Char took a deep breath, a sense of wonder washing over him. He never expected that simply getting an introduction to Occlumency would bring him such a profound surprise. He had experienced the benefits of the "flow state" before. In that state, his mind was more focused than ever, and his learning efficiency would skyrocket, becoming several times higher than usual. The few times he had entered it had played a crucial role in helping him break through magical bottlenecks. But the state had always been something he could only encounter by chance, not something he could force. He never expected that he would learn to actively master it through the process of learning Occlumency.
It makes sense, he thought. The entry requirement for Occlumency is to master one's mind and eliminate distracting thoughts. It's very similar to a flow state. If I can control the flow, then everything will follow naturally. A light flashed in his eyes. Let's try the effects.
In his mind, the distracting thoughts that usually rushed through his head were now like ripples on a calm lake. They came and went, leaving no trace. The lake of his heart became smooth as a mirror again, and his mind felt perfectly clear. It seemed as if he had lost all concept of time.
Char slowly took out the Advanced Potion-Making textbook Snape had given him. He had benefited a lot from this book before; it had raised his understanding of magic to a whole new level. And now, his magical attainments were no longer what they used to be. Combined with the blessing of the flow state, he wondered how many new things he could learn from it.
Rustle. Rustle. The pages of the book were slowly turned. The notes left between the lines of the textbook caught his eye. There was some content that he still couldn't understand, but some of it was now gradually taking shape, clues emerging from the complex scrawl. There was also some content he had once thought he had completely understood, but looking back now, he found that his understanding was actually limited. Reading it again gave him a new perspective. Countless pieces of knowledge and insight flowed through his mind. Then, with the help of the flow state, he chewed and digested it all at an astonishing speed, turning it into his own nourishment.
On his system panel, almost all his spells were faintly glowing. Although limited by his magical perception, the spells that had reached the platinum level had no room for further improvement, but their luster had become more solid, as if they were accumulating strength. It was an improvement in his very foundation. It seemed like there was no actual change, but once the lock was broken, everything he had accumulated would be released in a torrent.
Time passed by, second by second. Char, however, showed no sign of distraction or fatigue at all. He remained completely immersed in the textbook. It was only when he finally felt a sliver of mental exhaustion that he was distracted, pulling himself from the flow state. A thought bloomed in his mind. Occlumency is mentally draining. If I keep this up for a long time, I will feel tired.
He immediately thought of Snape, who always looked exhausted. He had never seen the man look truly refreshed. Char had originally thought it was because Snape was always overshadowed by the grief of Lily's death. But now it seemed it might also be related to his identity as a double agent, which required him to maintain his Occlumency at all times. Even if Snape's attainments were likely Epic or even Legendary, maintaining it for so many years would be a considerable burden.
A moment after thinking about Snape, Char suddenly shuddered. "Wait a moment. The time is…" He glanced at the clock. "It's been almost an hour and a half since my scheduled Occlumency training with Professor Snape. The flow state is too focused; it has both advantages and disadvantages. Next time, I'll have to set an alarm."
He stood up immediately, hurrying towards Snape's office.
Inside, Snape's face was very ugly, a gloomy anger covering his brows. But at the same time, he was also a little confused. Char was not a person without perseverance or punctuality. What had happened to make him so late? After hearing the knock on the door, Snape said in a cold voice, "Come in. Give me an explanation."
Char's face was full of apology. "I'm sorry, Professor. It's because I mastered Occlumency. Then I entered a state of intense mental focus. In this state, I read the Half-Blood Prince's notes again and found them truly brilliant and indescribable. I forgot the time and ended up being late—"
Hearing Char's explanation, the gloomy anger between Snape's brows quickly dissipated. Obviously, he was very pleased with the praise for his old notes. So you were engrossed in reading my own notes? Humph, that's normal. The boy has good taste.
And a moment later, Snape paused suddenly, realizing the other thing Char had said. His tone rose several degrees. "What?! What did you say? You've mastered Occlumency?!" Snape's eyes widened, staring at Char. If he hadn't known that Char was not a student who exaggerated, he would have kicked him out on the spot. Getting started with Occlumency in one day? Just last time, Char's mind had been full of distracting thoughts. According to Snape's estimation, even with the help of the precious incense, he would have needed to practice for at least half a month to have a chance of getting started. And now, after one day, without the aid of the incense, he was already there? This was even faster than when Snape himself had first started learning.
Under Snape's strange gaze, Char waved his hand modestly. "I just got lucky and found a shortcut."
Snape's eyes showed some suspicion. Shortcut? Aside from this special incense, what other shortcuts were there for beginners? But he was not one to get to the bottom of things. After the initial shock, he quickly calmed down. If Char had his own way of getting started quickly, it was a good thing. It would save a lot of effort.
Snape had always been efficient. He immediately overturned the training plan he had originally prepared. "Now that you've gotten started, you don't need to engage in time-consuming meditation. Let's go straight to the next stage. I will use Legilimency to attempt to read your emotions and memories. All you have to do is concentrate your mind and resist my reading." Snape's tone paused. "Of course," he continued, a hint of sarcasm at the corner of his mouth, "it's a very private matter. If I were to take advantage of this moment, I could not only see your deepest, darkest emotions, but I might even be able to implant a suggestion within your mind. You'd better think about it—"
Having been with Snape for so long, Char understood his tsundere personality. Pry into my deepest secrets? Implant a suggestion? In the original novel, even when facing Harry, whom he hated, Snape had never done such a thing. Not to mention that he and Snape had a good relationship. Besides, Char was not without his own means of counterattack.
He nodded calmly. "Professor, I believe you."
Snape was silent for a moment, then sneered. "You asked for it. Okay, sit on the chair. If something happens later, I don't want to see you twitching and rolling on the ground like an idiot." After Char was seated, Snape said coldly, "Get ready."
Char nodded and immediately entered the state of Occlumency, his mind becoming more focused than ever before. Snape looked into his eyes and waved his wand. "Legilimens!"
A silver light hit Char's temple. He suddenly felt his spiritual world being invaded. But the feeling was different from what Harry had described. Harry hadn't even started learning Occlumency; Snape had used a simple and rough method to make him learn quickly. The experience had been terrible. But Char had already mastered the basics, and Snape's attitude towards him was much better. Even if his words were alarmist, Snape was actually more cautious than Char himself, afraid of causing any mental damage.
With Snape deliberately holding back, Char did not feel any disgusting resistance, nor was he suppressed one-sidedly. He could still resist. However, as the Legilimency spell continued, Snape's magic flowed like water, looking for loopholes in his defenses. Every moment was exhausting. Gradually, Char began to feel overwhelmed. Flashes of images began to race before his eyes, and the distracting thoughts that should have been suppressed gradually became uncontrollable. His defense against Snape's Legilimency was on the verge of failure.
Snape, however, was very satisfied with his performance. "Okay. That's it," he said, his voice echoing in Char's mental world. He was about to end the spell.
But to his surprise, Char also spoke in the spiritual world. "Professor. I can hold on a little longer." His gaze fell on the system panel. In the mental attack and defense with Snape, the sheen on the word Occlumency was growing more intense with every passing moment. In such a short while, the black iron luster had become much richer. This was the benefit of practicing with the most powerful user of Occlumency in the wizarding world. The progress was simply incredible. At this rate, he would definitely be able to advance to the Bronze level today. How could he bear to end this?
Snape's eyes showed admiration, but he still dissuaded him. "Don't force it. Your Occlumency is about to break. If we continue, the effect will not be good."
Char took a deep breath. "Professor. I have my own way to last longer."
The next moment, under Snape's ghost-like gaze, a sharp thorn of Shadowthorn appeared in Char's hand. He pierced it hard between his fingers and stirred it vigorously. A piercing pain shot through his mind.
"What are you doing?!" Snape exclaimed.
Char breathed a sigh of relief. Under the stimulation of the pain, the random thoughts that had just emerged disappeared into thin air. His spirits were lifted, enough to continue resisting. "Professor," he said, "I'm just trying to keep myself alert. Now we should be able to continue?"
Snape's eyes widened. Looking at Char's fingers, still dripping with blood, he felt a chill. The pain of a Shadowthorn could make people faint. And he had pierced it into the gaps between his fingers and stirred it. He suddenly remembered Char mentioning a shortcut. This is it?! Snape had seen countless geniuses, but at this moment, his heart was filled with turbulent waves of admiration. This wasn't a "shortcut." This was simply self-abuse and self-mutilation. No wonder this boy with poor talent could leave other wizards of the same grade far behind. How could such an effort fail?
Snape took a deep breath, his expression becoming serious. "Alright. Since you insist. Then, continue!" He felt the pressure from Snape's Legilimency increase a little, and he immediately held his breath and concentrated, dealing with the attack with all his strength. Beads of sweat gradually covered his forehead, but he seemed unaware. Only when he felt like he couldn't hold on any longer would he take out another sharp thorn, thrust it fiercely into the gap between his free fingers, and stir it, so that he could hold on. Before he knew it, all ten of his fingers were pierced.
The duration of the session had far exceeded Snape's expectations. He never thought someone could persist for so long the first time. Even he couldn't do this back then. Gradually, Snape's forehead was also covered with sweat, his face a little pale. But he felt the growing resistance from Char's mind, as if he could see his spirit becoming more concentrated, like a guerilla force transforming into a well-trained army. A transformation was taking place.
On Char's system panel, the black iron luster on the words [Occlumency] had reached its extreme. A bronze color continued to spread. Finally, as veins bulged on his forehead and he had truly reached his limit, the word was completely covered in a bronze sheen.
[Occlumency (Bronze Level)], promotion!
In that moment, Char felt the pressure from Snape's Legilimency suddenly reduced. He could even expel it from his own mental world without warning. His heart filled with joy. A muffled groan came from his ears. He opened his eyes and saw two lines of bright red blood flowing from Snape's nostrils. His heart skipped a beat. Is this the backlash?
Snape waved his hand nonchalantly. "It's fine. You don't think your half-baked skills can actually harm me, do you?"
"Really?" Char said with some doubt. "Professor, are you free later? Or tomorrow. Shall we continue?"
Snape's nonchalant expression suddenly froze. "Do you think I'm free? To help you practice every day? From now on, I can only help you practice once a week at most. Now, get out of my office."
As Char left, he turned. "Professor. I'm really sorry to bother you this time."
Snape snorted, then suddenly remembered something. "That's right. There's one more thing. Don't tell me you forgot. The Quidditch final is only three days away, Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor. If you win, you'll help your house make history." He gritted his teeth viciously. "After you massacred us Slytherins and created the largest score difference in a thousand years! Okay, now, get out! I don't want to see you again before the final starts!"
Char paused. It was really quite embarrassing. He had been so busy with his plans that he really had forgotten about the final. He said goodbye to Snape quickly. Then, in his mind, a thought flashed that made his heart beat faster. Speaking of which… the Elber tree I planted in the clouds before… calculating the time, it should be mature by now, right?