Spiderweb

The moment the incantation was uttered, Su Ye felt the Magic Power Tree in the Magic Tower light up, the Magic Array Diagram on the Magic Tree Leaves activated, and magic power flowed through the diagram.

The Magic Array Diagram erupted with endless white light, surged to the top of the Magic Tower, and vanished.

Two and a half seconds after Su Ye chanted the spell, the surface of the Magic Ox Rope suddenly took on a faint white glow, leaped sharply like a flying venomous snake, and shot straight for Niedern's neck.

"You—" Niedern was startled. A ring on his left hand flashed with a glimmer of light, and a bright yellow egg-shaped barrier enveloped him.

The Magic Ox Rope landed with a slap outside the egg-shaped barrier, then coiled around it, squeezing tightly like a living snake.

The egg-shaped barrier remained motionless; the Magic Rope was utterly helpless against the magic shield.

Sensing something off in Niedern's mood, Su Ye asked, "Teacher, did I do something wrong?"

"Magic Ropes are mainly used to bind enemies. Why did you aim for my neck?"

"Wouldn't strangling the neck be more effective?" Su Ye asked, puzzled.

Niedern was silent for a few seconds, then said, "You have a real talent for harming people."

Only then did Su Ye say, "You guys only used the Magic Rope to tie up hands and feet before?"

Niedern said, "Most people start fighting as Black Iron Mages. Black Iron Spells are far stronger than apprentice magic, so using a Magic Rope to kill is very inefficient. Of course, unless someone has a special talent."

Su Ye nodded. "I see. Every spell has a wide range of uses, but the best application scenarios are relatively narrow. For example, this Magic Rope might be a deadly weapon for a Magic Apprentice, but for a Black Iron Mage, its power is limited, so it's not suitable for combat—only for tying things up."

"Well said." Niedern praised.

"Can I try again?" Su Ye asked.

Niedern thought for a moment. "Wait a moment."

With that, a one-meter-tall light white staff appeared in Niedern's hand. The staff was slightly curved, and at its tip was set an eye-sized amethyst. Three spiral tree knots adorned the staff's surface, each with faint light flickering within its grooves. He chanted a spell, and the amethyst emitted a faint glow. In just one second, three Magic Array Diagrams appeared on the ground before Niedern.

The arrays radiated blue light, and within each diagram, a colorful leopard materialized.

The three leopards stood quietly in the arrays, their tails swaying gently, their eerie eyes fixed on Su Ye.

Niedern put away his staff. "This is Summon Leopard, the most common Servant Summoning for apprentices. At least a Black Iron Mage is needed to use it. Each leopard has strength equivalent to an ordinary Warrior Apprentice. I'll have them fake an attack on you, but they'll still move. First, don't use any magic—just experience the feeling."

As Niedern finished speaking, the three leopards slowly stepped out of the arrays and roared in unison at Su Ye.

Having seen these animals at the zoo before, and knowing Niedern said they wouldn't attack, Su Ye wasn't afraid.

The three leopards kept low growling as they approached Su Ye, slowly circling him.

When one leopard moved behind him, out of sight, his brain entered a high-alert state. Su Ye instinctively felt danger, his muscles tensed, and his throat went dry.

Niedern said, "Remember this feeling, then ease it! Mages are different from warriors. Warriors train through prolonged combat, while mages spend more time studying and have few real battle opportunities. Masters have calculated that among Apprentice, Black Iron, and Bronze Mages, over 50% die from panic and mistakes, not lack of strength. Even if your talent were ten times greater, a sudden ambush could still cause you to misjudge or panic, dying under an ordinary warrior's spear."

"You're doing well. Now, keep feeling it." Niedern said, moving his fingers. The three leopards began to pounce at Su Ye from different angles.

Unable to stay still, Su Ye instinctively rolled on the ground to dodge a leopard.

"Don't move! Feel the wind as the leopards brush past you, feel the blood on their claws, smell the stench of their teeth, sense the savagery in their eyes! Only by constantly experiencing and feeling this can you stay calm and avoid mistakes when facing an opponent."

Su Ye quickly steadied himself, tapped his right thumb and index finger together, adjusted his stance, regulated his breathing, and refocused his mindset.

At the same time, his mind raced.

"Teacher wants me to feel the leopards' power—it's the simplest desensitization therapy, basically psychological resilience training, or even a kind of anti-fragility. As long as I keep experiencing this stimulus, over time and with repetition, I'll grow stronger and won't let this threat affect my mindset, allowing me to perform better."

Using the most basic "Spider Web Learning Method," Su Ye connected new external knowledge with existing knowledge, forming a knowledge web—a structure that also fits the brain's architecture well. Not only did it help him remember and understand faster, but it also convinced his brain to stop being defensive and accept the knowledge, thereby boosting confidence, giving him a better mindset and higher learning efficiency.

Understanding the cause and effect, Su Ye immediately calmed down and quickly asked himself Lakin's Question.

"At this very moment, what should I be doing most?"

"Perceiving! Observing! Sensing!"

A faint smile curled at the corner of Su Ye's mouth.

Teacher had said so. Finding the same answer again, Su Ye felt an unprecedented sense of security, making it even easier to act.

The next instant, Su Ye seemed like a visitor standing outside a zoo cage. His muscles relaxed completely, but his gaze was clearer than before, his thinking sharper.

Su Ye perceived the changes in his body, observed the ferocity in the leopards' eyes, smelled their stench with his nose, felt the wind from their leaps on his skin, listened to the sound of their footsteps with his ears...

The three leopards kept brushing past Su Ye like predators hunting, but only lightly—at most grazing his robes or hair.

Niedern stared intently at Su Ye, disbelief flickering in his eyes.

He could tell at a glance that Su Ye had no combat experience and absolutely couldn't be a powerful mage or god possessing a soul. Reactions to danger can't be faked—anyone who's been in battle could see that.

Su Ye adjusting his state in just a few seconds, no longer tense or panicked, wasn't enough to shock Niedern—that was just normal excellence.

What truly made Niedern unable to believe was that after settling his emotions, Su Ye immediately made the most correct judgment, rapidly observing, sensing, and experiencing.

"Could he have a beast-instinct talent? No, the feeling he gives me is even more refined than that. A genius!"

Niedern thought for a moment, then his Magic Book suddenly floated on its own and aimed at Su Ye.

Every move Su Ye made was recorded by the Magic Book.

Only Su Ye himself knew that this was no beast instinct—it was just a habit he'd developed through repeated failures and procrastination, constantly using Lakin's Question.