Hen didn't dwell on the question and came up with the next test.
"Karl, try now to draw mana from the outside world to replenish yourself, like an ordinary sorcerer."
"The method is simple: focus your mind and try to be more perceptive of the air around you or the elements."
"For example, in the distant river, absorb the magic that wanders there."
Karl was stunned upon hearing this. Was it really that simple? No specific meditation method, no path for energy guidance?
He couldn't help but ask: "Teacher, that's it? Isn't there... a specific meditation spell or a visualization path?"
This time it was Hen's turn to be momentarily stunned, his face thoughtful, then he shook his head.
"Your idea is a novice's, but I've never heard of meditation spells."
"Drawing magic is an innate instinct for a gifted sorcerer, like breathing. There's no need for the complex method you mentioned."
"Sorcerers meditate to restore the mental energy consumed by highly focused directed mana, not to acquire the magic itself."
Karl was skeptical, but he did as Hen said.
He closed his eyes, tried to eliminate distractions, and focused his mind.
Then he tried to sense and absorb the Chaos magic that, according to Hen, permeated the heavens and the earth.
Hen stood to the side, patiently observing, waiting for Karl's feedback after his first time taking the initiative to absorb his own magic.
This was crucial for assessing Karl's physique and his future development.
......
Time passed minute by minute, only the rustle of wind blowing through the blades of grass on the plain could be heard.
After a few minutes, Karl slowly opened his eyes, his expression very complex—with confusion and a hint of disappointment.
"Teacher, I... I can indeed feel the magic you mentioned, and I tried to draw from it..."
"But it's very difficult and inefficient." He looked with anticipation, his tone a bit uncertain.
Karl tried to find a suitable metaphor: "What if... my own energy is like a lake."
"Well, the magic I try to draw is like a drop or two of rain, accidentally falling into the lake. Not only is the amount small, but the feeling is completely different."
"These magical forces are very manic and difficult to control, mixed with some impurity I can't explain; it feels like unrefined crude iron ingots."
"Even stranger, when these magical forces enter my body, they run around uncontrollably and immediately trigger my own energy to counterattack."
Karl made a wiping-out gesture: "Almost instantly, that small portion of magic was completely absorbed by my energy or destroyed."
Hen, hearing this, showed obvious surprise on his face, then his brows furrowed tightly, and he fell into deep thought.
He lowered his head and unconsciously pinched his beard with his fingers.
"How can this be?" Hen's heart was full of confusion.
According to his idea, Karl, who could store such a large and calm amount of energy in his body,
should have an improved tendency and efficiency for drawing external magic.
But, according to Karl's description, the magic he effectively absorbed...
the accumulation after a long day of hard work would be insufficient to release a fireball technique, which completely contradicted his understanding of a source sorcerer's physique.
Although Hen had been mentally prepared for Karl's physique to differ from that of a Source sorcerer,
when faced with a completely unknown situation, even one that contradicted his centuries of knowledge, he couldn't shake the feeling of bewilderment and confusion.
But he quickly grasped another important point, looked up, and asked eagerly: "Karl, the energy within your body... can it be that even if you don't take the initiative to do anything, it gradually recovers on its own?"
Karl hid the key information about needing sunlight and moonlight and nodded affirmatively: "Yes, Teacher, as far as... under normal circumstances, it recovers on its own."
Hen was silent for a moment, the confusion on his face deepening.
"This is even stranger... The characteristic of being able to recover on its own without absorbing magic is fully consistent with my Source physique." He muttered.
"If an ordinary sorcerer runs out of magic in their body, they can only draw it from the outside world; they cannot recover on their own." He paced back and forth twice, his voice full of puzzlement.
"Your energy's strong rejection of external magic clearly shows a fundamental difference in the nature of the two energies..."
Hen fell into long contemplation, various known magical theories, bloodlines, and ancient secrets flashing through his mind, trying to find a case that matched Karl's situation.
Suddenly, his expression changed slightly, as if he had thought of something.
He recalled a long-term research project he had started many years ago, a topic still in the data collection and study phase.
Was there a simpler and purer way to extract energy besides Chaos magic? He called it the Dark Energy theory.
He even suspected that the source of divine power used by the priestesses of the Temple of Melitele, which differed from magic, might be related to this unknown energy.
"Could it be that... Karl's body contains the highly condensed dark energy from my hypothesis?" A bold hypothesis formed in Hen's mind.
He opened his mouth and hesitated for a moment, but ultimately suppressed this assumption and didn't voice it.
The reason was simple: he himself couldn't determine whether this unknown energy harbored other hidden dangers.
He deeply understood the priestesses who served Melitele.
Although their power system differed, there had never been records of sudden death or strange illnesses caused by the energy itself.
And Karl's situation seemed even more special. Hen changed direction and asked: "Karl, as you grew up... did you ever experience any unusual physical discomfort?"
"Or did you ever have a sudden, inexplicable period of weakness?"
And Karl answered without the slightest hesitation, categorically.
"No, Teacher. I've never even had the most common headache or fever."
"As for weakness, aside from intentionally expending physical strength, I've never experienced the inexplicable weakness you mentioned."
"I have always been far stronger than anyone I know, including Witchers."
Hen fell silent again. Karl's various manifestations were like a giant puzzle, full of contradictions.
Only a very small number of characteristics, such as the self-recovering energy, could match the Source he knew.
Most others, especially the energy nature that rejected Chaos magic and the powerful physique,
all completely contradicted the common sense of various curses, bloodlines, and spell effects that he knew.
Moreover, Hen could be absolutely certain that the possibility of Elder Blood was ruled out.
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