Chapter 17: Chapter 17: [Acid Splash]
Gao De entered a meditative state once more, his consciousness sinking into the Spell Star Sea.
The first star was successfully fixed, serving as the origin.
He captured the second star and began moving it to coordinates (4/3, 1, 1/4).
He captured the third star and began moving it to coordinates (2, 3/2, -1/4)...
The second star shifted, its coordinates changing to (4/3, 9/8, 1/4). He corrected the position of the second star...
Correction complete.
The fourth star, coordinates...
The third star shifted, initiating correction... Correction complete.
Oh no, while focusing on the third star, the first star shifted!
The position of the first star shifted... Attempting to correct the position... Abandoning correction, failure.
Somewhat discouraged, Gao De withdrew from his meditative state, rubbing his brow as he regained his senses and pondered.
The construction of the spell model had been progressing smoothly according to his plan, but when the first star shifted, he had to abort the attempt.
A problem he hadn't considered before had arisen.
The first star served as the origin, and the coordinates of all other stars were established based on it.
While it was possible to correct the positions of other stars by referencing the origin, what if the position of the first star itself shifted?
The first star had no reference point and couldn't be corrected like other stars. He could try to deduce the location of (0, 0, 0) based on the coordinates of other stars that hadn't shifted, but a new problem arose:
Without the origin as a reference, how could he ensure that the positions of other stars hadn't shifted?
Wouldn't that mean starting over again?
Gao De didn't give up on his idea because of this setback.
Problems arose, and problems were solved.
Regardless, his approach to spell model construction was more efficient than the traditional method:
At least only when the first star shifted did he need to start over. In other cases, he could continue constructing the spell model by promptly correcting the positions of the shifted stars.
But this exception was precisely what bothered him.
It wouldn't be a big deal for cantrips, as their spell models had at most ten stars. Starting over wouldn't be too much trouble.
However, for 1-Circle or even 2-Circle spells, with spell models composed of dozens or even hundreds of stars, having to start over after completing a significant portion due to a shift in the first star would be infuriating.
"If only I could find a fixed point," Gao De muttered.
But in the Spell Star Sea, there was nothing but spell stars and spell models. And the spell stars were constantly moving randomly. Where could he find a fixed point?
Fixed point, fixed point...
"Wait!" In a flash of inspiration, Gao De grasped a key point. "There's nothing but spell stars and spell models in the Spell Star Sea... But that's for others. There's one more thing in my Spell Star Sea!"
His eyes suddenly brightened!
"Wind Spirit Moonshadow"!
Yes, it was Wind Spirit Moonshadow.
Gao De didn't know the origin of Wind Spirit Moonshadow, but it just hung there, motionless, at the very center of his Spell Star Sea, radiating a pure, white light.
It didn't move at all.
Wasn't this a ready-made origin?
Gao De picked up the charcoal pencil and began to re-decompose the coordinates of the nine nodes in the Acid Splash spell model.
With Wind Spirit Moonshadow as the new origin, the first star was no longer considered the origin, and its coordinates were naturally no longer (0, 0, 0). Gao De set them as (1, 1, 1), using it as a scale for the equidistant spacing of the spell model.
Based on this, he determined the coordinates of the second star to be (7/3, 2, 5/4), the third star's coordinates to be...
Soon, Gao De listed the new nine coordinates on the spell formula.
He spent a few minutes memorizing these nine ordered triples once again. Ignoring the slight headache caused by mental exhaustion, he entered a meditative state for the third time, attempting to construct the Acid Splash spell model.
He focused his gaze on the radiant Wind Spirit Moonshadow and captured the first wandering star around it.
Using Wind Spirit Moonshadow as a reference, the first star was successfully moved to position (1, 1, 1)...
The second star (7/3, 2, 5/4)...
The third star...
The fourth star...
The second star's coordinates shifted, initiating correction... Correction complete. Capturing the fifth star...
The fifth star was successfully moved to its coordinate point... The first star shifted, initiating correction...
Gao De was completely immersed in the construction of the spell model, as if solving an intriguing mathematical problem. He entered a state of flow, even becoming oblivious to the headache caused by mental exhaustion.
The sixth star...
The seventh star...
The eighth star...
Correcting the shifted sixth star...
Moving the ninth star to its coordinate point... All nine stars were in position, starting the "connection"...
Following the optimized steps, Gao De proceeded methodically, one step at a time.
His mental power extended from the first star, connecting to the second star.
Because the nine stars were already fixed in position, there was no need to guide these unruly things, so the "star trails" connected at an exceptionally fast speed.
In the blink of an eye, Gao De's mental power had linked all nine stars together.
In an instant, a stunning star trail appeared, connecting the nine brilliant stars.
This star trail emitted a faint starlight, originating from the first star, dragging a long trail of stardust that pierced through all nine stars.
The star trail was complete, the spell model manifested!
A brand new, constellation-like spell model appeared in Gao De's Spell Star Sea.
The moment the spell model was successfully constructed, Gao De sensed that he had grasped a magical power.
"It worked? Just like that?"
Even though he was confident that his optimized spell model construction method was superior to the traditional method, he hadn't expected it to be this smooth, successfully constructing it on his second attempt.
Under normal circumstances, for a mage apprentice like him with limited practice time, mastering a cantrip would take at least six months, or even a year.
Even for a seasoned mage apprentice like Master Seda, mastering a cantrip would require more than a month.
But now, the time he had spent was only...
One day!
This efficiency in learning spells was something only formal mages could achieve.
And Gao De, according to the mage ranking system, was still a First-Rank Apprentice, the lowest level among mage apprentices.
– The mage apprentice stage was divided into three levels: First-Rank Apprentice, Second-Rank Apprentice, and Third-Rank Apprentice.
Compared to formal mages, the ranking of apprentices was much simpler, determined solely by two attributes: mana and mental power.
Taking the Apprentice Meditation Technique as an example:
Manifesting one lotus petal or more in meditation and being able to cast a cantrip qualified one as a First-Rank Apprentice;
Manifesting eight lotus petals or more in meditation and having enough mana to cast five cantrips in one breath qualified one as a Second-Rank Apprentice;
Manifesting sixteen lotus petals or more in meditation and having enough mana to cast twenty cantrips in one breath qualified one as a Third-Rank Apprentice.
From this, it was evident that although they were all mage apprentices, the difference in strength between a First-Rank Apprentice and a Third-Rank Apprentice was like heaven and earth.
"Let's test its effect!" Having successfully constructed a spell model for the first time and grasped a supernatural power, Gao De was eager to try out his new spell.
"Acid Splash," he silently chanted in his mind.
At this moment, his mana surged, rising from his lower abdomen in an instant, then flowing into the Spell Star Sea, traversing the newly constructed Acid Splash spell model as a conduit, transforming into a new power, and then surging out of his body, concentrating in his right hand under the guidance of his will.
A fist-sized sphere of acid materialized, held loosely in the palm of Gao De's right hand.
Then, with a flick of his right hand, he launched it towards a corner of the room.
Sizzle!
The sphere hit the corner and splattered like a water balloon bursting. The objects it touched were instantly corroded, emitting acrid smoke.
This spectacle lasted for about three seconds before the acid evaporated, disappearing as if it had never existed.
But the burn marks on the floor in the corner and the slight corrosion marks on the wall were a testament to the destructive power of Acid Splash.
If even the wooden wall and stone floor couldn't completely withstand the acid, how could human flesh possibly resist it?
"This is incredible!" Gao De exclaimed, filled with immense satisfaction and wonder.
Constructing a spell model was like solving a challenging mathematical problem. Although the process was difficult and arduous, the sense of accomplishment after solving the problem and arriving at the answer was addictive.
And the positive feedback from successfully constructing a spell model was ten or even a hundred times greater than solving a mathematical problem – each spell model represented a brand new, extraordinary power.
"On to the next spell!" Gao De was full of fighting spirit and ready to continue constructing new spell models. But at this moment, his vision suddenly went black, his body swayed involuntarily, and he almost fell. A wave of dizziness and a throbbing pain shot through his head.
"Mental exhaustion," he realized belatedly.
Three attempts at constructing spell models in one night had completely drained his mental power.
This kind of exhaustion couldn't be recovered through meditation; he needed rest.
Although he was eager to master the other two spells, Gao De knew the principle of moderation. He put away the three spell formulas and obediently went back to his room to rest.
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