within the palm of Gaode's right hand. With a swift wave of his hand, he sent it shooting toward a nearby corner of the wall.
SIZZLE!
The moment the sphere hit the corner, it burst open like a popped water balloon, splashing in all directions. Anything the acid touched was instantly corroded, emitting wisps of green smoke. This continued for about three seconds before the acid vanished as if evaporated, acting as though it had never been there at all.
However, both the scorch marks on the corner floor and the slight corrosive damage on the walls proved the destructive power of Acid Splash. If even wooden walls and stone floors couldn't fully withstand the acid, how could a human body possibly resist it?
"This is too fascinating!" Gaode marveled, filled with boundless delight and wonder.
Constructing a Magic Model was like solving a difficult math problem. Though the process was arduous and taxing, the thrill of finally finding the answer was absolutely addicting. And the positive feedback brought by successfully constructing a Magic Model was tens or even hundreds of times greater than solving a math equation—every Magic Model represented a brand new Extraordinary Power.
"Let's conquer the next Magic!" High on fighting spirit, Gaode was just about to continue constructing a new Magic Model. But at that very moment, his vision suddenly went black. His body swayed uncontrollably, nearly causing him to collapse. Right after, a hollow sense of vertigo and a sharp, throbbing pain pierced through his head.
"My Spiritual Power is overdrawn..." he realized in hindsight.
Building a Magic Model three times in one night had long since depleted his Spiritual Power. This level of exhaustion couldn't be recovered simply through Meditation; he needed real rest. Although he couldn't wait to master the other two types of Magic, Gaode was well aware that haste makes waste. He carefully put away his three Magic Formulas and obediently returned to his room to rest.