The Spellcaster

The grading of low-level professionals is simple and crude, lacking even a hint of technical sophistication.

In fact, the criteria for assessment vary from place to place; only the standards set by the elves of the High Forest are considered authoritative, which is why they have been adopted by numerous other races!

Of course, most cannot achieve the "precision" of the elves. Being able to become a professional at all is already a stroke of luck, so one can hardly be picky, which leads to a significant disparity in strength even among professionals of the same tier.

In some backwater areas, one might be called a low-level spellcaster simply for successfully casting three different cantrips. In others, meeting certain standards of physical fitness or mana capacity is enough to earn the title of a low-level professional.

There are many ways to acquire mana: perceiving elements through meditation, resonating with the Weave, offering devout faith to a deity, or making sacrifices to nature spirits, among others.

While every race has different methods for sensing and possessing mana, they all share a common path: they must pass through the Weave to reach the original, primordial magic!

The Weave is like a massive power grid.

To obtain "electricity" from the Weave, one must either become an excellent "electrician" themselves or offer "faith" to pray for the "blessing" of a deity!

For most people, faith is always a one-sided transaction—a "seller's" market—and one cannot even switch vendors.

Of course, the existence of "intermediaries" makes things more convenient. As long as one is sufficiently devout, priests or paladins and other clergy members can become spellcasters with almost no innate talent for magic.

In fact, if you can attract enough attention from a deity, you can become the most dazzling star in the Temple even without a shred of spellcasting talent!

Oh.

Wait!

They call it—Divine Magic!

The terminology for the different natures of mana is also varied, including divine power, holy power, shamanic power, or arcane power.

Having the core channel not under one's own control is always a hidden danger. Mana relayed from a deity is already "polluted." As a spellcaster uses this "divine power" daily, both body and soul are branded with the "deity's" label. After death, the soul is harvested into the so-called "Divine Realm." This is no longer just a matter of reaping leeks; it is taking the person, pot and all!

At this moment, Borne finally understood why there was such a massive gap between condensing a Seed of Power and promoting to an Arcanist.

The family paid no mind to the condensation of a Seed of Power, but upon his promotion to an Arcanist, not only was a banquet held in celebration, but the majority of the Nether nobility came rushing in. Those who couldn't make it sent people of status, and minor nobles even broke their necks trying to squeeze in just to get a familiar face before Borne...

And all of this was because he had promoted to an Arcanist at the age of seven!

Borne was certainly not naive enough to think that he, a newly promoted low-level Arcanist, was all that impressive; it was the potential he displayed that made him worth their early investment.

However, while both are promotions to a professional status, the actual levels of the two are not on the same plane. To put it simply, the former is like a small-scale startup running a street stall, while the latter is like a startup supported by the "state," with all sorts of policies and benefits giving the green light. The two are simply incomparable!

As for why this is the case, one can only say that "the world favors spellcasters!"

More precisely, the world tends to favor the "person" who brings "new things" to it.

Borne's Light Orb is not special; to put it bluntly, it is completely unremarkable. Even a magic apprentice could conjure up a few spells that emit light.

The real issue lies in the fact that Borne used geometric patterns to construct the spell. This magic was recognized by the Weave as an initial spell. Normally, a spellcaster needs to master between three to six spells to promote, but an initial spell allows one to skip this process. The Weave directly pushed Borne to promote, not only granting him the opportunity to perceive the Weave but also doubling his mana. In the days that followed, his mana continued to grow rapidly, and his mental strength and physique also surged significantly.

This is the benefit of having the "world" push you along. Compared to merely condensing a Seed of Power, which only adds a bit of strength and requires constant training afterward to slowly increase one's physique, that is simply pathetic.

Because the initial spell mastered by an Arcanist allows them to cast more spells than peers of the same level, and their mana capacity is far greater.

And this is only the beginning; the gap will only widen further!

This was just the initial promotion, yet Borne had a feeling that by the time he promoted to the mid-tier, his mana would certainly be several times what it was now. By the time he promoted to a mid-tier Arcanist, his mana would surely...

"No wonder Grandfather's mana capacity is so terrifying..."

However, Borne would not give up on the cultivation of "Qi," because the legendary realm is a hurdle. Legendary warriors or Monks are simply heaven-defying existences. As long as one masters the mystery of "life extension" in the later stages, one can reach the legendary realm just by piling up time!

Every spellcaster has the heart of a "muscle-bound" powerhouse!

Borne, having just promoted to an Arcanist, had been meditating diligently these past few days, grasping the "gift" left behind by the world and striving to increase his mana. He had even slipped away halfway through his own banquet. This move earned him unanimous "praise" from the outside world, causing Borne to hit the top of the "trending list" in Seventon. Everywhere in salons and gatherings, one could hear the name Ioulaum Borne.

Finally sensing that his mana had stopped growing, Borne stopped. Feeling the "surging" mana within his body, he revealed a faint smile; compared to before, his mana had increased by more than half over these few days.

The only downside was that after enjoying the limited-time high-speed experience, returning to the speed of an old ox pulling a broken cart felt unbearable. He had no mood to continue meditating.

"Mana is a combination of mental power and elements, so what exactly is 'Qi'?"

Borne stopped meditating and took out paper and pen to draw on the table. In his spare time these past few days, he had been pondering the differences between the two powers.

Borne even speculated that if magic could trigger the "world," then perhaps "Qi" could also trigger a "world" push for promotion.

Both mana and "Qi" can strengthen the body, but there is a fundamental difference between the two.

The former extracts power from the outside and then uses spell modeling to resonate and unleash world-destroying power.

The latter seeks power from within the human body!

One is macroscopic, the other is microscopic.

However, it is certain that the first person to cultivate "Qi" must have also received a "reward" from the "world." But there is too little data on "Qi." Currently, Borne is the only one known to have cultivated "Qi." Although he also condensed a Seed of Power through "Qi," the Seed of Power condensed through "Qi" is quite different from that of a combat professional.

There is too little available data and the variables are incorrect, so research can only be pushed to the future.

Magic is the main focus for now. If he can promote to a high-level spellcaster or even a high-level Arcanist sooner, the resources Borne can acquire and utilize will be greater, which will make the reverse-engineering research of "Qi" faster.

Now that it is known that the arcane is the foundation, there is no need to rush the spells. Everything should prioritize practicality, and then one should choose a direction to focus on (there are many schools of magic, and each school has sub-schools, which will be explained slowly later).

When Borne first began to come into contact with elements, he knew that elements have consciousness, such as the elemental creatures of the Elemental Planes. In the parlance of Xianxia, they have "gained sentience."

During his "Enlightenment," Borne had entered his mental body through sensing and communicating with the elements to "infect" them and turn them into mana.

This is somewhat like the spiritual energy in cultivation novels; both can be absorbed into the body, but compared to the descriptions of spiritual energy in those novels, elemental mana is much more wasteful.

Beyond slightly enhancing the host's physique, the primary function is to channel external elements for spellcasting through the magical elements within the body; simply put, it acts as a bridge.

As for the methods of mobilization, they have been varied and diverse, developed by different races over tens of thousands of years.

"In what form does magic exist within the host's body, and how does it strengthen the host's physique?"

Borne's focus was evidently quite unique, which was precisely why the Count was so satisfied with him; those who follow the beaten path are destined never to become Arcanists, nor can they travel very far.

In exploring the mysteries of magic, one often gains different insights through different perspectives. An Arcanist masters power rather than pursues it, for those who pursue power ultimately become slaves to it!

When one cannot solve a problem, the obvious solution is to "call for help." With a grandfather who is a High Arcanist, banging one's head against a wall in isolation would be foolish.

When Borne brought a stack of questions to the Count, the Count did not answer him directly, but instead pushed another pile of books and materials toward Borne, telling him to look them up himself!

Borne: ...

"Fine... I suppose I was being too naive..."

In the Count's words, "My answer is not your answer; even the 'answers' in books are not necessarily correct, and answers are never immutable!"

Afterward, he directly announced that Borne had "graduated," meaning he no longer needed to attend daily lessons. While he could continue his daily physical training as a combatant, he would no longer be taught by the academy instructors, but by the family knights.

Borne inwardly ranted like crazy; this teaching method was absolutely insane. Just throwing books at someone and telling them to read—was that even a thing?

Borne knew that geniuses had genius ways of learning, but he wasn't one. He had merely used the advantage of being a transmigrator to unlock early intelligence; that didn't make him a genius.

The Count was grooming him as a genius, and Borne suddenly felt a bit shaky...

One must realize that the Count was now cultivating him as an heir, placing high hopes upon him. The banquet a few days ago was not just to celebrate Borne's advancement, but also to send a signal to all the nobles in Seventon: the Ioulaum House had confirmed its heir!

As for Viscount Gordon, the Count's attitude was: who is that guy?

Heh!

That was just a "failed alt account," and Borne was the true heir to the family.

Meanwhile, far away in the countryside, Viscount Gordon felt a complex mix of emotions upon hearing the news. Having a son so outstanding that the father looked like a failure—that feeling was truly maddening...

Of course, it was also because the Ioulaum line was thin. The Count originally only had Gordon as a son and had hoped he would amount to something, or at least carry on the family line. He hadn't expected Gordon to fixate on one tree and run off to the countryside; if Gordon hadn't been his only son, he would have been slapped into oblivion long ago.

However, a lack of heirs had been a recurring problem for the Ioulaum House for generations; starting from the Count's father's generation, there had only ever been one heir.

Compared to other families that had dozens or even hundreds of siblings in each generation, where the competition for the heirship was brutal, the Ioulaum House didn't need to choose. Relying on his long lifespan, the Count simply skipped Gordon and went straight to cultivating the next generation.

Borne instantly felt the pressure mounting; he had truly overplayed his hand...

In reality, Borne had initially thought about lying low in the countryside, perhaps setting a small goal like reaching "max level" before emerging to crush all opposition.

But reality was cruel.

Without a system or a golden finger, and crucially, without resources or money, was he supposed to get stronger by eating dirt? Or by drinking the northwest wind?

Relying on those scattered memories from his past life, he could barely even forge a hammer...

Only those with talent would be noticed and have the family pour resources into their cultivation, which was why Borne had performed so diligently. As for why he had been so desperate afterward, it was purely because he had been terrified upon realizing this was Faerûn.

But now that he had "overplayed" it, it was becoming a life-or-death matter...

The Count was treating him as a genuine genius...

There was no other way; he had to bite the bullet and keep "acting." He couldn't exactly come out and say he was a transmigrator and that everything before had been a charade—that wouldn't just be a matter of courting death...

With no other choice, Borne summoned a servant to move the books and materials back to his study.

"Damn it, I refuse to believe that with the sparks generated by the collision of two civilizations, I can't 'act' like a genius..."

Borne secretly cheered himself on.

His face displayed a look of grim determination, though to outsiders, it looked more like the rebellious arrogance of a genius.

The Count was very satisfied. Young people—and Borne wasn't even a young person yet, just a little brat who had barely learned to walk—a bit of pride was nothing; appropriate arrogance was more conducive to progress.

That same evening, the Count returned to Giles Academy, and some saw him heading to the Dean's office.

Those who could enter Giles Academy were no fools. Ioulaum Borne had been dominating the "trending topics" in Seventon for the past few days, and news of him could be heard everywhere. As Giles Academy, known for its gathering of geniuses, was inevitably compared to him, the students of Giles naturally knew.

A seven-year-old Arcanist—while unbelievable, it wasn't impossible if he were the grandson of the Vice Dean. Jealousy was inevitable, and malicious speculation and smearing were sure to follow.

That a High Arcanist would allow his whereabouts to be known was in itself quite intriguing, especially at this time. Smart people knew this meant: the wolf is coming!

As Borne received the new batch of books, he immersed himself in the ocean of magic, though compared to his previous roaming with a teacher, it was now more like being lost at sea.

These materials were a hodgepodge; there were several types of Elven script alone, seven or eight types of Dwarven runes, plus various half-finished incantations from unknown sources. Borne found notes and markings from at least six different people in the books. Sometimes, next to a single rune or a fragment of an incantation, there would be two or three different annotations and insights. If it weren't for these notes providing him with answers, Borne felt he wouldn't even be able to tread water; he might have sunk straight to the bottom.

As he "swam," Borne even forgot his original purpose; the answers he had been looking for were long since cast to the back of his mind. When tired, he replaced sleep with meditation; when hungry, food was right there. With "Qi" present, he didn't suffer from numb hands or feet, and someone would prepare food, placing it within his reach at all times.

One day, the Count found Borne, and upon seeing Borne's state, the Count nodded to himself.