Nepal, Kamar-Taj.
Not long ago, Stephen Strange, who had just arrived here to study magic, displayed his amazingly powerful brain.
"Bang!"
Strange slammed a thick stack of basic magic books onto the table.
Wong looked up and gave him a stern look.
"You've only had these books for less than two days," Wong said.
"I've finished them," Strange said, patting the covers.
"Finished them?" Wong frowned. "magic isn't something you can master just by flipping through pages."
"I memorized all of them," Strange said, pointing to his head. "A photographic memory, a little talent that helped me earn my dual doctorate in medicine and philosophy."
Wong didn't believe it. He randomly opened a copy of *Basic Inscriptions of the Vishanti* and picked a few obscure incantation passages to quiz him.
"Where are the mana nodes of the third-level circle distributed in the Vishanti's sacred geometric construction?"
"Centered on the caster, with the twelve o'clock direction as the main axis, auxiliary nodes are set at the three, six, and nine o'clock positions. The energy flow must follow a counter-clockwise principle; otherwise, it will cause mana backflow."
Strange didn't even pause for a second, giving the perfect answer immediately.
Wong was silent.
He stared at Strange for a full ten seconds before finally saying, "Follow me."
Wong turned and walked toward the depths of the library.
Strange stood up and followed behind, a victor's smile hanging on his lips.
On the way, Strange asked casually, "What's your name?"
"Wong."
Wong was a man of few words.
"Just Wong? No surname?"
Strange continued to press.
Wong remained silent.
"Like Adele? Or Beyoncé?" Strange raised an eyebrow.
Wong looked confused. "Who is Beyoncé?"
"You don't know Beyoncé?" Strange's eyes widened. "Dude, you need to listen to her songs more. You'll fall in love with her."
Wong turned around expressionlessly, leading Strange through the first-floor corridor and up the wooden stairs to the second floor.
"This place is generally only open to official sorcerers, or… people I find agreeable."
Wong stopped at the entrance to the second floor, his tone still stiff.
Strange raised his eyebrows. "Looks like I'm quite charming."
The bookshelves in the second-floor library were even denser than those on the first floor.
Strange's gaze was immediately drawn to a wall where every book was chained to the shelf with thick iron chains.
He walked toward the wall covered in iron chains, curiously examining these locked books.
"What are those?" Strange asked, pointing at the bookshelf.
"The Sorcerer Ancient One's private collection," Wong explained.
"So these books are forbidden to be borrowed?" Strange asked.
"Knowledge in Kamar-Taj is shared," Wong said while searching for books. "But these books are too profound; only the Sorcerer Supreme can fully comprehend the power within them."
"Moreover, they are extremely dangerous and not suitable for average sorcerers."
Strange scanned the shelf and noticed the first spot was empty.
"There's one missing here," he said, pointing at the gap. "Has it been borrowed?"
Wong glanced at it, his tone flat: "That is the *Book of Cagliostro*, a study on the laws of time. It was borrowed by Homelander."
"Oh." Strange nodded.
Homelander was his teacher and also a master of magic, so borrowing a forbidden book sounded quite reasonable.
Strange pulled his thoughts back and got to the point.
"Are there any books here about spiritual entities? Like the Soul Dimension, astral projection, or… spells to pull people from that dimension? I need to borrow them to take a look."
Strange stared at Wong, his eyes slightly urgent.
He had only one thought in his mind now: finding a way to pull his girlfriend Christine's soul back from Heaven or the Underworld.
Wong pulled a few thick, advanced theoretical books from a nearby ordinary shelf and stuffed them into Strange's arms.
"Advanced Mana Control Theory and Foundations of Spatial Folding," Wong said, patting the books. "Become an official sorcerer first before talking about spiritual entities. Don't be too ambitious."
Strange took the books, and although he was a bit disappointed, he didn't argue.
In the following days, Strange completely demonstrated his terrifying magical talent as a genius.
Equipped with top-tier Vought prosthetics, his self-confidence was through the roof, and he didn't doubt his abilities at all.
Sorcerer combat arts, basic energy shields, the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak.
The speed at which he mastered spellcasting techniques was astonishing.
And regarding opening portals, he showed extraordinary flexibility and proficiency.
Not long after, Strange passed the assessment and became an official Master of the Mystic Arts.
The day he put on the official sorcerer's robes, he rushed to the library at the first opportunity.
"Wong," Strange said excitedly. "I'm an official sorcerer now. I want to borrow books on spiritual entities."
Wong looked at him and spat out one word without hesitation. "No."
"Why?" Strange was anxious.
Wong had his own judgment.
Strange had been exposed to magic for too short a time. While his reading speed was fast, it was just rote memorization.
magic is not just memory; it requires a deep understanding of the spiritual dimension.
Spiritual entity spells are very dangerous; one careless mistake could lead to being lost in the Multiverse, never to return.
"You are not ready yet," Wong refused cleanly and decisively.
"Just borrow one," Strange held up one finger, trying to bargain. "Just one look."
"No." Wong was unmoved.
Strange stared at Wong for a while, finally pouted, and turned away dejectedly.
But he had never been one to follow the rules.
The next afternoon.
Wong was wearing headphones, his head swaying slightly to the rhythm.
While listening to Beyoncé's classic songs, he opened a book in front of him to study.
Above the bookshelf two meters behind him, a small circle of golden sparks suddenly erupted in mid-air.
A hand reached out from the spark circle and grabbed a book on spiritual entities from the shelf.
"Whoosh."
The book and the hand disappeared simultaneously. The portal closed.
The whole process took less than two seconds.
Wong heard a faint sound and turned his head to look.
There was an empty spot on the shelf.
And when he turned his head back, the book he had just opened in front of him was also gone!
Wong's face darkened.
In the following days, this kind of thing happened frequently.
Strange used portal techniques to "take" books right under Wong's nose in various ways.
Sometimes it was the moment Wong turned to make tea, and sometimes it was the instant Wong lowered his head to take notes.
Strange played with the use of portals until he was unstoppable, making it impossible to defend against.
"Bang!" Wong looked at the bookshelf, which was missing another book, and slapped the table in anger.
But he couldn't go and complain to the Ancient One.
Being robbed of books by a novice right under his nose was too embarrassing for the Guardian of the Library.
Wong calmed himself down and silently vowed to get his own back.
From that day on, Wong began to crazily practice portal magic in his spare time.
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