But this was only for simple arrays.
When Wu Yao turned to the page with the Mana Storage Array, her breath caught slightly.
Spanning two whole pages, the array core was a triple-nested hexagram. Twelve main conduction lines radiated outward from the inner core, each main line branching into five secondary circuits, and every secondary circuit was embedded with an independent stabilizing module.
The diagram alone had nearly forty independent modules. The interface angles and mana thresholds between the modules were all marked in different colored inks: black for the rune framework, blue for the conduction paths, and red for the precise values.
Wu Yao took a deep breath, flipping back and forth between the two pages of notes, copying it down page by page.
The fourth time she lost track of the flow of the main conduction line, she put down her pen.
This was far more difficult than she had anticipated.
In college, she had majored in Geographic Information Science. She had scored over ninety in advanced mathematics, wasn't bad at linear algebra, was always among the fastest to submit her major programming assignments, and was second to none in practical surveying and mapping.
But drawing barrier arrays required the precise coordination of hands, eyes, and brain. Compressing a three-dimensional structure into a two-dimensional representation introduced distortions, making it even harder to deduce the original paths. Every single stroke required her to figure out its spatial relationship with all the surrounding lines before her pen even touched the paper.
Leaning against the headboard, she stared at the barrier array notes spread across her lap, looking at the Mana Storage Array diagram from the beginning for the umpteenth time.
Why did she have to suffer like this in a game?
She had lain down in her holographic capsule for the summer break to enjoy the freedom of a magical world, to roam the continent exploring the unknown, and to experience the unparalleled thrill of casting spells.
Not to huddle in a small cabin and drive herself crazy over a single diagram.
But her damn competitive streak wouldn't let her just give up like this.
Did this little game really think a hurdle of this caliber could scare her off?
Wu Yao let out a cold, proud laugh and immediately began petting Xuanmiao all over.
The kitten's belly fur was fine and soft, carrying the dry scent of sun-dried warmth and a faint fragrance of flora.
Xuanmiao remained emotionally stable, not immediately throwing punches at her, only flicking her tail impatiently a couple of times.
Wu Yao had successfully cheered herself up. She lay back down on the bed and flipped the barrier array notes back to the introductory explanation at the very beginning.
This section had more words than diagrams. She had flipped through it very quickly before, only picking out a few key concepts to look over before skipping past them.
But the complexity of the Mana Storage Array was clearly urging her to build a solid foundation. Just as one couldn't skip formula derivations and go straight to solving math problems, one couldn't skip basic theory and jump straight to drawing high-tier barrier arrays.
When she turned to Chapter Two, the title immediately caught her eye.
《Modular Thinking—The Only Shortcut from Simple Arrays to High-Tier Arrays》
Shortcuts were great; a shortcut was exactly what she wanted.
She scooted further down, spreading the notes on the bed. Resting her chin on her crossed arms, she began to read the chapter in earnest.
The beginning wasted no words, showing a complete disassembled diagram of an amplification array right off the bat.
On the left was the complete amplification array, and on the right were the five independent modules after disassembly, with arrows next to each module marking the interface locations and connection methods.
Below it was an explanatory line: “Any complex array is assembled from a finite variety of basic modules. Mastering the drawing methods and interface rules of the basic modules is equivalent to mastering the language of barrier arrays.”
Wu Yao felt that the Great Witch of the Starry Night who wrote this would definitely have resonated deeply with her college advisor.
Following the Great Witch of the Starry Night's line of thought, Wu Yao used modular thinking to disassemble various arrays once more.
In particular, she practiced drawing each module multiple times, memorizing the standard dimensions, angle tolerance ranges, and interface positions of every module.
Only then did she flip back to the Mana Storage Array page.
This time, she went through the entire diagram from start to finish several times, circling all the modules that appeared in it one by one and labeling them with numbers.
After completely disassembling it, she counted them up: twenty-one core modules and eighteen variations. Although it looked complex, it was essentially just permutations and combinations of those basic modules.
It was like a college entrance exam paper: each question, when broken down, was just basic knowledge points; the only difficult part was the ability to apply them comprehensively.
Wu Yao sat up straight, picked up her pen again, and began drawing module drafts on the blank pages of her notebook first.
Every time she finished drawing a module, she would stop to check it against the notes, verifying the angles and spacing, and only move on to the next once she confirmed there were no errors.
The rustling of her pen on the paper gradually intertwined with Xuanmiao's purring.
By the time half a day had passed, the notebook spread across her lap was filled with dozens of pages. Her hand grew steadier the further she went, to the point where the module drafts on the last few pages showed no discernible difference from the original diagrams in the notes.
She flipped back to the Mana Storage Array page. She had already mastered the individual drawing methods of all the modules; all that was left to do now was to piece them together.
The path traced by the tip of her pen was firm and clear, the curve of every arc identical to what she had practiced in her drafts.
Occasionally stopping at a certain point, she would simulate the path of mana flow in her mind, continuing only after confirming there were no errors.
Wu Yao had no idea how astonishing what she was doing actually was.
To her, this was just a hearty and satisfying battle to overcome a difficult obstacle, no different in essence from tackling a completely unfamiliar major course back in college.
A newborn witch who had awakened barely over ten days ago, with no Mentor to guide her hand-in-hand, relying solely on a single fragmented notebook and a stubborn refusal to back down, had independently completed the entire disassembly and reconstruction of a Mid-Tier array.
If this were told to any Great Witch, it would only elicit a look of tender affection.
Not to mention that the Mana Storage Array was already at the absolute peak of difficulty among Mid-Tier arrays, its complexity bordering on the threshold of a High-Tier array.
In the Silver Moon Era, arrays of the Mana Storage Array's caliber were typically completed by a young witch with the assistance of her Mentor.
For a newborn young witch to go from entry-level to being able to independently construct a Mid-Tier array, doing so in half a year to a year was already considered talented. Countless young witches got stuck at the basic module stage, unable to unlock this skill at all.
Yet Wu Yao had only taken half a day.
She closed the draft-filled notebook and stretched her slightly stiff shoulders.
This process of untangling a knot, breaking a complex problem down into actionable steps, and finally arriving at the correct answer brought a sense of achievement that simple problems could never provide.
Outside the window, the sun was already slanting toward the west. Without her realizing, Xuanmiao had moved from the pillow to her lap, curling herself into a perfect circle, her black fur rising and falling gently with her even breathing.
She only wanted to log off immediately and brag to her friends about what a great and difficult problem she had conquered.
Only an eight-hundred-word essay of pure flattery from her friends could truly make her feel just how resourceful, brilliant, exceptionally clever, quick-witted, wonderfully smart, and outstandingly intelligent she was...
Yes, she had to share it right away.
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