roccoschili Chapter 324: Mystical Technique
Chapter 324: Mystical Technique
Li Wei went to the Saint Villia Library.
He sought answers.
After becoming a student in the Purple Level Class, Li Wei’s privileges had expanded further.
Ninety-nine percent of the books in the Saint Villia Library were now open to him.
Only a few forbidden books remained beyond his access.
Li Wei found books related to Grand Mages and breaking through to Tier Four, searching for answers to the questions weighing on his mind.
"The difference between a Grand Mage and an ordinary Mage is the Mystical Technique."
’What is a Mystical Technique?’
Li Wei read many books that explained Mystical Techniques.
He felt the Mystical Techniques described in the books were profound and mysterious.
The so-called Mystical Technique was the world one believed in.
Everyone saw the world differently.
To some, fire was warmth.
To others, fire was danger.
To some, lightning was a deafening roar.
To others, lightning was a shattering flash.
To some, water was formless.
To others, water was a roaring tidal wave.
...
A Mystical Technique was a Grand Mage’s firmly held understanding of a certain thing.
It was the Grand Mage’s own analysis of the world.
The Mystical Techniques of Fire—raging flames, combustion, explosion, high temperature, destruction, rebirth, warmth...
The Mystical Techniques of Lightning—swiftness, ferocity, Thunderous Force, annihilation, destruction, unparalleled power...
The Mystical Techniques of Water—gentleness, surging billows, roaring tsunamis, silently nourishing life, the source of all things, great waves, ripples...
...
A Mystical Technique was very complex, yet also very simple.
To summarize it in a single sentence: it was the world one believed in.
The world is complex, so Mystical Techniques are also complex.
Mystical Techniques exist in all things and can be seen everywhere, so they are also simple.
Magic was, at its core, a Mage’s ability to reshape the world.
A Mystical Technique allowed a Mage to reshape the world into the version they saw in their own eyes.
Li Wei knew that combustion, explosion, destruction, annihilation, rebirth... they were all properties of fire.
He couldn’t view fire one-sidedly as having only a single "Mystical Technique."
The more he learned about the world, the more he realized he didn’t know.
This made it difficult for him to believe in a singular perception of the world.
Difficult to believe in a "Mystical Technique."
He believed fire inherently possessed all those different properties.
This was what prevented him from comprehending his own Mystical Technique.
This was the predicament faced by many Tier Three Mages.
Because they understood too much about the world, they couldn’t simply believe in one aspect of it.
Knowledge, instead, had become a restraint, a shackle.
Grand Mages weren’t madmen; they were Mages who had shattered those shackles.
They understood the essence and true meaning of the world.
Their belief in the world they saw wasn’t born from paranoia.
But from conviction.
A conviction that they could change the world, remolding it into the shape of their belief.
It had a rather idealistic flavor to it.
Li Wei sought out Valen, hoping for an answer to the questions in his heart.
"Master Valen, what is a Mystical Technique?" Li Wei asked.
Valen glanced at him and said, "A Mystical Technique is one’s perception of the world’s Rules."
Li Wei said, "The essence of all things?"
Valen shook his head. "You can never see through the essence of the world, just as you can never fully fathom the world’s Rules. There will always be things that defy common sense.
If you overly pursue the so-called essence of the world, you will find it even harder to discover the Mystical Technique you can believe in.
A Mystical Technique is not the essence of the world; it is your understanding and perception of it."
Li Wei looked puzzled, unable to understand.
’But a Mystical Technique is clearly about the world’s essence, the fundamental characteristics of all things.’
’Yet Master Valen was telling him that wasn’t the case.’
’A Mystical Technique is essence, but it is not essence.’
’A Mystical Technique is a world Rule, yet it is not a world Rule.’
’It is merely the world’s Rules as seen through one’s own eyes, not the true Rules of the world.’
Valen asked, "What do you think is the essence of water?"
Without hesitation, Li Wei replied, "Flowing, cold, formless, the source of life..."
Valen said, "Then have you ever seen solid water? By your understanding, all water in the world should be flowing.
Have you ever seen water at two thousand degrees? According to your knowledge, water would have long since evaporated at such a high temperature.
But these things truly exist in the world.
When you encounter this ’water,’ isn’t your perception of the world shattered?"
Li Wei said, "But I never believed that what I know is everything. I know there must be things in this world that I don’t know."
Valen said, "And that is the crucial point. You have never truly believed in the world you perceive.
You seem like a seeker of truth, but you don’t actually believe truth exists. You are constantly doubting, constantly questioning.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t question things. Questioning is the ladder to progress, the path to seeking truth.
But you must understand, what do you truly believe in?"
Li Wei said, "The only eternally unchanging truth in the world is change itself. I can’t find a world Rule that I can believe in forever."
Valen shook his head. "You still don’t understand. I told you, a Mystical Technique is not a world Rule. It is your perspective on the world."
"I believe that the world is in a state of constant change," Li Wei said.
’But what good is that? I don’t feel like I’ve comprehended any Mystical Technique.’
Valen said, "Don’t be anxious. You will understand sooner or later. The time has not yet come.
Right now, you only say you believe it with your mouth. In your heart, you don’t truly believe, because there is still something in your heart that you think will never change."
Li Wei froze on the spot.
He questioned his own heart.
’Master Valen was right.’
He paid lip service to the idea that the world changes, that the only constant is change itself.
But deep down, he held onto things he believed would never change.
The blue planet in his heart, his red homeland.
No matter when, no matter where.
That was the eternally unchanging home in Li Wei’s heart.
Leaving the manor, Li Wei walked along the road, staring at the blocks of text that appeared before his eyes.
He felt a little lost.
But soon, he refocused on his goal.
’At least I can still move forward.’
’I won’t just stay here and stagnate.’
He was luckier than many Tier Three Mages.
He still had the chance to keep charging ahead, even if it meant running into a dead end.
Others couldn’t even find the wall, let alone have the chance to run into it.
’Forget it. I’ll just take it one step at a time. It’s fine if it’s a little slow.’
At this thought, Li Wei’s mood suddenly lifted.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t advance, only that his pace had slowed.
Sooner or later, he would reach that stage.
’I’m not sure how long it’ll take to awaken, but I should start preparing a Tier Four Cultivation Method.’
Li Wei returned to the Saint Villia Library.
He was looking for a Grand Mage’s Cultivation Method.
He didn’t necessarily have to buy one now, but there was no harm in learning about them first.
’Where are the Fire Element Cultivation Methods?’
Li Wei wandered around for a bit but couldn’t find any Fire Element Cultivation Methods. He did, however, discover an important piece of information.
"Poison Dragon Cave, once occupied by an adult Wind Poison Dragon a thousand years ago.
The cave is filled with a toxic miasma and teeming with poisonous creatures.
Someone once found Poison Dragon Saliva Grass deep within the Poison Dragon Cave."
Li Wei felt that the name "Poison Dragon Cave" sounded a bit familiar.
’Where have I heard that before?’