Magic Practice (Happy New Year's Day, Everyone)

What could make the ever-serious Mage Hamill cry out in such astonishment?

Zhang Yang!

A sword hilt appeared in his hand. Perfectly normal, right?

Then came the abnormal part!

If there was a hilt, there had to be a blade, right?

Zhang Yang had formed a blade from magical energy in his hand as well, except it looked somewhat different from the usual kind.

Everyone might have heard of a forty-meter-long blade, but had they ever seen a forty-thousand-meter-long sword?

That was why Mage Hamill's expression had changed.

The sword in Zhang Yang's hand shot straight into the clouds, its tip completely out of sight.

"This..."

The other apprentices stopped practicing as well, staring at Zhang Yang as though he were a monster.

"It seems a little too long."

Zhang Yang casually waved it. He felt as though he had sliced through something, but he did not pay it much attention. He simply cut off the sword's energy supply and let it collapse.

Washington, D.C., Triskelion.

"Warning, warning. A satellite has been destroyed by an unidentified weapon."

Red lights flashed throughout the monitoring room as mechanical alerts echoed without pause.

"What happened?"

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s public-facing director, the king of agents, Black Braised Egg, made his entrance.

"One of our satellites was destroyed by an unidentified weapon."

As Black Braised Egg's trusted subordinate, Coulson had immediately investigated after receiving the report and had been waiting for Black Braised Egg to arrive so he could brief him in person.

"A satellite?"

Black Braised Egg's one remaining eye was filled with confusion. "Was it an attack or an accident? Have you figured it out?"

"We have."

Coulson handed Black Braised Egg the tablet he had prepared. "This was recorded before the satellite was destroyed."

Black Braised Egg took the tablet. A video was playing on it, and after watching it, his lone pupil suddenly dilated.

In the video, a massive sword extended continuously from the ground, stretching all the way into the depths of space beyond the satellite's observation range.

The sword shifted slightly and struck the satellite, triggering an explosion. In its final image before the blast, the satellite captured a distant planet being cleaved in two!

Even though Black Braised Egg had seen plenty of bizarre things, this utterly outrageous blade of light still left him stunned. "Have you found where the light sword first appeared?"

"We have."

Coulson handed Black Braised Egg another set of documents. "According to the supercomputer's calculations, there is a 99.12% chance that the light sword originated here."

"Nepal..."

Black Braised Egg looked at the supercomputer's conclusion and fell silent, something he rarely did. "Was it that place?"

"Most likely."

"Seal the files. Clearance level ten!"

"Understood!"

"This... is fucking insane!"

"Fucking insane..."

Mage Hamill worked hard to maintain his stern expression, but waves of turmoil kept rising in his heart. Is this guy a monster? A sword reaching into the heavens... even the Ancient One couldn't do that, could he?

I heard that brat Gandalf still refuses to give up and wants to cause trouble for this monster?

Looks like I'll have to assign him some tasks. If he really picks a fight with Zhang Yang... the consequences will be unimaginable...

Tsk... why do I feel so bitter? He's clearly just a Mage Apprentice...

While Mage Hamill continued grumbling inwardly, Zhang Yang closed his eyes and recalled the spells and gestures he had learned from the Supreme Codex before trying again.

First came a sword hilt condensed from magical energy. Then the blade slowly emerged, ultimately stopping at around 1.2 meters in length.

Countless exquisite patterns appeared over it, making the sword seem even sharper. The surrounding space appeared unable to withstand it, and faint ripples emerged in the air.

"This is..."

Mage Hamill noticed the patterns on the blade, and his gaze sharpened. Ultimate Sharpness, Ultimate Heavy Strike, Ultimate Speed Boost, ultimate... they're all fucking ultimate enchantments?

Where did he learn these?

There are enchantments here that even I haven't mastered!

Could he be the Ancient One's illegitimate son? Is that why he learned these spells in advance?

No, that can't be right...

Beneath Mage Hamill's solemn expression, his heart itched with curiosity.

At last, Mage Hamill awkwardly and somewhat bashfully approached Zhang Yang and asked the question that had been weighing on him. "Zhang Yang, where did you learn these spells?"

"The Supreme Codex."

Zhang Yang was very satisfied with the weapon he had created. "It's in the library. Haven't you read it?"

"The Supreme Codex?"

Mage Hamill was completely dumbfounded. This book was one of the foundational theory texts that every Mage Apprentice had to read. Naturally, he had read it too, and he had even comprehended a powerful spell from it—Vishanti's Sacred Sword!

Yet he had never found any magical incantations or casting gestures related to enchantments in that book!

After Mage Hamill voiced his doubt, Zhang Yang replied with a puzzled look, "Page 55 of the Supreme Codex, third line: Any magic can be fixed onto another object through certain methods. For example, after power amplification is fixed through the method of XXX, it becomes the enchantment Ultimate Power Amplification. Other enchantments work the same way..."

Zhang Yang recited a long passage from the Supreme Codex, leaving Mage Hamill looking rather dazed.

"You... memorized all of it?"

Mage Hamill patted his own cheek, his eyes filled with shock. "You memorized the entire Supreme Codex?"

"Of course."

Zhang Yang nodded. "As long as I want to, I can remember certain things after seeing them only once."

"You truly are a born mage."

Mage Hamill pondered for a moment before sighing. "Unless something unexpected happens, you will be one of the strongest candidates for the next Sorcerer Supreme!"

"We'll talk about that later."

Zhang Yang shook his head. "Is there anything else, Mage Hamill?"

"No. Continue practicing."

"Yes."

It was not until six in the evening that this practical magic class finally came to an end.

Some of the other apprentices had learned Dimensional Door, also known as a Portal, while others had gone a step further and gained a preliminary grasp of Magic Shaping.

But the one who had improved the most was still Zhang Yang.

With Mage Hamill's help, he had practiced everything from the most basic Dimensional Door to advanced spells such as Vishanti's Sacred Sword and Bolts of Balthakk.

The results were also highly gratifying. By now, Zhang Yang had completely mastered all of Kamar-Taj's magic.

"From now on, you can move freely during my classes."

Only heaven knew what Mage Hamill had been feeling when he said those words.

Having a genius as a student had one downside: he was too smart. Before he had even taught much, his entire store of knowledge had already been drained dry.

"Oh, right."

Mage Hamill thought of something and called Zhang Yang back. "Perhaps you could study magic beyond Kamar-Taj's."

"For example, there are exchange students from Hogwarts within the academy, exchange students from Atlantis beneath the sea, exchange students from Asgard..."

"They may be able to help you."

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