Deliberate Practice

At his most obsessive, whenever Suye noticed he was idle or felt even the slightest emotional fluctuation—even a few seconds of confusion—he would ask himself this question.

"What should I be doing right now?"

The question seemed simple, even useless, but after years of using it, it had become a powerful ability!

This ability allowed Suye to immediately do the most important and correct thing in many situations instead of spacing out in confusion or doing something wrong.

At first, Suye had not thought much of Lakin's Question while practicing it.

Until one day, during a company meeting, a sudden commotion outside disrupted the proceedings. Suye immediately asked himself this question, then was the first to step in and resolve the issue. He left a deep impression on the executives, creating an opportunity for promotion.

Lakin's Question had saved Suye a great deal of time and helped him seize countless opportunities.

At first, those time savings and opportunities had seemed insignificant, but as they accumulated, quantity had turned into quality. Only when reviewing everything later had Suye discovered how tremendous their impact was.

Now, whenever Suye asked himself this question, he felt as though he was examining himself from a higher and broader perspective, allowing him to arrive at more correct answers.

Experience surpassed instinct, and methods surpassed experience.

Through constant observation and sensation, the cheetahs in Suye's eyes had become clear. Their pounces, swipes, running, and everything else held no secrets.

This could not grant Suye powerful strength, but at least it would make his judgments more accurate when he encountered similar beasts or Combat Skills in the future.

Perhaps even the most ordinary judgment could save his life.

Niedern nodded and said, "Very good. Cheetahs have tremendous explosive power but limited endurance. Now use the Magic Rope and start binding the cheetahs... Don't aim for their necks. Aim for their bodies and legs. You can't be that precise yet. Also, don't use the Magic Rope carelessly. With your current total mana, you can cast apprentice spells at most thirty times in one morning."

Suye nodded and made his first attempt. He chanted the incantation, and after a little more than two seconds, the Magic Ox Rope, glowing faintly, flew toward one of the cheetahs.

The cheetah suddenly leaped, darting several meters away and avoiding the Magic Rope. It even glanced back at Suye before strolling away with elegant steps, casually stepping on the Magic Ox Rope on the ground.

Seeing this, Suye suddenly understood.

Watching Suye's expression, Niedern said with great satisfaction, "Not bad. It seems you've discovered the problem. Magic can do anything, but you can't. The Magic Rope spell can actively capture enemies within a certain range, but if the enemy moves too quickly or is too far away, the Magic Rope can do nothing. That's also why most of our mages' staffs are set with Amethyst: to increase casting speed. Any talent or ability that accelerates casting speed is of paramount importance."

"All right. Keep using the Magic Rope until you bind three cheetahs in succession."

"Thank you, Teacher!"

Suye reined in the sense of superiority brought by easily drawing the Magic Array and once again returned to the mindset of a humble student.

"What better method should I use to learn magic now?" Suye asked a question based on Lakin's Question but different from it. He named it the "Method Question."

"You can try Deliberate Practice."

Suye knew he could not find the "perfect method," but using a method that was widely recognized as effective and then adjusting it slightly according to his own way of thinking would certainly be far better than practicing blindly.

"Deliberate Practice first requires clearly defining the goal. The major goal of this practice is to bind the cheetahs, but that goal is too vague. It would be best to break it down into different smaller goals using project-management methods. Once several small goals are completed, the major goal will naturally be completed as well. The major goal can be broken down into 'better judging the cheetah's movements,' 'better judging the Magic Rope's range,' 'more accurately controlling the Magic Ox Rope,' and 'casting the spell faster.' Faster spellcasting requires long-term practice, so I'll set it aside for today."

"I'll start with the first small goal. However, 'better judging the cheetah's movements' isn't clear or specific enough. I should use the S.M.A.R.T. principle to define the goal: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. So, within half an hour, I need to predict the cheetah's next movement in advance and succeed at least eight times out of ten, helping my Magic Rope bind the cheetah."

"To put it into practice, I should first observe and summarize all the possibilities, then compare them one by one..."

Using a method was fundamentally different from practicing blindly.

At first, Niedern noticed nothing, but soon he was astonished to discover that Suye's accuracy in judging the cheetahs' movements was rising rapidly.

"He must be a combat genius!"

As if he had discovered a new magic spell, Niedern cheered inwardly, though outwardly he merely showed the faintest smile.

When the bell signaling the noon break rang, Suye finished chanting the spell and pointed. The Magic Rope shot out like a living snake. The cheetah suddenly sprang forward, but landed precisely within the Magic Rope's capture range.

The Magic Rope abruptly expanded from two meters to four. It first bound the cheetah's two hind legs, then continued spreading until it bound the other two forelegs.

"Awoo..." The cheetah let out an unwilling whimper.

"Good!" Niedern praised.

Suye reached out and withdrew the rope from the cheetah.

The original two cheetahs were already lying on their backs, and the third cheetah also rolled over, exposing its white-furred belly to Suye and letting out a pitiful whine.

Suye panted heavily, only now realizing that as his mana continued to drain, his physical strength and mental energy were also steadily declining.

But the submission of the three cheetahs and the joy of mastering magic dispelled the fatigue weighing on his body and mind.

"You're a genius! A genius of combat magic!" Even though Niedern tried his hardest to restrain himself, he still could not help saying it.

"I'll pretend I believe your nonsense."

Suye did not believe Niedern at all. Everything Niedern had seen—the so-called signs of genius—was merely the result of his years of practice and had nothing to do with genius.

Suye knew better than anyone how ordinary he had been back then.

Rather than becoming angry at Suye's words, Niedern was delighted.

"This child is so humble. His achievements will probably far surpass those of his classmates. Lake has the talent to never forget anything he sees, but if he encountered Suye on a battlefield, he would definitely die."

After reaching this conclusion inwardly, Niedern saw Suye drenched in sweat and said, "Go take a bath, then have lunch."

"Thank you very much for your guidance!" Suye expressed his heartfelt gratitude. He had gained far too much today.

Niedern turned and left, but after walking a few steps, he suddenly said, "Oh, right. Kelton is trustworthy, in most circumstances."

"Teacher knows Kelton? But that sounded like it had another meaning..." Suye watched Niedern's red hair disappear into the woods.

Suye took a bath but did not eat immediately. Instead, he went to the Meditation Ground the school had specially established for students and began meditating.

Before entering the meditation lawn, Suye received a simple magic bracelet and set it for thirty minutes.