Do You Really Think Being the Sorcerer Supreme Is That Hard?

Zhang Yang was no exception.

Berkeley silently apologized to all the apprentices.

Then he turned his gaze to Zhang Yang.

Taking a deep breath, Berkeley walked up to Zhang Yang with a stern face. "Do you know why I told you to go back and sleep yesterday?"

The moment he finished speaking, Zhang Yang hurriedly bowed to Berkeley and said gratefully, "I understand, junior brother. I'm truly grateful for Senior Brother Berkeley's painstaking intentions."

Berkeley: ????

Berkeley was stunned.

Berkeley had asked Zhang Yang that question because he had originally wanted to knock him down a peg.

After all, Berkeley had thought Zhang Yang would definitely say he didn't know.

Yet Zhang Yang looked utterly grateful instead.

That left Berkeley completely baffled.

Before Berkeley could ask what he was thanking him for, Zhang Yang said excitedly, "Senior Brother, I finally understand what you meant when you said the key to cultivating magic was greater insight!"

"Yesterday, you told me to go back and rest."

"When I lay in bed with my eyes closed and thought about it, inspiration suddenly struck. When I woke up this morning, I suddenly understood how to open a Portal!"

"Kamar-Taj's magic truly is wondrous and mysterious. Senior Brother merely drew a Magic Ray, yet I never expected it to contain such profound meaning."

"Only after thinking about it these past two days did I realize that Magic Rays are the foundation of everything. Lines can be connected into any object. It's truly incredible."

Zhang Yang's tone was rather excited as he spoke.

Though he looked as if he were praising the profundity of Kamar-Taj's magic, Berkeley somehow felt like he was showing off.

Did he fucking think learning magic was drawing?

Draw a pattern with lines, and then he could cast it?!

If it were really that easy, why would anyone need to learn magic?!

Only a brain blessed by the gods like his could do something like that... If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't even be able to get started in magic using his method.

Fucking infuriating.

Berkeley roared inwardly.

Although Zhang Yang's words were irritating, that wasn't the point. The point was that Berkeley seemed to have heard Zhang Yang say he had figured out how to open a Portal.

"Are you serious?" Berkeley looked at Zhang Yang and asked very seriously.

What was he supposed to do? Berkeley was starting to panic.

"Mm." Zhang Yang nodded, his expression extremely serious.

Hiss—

What a sin!

As a fellow human being, I'm sorry.

Berkeley pressed a hand to his temple.

Please, stop having breakthroughs!

If he kept having breakthroughs, Kamar-Taj might not be able to contain him anymore...

Chapter 11

Seeing Berkeley press his temple with a pained expression, Zhang Yang was briefly taken aback.

Ever since yesterday, Zhang Yang had noticed that Senior Brother Berkeley was either shaking his head or sighing at him.

It left Zhang Yang rather confused.

The more than three hundred types of Weapon Magic and Portal Magic he had figured out were all things Doctor Strange had used in the movies. Logically speaking, there shouldn't have been anything wrong with what he had figured out.

Why did Senior Brother Berkeley keep shaking his head?

"Senior Brother Berkeley, have you been having migraines lately?" Zhang Yang asked bluntly.

"..." Berkeley said, "What migraine?!"

"If you don't have a headache, why do you keep shaking your head, sighing, and pressing your temple?" Zhang Yang asked frankly.

Isn't it because your comprehension is so damn good that it's giving me a headache?!

That was what he thought, but Berkeley couldn't say it. "I shake my head and sigh because you have a serious problem."

His words confused Zhang Yang once more.

"Zhang Yang, I know you want to learn magic, and I know you work very hard. But when cultivating magic, what matters is mastery, not quantity." Seeing Zhang Yang frown slightly in confusion, Berkeley began his earnest deception. "I have to admit, you have many ideas, and your comprehension is barely passable. Compared to the apprentices of this generation, you're a fairly decent prospect. But your problem is that you have too many ideas and have lost sight of what matters."

"At Kamar-Taj, that is a major taboo."

"There are many types of magic: close-combat magic, long-range magic, support magic, offensive magic, defensive magic, and so on..."

"And there are countless varieties of magic as well."

"Can you learn them all? Of course you can. But where is your focus? What is your specialty? Support, defense, or offense?"

Berkeley spoke with great sincerity.

And indeed, there was some truth to his words.

Zhang Yang had figured out many spells recently, but he had also noticed that although there were many of them, they were basically all foundational magic.

Based on Zhang Yang's memories and what he had seen and heard at Kamar-Taj.

When The Ancient One was mentioned, Mirror Dimension Magic naturally came to mind.

The Ancient One's Mirror Dimension Magic had been cultivated to perfection.

Generally speaking, once The Ancient One opened the Mirror Dimension, almost no one had ever been seen escaping from it.

Then there were Doctor Strange and the other Kamar-Taj sorcerers.

The magic cultivated at Kamar-Taj was called the Mystic Arts.

It could also be called close-combat magic.

There usually were not many flashy tricks. It mainly focused on close-quarters combat.

Spatial Teleportation Magic served as support.

To many people, Kamar-Taj's magic might not seem particularly dazzling.

But the thing was, it was highly practical.

For example, if an enemy cast long-range magic at you.

If you used a Portal to teleport directly beside them, then drove a magic sword straight into their heart.

Then no matter how flashy the enemy's magic looked, it would be useless.

So then came the most crucial question.

Could your magic sword accurately pierce the enemy's heart?

That was what Zhang Yang understood from Berkeley's words.

To put it simply.

Magic attacks had to be fast, precise, ruthless, and strike directly at the enemy's vital point.

More precisely, he needed to possess one magic ability in which he was exceptionally proficient.

Whether it was support magic, offensive magic, or another category, what mattered was mastery, not quantity.

"Senior Brother Berkeley! I understand!"

Zhang Yang suddenly understood.

So that was it!

"Mm." Berkeley nodded while putting on an unfathomable look.

Although Berkeley had absolutely no idea what Zhang Yang had understood from that string of bluffing nonsense.

He still had to keep up appearances.

And he still had to ask the question.

"Then tell me now, what exactly did you understand?" Berkeley asked Zhang Yang seriously.

He was serious because Berkeley really did want to know.

"Senior Brother means that when learning magic, mastery matters more than quantity. I should first master one spell and bring out its greatest effect, then master another one. Is that right?" Zhang Yang said earnestly.

Good heavens!

People really couldn't be compared... I just spouted nonsense, and he could still grasp some truth from it.

Berkeley felt like crying, but outwardly nodded in satisfaction. "You can be taught."

After saying that, he continued, "A truly powerful sorcerer must have their own understanding of everything in the world. The origin of magic comes from nature. Seek the true meaning of magic within nature. Do not blindly pursue quantity. Wine is good, but one must not drink too much."

"So put aside those flashy ideas. Although you know more than three hundred types of Weapon Magic and Portal Magic, your ability has not yet reached the point where you can control all of them with perfect mastery."

"The reason I drew Magic Rays was to have you learn Magic Rays. Do you think the power of a Magic Ray would be inferior to those Magic Weapons?"

As Berkeley spoke, he raised a hand and drew a Magic Ray. He then gripped it in his hand, walked to a tree, and slashed through the air.

An invisible force swept past.

It stirred the leaves of the great tree, making them rustle.

Silence—

Utter silence—

Zhang Yang and every apprentice present stared at Berkeley.

At that moment.

He held that Magic Ray in his right hand, as though the scene itself had frozen.

Just as everyone was dumbfounded, a thud rang out.

The tree opposite Berkeley was cut in half at the waist.

"So powerful!" Aili cried out in astonishment.

"Senior Brother is incredible! How did he do that?!"

"So Magic Rays can be this powerful?!"

The apprentices nearby also cried out in amazement.

Only then did Berkeley slowly withdraw the Magic Ray. With his hands behind his back, he looked at Zhang Yang and all the apprentices. "I hope you cast aside everything flashy, return to the origin of magic, and surpass yourselves."

"Magic can be a weapon or a shield. What matters most is how you use it!"

After saying that, Berkeley left without looking back.

Chapter 12

There were only three days left.

When Berkeley woke up, he counted the days on his fingers, filled with immense gratitude.

As usual, Berkeley went to the Kamar-Taj Library to report to Wong.

Unlike usual.

This time, Wong was not listening to Beyoncé.

Instead, he sat upright before the Kamar-Taj Library, seemingly waiting for Berkeley to arrive.