Noah thought for a moment and then said to them,
"Do you know what the most important thing is when it comes to gaining true strength?"
"What is it?"
"It's the foundation. Only a strong foundation can support great power.
I have thousands of books at home, and I've read every one of them. I've also gone through most of the books in the guild's library. That's the foundation of my knowledge.
On top of that, I train my body and my magic every single day. You both know about Ultear's condition. Her problems came from having more magic power than her body could handle. That proves how important physical fitness really is."
Noah picked up the cup of water beside him, took a sip, and then continued,
"Ever since I first started learning magic, I've kept up the same routine every single day: reading, exercising, and training my magic. I've never stopped. Up until now, I've been focused only on learning all kinds of magic.
You two haven't even studied magic for a full year or two yet. First, lay down a solid foundation before moving on to other things. Don't neglect the basics. Your foundation determines how far your strength can go."
Gray and Lyon both looked thoughtful after hearing this. After all, what Noah said made sense. He was living proof of his own words.
They also knew Noah truly had a library at home filled with books about magic, complete with notebooks full of reading notes. Even just now, he had been sitting with a book in his hands.
As for his physical strength, after watching him fight Deliora head-on, neither of them could believe Noah's body could ever be weak.
And as for magic power, the enormous pillar of light he had unleashed, reaching from earth to sky, said everything that needed to be said.
Seeing that his words had made an impact, Noah returned his attention to his magic book.
After Ulu finished bathing with the girls, the boys went in next. Once everyone was done, they said good night to each other and went to bed.
The next morning, after breakfast, Ulu planned to teach her disciples—and Noah—how to use Ice-Make Magic.
Since they were heading to the snowy mountains, Erza and her three companions split off from Noah, returning to their usual training ground.
Noah then led Ulu and the others toward the nearby snowcapped peaks.
When they arrived, Ulu, Gray, and Lyon immediately began stripping down until they were left in only their underwear.
Ultear froze in surprise when she saw her mother and the others like this. Noah leaned toward her and said seriously,
"Don't follow their example. Gray and Lyon have this strange habit of stripping unconsciously at any time."
Ultear nodded vigorously.
Ulu then turned to Noah and Ultear and said,
"If you want to understand ice, you have to touch it directly. That means exposing yourself to the cold wind as much as possible. You should come with us."
Noah shook his head."I don't need that. I'm here to learn modeling. I don't need to master powerful ice skills."
Ultear also shook her head quickly from behind Noah. Seeing the two of them like this, Ulu gave up and let it be.
Training began. At first, Lyon didn't take the basics very seriously. But when he noticed Noah also practicing the basics, he remembered Noah's words from the night before. If even someone as powerful as Noah trained the fundamentals, then he had no excuse not to do the same.
Noticing that their training intensity was too low, Noah cast gravity magic over the group, sparing only Ultear.
Lyon and Gray were immediately pinned to the ground, unable to move. Ulu, however, only needed a little time to adjust before she was moving freely again.
"Look at you two," Noah said. "Your physical condition is far too weak. Even Erza is better than you. She only started learning magic recently, but her body is much stronger. At least under this level of gravity, she can still move without any trouble."
Hearing this, Gray and Lyon both grew stubborn and pushed themselves desperately, trying to stand.
After several attempts, Gray finally managed to stand up, his legs trembling as he wobbled in place.
Noah kindly advised,"If you can't keep it up, then don't push yourself. Look, your legs are shaking."
"N-no… nothing's wrong. We're fine," Lyon insisted, his teeth chattering.
"Th-that's right… we're fine," Gray echoed, though his whole body was trembling.
Noah ignored their stubbornness and adjusted the gravity magic into three levels. His own field carried the heaviest gravity, Ulu's was set slightly lower, and Gray and Lyon's was the weakest. Then he began his physical exercises.
Ulu also started her training once she had adapted, all the while guiding Gray and Lyon beside her through their own exercises.
Ultear followed Noah's instructions and stuck to some moderate, basic routines.
When Noah noticed Gray and Lyon on the verge of collapse, he lifted the gravity spell. Both of them instantly dropped into the snow, gasping for air.
"Well, it looks like your physical fitness definitely needs more work," Ulu remarked, already thinking of how to shape her disciples' training plans. With Noah around, his gravity magic made for a powerful training tool.
After resting a while, Ulu began teaching Gray and the others Ice-Make Magic.
Thanks to Noah's earlier treatment, Ultear was now able to start magic training as well, so she joined them in learning Ice-Make.
Gray, Lyon, and Ultear focused on practicing the basics of ice magic, while Noah concentrated on modeling—shaping ice into forms that reflected his imagination.
Ulu shared her knowledge of modeling magic with Noah without reservation. Using Ice-Make as her example, she also passed on her own insights into the nature of ice itself.
This proved invaluable to Noah. In just over a dozen days, he was able to clap his hands together, and towering before them rose an ice giant, several dozen meters tall, with a sharply defined face and a solid, stable frame. Noah stood proudly atop its head—and the giant's face was carved in Noah's own likeness.
The ice giant straightened its back, bent slightly at the waist, then threw two mighty punches forward. The sheer force stirred up a blizzard, scattering snow in every direction.
The Ulu family watched from nearby, each with different emotions swirling inside them.
"Are we even learning the same magic as him? I swear we started first," Gray muttered, scratching furiously at his hair to shake off the snowflakes, utterly baffled.
"I did learn before him, but…" Lyon trailed off, unable to find the words. He didn't even bother brushing the snow off his head. His spirit had been shaken.
For Lyon, whose dream was to one day surpass Ulu, this was crushing. He had worked so hard, but now he saw Noah, mastering the same magic and rising to near Ulu's level in only ten days.
"There are prodigies in this world," Ulu said gently. "And Noah is clearly one of them. There's no need to compare yourself to him. Focus only on being stronger than you were yesterday."
She brushed away the snowflakes drifting past her face, but even as she comforted her disciples, her own heart was filled with shock and disbelief.
Anyone would feel unsettled watching magic they had studied for years be grasped, learned, and mastered by someone else in barely more than ten days.
...
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