The next day.
In Sanctum Sanctorum's martial arts arena, Strange stood quietly aside, watching Peter mechanically perform the set of boxing techniques.
Peter knew that this kind of rigid practice was meaningless, but he still persisted. At this moment, his mind was no longer on the moves, but was completely immersed in the memories of Xiaomao.
Last night's experience triggered some emotion deep in his heart. In the past, he always deliberately buried his longing for Felicia in his heart and did not dare to touch it, but now, those memories came flooding back.
Her smile, her laughter, and the tenderness that fell on her lips... everything was so clear, like the clear sky reflected on a calm lake.
The body was completing the movements taught by Strange based on muscle memory, but Mind Stone had already drifted into the distance. During these days in this world, he had never missed her so strongly. He originally thought that the memory would bring severe pain, but it did not... It felt like seeing the warm sun again after a long night.
Faint golden light began to intertwine and flow on his arms.
Sanskrit hymns seemed to be ringing in his mind, overlapping with the scene of their first date in his memory.
Strange stood up from the chair, a trace of surprise and admiration flashed in his eyes, watching Peter with interest.
Peter raised his hands, and the hearty laughter of Felicia appeared in his mind. He drew a circle with one hand and pinched it with the other, and in his mind was her teasing his clumsy joke.
As his arms drew a perfect arc in mid-air, a fiery red-gold halo suddenly bloomed in the air!
Huge Magic energy erupted from his body and poured into the void in front of him.
Felicia's smile gradually faded, and some kind of enlightenment came to his heart. Peter opened his eyes and looked at the perfect Magic formation suspended in front of him in shock!
He followed the trend and deduced the second set of punches. His arms were like snakes coming out of their holes, and bright normal lines burst out from his fingertips, like golden threads spit out by Spider. Two interlaced rectangles were generated inside the ring, slowly rotating clockwise.
Then came the third set of punches! Peter's arms retreated, his knuckles crackled, and his shoulder joints were almost stretched to the limit. He suddenly thrust his palm forward, and lit a bright spot in the center of the Magic formation!
Boom!
The roar of huge energy echoed in the martial arts arena, and the Magic array in front of him burst out with dazzling brilliance, evolving violently under his eyes!
After the light dissipated, a brand new array suddenly appeared - a delicate spider web pattern appeared in the center of the ring, with thousands of golden silk threads converging towards the center of the circle, and ancient and mysterious Sanskrit runes surrounding the edges.
This is his Magic core! It is the cornerstone for all his future spells!
"Amazing." Strange couldn't help but admire it.
As Peter released his thoughts, the red-gold Magic array slowly faded away, and the wonderful sense of energy oppression also disappeared.
Peter wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Strange: "Master, do I consider this a success?"
"As a beginner, your performance is perfect." Strange nodded approvingly, "But can you tell me what made you suddenly realize it just now?"
Peter looked at his hands and smiled self-deprecatingly, "I thought too much before. I was always worried about failure, worried that I was not the material to learn Magic at all. I ignored the most important point - Magic needs to be felt with the heart, rather than relying on rote calculations."
"Then what made you put down those distracting thoughts?"
"It's the girl I love." Peter sighed.
Strange raised his eyebrows. "Felicia?"
Seeing Peter nodding, the muscles on Sorcerer Supreme's face twitched slightly, and he smiled bitterly, "My apprentice... I suddenly feel a little sympathy for you."
Peter rolled his eyes. "She's actually not that bad, Master."
"She does, you know it in your heart." Strange joked, "Okay, consolidate this process again. Next time, try not to use the Magic core to assist. I know it is convenient to have a core, but you must turn this feeling into instinct. This is the basis for you to learn all advanced Magic."
"Understood." Peter moved his fingers and immersed himself in cultivation again.
Another day passed.
"You did a very good job with the basic exercises." Strange looked at Peter with a smile, "As a reward, I think you deserve this."
With that said, Strange handed over a set of clothes. It was a red robe similar to a Japanese Daoist robe, with a black belt tied around the waist.
Peter took it and looked at it. "Um... thank you?"
"This is the apprentice robe." Strange explained, "It marks that you are finally qualified to officially become my disciple."
Peter blinked. "So I was never even considered a disciple before... Wait, do I have to wear this?"
"Yes, this natural material can better guide Magic energy. And it looks cool when worn, isn't it?" Strange said with a smile.
"Okay..." The corner of Peter's mouth twitched. Seeing Strange narrowing his eyes and looking at him provocatively, Peter quickly changed his words, "I like it very much! It's great!"
He secretly added in his mind: When he returns to his hometown in the future, he must "accidentally" forget these clothes at Sanctum Sanctorum.
Strange nodded with satisfaction. "Very good. Besides, this is yours too."
He handed over a cloth bag with the name Peter embroidered on it. It looked about the same size as an ordinary shoulder bag, but the material was very special and could even be curled up into the size of a palm.
"What is this?"
"Storage bag." Strange introduced, "One of the most useful tools for a mage is also your first magic tool. It can store a large number of items for you, and it is weightless after being packed in. When it is not needed, just inject Magic, and it will change its shape according to your thoughts."
Peter followed the instructions and injected the energy in his body into the bag. The originally huge backpack immediately shrank rapidly and became the size of a palm.
Peter couldn't put it down and kneaded it. "This is so handsome!"
"As long as you like it. Go put on your robes. Our first formal class will begin soon."