Chapter 2: The Magical Genius

Uh, not yet... When asked about the clarity potion, Anduin's face instantly flushed. Compared to this kid's astonishing magical talent, his own aptitude in potion-making was indeed somewhat lacking. A simple clarity potion, Lin Li had demonstrated it repeatedly over a dozen times, yet even today, he still hadn't grasped it. Over the past few days, he had wasted at least a hundred materials, and just yesterday, he almost blew up the potion room. Now, with the old wounds being reopened, even though Anduin had a thick skin, he could no longer help but feel a bit embarrassed.

I don't know. Lin Li answered honestly, "In any case, I know nothing about magic. Whatever you ask me to practice, I will naturally practice. Do you think you would harm me?"

In just three days, he learned three low-level spells. Anduin looked at this damned progress and couldn't help but wonder if there was any sense of justice left in this world. He recalled that it took him a whole month just to enter a meditative state, and even then, his progress was praised by his teacher as that of a genius among geniuses. So what should this kid before him be classified as? A monster among monsters or a freak among freaks?

"I suppose you still have a bit of conscience," Anduin said with a satisfied nod, a hint of a comforting smile on his old face. "I, Anduin, have lived for over 100 years, and I have never seen anyone with a talent as exceptional as yours. You are truly a monster; I believe even the legendary Grayskull could not surpass you in terms of talent."

The two individuals exited the wooden cabin. Anduin pondered for a long time before finally asking Lin Li: "Do you know why I haven't taught you any new spells, but instead have you continuously practice elemental arrangements?"

Gresko? Lin Li knew he was very talented, but he never expected his abilities to be this strong. Who is Gresko? From what he had heard from the old man, he knew a little about him. He was the most powerful wizard of the Dark Ages, the strongest among mortals who was closest to the divine, and the wizard god who once single-handedly defeated an entire high elf magical legion. Lin Li could hardly believe that his magical talent could be this extraordinary.

So that when Lin Li mastered ten basic spells, Anduin no longer dared to teach him any new magic; instead, he began to have Lin Li continuously practice those ten elemental arrangements

This is not the typical practice of magic. Generally, when a magician practices, they first arrange the elements and then release the arranged spells through incantations. However, the method that Anduin taught Lin Li is entirely different. He instructed Lin Li to simply summon the magical elements and then use mental power to combine and arrange these elements. Ultimately, instead of releasing them through incantations, he would decompose and reorganize them after arranging. This entire process repeats itself until mental power is completely exhausted.

Tedious practice is the easiest way to lose interest, yet Lin Li shows no signs of impatience. He understands very well that although Old Anduin is a terrible alchemist, this irritable old man is an undeniable authority in the field of magic. While his opinions cannot be deemed absolutely correct, they are certainly far better than an amateur like himself trying to figure things out alone.

Lin Li was engaged in tedious practice, yet Anduin did not, as usual, rush into the potion room after dinner to busy himself. Today, the old mage seemed somewhat unusual; after finishing his meal, he remained in the room, silently watching Lin Li practice. This feeling of being observed made Lin Li somewhat uncomfortable, prompting him to interrupt his practice. He raised his head and stared at the old mage, asking, "Have you mastered the clarity potion formula I taught you a few days ago?"

Oh? After more than a month of interaction, Lin Li had never seen Anduin so serious, which inevitably aroused a bit more curiosity in his heart

For the following month, Lin Li resided in the Sunset Mountains. Aside from occasionally providing some guidance to Anduin in pharmacology, he devoted the vast majority of his time to studying magic. He discovered that he indeed possessed a remarkable talent for magic, to the extent that even old Anduin had to admit that in his over one hundred years of life, he had never encountered such outstanding magical talent.

However, the truly fatal aspect is the second one: you have come into contact with magic far too late. According to the records from the Dark Ages, Gresko hails from a family of wizards, with both parents being renowned archmages of that era. He began engaging with magic from the moment he was born, and by the time he reached your age, Gresko had already surpassed the level of a mage. In contrast, you are only just beginning to learn the most basic spells. Although time can be compensated for by talent, talent alone cannot help you establish a sufficiently solid foundation. In the world of magic, there are no shortcuts; until you have built a sufficiently solid foundation, all powerful spells are merely empty talk.

However, I quickly regretted it. Your talent is truly exceptional, and such talent may not appear again for thousands of years. I cannot bear to see you embark on a misguided path, so I ceased teaching you any spells and instead had you practice the most fundamental arrangement of elements every day. Do not underestimate these tedious exercises; every world has its own rules, and the magical world is no exception. The arrangement of elements is the most basic rule of the magical world. Once you become familiar with and master this rule, you will find that everything is remarkably simple. No matter how powerful a spell may be, it is merely derived from these rules.

This is precisely why I have not taught you new spells. At this point, Anduin smiled somewhat sheepishly and said: In fact, at the beginning, I merely intended to make an exchange; you would guide me in alchemy, and I would offer you some assistance in magic. Although this assistance may not be substantial, it should not be a problem for you to reach the level of a mage within ten years.

Having arrived in this unfamiliar world for over a month, Lin Li felt warmth in his heart for the first time. He respectfully bowed to Anduin and said, "Thank you"

"Are you alright? Can't you learn this?" Lin Li wore an expression of disappointment, making Anduin feel even more ashamed: "Then why aren't you hurrying back to the potion room? What are you dawdling around for? Do you want me to demonstrate it again?"

It is likely that only Lin Li himself knows why he possesses such an almost monstrous talent for magic. This is probably closely related to the fact that his secondary mage character has both mental and intelligence attributes at their maximum. Perhaps only such extraordinary attributes could enable him to easily comprehend those incredibly complex spells, effortlessly combine and arrange magical elements. This ability seems to be innate; any complex spell, once heard, can be recited by Lin Li with ease. Regardless of how difficult the arrangement of magical elements may be, Lin Li can learn it in the shortest possible time.

After having breakfast, Lin Li began practicing element arrangement as usual

Thus, the tedious practice continued for nearly a month, until one morning ...

"No, no, I will study it myself..." Anduin awkwardly rubbed his hands together, and after a long while, he finally remembered his purpose, quickly adopting a serious expression: "Uh... let's not talk about that today, I have something I want to discuss with you."

"However, do not rejoice too early." Looking at the somewhat bewildered Lin Li, the old master smiled and said, "Having talent is one thing, but achieving success is another. In my view, there are at least two aspects in which you are inferior to Gresko. First, you lack focus. In the field of magic, only those who are absolutely focused can achieve true success. Being overly knowledgeable is sometimes not an advantage. Take alchemy for example; at your young age, you understand more than those old-timers in the Alchemist Association. If you spend a lot of energy on alchemy, how much time can you have left to study magic?"