The Torrent of Knowledge and the System's Assistance

Mage Daniel led Li Wei to a massive wooden door carved with countless profound runes. He took out an oddly shaped key, inserted it into the lock, and began chanting an incantation. The key and the runes on the door glowed faintly at the same time, and the great door silently slid inward.

"This is it. The basic section is on the left, and the intermediate section is on the right. The advanced and forbidden sections may not be entered without the unanimous permission of Master Ancient One or the guardians of the London and Hong Kong Sanctums," Mage Daniel instructed solemnly. "Books may not be taken out, and do not damage them while reading. I'll come revoke your access in a month." With that, he gave a slight nod and turned to leave, leaving Li Wei alone before this ocean of knowledge.

The Library's interior space had also been enhanced with expansion spells. Towering bookshelves stretched all the way to a dome too high to see clearly, packed densely with every kind of tome—ancient volumes with thick leather covers, energy crystals gleaming faintly, diagrams recorded on strange beast hides, and even streams of text made of pure light floating in the air. The air was filled with the scent of old paper, magical ink, and wisdom accumulated over the years.

Even though Li Wei had prepared himself mentally, he was still awestruck by the magnificent sight. This was only the basic and intermediate areas! A month... time is tight. Li Wei took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement as his gaze sharpened. He walked to a shelf in the basic section and casually pulled down a copy of <Introduction to Magical Power Fundamentals and Sevenfold Cycle Meditation>. Opening it, he found neat handwriting accompanied by complex diagrams of meditation postures and energy circulation paths. Rather than reading and comprehending it word by word like an ordinary mage, he gently laid his palm over the pages and closed his eyes.

"System, activate scan-and-record function. Conduct deep analysis and establish an independent knowledge base."

[Command received. Beginning scan of <Introduction to Magical Power Fundamentals and Sevenfold Cycle Meditation>... Scan complete. Analyzing... Entered into knowledge base. Three optimization paths with subtle differences from the host's existing inheritance detected and marked.]

Almost the instant his palm touched the book, the system in his mind completed the scan, recording, and preliminary analysis of the entire volume! The efficiency was astonishing! Li Wei was delighted. Just as expected—it works! The system was like a combination of a supercomputer and a top-tier analyst. It could not only record information, but also compare and optimize it!

He no longer hesitated and transformed into a ruthless "scanner." He moved swiftly through the towering shelves, his hands brushing over tome after tome, crystal after crystal, diagram after diagram as though playing a zither. Analysis of Basic Runes, Introduction to Dimensional Studies, Seventeen Variations of the Shield of Seraphim, <Comprehensive Properties of Common Magical Materials>, <Introduction to Alchemy: Beginning with the Emerald Tablet>...

[Scan complete... Entered into knowledge base.]

[Scan complete... 127 basic enchanting formulas discovered and archived.]

[Scan complete... Seventeen low-tier potion formulas analyzed and recorded.]

[Warning: Tome of Whispers detected to carry a risk of mental contamination. It is recommended that the host attain intermediate mental protection before conducting an in-depth interpretation. Isolated and archived.]

The system's notifications came one after another. Vast amounts of knowledge surged into the "knowledge base" in his mind like a torrent, categorized, organized, and archived. The system also promptly warned him about hidden traps in certain books and matters requiring attention. This method of learning could only be called plunder! Naked, undisguised plunder of knowledge!

Of course, Li Wei did not neglect comprehension entirely. Between system scans, he would pause and focus on the sections marked as "optimization paths" or "core principles," thinking deeply about them and digesting them in conjunction with the Insights into the Nature of Energy that Ancient One had traded to him. He discovered that the inheritance provided by the system was like a skeleton, while the knowledge in the Library was flesh and blood, making his magical system fuller and more solid. Many magical phenomena he had previously understood only superficially now found their theoretical foundations.

A few days later, he had "swept clean" the basic section. His foundation in magical theory had been strengthened as never before. Then he entered the intermediate section. The knowledge here was more profound—and more dangerous. Advanced Spell Construction and Counterspells, Elemental Summoning and Binding Contracts, Introductory Guide to the Mirror Dimension, Constructing and Breaking Through Mental Barriers, Safety Guidelines for Interdimensional Travel... Li Wei's attention was drawn to a thick tome titled Practical Applications of Spatial Folds. It was perfectly suited for cross-referencing with Ancient One's annotations on Spatial Folding and Expansion!

He scanned and learned with ravenous hunger. Combining Ancient One's annotations with the system's analysis, his understanding of spatial magic began improving at a rapid pace. He was no longer content merely to use portals. He began trying to understand the deeper principles behind them—spatial coordinate positioning, dimensional membrane penetration, energy stability maintenance, and more. He even attempted to follow Ancient One's annotated method, guiding magical power to carefully inscribe his first spatial expansion rune onto the inner wall of his ten-cubic-meter System Space. The first attempt failed. The rune structure collapsed, causing a faint spatial ripple that left him dizzy.

On the second attempt, with the system's assisted calibration, the rune was successfully inscribed! Though it was only the most basic rune, he could clearly sense that the System Space seemed... slightly more stable, and its boundary had expanded outward by an almost imperceptible millimeter! Success! A tremendous sense of accomplishment rose within Li Wei. This proved that his path of integrating different systems of knowledge was viable!

In the days that followed, he completely immersed himself in the ocean of knowledge. Besides spatial magic, he also focused on scanning tomes related to enchanting, alchemy, and all kinds of energy protection. He knew that this knowledge would be vital for strengthening himself and crafting equipment in the future.

[Ding! The host's knowledge base reserves have reached the current level threshold. It is recommended that the host engage in deep meditation to integrate and absorb the information, avoiding information overload.]

The system issued a reminder. Li Wei snapped out of his absorbed state of study and realized that more than half a month had already passed. His mind was indeed somewhat fatigued, a normal reaction to such a massive influx of information.

Following the system's advice, he did not continue scanning. Instead, he went to a meditation cushion in the center of the Library and sat down. He did not use Kamar-Taj's traditional meditation technique, but instead activated the Astral Visualization Technique from another world. In an instant, his consciousness seemed to leave his body and become a tiny star floating in an endless void of thought.

The countless fragments of knowledge he had learned in the Library became like stardust orbiting that star. In this state of visualization, they were slowly sorted through, absorbed, and integrated... When he opened his eyes again, the trace of restlessness that had occasionally flashed in them due to his rapid increase in power had vanished. In its place was a profound confidence and a wise gleam that saw through to the essence of things. He could feel that his control over magical power had become more precise, and his understanding of magical principles more thorough.

Only now did he truly possess the foundation worthy of an "Ancient One-level" inheritance. The day before the one-month deadline, Li Wei took the initiative to find Mage Daniel. "Thank you for your guidance, Mage Daniel. I'm ready to leave." Mage Daniel looked at the young man before him, whose bearing had changed completely, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. He could sense that Li Wei's magical power had become more condensed and profound. There was also a faint aura around him—calm and vast, sharing the same origin as Kamar-Taj Magic yet subtly different.

"You... gained a great deal this month," Daniel finally said. Li Wei smiled faintly without denying it. He once again bowed toward the direction where Ancient One was, then calmly walked out through the doors of the New York Sanctum. The sunlight outside was perfect, and New York remained as bustling as ever. Li Wei took a deep breath of free air, feeling the power coursing through his body and the vast knowledge in his mind. It was time to meet that "indebted" Iron Man and begin preparing for the next plunder of the myriad worlds.