"Forty-eight… forty-nine stars! It really is a Nebula!"
Looking dumbly at the huge star cluster, Damon let out an excited laugh. The remaining energy of the Desert Fire Berry was absorbed by the Nebula, stabilizing it within his body.
Exiting the Spiritual World, Damon burst into cheerful laughter and raised his fist high into the air.
He had crossed the Primary Rank and become an Intermediate Mage. Though not entirely by the strict definition of one, he had crossed the boundary—and that alone filled him with excitement.
"I love you!"
Kissing his left arm, Damon grinned at the tattoos of Beelzebub.
"You're the best, dude," he said, waving his arms around and making imaginary victory poses as a wave of relaxation washed over him.
Closing his eyes, he sensed the changes within himself. His body, already strengthened beyond human limits, now felt even more refined. He could feel every object nearby, pinpointing them even with his eyes closed.
"Is this perception?" he muttered. "Chinese observation haki, spiritual domain—whatever you call it."
The ability to perceive the surroundings within a certain radius even with one's eyes closed—this was the hallmark ability of an Intermediate Mage.
"This is amazing," Damon whispered, opening his eyes again. Yet even then, he could still feel everything behind him. When he focused, the range expanded beyond the confines of his room.
"Hooh…" Letting out a deep breath, Damon marveled at how incredible the Intermediate Rank was before raising his right hand.
Concentrating, he began to meditate, attempting to conjure the seven stars of the Primary Rank. It took him only four seconds to properly form a Star Path—much faster than before.
He didn't compare himself to Mo Fan, whose near-instant conjuring after reaching Intermediate Rank was a result of years of experience. Skilled Intermediate Mages could form a Star Path instantly, but for new ones, it was nearly impossible. Even Mo Fan had struggled when he first ascended.
Mo Fan's speed came from his experience in cultivating and controlling two elements before reaching Intermediate Rank. Normal mages spent years mastering the seven stars before advancing. Damon knew his speed, though improved from before, was still slower than most.
Once the Star Path was drawn, a fireball appeared on Damon's palm. The magic flowed through his body and into the flame, his fist glowing as a fiery aura surrounded him.
Fire coiled around his arm as the scarlet fireball hovered silently in front of him.
Damon had prioritized ranking up over perfecting control, and this imbalance explained his slower casting speed. To catch up to Mo Fan—or even average Intermediate Mages—he would need to devote more time to mastering control.
'Control…' Damon thought as he stopped the flow of magic and let the fireball fade. Control—the hardest and most exhausting part of cultivation.
Through meditation and rank advancement, he could undoubtedly become powerful, but without proper control over the stars, he would never be able to use his spells effectively in combat.
"Now that I've reached Intermediate Rank, I need to focus on control too…"
Dropping onto his bed, Damon sighed as he thought about the road ahead.
To become a fully fledged Intermediate Mage, one needed to construct an entire Nebula and be capable of casting Intermediate Rank spells.
'I need to work on the forty-nine stars again… As for advancing,' he mused. According to Magic Theory, the stars grew stronger as cultivation increased. Thus, Level 1 was the best and most optimal time to train control—delaying it would only make the process harsher later on.
"Sigh… I wish it were as simple as eating resources and instantly becoming OP."
Damon had planned to keep boosting his cultivation and worry about control later, but he now realized that neglecting control would render all his efforts meaningless.
Even if he reached Super or Forbidden Rank, if he could only cast Primary Rank spells, what use would that be in battle?
'I need to correct this faulty approach,' Damon thought, sighing again. He now knew he couldn't rely solely on Devouring resources—he had to put in his own effort to become a true mage.
"Hah… even if I focused on devouring, I'd still need resources to devour."
Intermediate Rank materials cost tens of millions of yuan, while advancement to Advanced Rank required over a hundred million.
Damon's wallet currently held only seven million yuan. Forget hundreds—earning even tens of millions now seemed impossible.
Unlike in Bo City, he couldn't just rob ATMs or scavenge loot. He needed a legitimate source of income and real connections to acquire the resources he desired.
"Should I look for a sugar mommy?" Damon muttered seriously, then sighed and drifted off to sleep.
***
The next day, Damon's daily routine in Shanghai began. Each day, he devoured five books, steadily expanding his knowledge base and acquiring new skills. It took him four days to fully master Magic Theory.
After that, he spent weeks studying the theories of Fire Magic from the basics upward. His mornings were devoted to study.
Afternoons were for physical training—calisthenics, movement exercises, and conditioning to improve agility and strength. In this world, physical development was often ignored; people with athletic or muscular physiques were rare. Even someone like Mo Fan, with his fit build, was an exception. There were no gyms, no emphasis on the body—only magic.
Still, Damon trained in parks, learning to move comfortably in his own skin.
Evenings and nights were for control practice—hours of coaxing the stubborn stars to align into a proper Star Map.
To awaken his second element, Damon needed to purchase a Magic Crystal. But knowing he first had to stabilize his foundation as an Intermediate Mage, he left the Association empty-handed.
And so, two months passed.
By then, Damon had successfully brought ten stars under his complete control.
***
A/N:
Before anyone says that this is nerfing him or likes! No it isn't. Control is the most important part of cultivation and anyone reading versatile mage knows that what I am doing is purely right.
Super Mages can instantly cast starpath of newly made elements yeah it is right their control that time reaches absurd level but it is because they are super mages, has experience with 3 elements and to reach it first Damon needed energy enough to reach super level.