Carrying Zhang Ye's Divine Sense, his mana carefully felt its way toward the location of Xi Ya's meridians.
Zhang Ye frowned.
Xi Ya's meridians... were so severely withered that they could almost be described as clogged and ruined. How could meridians like these withstand the circulation of a large amount of mana?!
No wonder Xi Ya could only learn a single 【Miniature Spatial Gate】.
When learning magic, talent was extremely important. Talent here was divided into two types: the 【Brain Domain】 and the 【Body Domain】.
It could be said that as long as a person was reasonably smart, had a normal constitution, and had the right conditions, learning ordinary magic wasn't difficult. It just required the accumulation of time and experience.
But if a person was smart but their physical constitution was lacking, that was a different story entirely.
Just like Lina.
Lina was very smart, and her theoretical knowledge was extremely rich—more than enough to qualify as a magic researcher. Logically speaking, her efficiency in learning magic should have been incredibly high. However, because her constitution couldn't resonate with mana, even though she knew how to cast spells, her body couldn't support the formation of magic.
To put it simply—
Brain: I've got this.
Body: Get lost.
It was the same for Xi Ya. The only difference was that while Lina couldn't achieve mana resonance, Xi Ya's body simply didn't permit the flow of mana.
Xi Ya knew how to learn magic, how to draw magic circles, and her theoretical knowledge wasn't bad either. However, her body couldn't supply the mana required for magic. This was the real reason she couldn't learn other spells!
Even learning a single 【Miniature Spatial Gate】 had required countless attempts, slowly forcing her body's meridians to adapt to the mana output of the spell before she finally mastered it.
And this process of 【adaptation】 would be a long, grueling one.
It was like working out. If a skinny, stick-like person wanted to train themselves into a muscular beast with an eight-pack and twenty-four-inch arms, it would take years or even longer!
Xi Ya's path to learning magic was truly too difficult.
Zhang Ye's mana continued to probe deeper, carefully feeling along Xi Ya's meridians, gradually approaching her mana source.
Soon, Zhang Ye reached Xi Ya's mana source.
However, when he perceived it, his eyebrows shot up again.
Xi Ya's mana source... had a leak!
An ordinary person's mana source was full and intact, which was why it could hold mana. But Xi Ya's mana source had numerous gaps, with countless mana particles leaking out from them.
It was like a bucket that was supposed to hold ten liters of water, but a hole had been punctured near the bottom, causing it to only be able to hold one or two liters.
Xi Ya's mana source was in exactly this state.
No wonder her mana reserves were so small... But then, what was the reason for her rapid mana recovery?
Zhang Ye's mana circled her mana source, trying to spot some clues.
He discovered that the way Xi Ya's mana source absorbed mana was like a whirlpool.
When a normal mana source absorbed mana, it merely generated a certain pulling force to draw mana particles inside. But Xi Ya's mana source was like a vortex; the mana inside was spinning rapidly, creating a powerful suction that dragged mana particles into the source.
How could mana spin on its own? There had to be something pulling the mana inside her source!
Combining his knowledge of Earth with the theories of this world, Zhang Ye knew that the mana inside a mana source could not be actively controlled by the individual.
What a person could control was only the mana source itself, not the mana inside it.
It was like your hands. You could easily control your hands, but could you control the blood flowing inside them?
Only when mana left the mana source could a person exert a certain level of control over it.
And to manipulate mana, one not only needed control over the mana itself, but also the cooperation of their own mental strength.
Everyone was born with mental strength. In the early stages, mental strength was weak and intangible, making it impossible for people to clearly perceive. But why could mana still flow according to one's desires after leaving the mana source?
In truth, this 【will】 could be understood as a manifestation of mental strength—one's own intent.
Because humans had their own thoughts and will, they could control their mental strength like an extension of their limbs to guide mana.
The stronger one's mental strength, the stronger their control over mana.
To put it simply.
The reason humans could control their bodies was due to the existence of the nervous system. Mana could be compared to the human body, while mental strength was the nervous system!
This was why mages trained their 【brain】 rather than their 【body】.
Therefore, combining his own understanding and knowledge, Zhang Ye concluded that the 【vortex state】 of the mana in Xi Ya's mana source was definitely not voluntary!
Because she simply had no way of controlling the mana inside her mana source.
However, Zhang Ye's mana could not penetrate deep into Xi Ya's mana source.
If another person's mana entered one's mana source, it would trigger a rejection reaction.
Thus, the only thing that could enter was pure mental strength.
But without mana acting as a "peripheral," Zhang Ye could not freely control his mental strength.
After all, a nervous system without a physical body couldn't accomplish much.
At his current level, Zhang Ye's mental strength was not yet powerful enough to solidify on its own.
If he could freely control his mental strength and send it inside Xi Ya's mana source, he might be able to find the reason behind its vortex state.
Zhang Ye carefully withdrew his mana, his brow furrowing deeply.
Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed in his mind!
Only those at Three-star Saint-tier and above could freely control 【pure mental strength】. He couldn't do it, but others could!
For example, Big Nana, or Ke Lan!
Right at that moment, Ke Lan happened to walk into the laboratory.
“What are you doing?” Seeing Zhang Ye and the others, Ke Lan walked over curiously, assuming Zhang Ye was researching some new theoretical knowledge again.
“Mentor Ke Lan, you came at the perfect time!” Zhang Ye said in pleasant surprise. “Can you freely control 【pure mental strength】?”
Ke Lan was taken aback, then nodded. “I can.”
As she spoke, she stretched out her hand, and the parts on a nearby table floated up as if held by an invisible force, without any mana fluctuations whatsoever!
That was it!
Zhang Ye immediately said, “Mentor Ke Lan, could I trouble you for a favor?”
Seeing Zhang Ye's solemn expression, Ke Lan immediately became serious. “Speak.”
Zhang Ye then explained Xi Ya's situation to Ke Lan.
Ke Lan pinched her chin, pondering briefly before nodding. “Exploring the mana source... this is a very critical subject.”
“From ancient times to the present, we have never stopped exploring the mana source, but cases of a 【vortex state】 are quite rare.”
“Rare? That means they exist, right?” Zhang Ye caught the key point.
“Yes.” Ke Lan nodded. “In the past, there have been cases where attachments existed within the mana source. These attachments guide the mana inside the source, causing it to exhibit different states, such as a 【wave state】, a 【spiral state】, or a 【vortex state】.”
“Does that mean there's an attachment in Xi Ya's mana source? Does it pose a threat to her?”
“Based on past experience, there should indeed be an attachment in Xi Ya's mana source. However, whether it poses a threat is still unknown.”
“Some attachments are in a 【parasitic state】, guiding the host's mana to nourish themselves. This is only beneficial to the attachment and offers no benefit—or even harm—to the host.”
“But some attachments are in a 【symbiotic state】, actively helping the host guide the mana within the source to strengthen both themselves and the host. It's beneficial to both sides, a win-win scenario.”
“Which type it is remains to be investigated,” Ke Lan said.
Zhang Ye pondered for a moment, then said, “Mentor Ke Lan, please help me!”
Hearing this, Ke Lan smiled. “You've helped us solve so many difficult problems, so it's only right that I help you. Besides, this is an extremely valuable case, and Xi Ya is also a student of our All Souls Academy. Naturally, I won't just stand by and watch.”
Zhang Ye smiled in relief. “Thank you!”
“What do we need to do?”
“First, we'll use pure mental strength to investigate Xi Ya's mana source and find out exactly what that attachment is!”
“Okay!”
...
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