What Leilin himself practiced was the Eyes of the Kemoyin, a high-level Meditation Method from the inheritance of the Scarlet Grand
This Meditation Method had strict requirements for Wizards — only Warlocks who possessed the bloodline of the Kemoyin Giant Serpent were permitted to practice it, and moreover, it only had three layers.
Although the Scarlet Grand Wizard had vaguely indicated that the subsequent parts of this Meditation Method existed on the Central Continent, Leilin currently had no idea where the Central Continent even was, so he naturally didn't dare harbor any great expectations.
To give himself an additional option, Leilin had set up a task within his Chip from the very beginning, to deduce and develop the subsequent parts of the Eyes of the Kemoyin.
But unfortunately, due to a lack of sufficient high-level Meditation Methods to serve as templates and a foundational database, the Chip's research had been exceedingly slow — practically standing still.
Although he had later come across a high-level Meditation Method that greatly interested him — the Sacred Light Candle Fire — that Meditation Method was even more incomplete, and came with a host of unpleasant side effects that made Leilin shy away from it.
And now, it seemed that completing both of these Meditation Methods had finally become possible.
"According to Ailin's memories, just the ones he knew about include over a dozen schools. Even if the high-level Meditation Methods of these schools are incomplete, with my abilities, it should still be entirely possible to get my hands on a few..."
Leilin's eyes lit up.
Although the high-level Meditation Methods here were also fairly tightly controlled, and joining a school as a core member would certainly require signing some sort of contract or even having even stricter bindings placed upon him, Leilin had never intended to infiltrate one and steal their knowledge. He was already a Second-rank Warlock, and with the boost from his bloodline, his combat power far surpassed that of an ordinary Second-rank Wizard — a rarity throughout the entire Dark Polar Region. With a few underhanded tricks, no ordinary school would be able to stand in his way.
Moreover, he had developed a very keen interest in certain specialized disciplines of the underground world.
Although both the South Coast and the underground world studied the knowledge inherited from ancient Wizards, the subterranean world had preserved the customs and disciplines of the ancient era far more completely, which was an enormous temptation for Leilin.
He certainly didn't believe that everything ancient was necessarily superior to the modern. After all, after so many years of development, the disciplines and foundations that had taken shape on the South Coast were clearly better suited to the growth and learning of modern Wizards. But that didn't mean the knowledge of the ancient era was useless.
The power of the ancient Wizards was deeply etched in Leilin's mind, and he was eager to find, within the ancient disciplinary knowledge, the secret of why those ancient Wizards had been so powerful.
At Leilin's speed, he naturally didn't need to spend a day and a half walking to Burt Town as Ailin had described.
In reality, after using just a few acceleration spells and walking for a little over half an hour, a small town had already come into view.
The architecture of Burt Town bore no resemblance to any of the building styles Leilin had seen on the South Coast. It was filled with an archaic yet solemn character, and most of the buildings were constructed quite tall, as if to make use of every inch of available land.
And at the center of the town stood a tall, pointed spire that thrust almost straight into the sky. Atop the spire, a bright, miniature sun radiated both light and heat.
"So this is the most fundamental resource that ordinary people in the underground world rely on to survive — the Sunstone! It really does look just like the sun!"
Leilin gazed at the sight and suddenly felt a touch of emotion. Although his primary cultivation focused on Dark-type energy particles, after so many days underground, suddenly seeing bright sunlight filled him with genuine joy.
According to the memories he'd received from Ailin, this light didn't actually shine down from the real sun. Its source was a type of high-energy mineral — the Sunstone!
This mineral, unique to the underground world, could continuously emit ultraviolet rays and heat similar to sunlight.
Every underground town basically had one of these lighthouse-like structures, which stored Sunstones of various sizes. Each day, this was how light was provided to the surrounding area, and how crops received their energy.
From the very beginning, Leilin had noticed that green plants were scarce in the wilderness here. Without sunlight, photosynthesis was impossible, and carbon dioxide was absorbed by a type of grey moss instead, which completed the conversion to oxygen.
But here, he finally caught sight of some green.
Adjacent to Burt Town, a large tract of farmland had been densely cultivated. Because the spire's light had a limited range, every inch of land was practically worth its weight in gold.
In the innermost ring closest to the town, they grew an oat crop similar to that of the South Coast, though it didn't look like it was growing very well.
In the outer areas where the sunlight reached, a vast expanse was filled with a type of enormous mushroom.
These mushrooms were remarkably large — as tall as Leilin's calves — with a dull grey exterior, but grown plump and fat.
These mushrooms accounted for roughly eighty percent of the crops on the outskirts of Burt Town, a terrifying proportion. It also meant that this fungus was most likely the staple food of the town's residents!
And indeed it was. This mushroom was called the Grey Blotch Fungus, a highly productive variety that required very little sunlight. In Ailin's memories, it had always been the staple food of commoners throughout the entire Dark Polar Region.
In the Dark Polar Region, the nobility and Wizards dined on oats, meat, and other precious ingredients, while ordinary commoners had to get by on this Grey Blotch Fungus.
Where there were people, there were hierarchies — and in a world where Wizards wielded extraordinary power, this was even more so. Leilin had no intention of changing anything.
After walking along the road for a while, Leilin came upon a ring of wooden palisade fencing that served as a wall, along with two guards in tattered clothing, holding long spears rusted with age.
"Halt! What's your business?" One of the guards spotted Leilin and immediately gripped his spear warily.
Leilin's leather armor gave him a deeply unsettling appearance.
The guard spoke in the Dark Polar language, but Leilin had already transferred this language to his memory area via the Chip during his journey. After practicing it a couple of times, communication at this level was no longer a challenge for him.
"I'm a weary traveler hoping to enter the town for rest and supplies. Rest assured, I'll abide by the town's laws..." Leilin smiled and replied in fluent Dark Polar.
Hearing his words, the wariness in both guards' eyes diminished considerably. After all, Leilin's harmless smile and handsome face were very effective at winning a stranger's favor.
"That's fine! Just show us your identification documents to prove you're not one of those wanted criminals!"
The slightly shorter guard next to him smirked.
"Of course! I know the rules." Leilin smiled and produced a piece of parchment from inside his coat, giving it a casual wave before the two guards. "Is this it?"
His voice suddenly turned ethereal, and a faint red gleam seemed to flash through his eyes.
"Mm! No problems!" The two soldiers merely felt a momentary dizziness before quickly regaining their clarity. "Welcome to Burt Town. The one in charge here is Baron Joseph — his heraldic mark is a longsword and a great eagle. We hope you enjoy your stay..."
"Good! I have one more question..."
After extracting quite a bit of useful information from the two guards, Leilin smiled and bid them farewell, then entered the town.
Following the guards' directions, Leilin made his way to a small inn, and after paying a few gold coins, the delighted proprietress showed him to the best room in the establishment.
Dinner was very simple — just oat porridge and salted meat — but it still attracted the intense attention of several children.
Oats that exuded the aroma of fresh milk, paired with meat — this was a delicacy fit only for the upper echelons of the Dark Polar Region. Add fruits and vegetables, and you had something only nobles and Wizards were entitled to enjoy.
Although the inn had brought out everything it had to offer Leilin, he still found the meal quite unappetizing.
After dinner, as was his habit, he gave the proprietress a small piece of silver as a tip, then instructed her not to allow anyone to disturb him before closing the room's door.
Although the bed was still covered with coarse linen, it was still far better than hard stone. Leilin reclined halfway on the soft mattress, hands folded behind his head, his gaze going momentarily distant.
Then he produced a tall green wooden cup from his leather pouch. "The essence of the
A soft green luminescence fell upon Leilin's face, illuminating his entranced expression.
"Chip! How is the analysis of this item progressing?" Leilin called out silently in his mind.
"Essence of the Ancient Wisdom Tree sapwood! Rich in extremely potent Life Energy! Can enhance a Wizard's physique and has a certain probability of helping a Second-rank Wizard break through their bottleneck! Specific properties: Unknown!"
The Chip quickly returned a stream of information.
"The essence of the Ancient Wisdom Tree, combined with this container crafted from the ancient tree's own wood — the effect produced would certainly be far more than a simple one-plus-one..." Leilin gazed at the green wooden cup, a look of regret surfacing in his eyes.
"It's a pity — using this now would be a complete waste. It would only boost my Spiritual Power marginally. Its greatest value will come when I reach the peak of the Second-rank. It could help me break through the Third-rank bottleneck in one decisive push..."
And the current Leilin had only just advanced to Second-rank Warlock. The peak was still a very long way off.
With that, he let out a long sigh and stored both items back into his spatial pouch.
"Ding-ding!" A melodic chiming of bells rang out from the top of the spire at the town's center.
Then, as if someone had switched off a light, the Sunstone atop the spire ceased its emission of radiance, and the entire town was plunged into the same darkness as the world outside.
"The night has begun — they've taken the Sunstone down for maintenance and upkeep!"
Leilin was already well familiar with this routine.