Sorcerer: I want to be an Academic Prodigy

“This?”

Before he could react, a vibrant and lively force burst out from the green butterfly mark on his arm and pounced toward the curse power that had just entered his body.

The two forces collided, and the curse power dissipated as if it had met its nemesis, vanishing into thin air.

Only then did Ivan realize that the power within the butterfly curse mark not only had a strong healing effect but could also resist other curse powers.

On second thought, it made sense. The green butterfly mark was originally transformed from an advanced curse, sharing the same nature as the power of curses. Now that it had changed from extinction to vitality, it wasn’t surprising that it could counteract other curses.

In that instant, countless spiritual bodies suffered backlash, especially the Chief Ritual Administrator in the castle whose body was suddenly severely damaged, nearly annihilating on the spot.

The Administrator’s resentment grew stronger, but seeing his own body becoming faint and almost invisible, he no longer had the mind to seek revenge.

Like the Administrator, many spiritual entities became wary and temporarily dared not to make any other moves.

Before long, the tumult in the Rapid Wood Tower meditation room subsided.

“Ivan, are you alright?” The Silkworm Queen, with her keen senses, noticed the unusual commotion and hurried over.

“It was just those spiritual entities causing trouble, the problem has already been resolved.” Ivan waved his hand, unlocking various seals, and the white-as-snow cocoon floated over.

The Life and Death Cocoon was unaffected.

He realized that delays could lead to problems; the Life and Death Cocoon had to be dealt with more quickly to avoid unforeseen issues.

“Ivan, are you worried about losing it? Why not let me keep it safe?” Seeing his slightly knitted brow, the Silkworm Queen thought for a moment and made a suggestion.

“You can try,” Ivan understood what the Silkworm Queen meant, wishing to place it in the Silkworm Nest Space. However, the Life and Death Cocoon was actually alive, and it was almost impossible to hide in the Silkworm Nest Space.

Seeing the Silkworm Queen eagerly wanting to help, he did not flatly refuse.

“Sure, it definitely won’t get lost with me, unless it’s taken from my dead body,” the Silkworm Queen firmly assured.

Ivan looked at the Silkworm Queen with amusement, but the next second, his smile froze.

“What’s wrong?” The Silkworm Queen skillfully hid the Life and Death Cocoon into the Silkworm Nest Space, and seeing his expression change, she couldn’t help feeling uneasy and asked.

“I thought it couldn’t be placed inside. It seems I was wrong,” Ivan mused aloud.

It was indeed strange. The Silkworm Queen’s Silkworm Nest Space clearly couldn’t hold other living things; could it be that the Life and Death Cocoon also hid a silkworm inside?

Impossible.

He shook his head slightly, putting that thought away, attributing it to the magic of the Life and Death Cocoon.

It seemed that finding information about the Life and Death Cocoon was urgent.

The next morning at dawn, Ivan hurried to the Vernon Millennium Archive, continuing his research on the Life and Death Cocoon.

On the third day, he continued the search. Fortune favors the diligent, and after half a day, he finally found something.

“Just as I sensed before, the Life and Death Cocoon is like a blank sheet of paper, it can be cultivated in many directions.”

“In terms of attributes, the Life and Death Cocoon leans towards the spiritual aspect, and it can be moistened with various rich scents and forces, including one’s own. The scent can determine the direction of cultivation, and homologous forces can accelerate the growth process.”

Among the vast archives like clouds and smoke, Ivan finally got the specific methods of cultivating the Life and Death Cocoon, which, according to the records, was a very laborious process.

He didn’t rush to leave the archive; he had already begun to contemplate a more detailed cultivation plan in his mind.

“A scent? I wonder if it could be cultivated towards the Space-type direction.”

As the Millennium Archive was about to close, Ivan finally left, letting the swamp ant carry him back to his residence.

Just as he returned to the Rapid Wood Tower, the Silkworm Queen suddenly discovered something, her body leapt into mid-air, and she froze there, mechanically turning to glance at Ivan, unsure of how to start her explanation.

“Out with it, what mess have you created?” How could Ivan not understand, seeing her in such an unusual state, he almost laughed out loud.

“It’s just—that is, ah! The cocoon you left with me the other day, it’s not as white anymore. I don’t know what happened, and I don’t know if it will affect your Body Double Secret Method,” the Silkworm Queen said with a fallen face, sighing with anxiety.

“Is that so.” Ivan immediately thought of the word ‘scent’; this was something he hadn’t expected: “Don’t panic, bring it out for me to have a look.”

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The Silkworm Queen did as she was told and took out the Life and Death Cocoon.

At first glance, the cocoon was as white as ever, but on closer inspection, one could see a few faint green silk threads on it.

“How is it, is there a way to remedy it?” the Silkworm Queen asked anxiously.

“It’s just a few silk threads, the impact should be minimal,” Ivan said after a moment’s thought.

“So there is an impact.” The Silkworm Queen was upset at having inadvertently hindered the process, wearing her emotions plainly on her anthropomorphized face.

Ivan saw this and his gaze kept shifting between the Life and Death Cocoon and the Silkworm Queen. An idea came to mind and gradually clarified as he thought more deeply.

“Ivan, as long as there’s a way to fix this, I’ll do anything,” the Silkworm Queen said firmly after seeing him finish pondering.

“Silkworm Queen, I’ll ask you, at the expense of your own source, would you be willing to cultivate a new king for your race?” Ivan asked after several seconds of contemplation.

“Willing, of course I’m willing,” the Silkworm Queen’s eyes lit up, she knew that the Life and Death Cocoon would become Ivan’s body double, and the thought of incorporating it into the rapid wood silkworm race was exciting.

She knew that as Ivan’s strength continued to grow, more and more creatures would come to rely on him, just like how Big Black One abruptly emerged.

In comparison, Big Black One’s race actually surpassed the rapid wood silkworm race in strength, which gave the Silkworm Queen a sense of crisis.

If the Rapid Wood Silkworm clan had their own Body Double of Ivan, from that point on, who would be able to replace their status?

As for the essence loss, the Silkworm Queen firmly believed that with Ivan’s presence, it would be replenished sooner or later, and then the Rapid Wood Silkworm clan would flourish even more.

How clever the queen was!

“Alright, once I have thought the details through, I will seek your clan’s cooperation,” Ivan, seeing the Silkworm Queen’s determination, did not press further.

Regarding the Life and Death Cocoon, he knew it was still not enough, so he could only feel his way like groping stones to cross the river.

At this point, he could not afford to stand still.

Two days later, Ivan began nurturing his first Body Double, using the “One Body Three Manifestations” Secret Technique to refine the Life and Death Cocoon into his own Body Double.

Time flowed like water, and before he knew it, a month had passed.

The batch of “Wind Language Cindy” was long consumed, his advancement power increased from 116.2 to 121.9 graduated degrees, and after the third “Wind Language Cindy” potion, it further rose to 124.5 graduated degrees.

Over half of his spiritual power had liquefied. It was clear that the effects of the mental power potion were decreasing rapidly, and the efficiency was not as high as when he was still a Level 1 Sorcerer.

Ivan knew clearly that he needed more stimulating or more compatible methods.

Not to mention the growth of spiritual power.

These days, he was more focused on the Life and Death Cocoon.

The number of Secret Method Body Doubles was limited, he couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“Starting from zero in nurturing, the adaptability is indeed strong, directly skipping over the initial adaptation stage, entering the state of the Blood and Flesh Cycle,” he murmured softly to himself.

So far, the cultivation of the Life and Death Cocoon progressed smoothly, much smoother than he anticipated.

However, the Rapid Wood Silkworm clan, especially the Silkworm Queen, suffered greatly, constantly having to sacrifice her own energy and power to nourish the Life and Death Cocoon.

In this regard, the Silkworm Queen spared no effort, giving up a part of her own essence and King’s Power.

If Ivan hadn’t stopped her, the Silkworm Queen would have sacrificed all she had.

Ivan was not just a bystander; he lent the “Blackbeard Crown” spell he had been cultivating for a long time, along with a multitude of energies and powers from the Black Beard Chapter, a portion of his mental power, and some of his lifeforce, all of which he transferred to the Life and Death Cocoon.

This kind of nurturing was truly exhaustive.

As a result, the Life and Death Cocoon’s pure white hue turned into a dazzling mix of colors: blue, black, gold, white, and so on, with various patterns interweaving.

The aura within the Life and Death Cocoon also grew increasingly formidable.

Before long, the Life and Death Cocoon cracked open with a soft noise, and suddenly energy particles surged chaotically, casting a radiant haze all around.

“In the midst of chaos a thunderclap sounded, only today do I know I am myself.”

Even before seeing the figure, Ivan heard the resounding voice.

Having sensed what was happening, and hearing this spontaneous exclamation, a range of expressions crossed Ivan’s face; this Body Double seemed a bit over-the-top.

“Yo, pleased to meet you for the first time. Please take good care of me.” As calm returned to the surroundings, the newly emerged figure clearly felt a bit awkward as he gritted his teeth and greeted them.

By appearance, this person could only be classified as a humanoid creature.

The entire figure was somewhat lean, about ten centimeters shorter than Ivan himself, equipped with three pairs of blue wings that bore clear white Space-type patterns, and atop his head two blue antennae that were about the size of a palm, with a very small black-gold crown nestled between them.

His appearance was about seventy to eighty percent similar to Ivan’s.

“The king, our king has been born,” the severely damaged Silkworm Queen murmured, her eyes shining brightly as she gazed at him.

“Yo, Silkworm Queen, you and the little fellows have put in a lot of effort.” The Body Double, having gained wisdom during the nurturing process and endowed by Ivan with some basic knowledge, now comprehended many surrounding matters and knew the Rapid Wood Silkworm clan had made great sacrifices for him.

Seeing this, the queen’s power had dwindled from Level 3 to Level 2, greatly diminishing her strength and potential.

Creatures like the Wind Moth and Scented Butterfly, although they did not drop in rank, also appeared exhausted.

Nevertheless, the efforts of the Rapid Wood Silkworm clan were not in vain; the Body Double was born to be their king and a member of the Rapid Wood Silkworms themselves. With the Silkworm Queen’s voluntary initiative, his status was subtly higher than even the queen’s.

Of course, his composition was complex; he wasn’t just a member of the Rapid Wood Silkworms.

“Do you need me to choose a code name for you?” Ivan spoke up at the right moment.

“If it pleases you, my original self, I would follow the queen’s lead. Please call me ‘Silkworm King,'” the Body Double said earnestly, an assertion that further buoyed the Silkworm Queen.

“Your name is ‘Locke,’ and your nickname is ‘Silkworm King,’ let’s settle on that,” Ivan, seeing the unconcealable air of drama, decided on the spot and gave the Body Double a name.

“As you say,” Locke nodded.

The Body Double, mainlining the original, naturally would have no objections.

The initial stage of a Secret Method Body Double involves going through adaptability, Blood and Flesh Cycle, Soul Cycle, and undying symbiosis—four stages in total.

Ivan could distinctly feel that he and Locke had skipped to the third stage—Soul Cycle.

In that case, should he be severely injured, he could use Locke as a Body Double to repair his body and even superficial mental power wounds.

Only by reaching ‘undying symbiosis’ and advancing to the fourth profound stage could they achieve ‘Body Double indestructible, sorcerer undying.’

Even so, his ability to survive had vastly improved.