The upper limits for spellcasters in the Marvel Universe are quite high, and the learning curve is fast. It allowed Strange, a surgeon with crippled hands, to become capable of serving as the Sorcerer Supreme in less than a year.
This would be unthinkable in most other worlds.
The primary reason is that magic in the Marvel Universe is mostly performed by external means, borrowing power from higher beings.
Strange possesses sufficient talent to understand the principles of these spells, allowing him to borrow the power of the Vishanti. This enabled him to reach his maximum potential—the maximum the Vishanti were willing to grant him—in the shortest possible time.
However, magic in this world comes with a price. While minor spells that don't borrow much power are fine, if too many are used, even the Ancient One can't bear the burden and has to resort to stealing from Dormammu.
If possible, Clearwater would naturally prefer to rely solely on his own Chakra.
Although the inherent upper limit of Chakra is far from the dimensional power of multiverse gods, it's still sufficient for most conventional magic.
As for how to reach Kamar-Taj in just four minutes without borrowing the Vishanti's power...
Clearwater removed his clothes and put on a red robe. He picked up the Mind Stone Scepter resting nearby, infused it with Chakra, and drew a circle in front of him.
Chakra possesses spatial attributes; the Summoning Jutsu and Flying Thunder God are prime examples.
However, despite Clearwater's proficiency in spatial techniques, opening a spatial portal was still a bit difficult for him. It was theoretically possible, but the difficulty was very high—perhaps only one success out of a hundred attempts. Plus, there was always the worry that the portal might suddenly close halfway through, cutting him in two.
But with the Mind Stone, it was different.
On one hand, it could enhance the Chakra Clearwater released. On the other, Clearwater had discovered a particular use for the Mind Stone.
He called this use "Perfect Flow."
By strengthening his control over his will and spirit through the Mind Stone, he could reach his most perfect state.
This allowed Clearwater to consistently exert the theoretical maximum of his power.
If his mental will were even stronger, he could even break through this limit.
Therefore, in the Perfect Flow state, as long as something was theoretically feasible, Clearwater could perfectly transform that theoretical possibility into a practical reality.
The edges of the portal, which should have been golden, were now blue.
A cold wind surged out from within the portal.
Snowflakes drifted down, landing on his clothes.
An ancient and grand temple appeared within the portal.
Clearwater, holding the Scepter in one hand, stepped inside.
A young Black man, dressed in a coarse monk's robe, was sweeping snow from the entrance with a broom.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Billionaire."
"Good afternoon, Jonathan. It looks like your leg has recovered well."
Clearwater greeted the young man.
"I can run and jump now, and even dunk a basketball. I imagine that even using the Regeneration Serum produced by your company wouldn't get me any further than I am now."
Jonathan chuckled at Clearwater.
He had once been a factory worker, paralyzed from the waist down due to an accident, and had come to Kamar-Taj a year ago.
At that time, Osborn's Regeneration Serum hadn't yet been publicly released, and Kamar-Taj was his only hope for recovery.
"Oh, that's truly good news. What are your plans now? Will you continue studying here?"
Clearwater pushed open the main door, watching a group of magic apprentices on the Kamar-Taj plaza practicing how to control mystic energy, using Sling Rings to draw circles in front of them.
"Oh, no. I really don't have much talent for magic. Besides healing my leg, I've only barely managed to learn a few minor spells. If I don't make any more progress soon and get recognized by the masters to become a formal sorcerer, I plan to turn in my Sling Ring and go back to being a car mechanic."
Jonathan shrugged.
"Alright, good luck."
Clearwater patted Jonathan's shoulder and walked further inside.
"Sorcerer Wat."
Seeing Clearwater, the Black sorcerer who was leading the apprentices called out to him.
"Sorcerer Mordo? Is something wrong?"
"Sorcerer Ancient One instructed that since you've become a formal sorcerer and can control your power with the Scepter, you don't need to continue studying with him. He's busy dealing with some extra-dimensional beings."
Mordo said to Clearwater.
Some extra-dimensional beings?
"Did he go alone?"
"No, he said he's the only one who can handle the enemy, and even he is in danger of dying."
Mordo said with a serious expression.
"Is that so? Then what about me..."
"After becoming a formal sorcerer, it's mostly about self-cultivation. One only consults the Sorcerer Supreme when encountering something they don't understand, but he's always very busy."
Clearwater nodded in understanding.
It seems that old man Ancient One, for all his eccentricities, still gets things done.
"Looks like the enemy Master Ancient One is facing this time is pretty dangerous," Clearwater muttered, stroking his chin.
Even Ancient One said his life was in danger, so the enemy must indeed be formidable.
But with the Time Stone's save function, Ancient One would be fine even if he died a few hundred times.
"Ah-choo!"
In a certain room, Ancient One sneezed and rubbed his nose.
"Who's talking about me? Or is this body so weakened by dark energy that my immunity has dropped? Oh, come on, you're not playing fair!"
Ancient One wiped his nose with a tissue and, frustrated, threw down his game console, looking at the dead character on the screen.
"Master Ancient One said you can now go to the library and find Wong to look through the non-forbidden magic books." Mordo looked at Clearwater with a strange expression and continued, "However, Master Ancient One also said that since you already possess your own artifact, there's no need for you to go to the artifact storage room to sense a magical artifact that suits you."
Kamar-Taj's artifact storage room holds thousands of artifacts collected over millennia by various Sorcerer Supremes and their followers, from Agamotto to Ancient One.
Generally, once a Kamar-Taj sorcerer transitions from an apprentice to a full-fledged sorcerer, they begin participating in various incidents involving interdimensional creature invasions, dark magic, and dark wizards.
To enhance the survival capabilities of these official sorcerers, Kamar-Taj allows them to enter the temple's storage room to sense magical artifacts that suit them.
If you have a connection with a certain artifact, then that artifact is yours. However, most sorcerers typically only have one or two artifacts of their own, and these artifacts are almost always incredibly loyal, refusing to cooperate with anyone else until their owner dies.
"Tsk, fine," Clearwater said, feeling a bit disappointed.
Is old man Ancient One being discriminatory? Why won't he give me a magical artifact? I've... Oh, right, I haven't earned any merit or shed any blood for Kamar-Taj.
"Alright, thanks, Mordo. I'll head to the library then." Clearwater waved at Mordo and turned to leave.
"Wait." Mordo called out to Clearwater again.
"Hm? Is there something else?"
"I've seen it on TV, and I know you have very advanced technology. Master Ancient One also trusts you greatly and believes you don't need to acquire additional magical artifacts. But I still want to confirm whether you possess the ability to safely handle abnormal magical incidents."
"You want to test my strength?" Clearwater asked, intrigued.
He was actually quite curious about the extent of his magical abilities and how powerful he truly was when combined with his other skills.
"If you agree, most of the current field missions are led by me. I want to ensure every person returns safely, so I need to assess if you have the necessary strength. Magic and technology have commonalities, but more often, they are different. Many technological means, including that armor that allows you to fly, may not possess the power you need in many situations."
Mordo's magical prowess is almost the strongest among the young and middle-aged sorcerers at Kamar-Taj, nearly reaching master level.
The other is Wong. Both have excellent magical abilities, strong physiques, and exceptional martial arts skills. Therefore, many sorcerers here consider them candidates for Sorcerer Supreme of Kamar-Taj.
One without sufficient strength isn't qualified to be Strange's opponent, who is already Sorcerer Supreme in multiple Marvel Universes.
Wong and Mordo are both qualified to become Sorcerer Supreme. Mordo also believes he is the one who most perfectly embodies Ancient One's philosophy and is the most deserving of becoming Sorcerer Supreme.
However, Mordo acts too rigidly, lacks flexibility, holds prejudiced beliefs, and cannot accept dark magic. Therefore, even with more talent than Wong, his potential is capped, and his methods often lead to things worsening.
While Wong is good, for Ancient One, Strange would be stronger than Wong and less scrupulous in his actions.
With Ancient One already corrupted to a certain extent by the Dark Dimension and destined to die, Strange was the best choice she could make.
Even if he often messed things up, at least they were eventually resolved, albeit after paying a price.
This is the same principle as Tobirama Senju choosing Hiruzen Sarutobi to be the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō were both qualified, and while neither was particularly great, after comparing their flaws, it became clear that only Hiruzen Sarutobi could serve.
"Where? Right here? Won't it be too cramped?" Clearwater looked around.
"Exactly, it's right here, but also not here." Mordo took the Scepter from his back, glanced around, and then sharply swung it at his reflection in the window.
*"Ping!"*
A crack, like shattered glass, appeared on the window, and then the entire space concave inward.
In an instant, Mordo used the window's reflection to open the Mirror Dimension.
Clearwater's gaze towards Mordo shifted slightly.
A true master reveals their skill with one move.
The Mirror Dimension isn't a conventional spell.
While it appears frequently in movies, it's actually a truly advanced technique that very few people can master.
Clearwater hasn't learned this spell yet, even with the aid of his Scepter—it's already astonishing that he's reached his current level after only a month of studying magic.
A crowd of magic apprentices squeezed in behind them, only to find Clearwater and Mordo already fighting inside.
Their battle was taking place on the rooftop of Kamar-Taj, which corresponded to its real-world location within the Mirror Dimension.
Clearwater didn't summon his two Electrolight Armors. Instead, he tried to emulate Mordo, fighting only with Taijutsu combined with magic.
Now it was Mordo's turn to be surprised.
He knew Clearwater was a superhero.
But everyone believed that, like Tony Stark, without his armor, even if he was still a billionaire, genius scientist, and playboy, he was ultimately just flesh and blood like any ordinary person.
However, the reality shocked Mordo and the other sorcerers.
The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj diligently practiced martial arts, which included various traditional East Asian martial arts, as well as body-tempering techniques from K'un-Lun.
The gate of K'un-Lun, which has cultivated generations of Iron Fists, is located in the Himalayan Mountains, just like Kamar-Taj. They are neighbors and allies, and some of their traditions are shared between them.
Therefore, each of these Kamar-Taj sorcerers is a close-combat mage. While not quite superhumans like Iron Fist, they all possess physical abilities far exceeding ordinary people and are martial arts masters with vigorous vitality.
And now, Mordo, one of their best, was being overwhelmed by Clearwater.
Clearwater formed hand seals with his left hand, using his Chakra to condense a Rings of Raggadorr, the golden mystic shield.
However, Clearwater's mystic shield was created from his own Chakra, not by borrowing power from the Vishanti. Its color was the bright blue of Separation Release Chakra, and it also inflicted high-temperature counter-damage.
In his right hand, he held the Mind Stone Scepter, using it as a sword, forcing Mordo into a dangerous situation.
*"Bang!"*
Mordo's left hand also condensed a Rings of Raggadorr, but Clearwater's staff struck it, making it flicker erratically and nearly shatter. Mordo had no choice but to retreat.
He was very fast.
This was not only due to his inherent abilities and the results of his training at Kamar-Taj, but also to the boots on his feet.
The Boots of Valtorr. With these boots, Mordo could borrow power from Valtorr, the demon god of secrecy and protection, greatly enhancing his speed and jumping ability, and even performing multiple mid-air jumps.
As for the staff in his hand, he obtained it from Kamar-Taj's artifact storage. It was called the Staff of Waltum.
Waltum was a renowned archmage from a thousand years ago who developed many famous spells and successfully ascended to godhood, becoming a multiversal entity representing storms and nature. His alignment was generally neutral-order, but he wouldn't mind lending power to dark mages if they were willing to pay the price.
This staff was left on Earth by Waltum.
With it, Mordo could cast magic missiles and borrow power from Waltum's dimension at a low cost to cast and enhance spells.
These two powerful artifacts, combined with his outstanding physical conditioning and extraordinary magical skill, were what gave Mordo strength far superior to other sorcerers.
Clearwater's physical abilities, enhanced by both Breathing Style and Chakra, surpassed Mordo's by an unknown margin. If not for the Boots of Valtorr on his feet, Mordo would have been hit long ago.
"Bolts of Balthakk."
Clearwater held the Mind Stone Scepter and gently waved it forward.
Apologies, I've been going to the hospital frequently these past few days, which has affected my writing. I'll adjust as soon as possible.
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