The World Favors Creators

It seems the higher-ups had already begun researching "divine power" long ago.

Borne remained silent.

Even knowing this, he had no way to stop it, and he couldn't even guarantee that he wouldn't explore the realm of "gods" himself in the future.

However, that was still too far off for him; becoming an Arch-Arcanist was the only way to secure an entry ticket.

Borne then proceeded to explain his findings and his hypothesis regarding the "Weave" to the Count.

"The Weave?"

"The Weave? The Weave! That is a fine term. It seems that in your consciousness, the 'Source' manifests in the form of a 'web'."

Looking at the Count, Borne realized that the term "Weave" had not been coined yet.

At this time, every professional had a different "view" of the "world," much like how people in his past life had many different names for the heavens.

Haotian, God, Jehovah, or the Gaia consciousness, and so on.

People would project their spiritual sustenance into a concrete form, imagining it as they saw it in their hearts.

The source of the world was the same; no one knew its specific form, not even the legends.

Because it would project itself into each person's consciousness based on their "view" of it.

For some, it was a fire; for others, a lamp, a spring, and so on.

Some even regarded a certain "person" as the source.

Powerful spellcasters had once speculated that the original deities were actually born based on these initial "views."

The source of the world had never had a unified name, but upon hearing Borne's term, the Count immediately felt it was incredibly vivid, as if it were the "true name" of the source itself!

"A network of magic, a very vivid term. This massive web truly covers the entire world, wrapping it up so that no matter where one is, they can touch the lines of the web."

The Count looked pleased after hearing this and patted Borne on the shoulder. "It seems that a 'web' is indeed the form closest to the 'source of the world.' You are truly a born Arcanist!"

Borne felt a bit numb. How was he supposed to know what the source of the world looked like? He had just taken it from the data in his past life, having always assumed it was just like that.

He hadn't expected that, in the end, the term "Weave" would be spread by him.

Borne didn't know what to say to his grandfather's praise.

"Since you have already grasped the true essence of the 'Weave,' then continue on your path as you see fit. Remember..."

"The world favors the creator!"

Evening.

When Borne emerged from the Wizard Tower, his mind was still a bit dazed. He looked at the fiery red clouds on the horizon and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

He had received a lot of information from his grandfather today. While the conversation seemed like casual chatter, the amount of information revealed was significant.

First, the Nether higher-ups might have already started researching "divine power." They might only be involved preliminarily for now, but judging by the timeline, it seemed about right; the attitude of Nether toward "deities" in the middle and later stages was quite telling.

Second, the life transition of high-level professionals was crucial, as it involved the path after reaching the legendary realm. The Count's implication was for him not to promote to a high-level spellcaster, but to promote directly to a high-level Arcanist.

Third, and most importantly, the world had a consciousness and was capable of growth.

This consciousness was not like that of a human; it was a pan-consciousness.

Much like the "planetary consciousness" proposed by scholars on Blue Star!

Given that the world of Toril possessed transcendent power, it was only natural that its "planetary consciousness" would be even more active.

The world needed to grow, but how? And what did it consume?

Why would the world favor the creator?

Or to put it another way, if you started a company and were the boss, which type of employee would you favor most?

The slacker who cut corners, or the employee who brought value to the company?

Employees without value could only work honestly and diligently, spending time to accumulate performance for promotion.

Those who contributed value would not only receive privileges from the company, but would also be automatically promoted and rewarded, pushed toward higher positions.

Damn...

So I'm just an excellent wage slave!

Pah, I'm nothing at all!

Borne curled his lip and began walking toward the coast.

He didn't use [Fly] this time; he needed to sort things out and digest everything.

The Count had shared a lot, but much of it was just experience and personal insight, not a systematic theory.

These were the accumulated experiences passed down through generations of the family.

Borne was able to understand and even figure it out so quickly because he had the help of another civilization.

This was the inheritance of a family.

The efforts of several generations were not something one could catch up to in a few or even a dozen years, unless one was cheating.

They might surpass them in raw power, but such vital information requires generations of exploration and summary to ensure the successors' path remains smooth!

As long as the successors aren't truly foolish, it is not easy for a house to fall, unless they encounter natural disasters, man-made calamities, or a change of dynasty.

Damn it!

Borne slapped his forehead.

I'm such an idiot... Why overthink it? Even if I'm just a wage slave, I'll be the flashiest wage slave there is!

Since the world has accepted him, there is no need for him to hide or hold back. Isn't he just a transmigrator?

There are plenty of transmigrators in Toril; they come in whole groups.

Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs also arrived from other worlds long ago, and now they are the major powers of Faerûn, while many indigenous races have been wiped out. Although Netheril has begun to show its potential, it is still a junior player.

Over the next few days, Borne holed up in his underground laboratory. The harvest was bountiful, as many of his hypotheses required experimental verification.

Since he knows the path to the High Tier, he must start preparing now.

In the coming days, Borne needs to "change the blood" of his magic power!

In the words of Count Ioulaum and the others, it is called "purifying" magic power.

What is the High Tier?

The High Tier is the maximum level an individual life form can reach.

Simply put, it is digging out the inner potential of life, pushing every organ, muscle, and bone to its maximum capacity.

Of course, this "maximum" can be somewhat vague, and the gap between individuals can be as vast as heaven and earth.

Just like the High Tier Lizardfolk—even if Borne hadn't ambushed it, he could have killed it in a one-on-one fight.

But if he were to face Count Ioulaum, who is also High Tier, Borne would be pinned to the ground and rubbed into the dirt by the Count with one hand.

Purifying his magic power early will allow Borne to walk the path of the High Tier more smoothly.

This is the benefit of having "elders"; guidance from those who have gone before can save one from many detours.

The Count also suggested that since Borne has mastered "Ki," he should try his best to improve that as well.

Although biting off more than one can chew is a risk, it depends on the person. Others have to specialize because they lack the time and comprehension.

A genius, however, should certainly be well-rounded.

The Count's words made Borne feel ashamed.

However, the Count couldn't offer any advice on improving "Ki," as the Ioulaum House had only had two people in that field, and the last one was hundreds of years ago.

No experience notes or useful materials were left behind, so how to improve "Ki" was something Borne had to figure out for himself.

According to information from his past life, he knew it was improved through grueling training—simply put, "self-torture"—by tempering the spirit, especially by tormenting both the body and mind simultaneously for better results.

Of course, Borne had no interest in "self-torture."

Borne speculated that it should be about elevating the "Psychic" aspect, perhaps using a method similar to an ascetic monk to increase the power of the mind.

With the help of the system's calculations, Borne even managed to cobble something together based on Indian yoga and Buddhist scriptures.

His use of "Ki" became more proficient. Previously, he only used it crudely, but now he could cover his entire body with "Ki" to strengthen his limbs.

For this, he even comprehended two special abilities.

[Lightfall] and [Ki Strike].

[Lightfall] allows him to use nearby walls to slow his descent and reduce fall damage.

[Ki Strike] infuses his unarmed attacks with Ki, dealing damage to the target while also possessing a "magic-breaking" effect.

Borne released a [Light Orb], then covered his palm with "Ki" and actually grabbed the orb directly.

Judging by the tactile feedback from his hand, Borne had indeed caught it.

[Light Orb] is an evocation cantrip. This spell trick has no physical form; it is merely a simple orb of light. Aside from emitting light, it has no substance, and touching it with a hand would normally cause it to pop like a bubble.

Yet now, Borne had actually "grabbed" it.

This was truly magical...

Borne also discovered that when releasing magic and [Ki Strike] simultaneously, the two forces within his body would "clash."

Logically, the two belong to completely different systems and shouldn't conflict.

If one views magic power as the spiritual energy from Xianxia novels—absorbed from the outside through the human body—then "Ki" is like internal energy, a power generated from within the life force itself.

However, the conflict between the two was minor—only a slight friction—and if not for Borne's powerful mental strength, he wouldn't have even noticed it.

Not only was there a conflict within his body, but the light orb held in Borne's hand was also slowly collapsing under the erosion of his "Ki."

After 157 seconds, the light orb completely dissipated, turning into specks of light and vanishing.

Borne stood there, stunned, holding his hand up, before releasing another light orb to continue grabbing it.

After dozens of consecutive attempts, Borne finally stopped.

"It's not a conflict; it's more like expulsion and cleansing!"

Borne muttered to himself.

This reminded him of the magic elements he "saw" when he first entered the Origin Space during his "Enlightenment."

These magic elements seemed like little people—some big, some small, some clever, and some dull.

Of course, Borne Ioulaum knew this was merely a manifestation of his inner psyche; magic elements had no physical form. Elements were simply elements.

The phenomenon varied from person to person. What appeared as people to Borne might manifest as all sorts of strange, bizarre creatures in the eyes of others.

This situation generally only occurred during the first perception of magic; it would not appear again during subsequent meditation and sensing.

However, Borne had always felt it couldn't be that simple, and now he understood.

Magic elements had distinctions of quality, and elements themselves could be turbid.

Magic power was, in fact, a product transformed from natural elements through meditation.

Simply put, during the process of meditation, one imprinted their personal mental mark onto the elements, training a group of scattered skirmishers into a regular army.

Thus, magic power could be controlled directly, whereas elements required the medium of magic power to be influenced and shaped into spells.

"Qi," however, was different. "Qi" was more like a life force—in the parlance of Blue Star, it was akin to bio-energy.

This energy was generated entirely from the body's cells and possessed a much stronger personal attribute.

If "Qi" was a biological child, then magic power was merely adopted.

It was only natural that they wouldn't get along perfectly.

As for the elements, they were complete outsiders.

When dealing with outsiders, one naturally had to strike with a heavy hand.

In the process of forming a spell, it was not just the caster's magic power at work, but also the external elements.

Magic power influenced elements through various rune frameworks; in reality, this utilized the principle of leverage, using a small amount of magic power to influence several times that amount of elements, thereby enhancing the spell's potency.

Borne was now utilizing the properties of "Qi" to filter and organize the magic power within his body, thereby achieving an alternative form of "purification!"

At this moment, Borne began to mobilize the magic power within his body, subsequently controlling his "Qi" to envelop it. The magic power being filtered out had been screened and carried a strong personal imprint.

At first, a portion of purified magic power was filtered through quickly, but the efficiency soon plummeted. Less and less magic power was being filtered, and the enveloped magic power began to spiral out of control.

It was then that Borne suddenly realized: Oh no!

I was too rash...

He felt an urge to slap himself across the face.

Sometimes, things going too smoothly wasn't a good thing. Accustomed to smooth sailing, he had actually dared to experiment on his own body without careful deliberation or testing.

Suddenly, a mouthful of blood sprayed out. Stars danced before his eyes, and his mind felt as if it had been struck by a club, before he collapsed straight onto the ground.

The mental shock made it impossible for him to even faint. With his mind splitting in pain, Borne could only force himself to control his breathing.

He focused all his attention on directing the execution of his "Qi"—after all, it was his "biological child," and "Qi" also possessed healing properties.

Three hours later, Borne was finally able to move, albeit with difficulty.

Compared to his last magical backlash, this time the internal injuries were more severe. Borne struggled to get up from the ground and hurriedly gulped down a bottle of healing potion.

He had truly been careless this time, but thanks to his "suicidal" behavior, he had verified that his line of thinking was correct—he had simply used the wrong method.

Borne gave a bitter smile and immediately summoned his Attribute Panel.

Name: Borne Ioulaum

Race: Netherese Human

Class: Wizard 10 / Arcanist 6 / Monk 4

Level: 10

Base Attributes: Strength 2.3 (↓3), Agility 2 (2.5), Constitution 3 (↓2), Intelligence 14 (↑1), Perception 6

Main Status: Severely injured! Internal organ displacement, minor arterial rupture... (Recommended treatment methods: 1: Divine medical arts, 2: Pharmacological treatment, formula:...)

"It seems this injury wasn't for nothing; my Intelligence just went up by a point."