Chinese professors at the Wizarding Academy

"Common ground?"

Following Ysera's guidance, Gu Chen focused his attention on the commonalities. His consciousness hovered, intently staring at the three forces that looked completely different, yet seemed to share some kind of commonality.

Slowly, a strange feeling began to form in his heart, indescribable and inexplicable, and he seemed to understand something...

Gu Chen's consciousness actively floated at the intersection of the three energy flows.

He observed them carefully.

The first question is about how they flow, and where they flow to.

Next are their characteristics. They are essentially a kind of energy, and magic is also a kind of energy. So what are their characteristics?

Finally, there's their form of existence. Why are these three types of magic, which are all part of the concept of death, differentiated into completely different forms of existence?

"I need to feel some pressure..."

Gu Chen has now mastered how to use his talent "Unwavering Will" under immense pressure.

That means you just have to deal with the pressure yourself.

Compared to Jim, Gu Chen faced far more and more problems, all sorts of crises... like a wild beast in the forest, eyeing the savage by the campfire.

Normally, these pressures are buried deep in his heart, but whenever Gu Chen wants, he only needs to relax his control over his mind a little, and these pressures will surge out and engulf him like a tide.

"Focus your mind... Gu Chen, don't let your mind wander..."

"Um?"

Ysera noticed that Gu Chen's consciousness was wandering and immediately tried to stop him, but then Ysera suddenly discovered something unusual.

That is, such distracting thoughts only flashed by, and after the distracting thoughts disappeared, Gu Chen's attention instantly focused.

Its thinking efficiency and speed have made a qualitative leap compared to before!

"This talent... heh, interesting."

Isera smiled, then stopped talking and watched quietly.

After activating his unwavering will, Gu Chen used his even stronger mind to think about the commonalities among the three different powers.

As his observations deepened, he gradually discovered some commonalities:

As a former modern person, Gu Chen found it difficult to describe using definite wizarding terms.

If one had to describe it, one could say that all three forces possess a characteristic of "entropy".

First, they all have the characteristic of "negative entropy" and will spontaneously evolve towards a more disordered and dormant state;

Furthermore, they all have a natural aversion to and resistance to life energy;

Finally, their very existence represents a change, from order to disorder, from activity to stillness, from complexity to simplicity.

Staring at the three streams of death before him, Gu Chen felt some insights emerging from his mind.

"Death...?"

Gu Chen recalled something; he had once sat on the rooftop, contemplating the question of death.

Sometimes, some students experience a variety of negative emotions, and some even contemplate giving up on life.

Death... What is death?

A student once asked him, "Teacher, I don't want to know about heaven or hell, the underworld or anything like that. I don't want to pursue eternity after death. I want to be reincarnated in the next life and start over with a different identity. Is that possible?"

Gu Chen still remembers the reply from back then.

"Hmm... Death is entirely subconscious. Your next life will be nothing more than the birth of another unrelated life in the universe for you in this life."

"The you in your next life won't be you at all."

"If A's consciousness does not extend to B, then B's suffering, in terms of A's subjective experience, is equivalent to the suffering of any unrelated stranger in the universe."

The student replied, "What if a soul exists? Assuming a soul exists, then at least the soul must be the same one, right?"

"Even if a soul exists, when it enters a new body, it must adapt to the new brain's neuronal connection structure. At this time, the soul is like a stream of energy, similar to an electric current. Think about it, an electric current drives a computer, and then after it is disconnected, it goes to drive a television. You certainly can't say that the television is the computer."

"As an observer, you will not be carried over to the next life. Your memories, personality, and species may have completely changed. The information that constitutes you has dissipated. If there is no continuous conscious experience between A and B in their past and future lives, and no psychological causal inheritance, then A and B are two completely independent entities."

"So whether you suffer or enjoy in your next life has nothing to do with you now, classmate."

Gu Chen still remembers the look in that student's eyes at that moment; it was filled with loneliness and sadness.

"Don't worry, you are not responsible for a time and space that does not exist, nor do you need to be sad for a future that you cannot predict or suffering that you cannot perceive."

All you have is this limited journey you're on right now.

"When we exist, existence has not yet arrived; when we die, existence has already departed."

"My friend, the most important thing is to cherish this journey. Everyone is afraid of death, but no one knows what death is like."

"Seize the moment."

"The emergence of a new observer may change the entire state of existence of the universe."

"In other words, the world is completely different because you were here."

Gu Chen recalled the discussion about death at that time. That student later went to a very good university. He wanted to go to the grassroots level and do something meaningful.

Gu Chen was immersed in his memories while pondering the problem at hand.

Is he dead?

What exactly is death?

Is the person I am after time travel the same person I was before?

Am I still myself?

Of course, I am myself!

One's own consciousness is a continuous existence!

Gu Chen suddenly understood; from this new perspective, he gained a new understanding of death.

Death is not darkness or white light; it is a state of nothingness after the demise of consciousness and body, the loss of time perception, and the return of atoms to the cosmic cycle.

From a physics perspective, it means that the "observer" has become the "observed".

Because the atoms have already returned to the entire universe when they dissipated.

"Death is the end of change," Gu Chen murmured to himself.

The knowledge I had learned in the past came flooding back to me...

This gave him a completely new perspective in an instant.

"But it's not the only end. It's also the beginning of a new cycle..."

This realization brought him to a sudden clarity. Yes, death is not the final destination, but a transfer station.

From one form of existence to another, corrosion is the slow disintegration of form, manipulation is the rearrangement of form, and termination is the instantaneous transformation of form.

This understanding allowed the three forces to resonate in a remarkable way. They were no longer isolated entities, but rather different stages and manifestations of the same process.

"Do you understand?"

Isera's voice was tinged with relief and obvious surprise.

"...That's pretty good."

"Now, let's try to establish a simple conversion mechanism."

Following Isela's advice, Gu Chen focused his mind on the connection point of the three forces.

An energy vortex forms at the point where the three forces converge, separate, and transform.

Unfortunately, the first attempt failed as expected.

The vortex vibrated violently as soon as it formed, with the three forces repelling each other and almost causing an explosion.

"Don't try to control it by force."

Ysera promptly reminded them,

"Imagine you are the conductor of the orchestra. You are waving your baton, guiding the various parts of the orchestra and the individual musicians to cooperate and play in accordance with your direction. You are guiding them to find their own path, rather than forcing the whole path out."

"command……"

Gu Chen silently repeated the sentence, then adjusted his method.

Instead of trying to create a conversion mechanism, he began to observe the natural interaction patterns of the three forces, much like observing the natural trajectory of the stars in the stargazing method, and then applying subtle guidance based on these patterns.

The new method has clearly been effective.

Gradually, a small, stable energy node formed.

It's like a miniature three-way intersection where three forces can smoothly diverge, merge, and even exchange simple attributes.

A milestone achievement has occurred.

The first wisp of soul-corroding death energy slowly flowed through the node, and when it flowed out from the other end, it carried a trace of the manipulative properties of necromantic magic!

Gu Chen did not smile; his face remained expressionless. Although he knew he had succeeded, the road ahead was still long.

"very good!"

Ysera, standing to the side, sounded noticeably agitated.

"You succeeded after only one failure? Is your talent really only at the sixth-rank level?"

"Now, copy and expand this node to build a complete transformation network in your mind."

This is another daunting task.

Gu Chen needs to use this small node as a template to build dozens or hundreds of similar nodes throughout the energy space and connect them into a complex network.

Time continued to flow in the dream. There was no sun, moon, or stars in this space without any reference points, so time seemed to have no meaning.

Gu Chen was completely immersed in the construction process, forgetting his fatigue and the passage of time.

Each successful node establishment and each smooth connection completion deepened his understanding.

Finally, a transformation network covering the entire energy space was completed. The three forces could flow freely within the network, undergoing various complex transformations and combinations according to Gu Chen's will.

In the dream, the scene was so spectacular that Gu Chen was stunned.

"Wake up."

Ysera's voice called softly.

"Phase one is over."

As Ysera called out, Gu Chen's consciousness slowly emerged from the dream. He opened his eyes and found himself still lying on the golden grass, the nightmare grass that had been wrapped around his body slowly receding.

He sat up, feeling unusually clear-headed, and his understanding of the three forces in his right arm had reached an unprecedented depth.

"Thank you, Teacher Isela."

Gu Chen bowed deeply to Ysera, simultaneously performing a wizard's salute.

"It's an interesting Eastern custom. It's alright, I haven't been a teacher in a long time."

Isera smiled, the more she looked at Gu Chen, the more she admired him.

"Teacher, how much time has passed?" Gu Chen asked.

"Real-time, three hours." Ysera sat on a tree root not far away.

"But in the dream, you experienced approximately... three hundred hours."

"Your spirit is indeed very resilient."

Two weeks of intensive training.

In a dream?

Gu Chen felt a wave of dizziness as memories from his dream flooded in: his reflections on the nature of death, his experiments with the three powers, and the construction of the transformation network…

"Let's test your results," Ysera said, pointing to a rock beside the Fountain of Life.

Gu Chen walked to the rock and extended his right hand. With a slight thought, he released the Soul-Eating Death Qi from his fingertips. Normally, the stone would be corroded, but this time it was clearly different.

The moment the Soul-Eating Death Qi surged forth, Gu Chen, through the conversion network in his consciousness, added a trace of "manipulation" to this death qi.

The dark golden currents touched the rock surface, but instead of corroding it immediately, they spread along the rock's texture like a living thing, searching for the most vulnerable parts.

Once located, corrosion truly begins, becoming several times more efficient than before.

Next, Gu Chen switched modes. Gray mist-like necromantic power appeared above his palm. This time, Gu Chen tried to add the "Termination" property to it.

The gray mist was no longer merely manipulation, but carried an undeniable will to end things; wherever it passed, even the dust in the air stopped moving.

Finally, there's the dark mode.

"Damn... I'm still scared."

Whenever he comes into contact with darkness, he feels a fear that comes from his very soul, even though darkness is the most honest of the three.

Perhaps it was instinct, Gu Chen tried his best to overcome.

Pure black energy condensed in his palm, but this time, Gu Chen tried to add a touch of "corrosiveness." Black was no longer a pure end, but an end with a slow, eroding feel.

Simply put, the target that is hit will not be destroyed instantly, but will begin to decay from the inside and eventually return to nothingness.

There are three modes, each with new variations and possible combinations.

"You've already mastered the basics."

Isera nodded in satisfaction, her light green hair fluttering in the wind, a cheerful smile on her face.

"Although it's still far from a true magic translation system, at least during the hunting competition, you won't be stuck switching modes like an idiot."

"They combine and arrange themselves in countless ways..."

"You are very talented."

Gu Chen felt the surging power in his right arm, and a surge of confidence welled up in his heart.

Although the total amount of magic power did not increase, the efficiency of its use, the possibilities for change, and the tactical flexibility have all been qualitatively improved.

"Thank you, Senior Isera," Gu Chen said sincerely.

Ysera waved her hand: "Don't thank me yet. You still have a second phase to complete."

"Dream training only lets you master these techniques on a conscious level; now you need to familiarize your body with them as well."

He stood up: "In the time coming, you'll need to do a lot of real combat practice."

"Ken, Jim, you need to get involved too."

Ken and Jim walked over. Jim's eyes were sparkling; he was clearly curious about Gu Chen's new ability.

"Senior Isera," Ken asked, "how can I help?"