"Sorcerer, are you tired of endless life?" Lin Feng organized his thoughts and asked slowly.
"Are you also tired of the disasters that follow one after another?"
"Those endless, unresolvable disasters..."
The Ancient One's gaze flickered, and she looked at Lin Feng in surprise for a long time before speaking.
"Have you learned something?"
Lin Feng nodded.
It was less that he had learned something, and more that he had always known this future.
Regarding why the Ancient One accepted death, netizens before traveling had debated endlessly.
But the most convincing explanation was the one the Ancient One herself expressed.
She had been drawing upon the power of darkness to extend her life.
This act might be incomprehensible to others, but the Ancient One's extension of life was not for herself, but to guard against the invasion of dark creatures upon Earth.
Power itself held no right or wrong; it depended on its application.
However, her long life had also taught the Ancient One one thing: that disasters were endless.
She resolved one disaster after another, only for more to arrive incessantly, as if without end.
Therefore, when Strange was almost capable of handling things independently, the Ancient One chose to accept death.
With a successor, she had finally achieved her wish.
And a sentence the Sorcerer the Ancient One said in the show indirectly indicated that she no longer wished to draw upon the power of the dark dimension to prolong her life.
Although it was used to combat dark forces, continuously drawing energy from the dark dimension still caused her an indelible sense of guilt.
Thus, under these multifaceted influences, it was not strange that the Ancient One chose to accept death.
The Ancient One hesitated for a long while before sighing. She now understood what Lin Feng was talking about.
It seemed Lin Feng, through some unknown means, had learned her thoughts, or perhaps her future?
"I am... hesitant right now." The Ancient One, uncharacteristically, appeared unable to make an immediate decision.
Just as Lin Feng had thought, she was tired of this life, tired of endlessly resolving disasters, tired of drawing energy from the dark dimension.
However, the magical tea that Lin Feng had consistently given her had significantly reduced the negative side effects she experienced from drawing energy from the dark dimension.
The Ancient One was the Sorcerer Supreme, but she was also a flesh-and-blood being.
Lin Feng's appearance had greatly lessened her burdens compared to before, and with Lin Feng giving her hope of completely breaking free from the dark dimension, the Ancient One truly wished to try retirement...
Unbeknownst to himself, Lin Feng had changed many things in the Marvel universe...
"Never mind, I don't really want to discuss this right now..." The Ancient One still chose not to continue this topic.
"But promise me this, Lin Feng."
"Do not interfere with the matter of Strange and Dormammu..."
"And do not interfere with my future choices, alright?"
After Lin Feng had significantly altered the future, the Ancient One had been subconsciously wrestling with this question.
Now that Lin Feng had brought it up, it was like a stone on the shore being kicked into the water, causing ripples.
The Ancient One found her mindset had changed. From a state of calmly accepting death, it had become one of going with the flow.
The future had been jumbled into a mess by Lin Feng; she would just see how things unfolded.
However, regarding her own eventual choice, the Ancient One still did not wish for Lin Feng to interfere.
Lin Feng pondered for a long while before letting out a faint sigh. "Alright, I promise not to interfere, Sorcerer."
It seemed the Ancient One still intended for certain events to unfold, using them to bring about Strange's final growth.
If Lin Feng interfered, Dormammu would have no opportunity to play his role.
But if the Ancient One chose death and liberation herself, Lin Feng felt he had no reason to stop her...
Shaking his head, he put the matter aside and changed the subject again.
"Sorcerer, may I borrow some books from the library?"
Since he now had a method to strengthen his soul, Lin Feng wanted to try and see if he could find magic related to the soul from books.
The Kamar-Taj library was always managed by the stout sorcerer, Wong.
This Wong was also an interesting individual; his amusing spirit was befitting his physique.
The Ancient One did not hesitate for long before agreeing to Lin Feng's request.
"Borrowing books is no problem, but do not attempt some spells lightly..."
"The magic in this world is far more wondrous than you can imagine. Be cautious!" the Ancient One advised.
Magic was indeed wondrous, and the Ancient One's hesitation stemmed from her fear that Lin Feng might be enticed by dark magic that came with a heavy price.
But then again, dark magic that Lin Feng would find appealing seemed to be...
Well, Kamar-Taj was not without it, but the Ancient One felt Lin Feng no longer needed such costly dark magic to enhance his power...
"In that case, thank you, Sorcerer!" Lin Feng cheerfully pushed two packs of tea towards the Ancient One and then dashed towards the library.
The Life Tree Tea, in its enhanced version, was essentially Lin Feng's tuition fee for the Sorcerer the Ancient One...
The Ancient One looked at Lin Feng's departing figure with a wry smile, then at the two packs of tea that served as "bribes," and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Good heavens, he was holding out on her! This life energy was far more potent than the tea she had received before. Lin Feng was indeed an interesting person!
After a moment of laughter, the Ancient One picked up the two packs of tea and sat there, lost in thought...
"Wong!" Lin Feng entered the Kamar-Taj library with a vibrant energy.
He had to admit, the title "Wong" was quite a benefit.
"Mr. Lin Feng? You're here." Wong greeted Lin Feng with a smile.
The Ancient One had already informed him that Lin Feng would be visiting to borrow books, and without any restrictions.
"Yes, I've come to borrow some books," Lin Feng replied.
"Please, feel free..." Wong said politely and sat down, intending to continue reading.
Lin Feng had not hidden his learning of magic during his week at Kamar-Taj.
From knowing nothing on the first day to proficiently wielding spells on the second, and then on the third and fourth days, he was even found in the training grounds, guiding sorcerers much more senior than him in their magical techniques. It was an astonishing feat.
Even the Ancient One was exasperated by Lin Feng's learning speed and magical prowess...
Honestly, if not for knowing the Ancient One's character, Wong would have suspected she had mastered the art of mass-producing Sorcerers Supreme.
In the end, no one could quite understand how Lin Feng managed to accomplish in a few days what others couldn't achieve in decades.
Ultimately, they could only speculate that it was due to Superman's unique physique and abilities.