"Begging... Beggar?" Ancient One's face turned a little pale. This comparison was just too... humiliating! Lucci's words instantly stripped away the enigmatic process of Kamar-Taj's magic, exposing it completely. She wanted to refute, but found herself utterly speechless—because Lucci was right!
The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj, no matter how powerful, were essentially no more than "intermediaries" or "borrowers." All their power came from "outside worlds." Lucci looked at Ancient One's changing expression and continued,
"The so-called dimensional demon gods, the sources of your power—if, one day, they meet with misfortune or undergo some change and cut off your charity..."
"Then you so-called powerful sorcerers..."
"Would be nothing."
BOOM!
These final words exploded in Ancient One's mind like thunder! Her body trembled slightly. Indeed... more than anyone, she understood the fragility of this system. To protect Earth, she had to reach out to more and more dimensional demon gods, making contracts—like piling up debts. In order to repay them and maintain her power, she even dared to "drink poison to quench her thirst," drawing strength from the most dangerous dark dimension, Dormammu, allowing herself to be corroded by darkness and pay a heavy price.
She'd always believed this was the only way, the fate she must shoulder as the Sorcerer Supreme. But today, Lucci shattered the essence of her path in the simplest, most blunt manner—
This was the path of begging, sacrificing the roots for a futureless existence!
"No... It's not like that..."
Ancient One's heart was shaken as it hadn't been in centuries. Yet her pride as Sorcerer Supreme refused to admit the path she had protected all her life was fundamentally wrong. She argued forcefully,
"You only see the surface, sir! The essence of magic lies in its ever-changing nature, in bending the rules! It's not just about equal exchanges of power! For example, in this Mirror Dimension..."
She tried to demonstrate the uniqueness of magic, to prove her "way" was not in vain. Yet before she could finish, Lucci stopped her with a simple gesture. He reached out a finger, pointing lightly into the air before Ancient One and Mordo.
There was no shocking burst of energy.
No dazzling magical lights.
Not even the faintest sound.
But that was understatement.
Crack... crack...
The entire Mirror Dimension—Ancient One's proud, absolute domain—began to emit a sound of unbearable sorrow!
From Lucci's fingertip, a dark crack spread out like a spider's web!
The sky collapsed, the earth shattered!
All those folded buildings turned, as if thrown into a glass crusher, instantly transforming into fragments of the most primal energy!
"No! Impossible!"
Ancient One's eyes were wide with terror for the first time. She could feel her spiritual connection to the Mirror Dimension forcibly severed by an irresistible higher power! The space she had ruled for centuries was, in this instant, completely out of her control!
"Sorcerer Supreme!"
Far away, Mordo screamed in fear as the ground cracked beneath him, and the entire world teetered on the brink of destruction. He was gripped by terror from the depths of his soul.
But this was only the beginning.
The Mirror Dimension was about to be utterly shattered, reduced to chaos and nothingness. At that moment, a tiny radiance spread from Lucci's fingertip.
It was neither gold nor white—nor any known color.
That small gleam seemed like a cosmic singularity, the origin of all things.
It expanded at a speed beyond time and space!
All the broken fragments of the Mirror Dimension were swallowed, absorbed, and reassembled by this light!
Ancient One and Mordo's eyes were filled with indescribable brilliance. For a moment, their minds went completely blank.
When the light faded, they realized they were in a brand new space unlike anything they'd ever seen.
There was no sky, no earth.
All around was an endless, profound darkness—like the most primordial void in the universe.
And within the darkness, countless bright stars.
They watched as blazing stars slowly formed before them, shining with light and heat.
Planets began to orbit the stars, forming stable galaxies.
Far away, nebulae rolled and merged, like a grand cosmic painting.
In the farthest distance, a colossal black hole devoured everything around it—light itself unable to escape its gravity.
Stars were born and died, light and shadow flowed.
Mystical, clear chains of law intertwined in this space, forming the most fundamental "rules" of this world: gravity, time, space, the cycle of life and death...
It was vast, complete, autonomous, and independent—a whole new world!
A brand new dimension!
Ancient One and Mordo floated like dust in this newborn universe, trembling in body and soul.
Ancient One raised a trembling hand, trying to invoke the power of Vishanti with her simplest spell—
She failed.
All her spiritual threads were isolated from this dimension.
Here, she could no longer contact the so-called dimensional demon gods!
She was completely human here!
Because this...
This was Lucci's domain!
The rules here were written by Lucci!
The energy here was created by Lucci!
"This... this... this..."
Ancient One's lips trembled as she looked at the calm figure standing before her with awe and fear.
Only one thought echoed in her mind, shaking her centuries-old composure:
"He... created a dimension in a single thought?"
Borrowing a dimension and creating a dimension—between the two lay the chasm between a beggar and a creator god!
The difference between cloud and mud—an abyss!
The Mirror Dimension that Kamar-Taj took pride in was, before this person, nothing but a glass ball ready to shatter at a touch.
Yet the other party, with a single gesture, could create a real miniature universe of infinite possibilities!
At this moment, Ancient One's worldview, magic, and power—built over centuries—were utterly and mercilessly crushed!
The "path" she had so long defended, the "art" she took pride in, seemed so small and foolish before this miracle!
Puff!
A soft sound.
Mordo, who was standing behind her, could no longer withstand the overwhelming sense of disparity from a higher level of existence. His knees buckled, and he knelt in this void, facing Lucci!
His face showed no more vigilance or hostility—only the most primal, pure... pilgrimage-like fanaticism and worship!
And Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme who had guarded the Earth for centuries, who had never bowed before the countless demon gods of the dimensions—
Now, at this moment, could not speak.
All her centuries of calm and wisdom vanished.
Her mind was blank.
Before her eyes, the scene replayed again and again:
The collapse of the Mirror Dimension, the birth of the singularity, the birth and death of stars, the self-formation of laws...
All of it was burned deep into her soul—a mark that would never fade.
She had lived centuries, fought countless powerful and evil dimensional demons to battle the darkness.
She had witnessed magic that devoured reality, the whispers of evil gods twisting causality.
She thought she had seen the pinnacle of power in the universe.
But today, she truly understood what "power" was.
Compared to the miracle before her—"creating a world from nothing, a world in a single thought"—even the dark lord Dormammu, whom she had long feared, and all the so-called dimensional demon gods, were nothing but low-level destroyers and devourers.
This was not a difference of degree, but of kind!
She recalled Lucci's earlier evaluation of Kamar-Taj's magic—
Abandoning the roots to chase the ends.
She remembered the "beggar" metaphor.
At this moment, she painfully realized how accurate, how merciful that metaphor was.
"Does a beggar, content with a few bones, have any right to feel insulted before a creator god who can make a mountain of gold at will? The other party is simply stating cold, cruel facts. And she, with that ridiculous Mirror Dimension, had even tried to 'test' a true god..."
Endless shame and self-deprecation surged over Ancient One.
Her pride and dignity, built up over centuries, were utterly destroyed in an instant.
She looked at Lucci.
That figure was still as calm and indifferent as ever.
He had created a universe as casually as a human flicking dust, with no joy or satisfaction.
In his eyes, all this was simply natural.
This act, to Ancient One, was far more shocking and awe-inspiring than the miracle of creation itself.
She was certain she had witnessed the true "Path" today—
A path far beyond Kamar-Taj's lineage, far beyond her understanding, reaching toward the ultimate of the universe!
This was perhaps her, perhaps Kamar-Taj's, greatest opportunity in centuries!
If she missed it, she would regret it forever!
With that thought, the shock scattered in Ancient One's eyes condensed once more.
But this time, it was not as the wise and dignified Sorcerer Supreme, but as the purest, humblest seeker... full of longing!
She turned to Lucci, straightened her robes, and with the most solemn and devout gesture, performed the oldest and most respected rite of the Kamar-Taj lineage.
She abandoned her centuries-old identity and placed herself in the most humble position—a "student."
"Sir..."
Ancient One's voice trembled slightly, but was firm and sincere.
"I am someone who sits at the bottom of a well, looking up at the sky.
I am a firefly, trying to compete with the brilliance of the moon.
Your wisdom transcends dimensions; your power defines the laws.
What you show is the true path.
What we do is but a sidetrack.
Please, for the sake of those who have guarded this world for centuries, for those who have groped in the darkness and lost their way for so long...
...show us the way forward!"
As her words fell, she remained motionless in that posture, waiting.
She was waiting for this creator god's final "judgment."
If he pointed the way, it would mean the rebirth of Kamar-Taj, even the whole Earth.
If he ignored these "beggars," she would not complain.
Being able to witness this miracle of creation with her own eyes—she would have no regrets in this life.
Far away, Mordo watched his god-like Sorcerer Supreme bow her head to this man.
His heart was shaken beyond words.
But he knew Ancient One's actions were right.
He, too, followed her example and bowed deeply to Lucci with an even humbler posture.
The entire newborn universe was silent.
Only the billions of stars quietly witnessed this historic moment.
Lucci calmly looked at Ancient One and Mordo.
He sensed the sincerity in Ancient One's words and her desire to break free and be reborn after witnessing the true "Path."
For such "students" who actively sought guidance and had the right attitude, Lucci never withheld teaching.
After all, for him, creating a suitable cultivation method for Earth's people was no harder than breathing.
And Kamar-Taj, as the Earth's mystical defender, would only strengthen Earth's defenses.
As a time traveler, he still felt some nostalgia for Earth!
"Rise," Lucci said softly.
His voice was not loud, but seemed to contain the power to uphold the law.
Ancient One and Mordo felt themselves gently lifted by a soft, irresistible force, standing up unconsciously.
Ancient One looked up, her eyes full of excitement and anticipation.
Lucci, no longer keeping them in suspense, began to narrate the story of a new, more advanced foundational method for the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj.
He analyzed the "borrowing" nature of their magic as he observed it.
"The biggest problem with your power system is passivity and dependence.
You're like villagers living by a great river, but don't know how to dig canals to draw water.
Every day, you kneel by the river, praying for the river god to grant you more water, hoping to scoop out a few more buckets.
What I want to teach you is how to dig the canals."
Lucci extended his finger. Light flowed from his fingertip, evolving countless complex runes and diagrams of energy operation.
"I call this set of methods the 'Multiversal Energy Conduction Technique.'
Its core is no longer about praying or begging to some so-called dimensional demon god,
but about taking control, analyzing, and understanding the multiverse itself."
"The energy currents of the multiverse are like Earth's ocean currents or monsoons—they follow rules.
Between different dimensions, there are natural differences in energy potential and spatial folds—these are natural rivers."
"What the Multiversal Energy Conduction Technique teaches is how to find these rivers,
how to use spiritual power to create strong, efficient channels along their banks,
to safely, harmlessly, and continuously guide pure, ownerless higher-dimensional cosmic energy into your body or spells."
"No more chanting spells to please demon gods—because now, you commune with the cosmos itself!
No more worrying about being corrupted by demon gods' wills—because now, you guide the purest, most diverse source energy!"
"You become not a beggar, but a capable water engineer.
Your existence's joy or sorrow depends only on how wide and deep a canal you can dig!"
As Lucci spoke, he transformed the "Multiversal Energy Conduction Technique" into a flow of information and sent it straight into Ancient One's mind.
…
Bonus chapter at 300 PS
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