Time spent studying always passed quickly-at least for people who enjoyed learning.
For those who didn't, it was pure torture.
Fortunately, everyone in Noah's Sanctum belonged to the first group.
He had no worries at all about the younger sorcerers slacking off.
As for Wong, Daniel, and Ms. Haifin-the group that had been with him since the Sanctum was first established-there was even less to worry about.
Their self-discipline bordered on excessive.
Wong even complained that Noah hadn't brought these books out earlier.
If he had, Wong claimed, he would already be far ahead of the younger generation.
To that, Noah could only shrug.
It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to.
He had simply forgotten.
Naturally, he wasn't going to say that out loud.
So he gave Wong a simple explanation.
He wanted to see whose learning ability was better-Wong's, or the younger sorcerers'.
Wong immediately saw through the excuse.
Still, it stirred his competitive spirit.
"Hmph. I know you're making excuses," Wong laughed.
"But I'll show you that those kids' foundations are still far behind mine."
"Since you want me to compete with them, I'll play along. By the way, did you check the material beforehand?"
"I did," Noah nodded calmly.
"And I even found someone quite familiar with this magic to discuss it in depth, so-"
"Damn it!" Wong interrupted.
"I said I'd compete with you, and it turns out you already cheated!"
"Mhm," Noah replied without shame.
"Even if I hadn't consulted anyone, you still wouldn't beat me."
There was never any real competition.
For one thing, Noah had a ten-to-one time ratio in System Space.
That alone gave him an overwhelming advantage when it came to absorbing and analyzing knowledge.
More importantly, Noah himself was essentially a walking magical encyclopedia.
He understood learning by analogy.
With his accumulated foundation, picking up new magic was fast.
And if all else failed, there was always his ultimate move.
The System.
One only had to look at what it had already done-constructing domains, merging them, and using them flawlessly.
A domain was far more complex than arcane theory.
If the System could handle that, analyzing arcane knowledge was trivial by comparison.
Noah didn't want to discourage Wong, so he left it there.
He had other things to deal with.
Like preparing the...platform...for Wanda and Strange's examinations.
Even thinking about it gave him a headache.
He really did need to make proper arrangements.
The scope of the written test.
The opponents for the combat assessment.
And the most troublesome part-
The Dreamscape for willpower testing.
Noah's research into illusions was mediocre at best.
So mediocre that he sometimes suspected he had zero talent for it.
Part of that was Loki's fault-or so Noah liked to believe.
It had left him with a deep prejudice.
If something could be exposed just by throwing a rock at it, why waste time studying it?
But now, he had no choice.
Even if only to construct a temporary Dreamscape, he had to look into it.
Of course, if that failed, he still had alternatives.
"At worst, I'll take them to Kamar-Taj," Noah muttered.
"That forest is still there."
The forest where he himself had undergone his Master-level trial.
"It might be a bit cruel," he admitted.
"It was designed for Masters. But their abilities aren't bad. They should survive it."
The decision was made irresponsibly fast.
The Dreamscape created by the Ancient One was no joke.
If Noah hadn't cheated back then, he probably wouldn't have passed either.
As for the other parts of the exam, they were easy.
Designing written questions was trivial for someone like Noah.
He could make Strange and Wanda question their existence in minutes.
For the combat test, they could fight each other.
Or Wong could step in.
Or Noah himself.
None of it was difficult.
"Alright. I should prepare as well."
Once his thoughts were sorted, Noah started making arrangements.
For the question bank, he simply pulled problems from memory-simple in appearance, but tricky in execution.
For the combat test, he decided to handle it personally.
A single examiner meant consistent standards.
And as their mentor, he was the most suitable choice.
He was genuinely curious about how far those two had progressed.
"I'm really looking forward to their expressions," Noah chuckled shamelessly.
Then he turned off the light and collapsed onto the bed.
It was late.
Time to rest.
Of course, Noah's idea of rest was traditional in his own way.
System Space.
Combat.
Reading.
And finally-
Meditation.
Recently, Noah had been troubled by one thing.
Ever since he had seen that brilliant, heart-like orb of light pulsing in the depths of existence, he hadn't been able to enter that state again.
Even when he asked the System, the response was always the same.
"Please wait."
Noah was capable of waiting.
If he weren't, he wouldn't have left the power extracted from the six Infinity Stones untouched for so long.
He was patient.
But what he wanted was a visible future.
Not an indefinite wait.
Fortunately, the System didn't keep him waiting much longer.
"The new meditation you requested is ready," the System's cold voice sounded the moment Noah entered the space.
"You may attempt it now."
"Oh?" Noah was surprised.
"Already?"
He asked curiously, "Didn't you say my meditation method was prepared long ago? Why did this take so long?"
"Because of adaptability," the System replied.
"Previously, your level of power was low. Basic meditation methods were sufficient."
"But now, your power and level of existence have increased."
"Continuing to use a fixed, step-by-step meditation mode is no longer appropriate."
"Even my teacher's meditation method?" Noah frowned.
He had once heard the Ancient One describe her meditation.
She sent her soul into the vast universe to perceive its deepest truths.
In simpler terms, she was perceiving universal laws.
It sounded absurd.
But it wasn't wrong.
Once one reached the Tenth Tier, progressing further required exactly that.
Perceiving the universe.
Perceiving the world.
Perceiving the rules hidden beneath reality.
Noah would have to face that eventually.
Even if it sounded mystical-almost like a foreign language-he couldn't avoid it.
At worst, he could treat it as researching the essence of magic.
Plenty of sorcerers did the same.
"It is suitable," the System said.
"But not for you."
"You are different from your teacher. Her natural talent is incomparable, but you-"
"Stop," Noah cut in.
"Don't say things you shouldn't."
"So what's different about the meditation you're giving me?"
"Do you remember your accidental journey?" the System asked instead.
"Please," Noah frowned.
"I'm not Bilbo Baggins. I didn't have any accidental journey."
The phrasing irritated him.
Accidental journey?
He hadn't wandered off anywhere.
Even traveling to the depths of the universe and seeing that golden orb didn't count, in his view.
It was something he was bound to experience once his strength reached a certain level.
He'd confirmed that with the Ancient One.
Still, despite his annoyance, Noah thought carefully.
Rubbing his chin, he realized something.
That journey had been...strange.
The depth he had reached was excessive.
"You're saying," Noah asked slowly,
"this meditation will let me reach that light orb again?"
He frowned.
"And will there be danger? You know what was out there. If something goes wrong, I'm finished."
"You would indeed be finished," the System replied calmly.
"But not every journey is observed by every powerful existence."
"You may understand it as a ritual."
"When strength reaches a certain threshold, such a ritual occurs."
"I have recorded the route of that ritual."
"What I will do is allow you to return to that route and reach the light orb again."
"A ritual?" Noah narrowed his eyes.
"So unless it's a ritual, those gods and demons won't necessarily appear?"
"More or less."
"Then what exactly is that light orb?" Noah pressed.
"And what do I gain by approaching it?"
"I do not know what it is either," the System answered.
"But I can confirm one thing."
"It contains infinite laws."
"And you will benefit enormously."