"Master."
"Gaea."
Lucas gently closed the door, greeted the two of them, and then looked at Male Ancient One with a rather resentful expression.
"What is it that you can't say tomorrow, Master? Why do you have to call me over in the middle of the night?"
"Sorcerer Lucas, I apologize for disturbing you so late at night." Gaea said.
Male Ancient One raised his hand and formed a hand seal. Golden sparks flickered, and a portal opened beneath Lucas's feet. Lucas offered no resistance and fell into the portal under the force of gravity.
"Goddess of the Earth, let's go too."
Male Ancient One laughed and opened another portal, inviting Gaea inside.
"It's daytime now, isn't it?"
"Master, it's already time to leave work. Let's talk about it tomorrow." Lucas said in a serious tone, and then pretended to raise his wrist to check his watch.
On the other side of the portal was Kamar Taj, Nepal. It was approximately 5 p.m. at the time.
"Hehehe."
Seeing the two acting strangely, Gaea couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Lucas shrugged.
Since Gaea had already burst out laughing, there was no need for him to continue playing.
He asked in a serious tone, "Master, Gaea, what brings you here?"
The male Ancient One replied, "I've asked you to come over and demonstrate how the powers of mind, soul, and body can be combined and used."
Lucas smiled lazily.
The sleepiness that had just been blown away by the night breeze returned as the sun set.
"Okay, how do you want me to cooperate?"
Male Ancient One didn't hold back, and he told Lucas everything he needed to do in one go.
"Just do this first, then that, and finally this again."
What does "this" mean? And what does "that" mean?
Gaea was confused, but she saw Lucas nodding repeatedly.
After a moment, the male Ancient One stopped rambling and asked, "Did you understand? Do you want me to explain?"
"Got it, this is pretty simple."
"Cough! Cough!"
Male Ancient One coughed twice, and Lucas immediately realized what was happening.
If someone needs to come and demonstrate something so simple, then there must be someone who doesn't understand it.
There are only three people here.
He made amends.
"Master, there are still some things I don't quite understand. Could you please explain them to me?"
"Alright. Ancient One and Sorcerer Lucas, you don't need to worry about my feelings."
Gaea's helpless voice rang out, followed by a resentful glance at Lucas.
"The innately powerful gods are generally not as good at learning and understanding as the sorcerers who grow step by step later in life."
"I just hope that Sorcerer Lucas can understand and not look down on me for being foolish."
"Well..."
Lucas gave an awkward laugh.
Gaea emphasized the word "understand," implying that it referred to Lucas's conversation with her the previous day, suggesting that Lucas had lied to her.
But he really does understand. He was better than most gods. He didn't lack learning ability, but he lacked creativity.
"In that case, let's begin."
The male Ancient One's voice rang out.
He beckoned to Lucas and asked him to first demonstrate the influence of mental power on the soul, and then demonstrate the influence of mental power on the body.
The final demonstration shows how the mind, soul, and body can be perfectly integrated.
In this process, Gaea gradually came to understand what mind, soul, and body are. And why the mind, soul, and body are a trinity.
In battle, if any one of these three elements is weak, it will become a fatal flaw.
In daily life, if any one of the three becomes too powerful, it will affect the other two.
Atum is a typical example.
After absorbing too much power that didn't belong to him, his body and energy exceeded the limit, and his spirit and mind were oppressed.
His mental state is alright. Nurtured by his powerful body, Atum's mental strength is not weak. But his mental strength is a major weakness.
That's why when transformed into his Demogorge form, Atum's mind and perception are distorted by the various forces within his body.
Gaea suddenly realized what was happening.
She then looked at Lucas and the Ancient One, preparing to say goodbye.
However, the Ancient One ignored Gaea. He stared straight at Lucas, the shock in his eyes lingering for a long time.
He probably, maybe, possibly understood why this disciple was so powerful. And why he had no side effects from absorbing energy.
"The mind, it turns out, also exists objectively." Ancient One murmured to himself.
He has studied the question of whether the mind is an objective existence or a subjective consciousness for a long time without reaching a conclusion. Unexpectedly, the answer was right beside him.
"Ancient One? Ancient One?"
Gaea called out repeatedly before the male Ancient One came to his senses.
Seeing this, Gaea asked with concern, "Ancient One, what's wrong?"
"Is there a problem?" Lucas asked as well.
"Yes."
Male Ancient One nodded emphatically, then looked at Lucas and couldn't help but ask, "Why can your mind manifest?"
The existence of the Mind Stone tells all those who know about it that the power of the mind truly exists in this universe. But what exactly is the mind remains a mystery.
The power of the mind is also mysterious and profound. It seems to be entirely subjective.
The mystery of this power fascinated sorcerers.
"Spiritual manifestation—isn't that something you can do with your hands?" Lucas countered with a question.
As early as the third stage, his mental, spiritual, and physical powers had already merged into one.
It even prevented him from using astral projection for a time.
"You can do it with your hands?" Male Ancient One's beard trembled.
If he could go back two or three years, he would definitely teach Lucas a lesson.
"Ancient One, Sorcerer Lucas, thank you very much this time. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now. I'll see you at Lucas's lecture later." Gaea said.
She sensed that the Ancient One seemed to have discovered something and took the initiative to avoid suspicion.
Lucas looked up at the night sky, where the bright moon hung high and countless stars adorned the sky.
Converting the time, it should be around 7 or 8 a.m. in New York.
The third day of the lecture is approaching.
Lucas suggested, "Gaea, why don't we stay for dinner and then head over to the venue together?"
The Ancient One also realized what was happening.
Lucas has a lecture today, which is about to begin.
But time can always be found if you squeeze it in.
He could use time magic to borrow some time so that Lucas could answer his questions before the lecture.
A burst of green light spread, separating the two worlds inside and outside the courtyard.
"Goddess of the Earth, mental power is not a forbidden spell. There is nothing about it that cannot be revealed to others."
"Why don't you stay and listen a little longer? It might help solve your problem."
— — —
At the Sorcerers' Convention venue in New York.
Lucas and Gaea arrived just in time.
Although he cut it close, Lucas wasn't worried about being late. He was a man who could stop time.
"Sorcerer Lucas."
"Earth Goddess."
Along the way, people frequently greeted them.
Lucas responded to the first and second-tier Super Heroes he recognized and politely nodded to the Gods he didn't know.
This was the opposite for Gaea.
Gaea was intimately familiar with the names, divine duties, and pantheons of many Gods. She was, however, noticeably less familiar with the various Super Heroes and sorcerers.
"Gaea, please sit here. I'm going up now."
Lucas led Gaea to yesterday's seat, then greeted 404 Wanda and 616 Wanda, who were sitting nearby.
"Good morning, both Wandas."
"Good morning, Lucas."
"Good morning, sorcerer Lucas."
The two Wandas responded in turn, but Lucas felt 404 Wanda's voice was a bit off.
Did I wake her up when I left last night, and she didn't sleep well?
No, even if Wanda was a typical squishy sorcerer, her physique shouldn't be that weak.
Without time to ponder, Lucas stepped towards the stage. He was, admittedly, a tiny bit nervous and excited.
"Lucas."
Just as Lucas turned, 404 Wanda called out to him.
Lucas turned to look and saw her holding a milk tea cup. Undoubtedly, the cup contained milk tea.
"Here, you can drink it if you get thirsty."
"Thanks."
Lucas took the milk tea and took a big gulp.
Wanda's words made him realize he was thirsty.
The tea base was fragrant and sweet, with a smooth, sweet taste, and a long, mellow flavor experience like moonlight.
Moon Gaze?
Lucas recognized it, this was the Moon Gaze he had tasted before.
But why was today's milk tea sweeter than last time?
Too much sugar?
It didn't matter much. A slight difference in taste wouldn't have a big impact.
With a hint of confusion, Lucas resumed his walk towards the podium.
"A sorcerer's training requires absorbing energy from the Multiverse day after day, year after year. However, such energy is often toxic, especially dark energy. It contaminates and oppresses the sorcerer's mind, tempting them to fall into darkness."
"Therefore, mastering the method of purifying energy is especially important for a sorcerer's training."
Lucas didn't waste any time. After stating the topic, he went straight into the main subject.
He eloquently explained a method of energy purification that he had developed himself.
The references for this method included:
Energy Absorption.
Chthon's magnum opus, Darkhold.
Chthon's dwelling, the Flickering Realm.
Chthon's debtors, the dimensions of various Dimensional Lords.
(End of Chapter)
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