Your Spell Is Impressive, But It's Mine Now

Kamar-Taj, training grounds

Dozens of apprentices in plain training robes swung their arms in perfect unison. The air hummed with flowing magic, while golden sparks crackled at their fingertips, dazzling and mysterious.

At the back of the formation, though, the mood changed completely.

"Damn it..."

Wearing a Sling Ring, Jiang Li was drenched in sweat as he drew circles through the air. His movements were as precise as an industrial robot's, and he muttered under his breath as though carrying out some complex mathematical model.

"Spatial coordinate XYZ-axis positioning... Planck constant calibration... quantum entanglement channel established... Einstein-Rosen bridge concept activated..."

Yet aside from stirring up a faint breeze, nothing happened. Forget a portal—he could not even rub up a static spark.

"Give up, Jiang."

Mordo's cold voice came from beside him. With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked like a stern dean of discipline. "Magic is not programming. You do not need to calculate calculus in your head. What you need is faith, is visualizing the image—not calculating coordinates."

"I'm trying to understand its underlying logic!" Jiang Li snapped, shaking his aching wrist. "This violates the law of conservation of energy! How can drawing a circle let you cross half the planet? Where is the energy source? Is it drawn from the atmospheric ionosphere? Or converted from dark matter?"

"Bzzzt—!"

Just then, a crisp hum of energy came from nearby, interrupting Jiang Li's scientific rant.

Gwen Stacy had her eyes closed, her body swaying lightly to some pleasant rhythm, as if she were lost in the beat while playing drums in a band. Her wrist casually turned in a circle, the motion smooth and graceful.

"Crackle!"

Orange sparks burst before her. Though they had not yet formed a complete gateway, the sparks spun into a perfect ring. Through the small opening, the snow-covered Himalayas could already be seen on the other side.

"Whoa!" Gwen opened her eyes and looked at her hand in delight. "It feels like... catching a syncopated beat! As long as I give it a push along that rhythm, the door opens!"

"Well done, Stacy." Mordo showed a rare look of approval and even gave a slight nod. "You have talent. Your perception is sharp, unbound by mundane logic."

Then he turned to Jiang Li, his gaze instantly becoming one of cold disdain for a hopeless student.

"As for you... your head is filled with too many formulas and too much arrogance. Your cup is too full. There is no room for water."

Jiang Li felt like he had taken a critical hit.

As Stark Industries' chief consultant, a genius who could build nuclear bombs by hand, and a hero who had beaten Ultron senseless, he had actually become the bottom of the class in his first magic lesson? It felt worse than getting beaten up by Ultron.

"I don't believe in this nonsense."

Jiang Li took a deep breath, raised his left hand, and activated the Omnitrix.

"What are you doing?" Mordo frowned, slightly raising the Wand of Watoomb in his hand. "The Sorcerer Supreme told you to let go of your reliance on external things."

"She told me to give up reliance, not become an idiot."

Jiang Li turned the dial. Green light swept over the apprentices practicing spells nearby, and a holographic display unfolded before his eyes.

"System, scan the energy signature. Analyze the wavelength and frequency of these 'magic sparks.'"

[Analyzing... High-dimensional energy fluctuations detected. Not electromagnetic waves, not gravitational waves. This energy originates from the multiversal background radiation in the environment (Mana/magic).]

"Background radiation... I see."

Jiang Li looked at the stream of data on his watch, a confident smile curling across his lips.

"So magic isn't completely idealistic after all. As long as it's energy, it can be captured, analyzed... and absorbed."

"You are desecrating the mystic arts."

Mordo could no longer stand it. He strode forward, the anger in his eyes no longer concealed.

"The mystic arts are the foundation upon which the world is built, not toys for your scientific experiments. This attitude of turning everything into data will one day make you fall into darkness."

Mordo sharply planted his wand on the ground, golden magical energy surging around him.

"Since you believe in your toy so much, then let me see what you will use to face true power when your battery runs dry and technology fails."

"A spar?"

Jiang Li raised an eyebrow as the surrounding apprentices stopped practicing and gathered around.

"This is practical combat instruction." Mordo snorted. The wand in his hand instantly lengthened into a golden whip, lashing viciously toward Jiang Li with a howl through the air!

He did not hold back. The magical whip contained powerful binding force, enough to subdue an elephant in an instant.

"I don't know how to draw circles, Mordo."

Jiang Li did not dodge. Instead, he slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix.

"But I understand the subject called 'energy.'"

"It's Hero Time!"

A blinding violet-red light erupted, instantly swallowing Jiang Li's figure.

When the light faded, a tall alien composed entirely of purple crystal stood where he had been. It had one eye and wore a black-and-pink bodysuit. Its body gleamed like a gemstone in the sunlight, like a living amethyst, with several sharp crystal spikes protruding from its back.

Guardian of the Petrosapiens—Chromastone!

"Smack!"

Mordo's magical whip struck Jiang Li hard.

The expected sight of torn flesh never came.

Instead, the golden magical energy seeped directly into his purple crystal skin the moment it made contact, like water flowing into a sponge!

"What?" Mordo froze.

"Not bad. Tastes a little like lemon popping candy, with a hint of pepper."

Jiang Li's deep, echoing voice rang out from Chromastone. The purple crystals over his body suddenly lit up, and the once-dim patterns now flowed with golden light—the magic he had just absorbed from Mordo.

"You absorbed magical power?" Mordo's expression changed. Forming hand seals, he unleashed countless golden magical bolts like a rapid-fire barrage. "Then let's see how much you can eat!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Every attack struck Jiang Li, but not only did it fail to harm him, it made him look like a multicolored prism.

"Refraction!"

Jiang Li crossed his arms. Mordo's magical attacks struck him and were instantly refracted into countless dazzling beams, forming a rainbow force field of absolute defense around him.

"I told you, Mordo."

Jiang Li spread his arms, feeling the abundant energy within him.

"To you, this is the mysterious Power of the Vishanti. But to a Petrosapien, this is merely... a delicious breakfast."

"Now, take it back!"

Jiang Li pointed at Mordo with one hand, and the purple crystal at his fingertip erupted with dazzling light.

"Bzzzz—!!"

A brilliant multicolored energy beam shot forth!

The beam blended the Omnitrix's bioenergy with the magical energy he had just absorbed. Its power was astonishing, even ionizing the air and leaving behind a scorched smell.

Mordo's face changed in shock, and he hurriedly raised the Shield of the Seraphim.

"Boom!!"

The beam slammed into the magical shield. The tremendous impact drove Mordo backward for more than ten meters, carving two deep trenches through the stone tiles beneath his feet.

The smoke and dust dispersed.

Mordo lowered his smoking shield somewhat awkwardly, looking at the completely unharmed Jiang Li with a complicated expression.

"This isn't magic." Mordo gritted his teeth, clearly wounded in pride. "It's cheap trickery."

"This is 'energy conversion theory,' Master Mordo."

Jiang Li deactivated his transformation, dusted off his clothes, and looked completely relaxed. "See? I may not know how to chant spells, but I can turn your spells into my bullets. All roads lead to Rome, don't they?"

The surrounding apprentices stared in stunned silence. They had trained for years just to gather a little magic, yet this guy could eat magic directly?

In a corner, the Ancient One quietly watched the scene, still holding her cup of tea.

"So this is his way?"

The Ancient One took a gentle sip of tea, a meaningful smile flashing through her eyes. "If he cannot understand the rules, then he devours the rules. Azmuth... you truly created an interesting monster."

After the evening lesson ended.

The library was brightly lit.

Jiang Li and Gwen sat beside a long table. Gwen was flipping through an ancient Sanskrit text on astral projection, trying to find a way to heal herself. Meanwhile, Jiang Li stared blankly at the Omnitrix's holographic display, studying the energy spectrum he had absorbed earlier.

"You embarrassed Mordo badly today." Gwen spoke softly, though there was a trace of gloating in her tone. "That expression on his face looked like he'd swallowed a fly."

"He's too rigid. If he faced an unreasonable enemy like Dormammu, his shield wouldn't last three seconds."

Jiang Li ran a finger across the projection. "Still, although Chromastone can absorb energy, that ability is passive. To completely solve the particle prismification in your body, absorption alone won't be enough."

"I need... to control time."

Jiang Li looked toward the depths of the library, toward a shelf sealed by a special magical array.

There rested a pendant glowing green.

The Eye of Agamotto—the Time Stone.

"There's a gene in the Omnitrix related to the flow of time. But I've never been able to fully unlock it." Jiang Li looked at the hourglass-shaped icon on the dial—Clockwork. "Maybe I should find a chance to 'talk' with that green stone."

Just then, someone stepped out from the shadows of the library.

It was neither Mordo nor the Ancient One.

It was a sorcerer with dark eyeshadow around his eyes, who looked gloomy and arrogant.

Kaecilius.

Holding a thick book, he pretended to organize the shelves, yet walked straight toward Jiang Li.

"An impressive performance."

Kaecilius's voice was like a cold snake. "You can devour energy? You can break rules? I saw the desire in your eyes... that desire for knowledge, for power."

"What are you trying to say?" Jiang Li closed the holographic display and watched him warily.

"The Ancient One is lying."

Kaecilius lowered his voice, his eyes burning with fanaticism. "She tells us to follow nature, yet she herself draws upon the power of the Dark Dimension to sustain her immortality. You noticed it too, didn't you? The true nature of that power."

He glanced at the watch on Jiang Li's wrist.

"You are someone who breaks rules, just like me. Why learn those rigid spells?"

Kaecilius pushed the book in his hand slightly forward. It was an index concerning the Book of Cagliostro.

"The real truth is hidden in forbidden places. If you want to control time... I can tell you which book holds the answer."

After saying that, he revealed a strange smile, turned around, and melted into the darkness.