With the source of his learning obstacles identified, Lin Feng began to explore new methods.
As it turned out, the Ancient One's assessment was entirely accurate.
Lin Feng focused his attention on the process of opening portals, and before long, he succeeded.
Golden particles swirled in the air as a circular portal was successfully opened.
On the other side was the very direction Lin Feng had connected to with his own abilities.
This success finally brought a smile to Lin Feng's face.
So, it wasn't that he lacked talent for magic, but rather that he had been using the wrong method.
Seeing this, the Ancient One also smiled with relief.
However, when she looked towards where Lin Feng had opened the portal, her brow furrowed.
The dark energy emanating from that direction was extremely potent.
"I've always wanted to ask, what place have you connected to?"
With creatures that had donkey-like heads with horns and skeletal bodies, even the Ancient One, with all her extensive reading, had never encountered such bizarre dark beings.
Lin Feng scratched his head; he wasn't entirely sure himself.
"I'm not quite sure what kind of place that is. I stumbled upon the coordinates by chance, and I haven't been there to see yet..."
Lin Feng wasn't lying.
These coordinates had appeared in his mind when he was pondering where succubus-like beings like 'Xi Xing' might originate from.
Lin Feng simply hadn't ventured into that space yet.
As for why he chose this particular destination when opening the portal, it was because opening a portal to this place was even more difficult than connecting to other universes.
The Ancient One looked deeply at Lin Feng, "Alright, try not to go there..."
That dark energy was filled with ill omen.
Lin Feng casually grunted in response and stopped discussing the portal's destination, excitedly continuing to practice his magic.
After successfully casting one spell, the rest became much simpler, and Lin Feng's proficiency grew with each subsequent attempt.
He discovered that the Sling Ring was quite a wondrous artifact, serving a similar purpose to a magic wand in movies and anime.
However, it was exceptionally convenient to use.
Lin Feng only stopped practicing magic late into the night.
He didn't go home, intending to continue his studies the next day.
Feeling Lin Feng's cessation of magic, the Ancient One finally let out a sigh of relief, looking forward to a good night's sleep.
She had been secretly observing, fearing that Lin Feng might encounter problems.
In her eyes, Lin Feng was an anomaly, capable of using high-intensity magic continuously without rest, and still full of energy.
Recalling Lin Feng's casual mention of his soul being able to leave his body for ten days to half a month without issue, the Ancient One could only shake her head.
He was beyond compare.
A normal person, even herself, couldn't possibly have their soul separated from their body for that long; it would essentially be a death sentence!
...
The next day, Lin Feng woke up early to practice his magic.
It was like he had received a new toy, and he would likely be engrossed with it for some time before growing tired of it.
The Ancient One felt both pleased and speechless about this.
In the following days, Lin Feng did not leave Kamar-Taj.
The Ancient One was an open book, teaching him whatever she knew and answering all his questions.
With the learning problem resolved, his progress was even faster than Lin Feng had imagined.
Lin Feng could manifest most spells shortly after the Ancient One explained their usage.
Lin Feng's rapid progress had left the Ancient One numb.
Within a few days, Lin Feng's magical prowess, while perhaps not yet on par with hers, certainly surpassed that of any other sorcerer on Earth.
Furthermore, Lin Feng not only learned magic quickly but also demonstrated an ability to generalize and innovate, transforming a defensive magic circle into something incredibly versatile.
The golden Gatling gun he manifested could likely outlast any sorcerer's shield for a considerable time.
A week passed quickly.
On this day, in her humble abode, the Ancient One poured Lin Feng a cup of tea with a complex expression.
"Lin Feng, there is nothing more I can teach you..."
"You are far more talented than I ever imagined..."
Lin Feng chuckled, scratching his head, feigning modesty, "Where, oh where, could that be? It's simply that the sorcerer teaches so well!"
"Speaking of which, Sorcerer, why is it that after learning magic, I haven't felt any increase in my soul's strength?" Lin Feng asked,
lifting his teacup.
He had had a week of fun practicing magic, so much so that Lin Feng had almost forgotten why he was learning it in the first place.
He had indeed learned quite a bit of magic, but his soul's strength hadn't increased as he had expected.
The Ancient One put on her familiar wise expression.
"You are too impatient, Lin Feng..."
"When learning magic, a calm mind is crucial."
"I suggest that in your future battles, you try to rely solely on magic. With ample practice, what you desire will naturally come to you."
Lin Feng found her words a bit circuitous; why couldn't the sorcerer speak plainly?
However, he understood her meaning: she wanted him to use magic more often in the future.
He had been a little too hasty, as learning magic didn't immediately result in increased soul strength.
Instead, it meant using magic to temper the soul.
Lin Feng's soul strength was already at a level that most formidable individuals could only dream of reaching.
This was also one of the reasons why he could continuously use high-intensity magic.
Therefore, for his soul's strength to visibly grow, Lin Feng had to find his own path through magic.
"So, does this mean I've graduated?" Lin Feng inquired.
The Ancient One nodded, "You could say that. You are a unique individual; I had anticipated this."
"If you were to become the next Sorcerer Supreme, I doubt Stephen would even be necessary..."
The Ancient One said, half-jokingly, half-seriously.
Lin Feng chuckled, "That wouldn't do at all, Sorcerer. I've already returned the Time Stone to you, and you mentioned that Stephen needs to heal his hands himself..."
Why had he returned the Time Stone to the Ancient One?
Partly because Lin Feng feared she might have such intentions.
He had no desire to become the Sorcerer Supreme.
"On another note, Sorcerer," Lin Feng wisely chose to change the subject, not wanting to dwell on this matter.
"I've had something I wanted to ask you for a few days now."
The Ancient One sipped her tea, her expression serene, "What is it? Ask away."
Lin Feng hummed, but then fell silent for a moment.
He was contemplating how to phrase his question.
In fact, upon meeting Stephen, Lin Feng had recalled something.
Stephen's appearance signified that the main storyline of the Doctor Strange movie had progressed to a certain point.
Soon, the Ancient One would be gravely injured and die due to the actions of Dormammu's minions.
This was something Lin Feng truly wished to avoid.
To be honest, while Lin Feng often found the bald sorcerer's pronouncements to be enigmatic, he didn't dislike her.