Chapter 42: Old Master Mei Draws a Pie

"The second stage is a simple combination of numbers and letters. This allows you to engage two different modes of thinking simultaneously, guiding you through distinct categories of coordination," Mei Mumu explained.

"Uh, won't this... cause a split personality?" the dark-skinned fellow asked with a troubled expression.

"Are you afraid your left brain will betray your right, or that your right brain doesn't want your left? The left hemisphere controls the right side of the body, and vice versa for the right. The two hemispheres are naturally harmonious and unified. Kamar-Taj isn't some place for cultivating primitives; surely we can discuss science outside the realm of mystery, can't we?"

Mei Mumu, draped in the mantle of a medical doctorate, managed to intimidate the dark-skinned man into a dazed silence.

"Alright, since that's the goal, what about the third step?" he pressed on.

"The third step is still writing," Mei Mumu said. With his palm, he manipulated a stream of magical energy, inscribing large characters on the sand tray: on the left, vertical strokes spelling 'Left and Right'; on the right, horizontal strokes spelling 'Simultaneous Combat', four characters in all.

"This..."

"Once you've mastered simple letters, you should move on to more complex characters. When you can have both hands begin simultaneously and finish the final stroke within ten seconds, you'll be considered proficient."

"It seems... very difficult!" Mordo admitted frankly.

"Difficult, of course it's difficult. Otherwise, do you think my mediocre skills alone could have floored you twice during sparring?"

To say Mei Mumu could defeat Mordo was a joke.

Among all martial arts, speed is paramount.

Once Mordo shamelessly activated the Self-Acceleration spell against the novice Mei Mumu, his speed and strength soared to inhuman levels.

Given Mei Mumu's current physical state, resistance was futile; he couldn’t even keep up visually.

In such circumstances, it would be a one-sided thrashing.

Mordo lowered his abilities to a normal human level for their practice matches, and Mei Mumu was well aware of it.

Still, it didn't stop Mei Mumu from continuing to put on airs.

Mordo was the sort who fixated on principles—the more challenging something was, the more determined he became to master it, to delve deeper. It was precisely this thirst for power that drove him forward.

Of course, whether Mordo could truly master the technique, Mei Mumu dared not guarantee.

He himself was only half capable; without the support of the Balance System, he wouldn't even manage the few moves he had shown today.

In the original story, only two people in the world ever mastered the Simultaneous Combat technique. And besides, those with too high an IQ simply couldn't learn it!

Mei Mumu did not deny he had painted Mordo a pie he might never taste.

After all, how low could the intelligence of someone deemed fit to be a sorcerer really be?

Once Mordo was sent off to practice the basics of Simultaneous Combat, Mei Mumu unexpectedly received a visit from the Ancient One.

"Master!" Mei Mumu greeted her with genuine respect, bowing his head.

"No need for formalities. I’ve come to ask whether your training method can be widely promoted?"

"It’s difficult, since systematic training methods aren’t easily passed on," Mei Mumu replied, curling his lip. "Kamar-Taj advocates sharing knowledge, but there are exceptions. And Simultaneous Combat is also limited by talent."

Right! Those with insufficient intelligence, or those with only five points of IQ, are particularly likely to master it.

"No, Mei Mumu, you misunderstand. I don’t require you to divulge your family’s secret techniques. I’m merely asking whether there is a way to improve the hand speed of magical apprentices. Kamar-Taj has always lacked in this area. We select those with the greatest magical talent, but neglect other issues—such as incorrect spell gestures, or an inability to coordinate magic and combat."

Mei Mumu pondered, then decided to do the Ancient One a favor. "To slightly improve hand speed is possible."

The next day, the Ancient One announced that Mei Mumu would serve as the instructor of spell gestures at Kamar-Taj, focusing on enhancing hand speed.

This immediately caused a sensation at Kamar-Taj.

The Ancient One’s primary duty was to protect Earth. As the Sorcerer Supreme, her responsibilities were countless. She could not spare much time to personally instruct magical apprentices, especially the novices just entering Kamar-Taj. Thus, the task of teaching new disciples usually fell to her most senior students.

These disciples were often specialists in certain fields.

Those who reached this level of mastery were typically called masters.

For example, Hamir was the Master of Magical Arrays; Mordo was the Master of Combat; Wong was the Master of Reconnaissance—indeed, Wong’s sensory abilities were exceptionally formidable.

Never before had Kamar-Taj allowed someone who was not yet a formal sorcerer to serve as an instructor.

Mei Mumu was breaking new ground.

The lecture hall was modest, only able to accommodate fifty. Yet that day, two hundred showed up. Not only was the hall packed, but even the aisles were crowded.

Mordo frowned and simply opened the Grand Hall of Kamar-Taj for Mei Mumu’s lecture.

Though Mordo knew Mei Mumu’s popularity stemmed from the strange move he had used yesterday to send him—the Combat Instructor—flying during sparring, and that he was the unfortunate backdrop, after a night of nearly sleepless practice and a boost in self-confidence, Mordo was willing to play that part.

Mei Mumu felt a touch of emotion. When it came to bluffing, perhaps he couldn’t fool Iron Man or the Hulk, those intellectual giants. But to win over magical apprentices? That was no problem.

He noticed that even the Ancient One and Hamir sat in the last row, listening.

Clearing his throat, he swept the hall with what he hoped was a commanding gaze before beginning.

"Spell gestures are an extremely important part of a sorcerer’s casting. The hand speed I will discuss today has an acronym: APM, which means the number of effective actions a person can perform with their fingers in one minute."

"Ordinary people can achieve 300 to 400 hand movements per minute. These are just possible actions, not effective ones. For spellcasting, sorcerers need a flawless sequence of gestures coordinated with incantations."

"I’ve observed many magical apprentices; their actual hand speed, their APM, is only about 100. Most of their attention and focus is devoted to the incantations."

"But don’t forget, the crucial Portal spell requires precise coordination of gestures. To outsiders, it may look like random scribbling, but we all know that, as we cast, we use our fingers to harmonize the distribution of magical energy in the air."

"So, hand speed is vital. If we can raise our APM to 200, it means that as long as our incantation speed keeps up, we can open portals twice as fast as before."