Anton was oblivious to the thoughts of Darian and the other two; his consciousness was completely immersed within his body.
Under the scrutiny of his Spiritual Sense, every detail within his body was laid bare.
A faintly glowing streak of light coiled deep within his sea of Spirit, constantly absorbing the surrounding elemental energy, then compressing and storing it.
’So that’s it. This is Magic Power.’
Having personally gone through the process of condensing Magic Power, Anton gained a deeper understanding of this native energy.
Condensing Magic Power, he now understood, was essentially a physical process of absorbing, compressing, and storing elemental energy.
Magic Power was, in essence, just higher-density elemental energy. They were fundamentally the same type of energy.
But Spiritual Qi was different.
Refining Spiritual Qi through cultivation, on the other hand, was more akin to a chemical process.
A Cultivator draws the world’s energy into their body and, through the complex transformations of their Cultivation Technique, eliminates impurities, refines, and sublimates it, ultimately creating their own unique Lifebound Spiritual Qi.
Spiritual Qi was no longer homogeneous with the world’s energy; it was a purer, High Tier energy bearing the Cultivator’s unique imprint.
To use an analogy, if Magic Power was ’elemental solution,’ then Spiritual Qi was ’elemental essence.’
Not to mention, Primordial Spiritual Qi was one of the most superior types of Spiritual Qi.
The difference in their energy densities was simply worlds apart.
’Since my body can contain Spiritual Qi, it can surely contain an equivalent volume of Magic Power. As long as I increase my total Spiritual Qi, expanding my magic power pathways will be a natural consequence.’
’The cultivation system is still superior, after all.’
Anton sighed to himself and withdrew from his meditation.
The moment he opened his eyes, he saw three pairs of eyes fixed on him, each with a different expression.
Aemon and Braiden’s expressions were a mixture of undisguised envy and shock.
Darian, however, looked astonished, with a hint of relief and pleasant surprise in his eyes.
"Teacher..."
Anton knew perfectly well how astoundingly rare it was to form a magic power pathway on the very first day of meditation. He opened his mouth to explain, but Darian cut him off with a chuckle.
"I never expected our Silver Moon Race to produce a genius with a Super Magical Physique. The three elders will be overjoyed when they find out."
Super Magical Physique?
Anton blinked in confusion. ’What’s that?’
Seeing the confusion on Anton’s face, Darian explained with a smile.
After listening to the explanation, Anton was stunned.
’I don’t remember this being a feature in the game. Is this a hidden detail that only exists in the real Dawn Continent?’
’Looks like I can’t just rely on my game knowledge to judge reality anymore. This world is far more complex than a set of game data.’
Still, this was a good thing. Anton had originally planned on making up an excuse about having secretly meditated before. At worst, he would have violated the Clan’s rules and been put in confinement for a while. This new development saved him a lot of trouble.
’Looks like there are advantages to having this "genius" label,’ Anton mused. ’If anything unusual happens with me in the future, I can just attribute it to this.’
Seeing Anton standing there in a daze, Darian assumed he was simply overjoyed and patted him on the shoulder with a smile.
"Casters with a Super Magical Physique have always reached great heights, as long as they don’t meet an untimely end."
"But don’t get arrogant. The Super Magical Physique only gives you an advantage in accumulating Magic Power. When it comes to Magic itself, you’re at the same starting line as everyone else. You must still train diligently."
Darian glanced at the sky outside. "It’s getting late. Class is dismissed for today. For the next while, focus on solidifying your Magic Power. Once it’s stable, I’ll officially begin teaching you Magic."
"Yes, Teacher," Anton responded. Then, his tone shifted. "Teacher, I have a question, if I may."
"Ask away," Darian said with a smile.
"When Casters create Scrolls, what materials do they usually use?"
Darian was slightly taken aback. "Why do you ask?"
He had expected Anton to ask something about Magic.
"Just curious," Anton answered vaguely.
’He couldn’t exactly admit that he suspected creating Scrolls and drawing Talismans had something in common, and that the materials for the former might work for the latter.’
Darian glanced at Anton but didn’t overthink it. With a flick of his wrist, a leather-bound notebook materialized in his palm, which he then handed to Anton.
"These are my notes from when I was learning to create Scrolls in my youth. They’re yours now. Take them and study them well."
He paused, then added a serious reminder, "However, your main priority right now is to accumulate Magic Power and learn Magic. It won’t be too late to learn how to create Scrolls once you have a sufficient foundation. Don’t bite off more than you can chew."
Anton was overjoyed and took the notebook with both hands. "I understand. Thank you, Teacher."
Aemon and Braiden watched from the side, their faces green with envy. They knew, however, that Anton was only receiving this special treatment because of his Super Magical Physique—a privilege they couldn’t hope for.
As soon as Darian left, Aemon and Braiden immediately crowded around Anton.
"Congratulations, Anton! With a Super Magical Physique, you’ll definitely become a Sage in the future."
"I’m so envious that you get to learn Magic so soon."
Their previously distant attitudes had vanished, replaced by an exceptional warmth.
Anton didn’t mind and casually chatted with them.
Having lived two lives, he was more mature than his peers and could understand their previous behavior.
’If he were in their shoes, he wouldn’t have actively approached a freak who didn’t fit in, either.’
Only when they had walked out of the magic district and saw Romance waiting outside did Aemon and Braiden take the hint and say their goodbyes.
"Anton, who were they?" Romance asked, walking over with an axe slung over her shoulder. She eyed their retreating figures suspiciously.
"New recruits who chose magic, just like me," Anton said.
"Rare to see anyone willing to get close to a freak like you," Romance commented.
’What right does a weirdo Elf who swings an axe have to call me a freak?’
Anton rolled his eyes and asked casually, "How was your combat techniques class?"
"Went great," Romance said, puffing out her chest proudly. "The instructor complimented my strength and said my fighting style is very... concise."
Anton gave her a strange look, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
’This year’s combat instructor must be a rather tactful speaker.’
"What about you? How was your Magic class?"
"It went well. I’ve already formed my magic power pathway."
"Why not just say you’ve already mastered Magic on your own?"
Romance pursed her lips, clearly not believing a single word.
Anton just chuckled, saying nothing more. He’d just wait for her to eat her words later.
Bantering as they went, the two walked along a tree-lined path through the twilight. They soon reached the residential area and returned to their respective treehouses.
After closing the door, Anton immediately tapped his Light Source Stone to life, sat down at the wooden table, and eagerly began to read the notebook.
A Magic Scroll, in essence, was the rune model of a specific spell drawn onto a scroll and sealed using a special method. To use it, one simply had to inject Magic Power to activate the preset Magic within.
Creating a Magic Scroll naturally required a variety of materials that possessed Spiritual properties and elemental affinity.
These included, but were not limited to: powdered magical minerals, Spiritual plant saps, Magic Beast blood, fur, and scales, and even certain rare bones and crystals.
In terms of the types of materials alone, Magic Scrolls and Cultivation Talismans did indeed have much in common.
Anton planned to buy all the materials mentioned in the notebook and test each one to see which would be the most suitable spiritual conduit for his Talismans.
Although the Silver Moon Race lived in the forest, they were far from isolated. They traded with many of the surrounding towns, so resources were plentiful. He wouldn’t have to worry about finding the materials he needed.