During this time, whenever he had free time, he used the power of the Reality Stone to help himself understand the "composition of the real world." Later, he found this topic too broad, so he narrowed his focus and started by analyzing relatively simple items, such as the structure of various basic substances.
In his original plan, he wanted to carefully observe the process by which the Reality Stone constructed a certain item and then try to replicate that process using only his own magic.
However, he awkwardly discovered that when the Reality Stone created a real object, there was simply no process. As long as he had the thought and gave the Stone a "command," the Reality Stone would directly "place" the item he wanted in front of him. There was no process at all.
This was rather awkward, so Ethan had to use the power of the Reality Stone to issue commands like "provide the detailed composition of a certain item," and then learn from the most basic level.
After this period of study, especially with Tony helping him brush up on a lot of physics knowledge, Ethan could now finally "create" some simple items using his own magic without relying on the Reality Stone.
His method was very "simple": use magic to construct a basic atom, and then "combine" it according to physics knowledge to create the item he wanted.
It was very troublesome, and the magic consumption was not low. At present, it had little practical use. Even though he had spent more than half a year studying and practicing, and could now condense a magical longsword that could freely use fire elements, the magic still lacked practical utility.
One reason was that the casting time was too long, and he couldn't be disturbed during the process.
Another reason was that the item, once created, did not exist permanently. As soon as he stopped channeling magic into it, it would begin to revert to base magical form and eventually dissipate. It could also be reabsorbed into his body.
There were advantages, however. Items created through this magic had excellent affinity with magic and could cooperate with it perfectly.
If this magic could be practiced to the point of instant casting, then he wouldn't need to worry about weapons in the future. He could just create whatever weapon he wanted with magic. He suddenly realized he probably shouldn't wear red clothes anymore in the future.
He swung the strange red and black longsword in his hand. The orange-red flames generated by the swing were extremely hot. This weapon was the best he could create at the moment.
"Although this kind of training doesn't seem like something that can be completed in a short time, based on the additional benefits alone, I have to stick with it."
When Ethan studied the composition of all things, he found that he had gained a deeper understanding of fire and water. He had already mastered the fire and water elements and was also analyzing lightning, arcane energy, and Holy Light. He hadn't expected that understanding all things would help him in these areas as well.
But in reality, it was very helpful. He gained a deeper understanding of lightning, arcane energy, and even some elemental attributes he hadn't encountered before.
He found that understanding a certain element or energy wasn't a one-time thing. Even if a certain element's characteristics had already been integrated into his magic, it didn't mean he fully understood that energy. In fact, such understanding was just the beginning.
As his knowledge grew and his strength improved, he would develop new perspectives on energy attributes he had already mastered. This would further improve his control and, in turn, increase his strength.
"So, knowledge is power?"
Ethan leaned on the strange longsword in his hand, standing there organizing his thoughts. He was considering how to proceed in the future.
Currently, it seemed that when he tried to understand the nature of all things, he could also grasp many other insights along the way. This understanding might not be entirely correct or comprehensive, so when practicing this magic that allowed him to create things through magic, it was best to continue collecting various materials for research and analysis, broadening his horizons while also verifying and comparing the knowledge he already had.
"Even the same thing may manifest differently in different worlds."
In short, it was all about exploration, observation, and collecting more samples for study. As long as he kept doing this, his strength would improve and the nature of his magic would become more diverse.
"In that case, setting aside the Soul Stone for now, I need to find an opportunity to come into contact with the Time Stone and observe the energy within it."
Considering that the space-time orb he held also had time-related attributes, the energy of the Time Stone was indeed very important to him. This wasn't a difficult task. Given his current relationship with the Ancient One, although it was impossible to directly ask for the Eye of Agamotto, it wouldn't be hard to borrow it for training during a visit.
While thinking this, Tony also finished his training for the day. He now meditated daily and was attempting to communicate with the plane filled with arcane energy, officially beginning to try to absorb arcane energy into his body.
Ethan advised him not to be too eager to absorb too much energy into his body. It was best to start with a small amount, fully master it, and then gradually increase the arcane energy.
"It's like building a pool. You have to make the pool strong and deep enough before it can hold more water."
The principle was simple, and everyone understood it. But understanding was one thing, and countless people couldn't resist the urge to "become stronger" quickly. As a result, even though they absorbed more arcane energy, they also buried many hidden dangers within themselves.
Tony sometimes seemed overly impatient, but that was only in areas he was familiar with. He had absolute confidence in himself, which was why he did things that seemed crazy to outsiders. That didn't mean he was truly impatient.
When caution was necessary, he showed plenty of patience. Learning thoroughly before mastering new abilities was the right path.
Moreover, his current progress was by no means slow. He could already cast some basic spells with his own power, and spells like Mage Hand were already highly proficient. He found them quite convenient when doing research.
"It's really convenient."
Many minor mage spells were essentially designed to make life easier for mages. It wasn't wrong to say that mages were a group of lazy people. Of course, most of them saved their precious time to do more important things, but there were always some who simply enjoyed comfort.
Now, another person had joined their ranks. Tony was definitely someone who enjoyed life and was good at it too.
"This thing in your hand—is this the result of your training during this time?"
Tony knew very well what Ethan had been researching lately. As a top-level scholar, he had also helped Ethan brush up on a lot of knowledge. Strictly speaking, the two were each other's teachers, absorbing one another's knowledge to improve themselves. Therefore, Ethan couldn't be considered Tony's master.
"Sort of."
"Is this a greatsword? Why is it shaped like that?"
Tony originally thought the sword in Ethan's hand looked that way because Ethan had made some mistake in casting it, resulting in a distorted appearance.
But after seeing Ethan's expression, he realized he was wrong. Ethan had deliberately shaped the longsword that way.
Recalling the equipment Ethan had made before, his aesthetic wasn't like this. So there was another possibility: the weapon had a prototype, and Ethan had replicated it using magic.
"Does this strange longsword have a name?"
"It's a sword used by a very famous historical figure."
"Oh? Who is it?" Tony immediately thought of King Arthur. That famous figure had been here before and had even been Ethan's companion for a while. It wouldn't be surprising if Ethan recreated King Arthur's weapon.
But no matter how he looked at this longsword, it didn't match the style of that handsome, golden-haired knight. The design clearly didn't fit.
"Nero."
"The tyrant from the Roman Empire?" Tony's eyes lit up—literally. This wasn't just a metaphor. His eyes actually glowed. That proved he hadn't fully mastered his arcane energy yet, which leaked out when he got excited. The eyes were one of the easiest places for magical energy to leak, which was why some mages looked like they had light bulbs for eyes when casting spells.
Tony, with glowing eyes, examined the longsword repeatedly. When he swung it in his hand, he also felt the strong fire energy it contained.
"Wait… The Nero you know isn't the same one I know, is it?" He suddenly realized that this longsword absolutely could not belong to the Nero of "normal" history. Moreover, the historical tyrant Nero shouldn't have known magic, while this sword could unleash powerful flames.
"Of course not."
Ethan took the longsword back. He had created the sword on a whim, just to test the effect of integrating fire energy into a weapon created through magic.
Now that the experiment was basically complete and he had obtained the results he wanted, Ethan stopped channeling magic. The longsword quickly reverted to pure magic and was reabsorbed into his body.
There was still some loss, but Ethan found the amount to be less than expected. This meant that once items constructed with magic were formed, they only consumed magic for maintenance. And once dissolved, some of that magic could be recovered.
From this perspective, as long as Ethan could solve the issue of casting time, this spell was already quite mature.
"But this still seems like a long and steady road…"
Fortunately, he wasn't in a hurry, and he had plenty to do. He could take his time.
(To be continued.)