Adam took a seat by the table and conjured his grimoire and a feathered quill. He then hurriedly started to jot down the insights that he had just received.
It was a very peculiar phenomenon, like a burst of inspiration that comes at the most unexpected of times. However, insights related to the Way could only be achieved when a Magus became one with the world on a spiritual level.
Such moments were extremely rare and very short-lived. However, at that moment, a Magus will have learned and comprehended what would have taken them perhaps years to master.
The youth dipped the feather quill in ink and then his hand started to dance across the pages of his grimoire.
'Mana is the natural extension of the Way, the underlying principle that governs the world.'
'It is not about casting supernatural spells or defying the laws of nature, but about understanding and attuning oneself with the natural order of the universe.'
The youth had a solemn expression on his face as he continued to write. He paused and dipped the quill in ink before writing again.
'What is effortless action?'
'It is not about doing nothing, but about doing things more effortlessly.'
Adam paused for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed as he mumbled, "The Way of effortless action… but what does that truly mean?" He closed his eyes to think for a moment.
The next moment, his eyes lit up and he started writing again.
'Let things happen the way they happen, and not how I want them to happen.'
'Let go of expectations and outcomes.'
'Stop acting against the natural current of life.'
The youth paused, leaning back on his chair. He thought back to the time he spent inside the Soaring River Secret Plane, the time when he had entered a trance-like state and advanced to the Organ Stage.
He tried to deeply recall that feeling. At that point, he didn't know, but he had inadvertently entered a state of effortless action by going with the flow.
"I see…" the youth muttered in realization. "So that's what it was."
Adam focused on his grimoire again, once again beginning to write.
'Magic, on a spiritual level, is closely linked to the concept of effortless action.'
'I must act in harmony with the Way and allow things to happen naturally, without force.'
'Magic is not about manipulating external forces, but cultivating inner virtues.'
'Not power, but wisdom.'
Adam gently put the quill down and closed his eyes. Within his body, he could feel the mana resonating with the insights that he had just consolidated. He could feel the mana running smoother than ever.
Much to his shock, he felt that his mana channels had become more cohesive, bringing him another step closer to Mana Liquefaction!
"Amazing…" the youth exclaimed.
He couldn't understand how a single moment of epiphany could lead to such drastic changes.
"Is the study of magic about accepting the natural order of the world?
"Is it about understanding my place within this world?
"What truly is magic?
At that moment, the youth finally understood what would take other Magi countless years to understand.
"It is the path of self-discovery, self-improvement, and ultimately, self-mastery."
Adam remained seated for a long time, digesting the information that he had just unveiled. It was almost as if a new door had presented itself before him, and he had just taken the first step.
The path of a Magus was not just uncovering the secrets of the universe, it was also a journey of revealing the secrets of the self.
Realizing this, the youth couldn't help but sigh, "The more I learn, the more I understand how much I don't know. The Way of magic is truly boundless."
He then glanced at the notes he had just written down and pondered to himself, Hmm, perhaps I should start maintaining a journal entry from now on?
I don't know why, but I feel like keeping a journal would help me reflect on myself better…
The youth started to stroke his chin and mumbled, "And if magic truly is a journey of self-discovery, then writing journal entries could maybe allow me to better understand myself, and perhaps even my place in this world."
He paused for a moment before smiling, "It doesn't hurt to try."
Adam then glanced at the hourglass kept beside him on the table. Watching the grains of sand slowly fall down, he thought to himself, I still have some time left before I go to bed. Might as well study that pattern.
The next moment, he closed his eyes and shifted his conciousness to his spirit sea.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself hovering right above the white lotus.
He lowered his head and saw the island-like lotus standing proud in the middle of the vast sea. The waves came gently crashing on the three verdant leaves, making for quite a mesmerizing and tranquil scene.
Ever since he realized that the overhead view of the lotus resembled the flower of life, he carried out great research on it.
After all, if he could utilize the white lotus as magical focus, then he could certainly use the pattern of the flower of life as the model component, making it far more efficient to use his spiritual power as fuel to cast certain spells.
This geometric pattern, the flower of life, consisted of multiple evenly-spaced, overlapping circles. And these circles were arranged to form a flower-like pattern with a hexagonal symmetry, each circle indicating interconnectedness.
The fact that the white lotus displayed the pattern of the flower of life came as a massive surprise to Adam. After all, he had read about this geometrical pattern in many arcane textbooks.
It held great symbolism across various cultures since times long past.
"The flower of life is considered a symbol of sacred geometry," the youth began, "representing the fundamental elements and the structure of the universe."
Adam paused for a moment, his eyes shining with deep curiosity.
"Oh, lotus, just what secrets do you hold?"