Regardless of what the legends said, the combined effects of terrain and magical energy radiation had given the Magre Grand Canyon all manner of bizarre geographical conditions and wildly fluctuating weather.
Within the Magre Grand Canyon, one could find grasslands, mountains, jungles, swamps, and deserts — every kind of terrain imaginable.
And while one moment the sky might be clear after a rain, the next could bring a terrifying thunderstorm!
The great sandstorms were even more fearsome — a natural disaster so devastating that even official Wizards were said to steer well clear of their path!
Fortunately, the massive sandstorms followed a fixed schedule, which was the only reason this route hadn't been completely abandoned.
Advancing through such an environment was an extremely grueling test of both physical stamina and mental energy for any
The Lipan worg was a unique creature native to the Magre Grand Canyon.
Having undergone both nature's ruthless survival-of-the-fittest selection and the transformative effects of radiation, the ordinary mountain wolves of old had, over countless generations, evolved abilities perfectly suited to the canyon's terrain and climate.
The Wizards on both sides had captured, tamed, and modified Lipan worgs, turning them into indispensable tools for crossing the Grand Canyon.
From Leilin's guess, there had to be one or several large Wizard families working together behind the Broken Axe Tavern — otherwise, no one could have cornered such a massive profit.
Whoosh!
The Lipan worg bounded nimbly across the grassland, occasionally leaping high to clear obstacles in its path.
Its sharp fangs and cold, gleaming claws were enough to handle most wild animals, buying Wizards precious time to rest and cast spells.
Rumble!!
In an instant, the sunny sky ahead was suddenly blanketed by dark clouds. Lightning snakes writhed within, accompanied by deafening thunder.
Yet the bizarre thing was — on Leilin's side, the weather remained calm and pleasant. The sky was half bright and half black, creating a strange, almost beautiful spectacle.
"A thunderstorm! Watch out for moisture!"
The elderly leader's voice carried from the front.
Among the group, after a show of hands, the two who could pass openly in daylight had been elected as temporary team leaders.
"Damn it!" Lein's ears twitched faintly as he caught the sound of a woman complaining up ahead.
But he paid it no mind. Instead, he pulled a large oilcloth tarp from the pack strapped behind his worg and draped it over himself.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!
The worg moved fast. Within a dozen minutes, they had entered the thunderstorm zone.
Cold wind howled, cutting across everyone's faces like knives.
Crack! Before long, raindrops the size of beans began pelting down, quickly turning into a torrential downpour!
Under the rain, the grassland that had been there moments ago was already transforming into a swamp.
The muddy ground slowed the wolf pack's progress, and in places the eye couldn't see, decay-mud traps lurked everywhere. The moment someone stepped on one, they would be swallowed up almost instantly.
Whoosh!!
The black worg beneath Lein let out a long howl. Immediately, a ring of white light flared around all four of its claws.
Within the white halo, strands of tassels不断 formed. Once the glow faded, a thick tuft of white wolf fur had sprouted above each paw.
The white fur spread out flat, like hooves.
Tap, tap! The white paw-fur struck the water's surface, and the worg moved forward as if on solid ground. The entire group's speed surged.
"A dual creation of nature and magic — truly astonishing!"
Leilin ran a hand along the hump of the worg before him, marveling.
At that moment, the fur on the hump had also coalesced, forming a skin-like layer that clung to the worg's surface, coated in a greasy film — like a raincoat.
Rainwater slid continuously off the wolf's body without a single drop touching the Lipan worg itself.
"This is just an ordinary mount. I've heard that in the White Wizard Domain, all sorts of wondrous mounts appear constantly — mysterious species captured in the wild, and strange beings artificially modified..." A look of longing and yearning surfaced in Leilin's eyes.
Riding at the worg's breakneck pace, Leilin and his group managed to burst out of the storm zone before nightfall, arriving at a forest of scattered rocks.
"We rest here tonight! Set up the tents, keep the worgs nearby, and don't forget to feed them!" the female Wizard called out.
Hearing her words, the Wizards all pulled their mounts to a halt and began setting up camp among the rocks.
Before long, a ring of black tents stood clustered together, with Lipan worgs crouching around the perimeter, bodies lowered as though standing watch.
Inside his specially made tent, Leilin finished his meditation and checked his status: "Leilin Farell — Warlock, First Level. Bloodline: Comoin Giant Serpent. Strength: 7.1. Agility: 6.7. Constitution: 8.5. Spiritual Power: 28.3. Mana: 28 (Mana synchronously determined by Spiritual Power). Spiritual Elemental Progress: 1%. Status: Healthy."
A Wizard's progress was an exceedingly slow process. After so many days of meditation, Leilin's own Spiritual Power had only increased by 0.1. But compared to Wizards who couldn't stimulate their Spiritual Power without advanced materials, Leilin only needed to persist in daily meditation to continuously increase his — already an incredibly heaven-defying advantage!
As for Spiritual Elemental Progress, it was not only tied to the advancement requirements for Second-level Wizards, but also the key to increasing the power of First-level Spells. It couldn't be neglected.
Leilin had already begun to notice certain drawbacks and limitations of the Warlock path.
As a minor branch of the ancient Wizards, Warlocks not only needed to cultivate their bloodline concentration, but also couldn't fall behind in their Wizard studies.
In other words, Warlocks faced the same advancement requirements as Wizards, plus an additional bloodline restriction!
Even if a First-level Warlock met all the conditions for advancement, if their bloodline concentration was insufficient, the breakthrough would very likely fail — or they might advance without gaining any innate talent spells. According to the Chip's simulated calculations, this probability was extremely high!
When you thought about it, it made sense. If the Warlock path were truly that superior, the entire Wizard world would have been taken over by Warlocks long ago, and the current state of affairs wouldn't exist.
However, these harsher conditions — the more demanding advancement requirements compared to ordinary Wizards — meant that once a Warlock successfully advanced, their strength would definitely surpass that of a Wizard of the same rank!
For Leilin, his own advantages made him far better suited to the Warlock path!
After meditation ended, Leilin rose and stepped out of the tent.
"Woo woo!" A Lipan worg lying beside his tent spotted Leilin and let out a soft whine, raising its body slightly.
"Eat up." Leilin pulled a large piece of dried blue fish from his pack and held it out to the worg's mouth.
The Lipan worg let out an excited growl and extended its massive crimson tongue — flecked with white residue — to lap at the dried fish.
The tongue dragged across Leilin's right hand, sending a warm, moist sensation flowing from the wolf's tongue.
Though the worgs could hunt for themselves, for beasts that performed such strenuous labor, specially prepared food was the best way to supplement their nutritional needs.
"Hello, Lanse!"
The tent beside Leilin's was pushed aside, and a figure with a sultry, revealing figure emerged. Leilin touched his nose and offered a greeting.
When the campsites had been assigned, he'd ended up next to this woman.
"Come to feed the wolves too?" Lanse nodded and likewise pulled out a piece of dried fish, tossing it into her own worg's mouth.
From every movement this woman made, there radiated a sense of melancholy. Leilin could tell she was a woman with a story.
Of course, every Wizard who wanted to cross the Magre Grand Canyon carried a long story behind them.
Leilin didn't know why this female Wizard was fleeing to the White Wizard Domain as well, but he wisely chose not to ask.
"Listen! I hear the breeze gently singing! Look! The white clouds in the sky soar freely..."
Just then, a stone nearby suddenly trembled. A tiny figure entirely brown in color, wearing something resembling a Scottish kilt, popped into existence — strumming a harp and singing as it appeared.
Watching the palm-sized stone creature, Lanse clapped a hand over her lips and let out a gasp of delight.
"A Brownstone Singer! I heard they were extinct — I can't believe they're still here..."
Before Leilin could speak, the elderly leader emerged from his tent, and upon seeing the little being playing and singing on the rock's surface, he let out a cry of astonishment.
"Brownstone Singer?" Leilin also recalled records of this creature. "If I'm not mistaken, it's one of the rarest rumored species — possessing mysterious abilities and functions, but having virtually no offensive power of its own!"
"What an adorable little thing!" Lanse's eyes seemed to sparkle with stars, and she looked as though she couldn't resist reaching out to pet it.
"Energy fluctuations that weak — who knows how it's survived until now?"
A burly man who had walked over at the sound scoffed. "I'll catch it and study it at my leisure!"
Whoosh! His hand was immediately coated in a layer of stone skin as he grabbed at the singing little creature.
"Stop!" Lanse's brows shot upward in fury, but it clearly had little effect.
The big man's hand didn't even pause — it seized the Brownstone Singer outright. The little being froze for a moment, then let out a wailing cry, dissolving into motes of brownish-yellow light and vanishing within the man's grip.
"What — what just happened?"
"Brownstone Singers are innate elemental beings — they can freely merge their bodies with earth-element energy particles in the air. Unless you've achieved at least eighty percent elemental transformation, you can't even touch them!"
the elderly leader explained.
"And they're extremely timid. Now that you've scared it off, it'll never come back!" Leilin added from the side.
Hearing Leilin's words, the old man looked at him with surprise. "I didn't expect you to know such obscure knowledge!"
"I just happened to come across it in an old text..." Leilin replied modestly.
By now, the commotion had drawn all the Wizards in the camp to gather around.
"One more thing!" Leilin cast a pitying glance at the burly man.
"Legend has it that whoever is touched by a Brownstone Singer — regardless of gender — becomes pregnant immediately!"