A Tech Genius Crushed by Magic, Doctor Strange's Confidence Shattered!

Strange stared hard at the Ancient One, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"You once healed a paralyzed patient named Pangborn."

"Something like that." The Ancient One looked serene.

"His C7 and C8 spinal cords were completely damaged. How did you do it?" Strange pressed urgently.

"He thought he could never walk again. I simply convinced him that he could." The Ancient One lifted her teacup and took a small sip.

Strange looked as though he had just heard the biggest joke in the world. "You summoned me all the way here. Don't tell me this is some damn form of psychological suggestion."

"When you reconnect your own nerves, you're actually healing yourself."

"Cell regeneration?" Strange spoke rapidly, trying to use the scientific system he prided himself on to deconstruct everything. "Are you conducting underground research here? To evade oversight from the medical association?"

The Ancient One smiled and shook her head. "Mr. Strange. I know how to convince the soul to repair a broken body."

"Absurd! Utterly absurd!"

Strange completely lost control. He irritably clawed at his already disheveled hair. "I spent my entire fortune on a one-way ticket to the ends of the earth. And now you're telling me that faith and prayer can heal my hands?!"

"The truth is right before your eyes. You simply refuse to accept it out of arrogance because it lies beyond the boundaries of your understanding." The Ancient One set down her teacup.

"That's enough. I'm simply wasting my time. Goodbye."

Strange turned around angrily and started to leave.

The Ancient One's gaze sharpened, and she suddenly rose to her feet.

Her right hand moved as fast as lightning, slamming into Strange's chest.

Bang!

There was no dull sound of flesh colliding.

Strange's body instantly went rigid.

A translucent, spectral image of his soul was forcibly smacked out of his body by that single blow from the Ancient One!

Mordo watched from the side, nodding repeatedly, his eyes filled with awe.

A moment later, the Ancient One slightly withdrew her palm.

The soul slammed back into the body.

Strange's legs gave out, and he dropped heavily to his knees. He gasped for breath, drenched in cold sweat.

He abruptly raised his head, staring fixedly at the Ancient One, and forced out two words.

"Teach me."

"No."

The Ancient One answered crisply. She turned and instructed Mordo, "Throw him out."

Amid Strange's desperate cries, Mordo tossed him out the door like a chick.

"Let him stand in the cold wind for a few days. Once his temper has been worn down, bring him back." The Ancient One looked at Raine and Mordo.

The three exchanged smiles.

Several days later.

Kamar-Taj's Advanced Training Ground.

After several days of being beaten down by life on the streets, Strange was finally allowed through the gates.

Judging by his cautious, deferential appearance, he had clearly accepted reality.

Mordo led Raine over and strode up to Strange, preparing to begin that day's basic lessons.

Strange sized up Mordo, then glanced at Raine, who looked as young and naive as a high school student. His brows immediately furrowed.

"Master Mordo, this young man knows Magic too? Why don't you instruct me personally?"

It was a common failing among geniuses of technology: they only ever trusted authority and looked down on inexperienced youths.

Raine glanced at him and snorted inwardly.

Two top Sorcerers are giving you special instruction, and you're still being picky?

"Raine, show him a couple of moves so he'll feel more at ease." Mordo smiled and took half a step back.

Raine said nothing. He casually raised his right hand.

Hum!

The air instantly tore apart.

A dazzling Golden Chain shot out like a venomous snake from its den. In an instant, it crossed more than ten meters and bound Strange tightly into a dumpling.

Strange was so shocked that his eyeballs nearly popped out. He even forgot to struggle.

"Th-this is truly incredible power!"

Raine gave his wrist a slight flick, and the chain vanished.

The moment Strange landed, he eagerly asked, "How did you do that?"

"Focus." Mordo spoke up at the right moment. "The fact that you found this place means your talent isn't bad. Hold your breath, calm your mind, and sense the energy drifting around you."

Strange imitated him, randomly drawing a few circles in front of his chest with both hands. "Like this?"

"The circles are only there to help you focus. If your will is strong enough, you don't need these superfluous movements at all."

Mordo glanced at Strange and continued explaining.

The battle Sorcerers of Kamar-Taj all had to use physical movements to guide Magic when they first began. After all, mortal mental strength was far too weak.

But Raine was a complete freak.

His mental strength was as vast as the sea. He had long since reached the point where his words could shape reality, and he could even cast Magic instantly.

"Then what exactly am I supposed to do?" Strange asked blankly.

"Clear your mind and move the Laws. Treat your hands as weapons extending from your will."

Mordo turned to Raine. "Raine, demonstrate a basic shield for him again."

Raine gently pulled both hands apart.

The Rings of Raggadorr! Two dazzling crimson Magic Shields instantly blossomed in his palms, their light brilliant and dazzling.

Strange painfully clutched at his hair as his worldview collapsed once again.

"Why? This doesn't make any sense at all!"

"You can casually conjure shields and chains? That completely violates the laws of science!"

He had not yet come into contact with Magic and was still a surgeon who believed only in scalpels and microscopes.

Everything happening before his eyes was practically assaulting his scientific faith.

"Violates science?"

Mordo smiled, his tone carrying the tolerant patience of an elder.

"Science is humanity's summary and prediction of the Laws governing the objective world. It's a systematic body of knowledge."

"Since Magic has rules, can be learned, controlled, and even predicted, what gives you the right to claim that Magic isn't simply another form of science?"

Seeing the conflicted expression on Strange's face, Mordo continued, "Set aside your prejudices, Strange. Sorcerers have a very clear understanding of Magic. We analyze Cosmic Energy and borrow it for our own use."

"You need to use your mind to touch it and control it. Remember, we're merely borrowers. Extend your hands and use them as tools to guide your mind and sense it."

Strange was completely lost.

He raised both hands and imitated the others, gesturing randomly in front of his chest for quite some time.

Not even the tiniest spark appeared in the air.

"This is ridiculous!" Strange irritably lowered his hands and could not help cursing. "This is all vague, meaningless nonsense. It simply doesn't work!"

Raine, who had been standing to the side, suddenly spoke up. "Actually, as long as your mental strength is focused enough, all that waving is unnecessary."

Strange turned around, his face full of astonishment.

He saw Raine simply place both hands behind his back.

The next second, a dazzling red beam of light tore through the air from nowhere.

A crimson Magic Shield instantly blossomed in front of Raine.

That was not all. The light shield flew up and down with Raine's gaze, nimble as a living creature.

Strange's eyeballs nearly flew out of their sockets, and his jaw almost hit the floor tiles.

Mordo was just as stunned beside him.

I told you to casually demonstrate the basics. Who told you to perform a miracle right here?!

"H-how did you make that appear?" Strange stammered, his voice trembling.

"Hold your breath, calm your mind, and discard your distracting thoughts." Raine's tone was flat. "It's very simple."

Raine thought this was only natural.

With the system's support, every Magic spell he possessed had an independent consciousness.

Even if he stood there asleep, his Magic could automatically protect him.

Of course it was effortless to operate.

But to everyone else, those words exploded like a thunderclap.

Mordo and Strange were both dumbfounded.

Strange thought Raine was deliberately making fun of him, but upon closer inspection, Raine's face was filled with sincerity.

Simple?

Simple my ass!

Mordo was on the verge of mental collapse.

The spellcasting gestures passed down through Kamar-Taj for thousands of years existed to help mortals gather their mental strength.

You tied your hands behind your back and cast Magic?

Even the Sorcerer Supreme herself would have to move her wrists to shape a Magic Shield!

"The Sorcerer Supreme personally named you as someone she wants to teach." Raine glanced at Strange. "You should be able to learn this basic technique with ease, right?"

The moment he finished speaking, flashes burst out around Raine in rapid succession.

Five or six crimson light shields emerged from thin air, whirling rapidly around him like butterflies dancing through flowers.

The muscles on Strange's face twitched violently.

Mordo felt as though he were about to suffocate.

This guy isn't even human!

Strange mechanically turned his neck and looked at Mordo. "Master, can you cast spells that casually too?"

Mordo forcibly suppressed the storm raging in his heart and put on an inscrutable expression. "Raine is my student. Since you've seen how easily he uses them, there's no need for me to demonstrate a second time."

He looked as steady as an old dog on the surface, but inside, Mordo was cursing wildly.

Demonstrate my ass!

Who could perform something this absurd?!

That brat is definitely a monster wearing human skin!

The pride of a genius of technology was utterly trampled into pieces that day.

Strange had always believed himself to be exceptionally intelligent.

But here, he felt an overwhelming sense of suffocating frustration.

The others could play with Magic as if it were a game even with their hands tied behind their backs, while he could wave his hands until they broke and still could not produce a single damn thing.

How could the gap be this enormous?

For several days in a row, Strange locked himself in his room and obsessed over his training. He was tormented until his eye sockets sank and his face grew haggard.

He even began to seriously doubt his own intelligence.

Several days later, at the Advanced Training Ground.

Mordo and Raine were waiting there early.

Strange dragged his heavy feet over, his head hanging in dejection.

"How's your progress? Have you found the knack yet?"

Mordo asked kindly.

"Sorry, Master Mordo."

Strange lowered his head, his voice thick with despair. "I still can't make anything come out."