"It seems things have settled down."
The Ancient One, who had been keeping a close watch, finally felt relieved and continued to train... teach Mr. Stephen magic knowledge. Since Artoria had already resolved the matter, she didn't need to worry about the rest. She still had to teach Mr. Stephen here, and on the other hand, she had to go find that old geezer from Hell, 'Mephisto'. That guy's avatar had started causing trouble again recently. Years ago, the old generation of Ghost Rider had retired, and now a new generation of Ghost Rider had appeared, which meant that this old guy was acting up again. It seemed he needed a beating.
"Mr. Stephen, if you only memorize the theory without believing in it, you will never be able to touch the entrance to the gateway of magic."
All the apprentices on the training ground had successfully cast the magic shield, except for Stephen, who was repeating the movements over and over again. His mind was not immersed in magic at all. The Ancient One could tell at a glance that Stephen did not fully believe in magic, nor was he immersed in it. He was merely rote learning and had completely missed the point. She had already taught him the basics; if he couldn't even apply this small thing, it meant her teaching had been too gentle.
"I have been studying hard enough."
Upon hearing the Ancient One's words, Stephen was clearly getting impatient. For him, a socially successful 'elite', doing these movements like an old man in the park was already quite humiliating. The key was that everyone else had succeeded, while nothing happened in front of him. This dealt a serious blow to his arrogant heart. The apprentices nearby, hearing Stephen's words, looked at him with admiration. How long had it been? No one had ever dared to speak to the Sorcerer Supreme with such an impatient attitude. The last guy who dared to speak like that already had grass growing high on his grave.
"That is far from enough, Mr. Stephen. Your heart is still very chaotic."
Having lived for so many years, what kind of person hadn't she seen? The Ancient One knew Stephen's state very well. She had taught so many disciples! She had'sent off' batch after batch of talented or mediocre disciples, and there were plenty of people more troublesome than Stephen! How could she not tell? This guy was feeling discouraged because he couldn't achieve results. For such a situation, the Ancient One had a very effective method. Inner impatience was not a problem. Sometimes, people! If you don't push them, they might not even know how powerful they can be.
"Mr. Stephen, I hope you can calm your heart, open your path to magic, and use the mystic ring to open a portal. If you cannot open it, you will die here."
The Ancient One's words made Stephen's eyes widen, but in the next second, he realized he was no longer on that leisurely training ground, but in the middle of a boundless, freezing snowy field. He had to keep in mind that he was wearing something similar to Taiwanese's Hanfu, a very thin kind. Now, with the strong wind blowing, it was as if Stephen had entered an ice cellar.
"Sorcerer Supreme, are you sure you are not joking with me? Hey! Hey! Shit."
With wide eyes, Stephen looked around and shouted with all his might. Aside from the cold wind and snowflakes pouring into his mouth, it only made his body colder. This made Stephen quickly stop calling out to conserve his energy. As a medical professional, he understood that he could not last more than an hour in such an environment. If he were wearing full cold-weather gear, that would be a different story. If he stayed longer than an hour, his feet might suffer from frostbite and necrosis.
"Cannot give up, quick, mystic ring."
Realizing that the Sorcerer Supreme was not joking and that he might really freeze to Death, Stephen began to concentrate and enter a meditative state. He had to do this, otherwise, he might die. The threat of Death made Stephen's focus incredibly sharp. At this moment, he began to cast aside distracting thoughts, stopped thinking about his crippled hands, and tried his best to cast the magic.
"This trick never fails~!"
How could the Ancient One let this guy freeze to Death? She was ready at any moment to rescue Stephen, but she had to make him feel the pressure. She had tested this on Artoria before, and this trick worked better than anything else. Once these lazy people, whose heads were full of excuses, were driven to a dead end, they would unleash unimaginably powerful potential. Artoria had proven to the Ancient One that this was correct. Now, watching Stephen, who had begun to cast aside distracting thoughts and no longer made excuses for himself, the Ancient One confirmed once again that this'Spartan' style of education was quite good.
"Grow up quickly! Mr. Stephen, this world cannot wait too long, and I cannot wait too long either."
Through spiritual detection, the Ancient One had been keeping an eye on Stephen's state. Seeing the magical fluctuations beginning to appear in front of Stephen, the Ancient One nodded with satisfaction. This group of people who liked to make excuses needed to be treated this way. They would achieve more than she had imagined. At this moment, she was full of expectations for Stephen.
"Hmm~! Why is it so chilly?"
Feeling as if she was being thought of by some black-bellied person, Artoria couldn't help but shiver. But the matter she was facing now was very troublesome. Galacta was too much of a glutton. It wasn't about material things, but her own magic. Looking at that pitiful expression, like a little puppy, made Artoria drain her body again and again, yet it was still not enough. If not for her good recovery ability, Artoria would have hidden far away long ago.
However, there was something that made Artoria happy: although her magic was drained every day, Artoria was surprised to find that her magic was becoming purer. If it had previously been a mist-like existence, now Artoria's magic was beginning to develop into a liquid state; its purity and quality had risen by a notch. Of course, Galacta ate even more happily. It was hard to say if it was a blessing in disguise. The dragon blood, which usually lay dormant, was now boiling at a high level every day, providing a special supply of magic for Artoria. With the boiling of the dragon blood, the body evolution that had previously stopped had started again. Artoria felt that her physical strength and speed were becoming more and more powerful, and even little fleshy bumps had grown on her head, but they didn't hurt or itch; it seemed like something was about to grow out.
"The bloodline has evolved again, very good."
Although Artoria's changes were small, Gaea still felt them. This was also why she didn't stop Galacta from absorbing Artoria's magic. If this matter would cause harm to Artoria, she would be the first to disagree. Moreover, looking at this daughter of Galactus, she didn't seem to be the type to prey like a Beast. It seemed she was quite principled; otherwise, Artoria would have been 'eaten' long ago. Gaea was not surprised by the evolution of the dragon blood in Artoria's body this time; instead, she felt it was only natural. In her Remembrance, dragons were all irritable and warlike races. They were either sleeping, fighting others, or on the way to find a fight. The powerful physique and talent of dragons destined them to become stronger the more they fought. There was no helping it; this was talent.
When it came to Artoria, apart from her laziness and big appetite, Gaea didn't see the warlike characteristics of a dragon. Although it might be the suppression of her human personality, it shouldn't be completely invisible. Now, Artoria emptied her body's magic every day, letting the dragon blood that had been resting for a long time boil again. This was a very good thing.
"Why do I just feel uncomfortable?"
Watching Galacta 'kiss' Artoria's lips again, Gaea felt very uncomfortable in her heart at this moment, feeling as if something most important to her had been touched by someone. This kind of feeling had never appeared before, and she didn't know why. Why did it suddenly appear in her heart? She closed her eyes and stopped looking at the scene that made her uncomfortable, but the effect seemed to be ineffective.
"What is wrong with me?"
Holding the huge dragon egg in her arms, Gaea wondered in confusion.
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