Chapter 39: Practice with a Purpose

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

At the peak of his obsession, Su Ye would ask himself this question whenever he found himself relaxing, or if he noticed any ripples of emotion within himself. Even if he was feeling lost for a few seconds, he’d ask himself this question.

“What should I be doing at this very moment?”

This question might seem simple, or even useless, but it had become Su Ye’s powerful ability after having used it for many years!

This ability allowed Su Ye to immediately carry out the right course of action instead of being dazed and lost and ultimately doing the wrong thing.

Su Ye had also thought that Lakein’s question was unimportant when he first practiced it.

That was until he attended a meeting at his company. There had been a commotion outside the room that affected the efficiency of the meeting. Su Ye asked himself this question at that moment and was the first to solve the problem. It left a deep impression on the higher-ups, which in turn gave him an opportunity to be promoted.

Lakein’s question had saved Su Ye a great amount of time and allowed him to seize countless opportunities.

The effects of these opportunities and the time he saved might seem negligible, but over years of accumulation, the amount of time and opportunities he saved, in turn, changed the quality of his life. It was only in hindsight that Su Ye realized what a big effect the question had.

Now, Su Ye would feel as though he was surveying himself from a deeper and wider angle whenever he asked himself this question, and he would obtain the right answer from there.

Having experience was better than having natural talents, and knowing the methods was better than having experience.

Through his constant observation and perception, the cheetahs gradually got clearer in Su Ye’s eyes. Their pounces, scratches, and sprints were no longer a secret to him.

This did not give Su Ye immense power, but it did allow Su Ye’s judgment to become more accurate the next time he would encounter similar beasts or battle techniques.

The most ordinary judgment might be enough to save his life then.

Niedern nodded as he said, “Great. The cheetahs have powerful explosive force but are limited by their stamina. Use the Magic Rope now and start to bind the cheetahs… Don’t aim at their necks, aim at their legs. Your aim is not precise as of now. Also, don’t use the Magic Rope whenever you feel like it. With your current pool of Magic Power, you can only use 30 apprentice spells in a morning.”

Su Ye nodded and made his first attempt. He recited the incantation. Two seconds later, the Magic Cow Rope that was covered in a dull light flew toward one of the cheetahs.

The cheetah suddenly leaped several meters into the air and avoided the Magic Rope. It turned its head to look at Su Ye, then walked slowly with elegant strides and casually stomped on the Magic Cow Rope that had fallen onto the ground.

Su Ye felt as though he was being jolted awake from a dream when he saw this.

Niedern looked at Su Ye’s expression and said, extremely satisfied, “Not bad, it looks like you have already noticed where the problem lies. Spells can do everything, but not you. The spell, Magic Rope, can actively capture enemies within a certain radius. However, if the enemies are too fast or if they are too far away, the Magic Rope will not be able to accomplish anything. This is also why most mages have a purple crystal adorned on their staff to accelerate the speed of casting spells. Any talent or ability that can increase the speed of casting spells is immensely important.”

“Alright, continue using the Magic Rope until you can capture all three cheetahs.”

“Thank you, Teacher!”

Su Ye suppressed the feelings of superiority he had when he easily carved the Magic Array. He once again adopted the attitude of a humble student.

“What method should I be using now to better learn magic?” Su Ye asked a question that was similar but a little different from Lakein’s question. Su Ye named this the “Method Question.”

“I can try practicing with purpose.”

Su Ye knew that he would not be able to find the perfect method. However, it was definitely better for him to use a method that was widely accepted than to change the method slightly based on his ideas and practicing blindly.

“The first step of practicing with a purpose is being clear of the goal. The main goal of practicing with a purpose this time is to capture the cheetahs, but this main goal is too general. It is best to use methods such as project management or goal management to break this large goal down into different smaller goals. I’ll naturally accomplish the main goal after I complete several of the smaller goals. The larger goal can be broken down to “better judgment of the cheetah’s actions,””better judgment of the Magic Rope’s radius,””more accurate control of the Magic Cow Rope,” and “casting the spell faster.” Among these goals, speeding up the casting time requires a lot of practice, so I can forget about that for today.”

“I’ll start from the first small goal. But the goal of achieving a better judgment of the cheetah’s actions is still not specific enough. I should use the SMART principle to quantify the goal. That is, the goal has to be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. If that is the case, I want to be able to predict the cheetah’s next course of action eight out of ten times in the next half an hour. That will help me capture the cheetahs with the Magic Rope.”

“The specific course of action. I’ll first observe and consolidate all possible actions, then compare them one by one…”

Using a method was qualitatively different from indiscriminate practice.

Niedern had not noticed anything at the start, but he was soon shocked to realize that Su Ye’s accuracy in predicting the cheetah’s movements was increasing at a rapid rate.

“He must be a genius in battle!”

Niedern’s heart was exclaiming in joy as if he had just discovered a new spell. However, he only showed a faint smile.

Su Ye recited the incantation and extended his finger when the bell for afternoon break rang, and the Magic Rope flew outward like a living snake. The cheetah fiercely leaped forward, but it jumped directly into the Magic Rope’s radius of capture.

The Magic Rope suddenly extended from being two meters long to being four meters long. It first bound the hind legs of the cheetah, then continued to stretch and coiled around its two front legs.

“Whimper…” The cheetah let out a whimper of indignance.

“Great!” Niedern praised.

Su Ye extended his arm and retracted the rope on the cheetah’s body.

The other two cheetahs had already been captured and were lying down and looking at the sky. The third cheetah rolled around and revealed its white-furred belly. It let out a pathetic whimper.

Su Ye was panting. He only understood now that his stamina and energy were also decreasing as his Magic Power dropped.

However, the joy of successfully subduing the three cheetahs and grasping the spell washed away the fatigue from his mind and body.

“You are a genius! A genius in terms of combat magic!” Niedern tried his best to control himself but could not help but utter those words.

“I’ll pretend to believe your nonsense.”

Su Ye did not believe Niedern’s words. This was because whatever Niedern saw, those signs of a so-called genius, were just the effects of his years of practice. It was completely unrelated to being a genius.

No one knew more than Su Ye just how average he was back then.

Surprisingly, Niedern was not angry when he heard Su Ye’s words. Instead, he was happy.

“This child is so humble. His accomplishments might far exceed the rest of the students. Laker has the talent of a Photographic Memory, but he would definitely die if he encountered Su Ye on the battlefield.”

Niedern made a judgment in his heart. He looked at the sweat on Su Ye’s back and said, “Go take a bath, then head to lunch.”

“Thank you for your guidance!” Su Ye sincerely expressed his thanks. He had gained much today.

Niedern turned to leave. He had just taken a few steps when he suddenly said, “Oh yes, Kaerton is worthy of your trust, under most circumstances.”

“Teacher knows Kaerton? But there seems to be another meaning to his words…” Su Ye looked on as Niedern’s red hair vanished within the forest.

Su Ye took a bath but did not head directly to lunch. Instead, he found a place for meditation that the school had opened for its students and began to meditate.

Su Ye had collected a simple magic bracelet before he entered the Meditation Field and set a timer for 30 minutes.