Mage Rankings

Ancient One did not continue discussing the matter of responsibility.

Instead, she began teaching more advanced magic.

Projection magic, spatial magic, alchemy.

"After Astral Projection, the spirit cannot exist independently for long. But if it is sustained by dimensional energy, the time it can remain alone can be extended. The higher your spiritual realm, the more energy you can control, and the longer your spirit can be maintained..."

Ancient One opened a portal. The two left the library and arrived atop a high mountain.

"This is Mount Kunlun. Since you took this mountain's name, perhaps you'll like it here..." Ancient One looked over the vast land before her. "The broader your view, the broader your heart will become. If you wish to go farther down the path of magic, you must learn to stand higher."

Bai Jing nodded and looked down at the endless, rolling mountains below.

The sky was vast, the wilderness boundless; when the wind swept through the grass, cattle and sheep came into view.

With a thought, both of them entered a state of Astral Projection.

"Light is faster than sound, and your thoughts are faster than light. Thus, in a spiritual state, you will discover that time is merely a relative concept!" Ancient One waved lightly, and the world before them abruptly transformed into a dreamlike realm filled with countless clusters of light. Clumps of golden radiance drifted through the air, as though the entire world had been given a glowing particle effect.

This was the sight created when time neared a standstill, with photons in the air gathering into clusters and floating around them.

"Therefore, within such limited time, our thoughts can travel to worlds infinitely far away!" Ancient One gently pushed Bai Jing. He felt his body grow light, and then, as if freed from the earth's restraints, he arrived in outer space in an instant.

Behind him lay boundless darkness and scattered starlight.

Before him was a vast azure planet.

"Go back!" Ancient One suddenly appeared beside Bai Jing again. Seeing his somewhat vacant gaze, she merely smiled and gave him another gentle push.

Bai Jing felt his body grow heavy again. When he opened his eyes, he realized he had returned to Mount Kunlun.

"This is projection magic. If it is a place you have never been before, you can first use spiritual projection to scout it out, then open a portal and travel there in person!" Ancient One said. "This is only the most basic application. Once you become proficient, it will have countless incredible uses. By then, you can develop them yourself!"

Bai Jing nodded blankly. He had just seen the entire Earth and still had not recovered from the shock.

"Next is spatial magic!" Ancient One made a light gesture, and the air before them instantly transformed into a shattered world seemingly made of endless panes of glass.

"Follow me!" Ancient One walked ahead and stepped directly into that world.

Bai Jing sensed it and realized that this seemed to be a dimensional entrance?

"This is the Mirror Dimension. Every universe has its own Mirror Dimension. With your spiritual strength, you should already be able to sense it. You can enter on your own later!" Beyond the mirror was another Mount Kunlun.

"The laws of this world are exactly the same as those of reality, but no matter what you do here, it will not affect the real world!" Ancient One said. "Spatial magic is dangerous magic. To be safe, you should practice in this world. Also, this dimension is easy to enter but difficult to leave. You can only get out through a portal, so remember to bring your Sling Ring when you enter!"

Bai Jing nodded. This world seemed perfect for conducting experiments!

Since it replicated everything on Earth, he would not even need to buy laboratory equipment. He could just use whatever he found in someone's home! Come to think of it, wasn't Banner troubled over not having a laboratory? He could put him in the Mirror Dimension to conduct experiments later.

"Space is what our world depends upon. At your current realm, you are still a little short of sensing it. But after meditating for a few more years, you will be able to perceive its existence. Then, by drawing upon dimensional energy, you can distort, move, and cut it!"

Although Bai Jing was extraordinarily gifted, he was still far behind an old mage like Ancient One. The other person who knew spatial magic, Kaecilius, had latched onto a powerful patron. Dormammu itself existed as both matter and spirit.

"But you must remember that space is the foundation of reality, and reality is a precise structure. If it is damaged too much, it will create spatial faults and fractures in spacetime. Therefore, unless necessary, do not use spatial magic recklessly!"

Bai Jing continued nodding. He felt like a heartless nodding machine at this point.

"But if it takes years of meditation to master, are you really teaching it to me so soon?" Bai Jing asked.

"Different people require different teaching methods!" Ancient One said with a smile. "I believe that as long as I point you in the right direction, you can walk the rest of the road yourself!"

Bai Jing fell silent. Honestly, he was indeed well suited to self-study.

"Lastly, alchemy!" Ancient One picked up a stone from the ground. "Human power is limited. Some magic is too dangerous and requires enormous amounts of energy that the human body cannot bear. Thus, ancient mages developed a method of making objects bear the magic instead. That method is alchemy!"

As she spoke, crimson light flickered in her hand. Then, the edges of the irregular gray stone gradually smoothed away. In the end, it became a round stone with golden patterns on its surface—um, still a stone.

"I have imprinted this stone with a tracking array. As long as you lock onto a target and throw it, it will seek out that target on its own. However, this is only an ordinary stone and cannot withstand much power. It can be used at most three times, and each flight cannot exceed fifteen kilometers. Since I did not project any thought into it, this stone has no soul."

Bai Jing was speechless. She could casually create a stone that could be thrown fifteen kilometers and would always hit its target. Three uses were already plenty!

If she thought a stone was ordinary, what if it were replaced with a nuclear bomb?

"This spell requires a higher realm and more dimensional energy. At present, no one in all of Kamar-Taj meets the conditions to learn it!" Ancient One looked at Bai Jing. "But you will in the future!"

With Bai Jing's leveling speed and the black hole's enhancement of his spirit, perhaps it would not be long before he could create magical artifacts himself.

Bai Jing understood. From these spells, he had roughly figured out the realm classifications of these mages.

Apprentice Mages could sense dimensional energy and learn to use it to form shields and whips.

Initiate Mages could use Sling Rings and create portals.

Junior Mages could use dimensional energy to strengthen their spirits, allowing them to perform Astral Projection anytime and anywhere, and learn projection magic.

Intermediate Mages could sense the mirror dimension and could thereafter practice more advanced spells within the Mirror Dimension.

Senior Mages could sense space and could thereafter use spatial magic.

Great Mages possessed higher spiritual realms and could mobilize greater amounts of energy at once, allowing them to create magical artifacts—the kind with souls.

Above that were the Sorcerer Supremes. Having drawn upon the power of the Dark Dimension, they could use massive-scale spatial magic in reality or the Mirror Dimension and use the Dark Dimension's power to achieve immortality.

As for time magic, it probably was not part of this classification, because time magic was bound to the Time Stone. Whether one could learn it depended entirely on one's affinity with the Time Stone.

By that logic, Bai Jing, who had studied magic for two and a half days, should already be an Initiate Mage and was about to become a Junior Mage!

Well, none of those ranks actually existed. There were no so-called mage rankings in Kamar-Taj at all.

There were still two more chapters to go.