Leilin's Kemosn Python Eye advanced meditation method also had extremely demanding resource requirements. If he hadn't happened upon the flesh of an Ancient Thousand-Eye Starfish last time, Leilin had no idea when he would have been able to complete his heart transformation and advance to Second-rank
Furthermore, the entry threshold for warlocks was even more stringent than the cultivation of other advanced meditation methods!
Don't forget! At the very beginning, the Kemosn Python Eye meditation method required the bearer to possess the bloodline of an Ancient Kemosn Giant Python!
And this single requirement alone was enough to stump the vast majority of apprentices!
Whether on the South Coast or in the Dark Pole Domain, creatures with ancient bloodlines were exceedingly rare—practically on the verge of extinction!
For any apprentice to obtain even a trace of ancient bloodline essence, the difficulty far exceeded that of advancing to a formal wizard!
Take the Kemosn Python Eye as an example! Forget about obtaining bloodline from terrifying giant serpents like the Kemosn Giant Python or the Horar Black Serpent—even settling for a lesser option, drawing blood from a Manxter Giant Python, which possessed the strength of a formal wizard even as an adult, was practically an impossible task for a Third-rank Apprentice!
The extreme—nearly deranged—resource demands of advanced meditation methods were clearly not something wizards from a remote backwater like the Dark Pole Domain could satisfy.
Therefore, even though this region preserved a greater number of ancient legacies than the South Coast, the overall strength on both sides was roughly comparable—or even slightly inferior here.
"The times are constantly advancing!"
Once he grasped this, Leilin couldn't help but sigh.
Though the South Coast's lineage had suffered interruptions, the talent and research capabilities of its later-generation wizards were by no means inferior to those of the ancients.
In the absence of specific resources, they had independently developed an alternative wizard advancement model—using Green Water and First-level Spell Templates to stimulate breakthroughs in Spiritual Power!
This method severely depleted a wizard's life force and lacked a clear path forward, but at least at the First and Second wizard ranks, it was relatively accessible and affordable.
At least, compared to advanced meditation methods that demanded rare materials from other worlds, this simplified model—while still resource-intensive—mostly relied on materials the South Coast could provide locally, which in turn had fueled the prosperity of the South Coast's wizard community.
The remaining top-tier resources were collected and collectively supplied to wizards practicing advanced meditation methods, ensuring the development of elite combat power to maintain their rule.
"The times are progressing! That simplified wizard model on the South Coast may not necessarily be the best choice, but it's certainly the one most suited to the South Coast itself..."
Leilin mused.
In the Dark Pole Domain, where ancient legacies far outnumbered those of the South Coast, he clearly hadn't observed this kind of progress. The numerous wizards here still remained obsessed with the power of ancient wizards, depleting and fighting over the meager, pitiful resources that remained.
"However, the fact that so many Dark Pole Domain wizards practice advanced meditation methods means the ancient resources here must be far more abundant than on the South Coast. This could be my opportunity!"
A gleam lit up in Leilin's eyes.
For him, collecting advanced meditation methods, completing his database, repairing the Holy Light Candle Fire, and deducing the fourth layer of the Kemosn Python Eye were only one aspect—the various rare resources of the underground, even those that could aid the advancement of advanced meditation methods, were also among his goals.
"Be careful! Up ahead in those hills is where we were ambushed last time!"
At that moment, James suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
Hearing this, Weilin immediately tightened his grip on the longsword at his waist, while Leilin didn't so much as twitch an eyelid.
An ambush laid by a Third-rank Apprentice was nothing more than a joke to him!
The carriage pressed forward and soon entered a stretch of hilly terrain. Towering giant trees soared skyward, casting enormous shadows across the ground—truly an ideal spot for an ambush.
Moreover, the ground was littered with chaotic footprints and dark-red bloodstains, and the surrounding boulders and trees bore numerous sword marks and arrow holes.
Though some time had passed and passing travelers had covered most of the traces, one could still imagine how brutal the scene must have been.
Upon seeing this, Jenny's body trembled slightly, and she retreated straight into the carriage.
James let out a long sigh. "Miss Jenny is only a fifteen-year-old girl. All of this is far too heavy and far too premature for her..."
"Being born into nobility means that while enjoying honor and a comfortable life, one must also bear one's duties. These obligations do not shift based on age or gender—it is her destiny..."
At that moment, Leilin, who had been meditating with his eyes closed to deduce the Holy Light Candle Fire advanced meditation method, suddenly seemed to grasp something intangible and spoke.
"Lord Leilin's words are truly full of philosophical depth!"
James laughed dryly and offered his praise, while Leilin's eyes brightened.
Just now, he had only been attempting to work through a difficult juncture in the Holy Light Candle Fire when James's words had sparked a moment of inspiration. But after speaking, all the doubts surrounding that particular problem suddenly vanished into thin air.
"Is this the power of the Lady of Destiny? I believe I've glimpsed the hem of her robe!"
A faint smile curved the corner of Leilin's lips.
He now understood: the Holy Light Candle Fire advanced meditation method commanded the power of destiny, and its advancement method was exceedingly bizarre. One had to absorb a certain mysterious substance during the most intense moments of destiny's clash to truly achieve advancement.
And destiny was the very center of the world's grand currents.
No wonder, in legend, behind every famous hero, there were always one or two wizards with divination abilities assisting them—their interests were mutually reinforcing.
Only around those "protagonists" who commanded the grand currents and destiny would massive amounts of destiny force coalesce.
And whenever these protagonists made major decisions—that was when the clash of destinies reached its most intense peak. Wizards who practiced divination-type advanced meditation methods needed to perceive this tremendous force, even become entangled in it, attempt to influence the Chosen of Destiny, try to adjust or even alter the course of the grand currents, and obtain certain mysterious things from the unseen—to drive their meditation method's advancement.
"Destiny... prophecy... truly wondrous powers!"
Leilin discreetly glanced at Weilin, Jenny, and James. It seemed quite possible that among these three, one might emerge as a key figure capable of influencing the entire historical trajectory of the Dark Pole Domain!
However, since Leilin had only briefly deduced the Holy Light Candle Fire and hadn't actually practiced this meditation method—and the version he'd obtained was incomplete—he couldn't tell which of them was the protagonist.
Even so, Leilin could confirm that the Portley Family's method of forcibly augmenting their members using ancestral spirits was nothing but a crooked shortcut!
"Holy Light Candle Fire! What a wondrous meditation method!" Leilin was certain that even in ancient times, a divination-type advanced meditation method like this would have been exceedingly rare.
But even so, he had absolutely no intention of switching meditation methods!
Leaving aside the incompleteness of the method itself, the eerie fate that had befallen Jenna was still fresh in his memory. He had no desire to become the second Jenna. Moreover, he possessed an innate distrust of divination abilities. In Leilin's view, the future was constantly shifting and impossible to grasp—even if one occasionally caught a few fragments, it didn't mean one had mastered the future.
This was a difference in philosophy! Among wizards, such divergences constituted the most serious form of disagreement!
Because of this, even if Leilin were to switch to the Holy Light Candle Fire, he certainly wouldn't receive any revelations—and might even suffer massive damage to his consciousness sea from the conflict between meditation methods.
And yet, deep down, Leilin harbored undisguised covetousness for this ability!
Even if the revelations and prophecies received could be erroneous, in many situations they would still serve as invaluable references and supplements.
"Perhaps! After I repair the Holy Light Candle Fire, I could disseminate it widely, then secretly siphon the abilities of its practitioners and craft them into a magical artifact!"
Leilin suddenly hit upon an idea. Once formed, it immediately took root in his mind, becoming firmly entrenched.
"That's right! This way, during individual cultivation, I can monitor the situation at any time, obtain firsthand experimental data, and continuously refine the Holy Light Candle Fire. And even if it ultimately fails, I'll only have lost some effort and a pile of materials—no harm to myself whatsoever. But if it succeeds, the gains would be enough to make even Third-rank Wizards envious..."
The carriage passed through the hills without incident and arrived at a stretch of open, flat terrain.
Weilin and James, who had been tense and on edge the entire time, finally let out a breath of relief.
On flat ground, ambushes were impossible, and they could finally loosen their perpetually taut nerves.
Clip-clop!
Just as Leilin was refining his idea, the sound of many hooves reached them from the distance. A bright flash appeared on the far horizon, quickly expanding into a vast dark cloud.
Numerous knights clad in black leather armor, riding black-maned horses, gripped their reins in their right hands while holding torches in their left, charging forward like a whirlwind.
In moments, the ranks of knights swept in from both sides, completely surrounding Weilin's small cart.
"The garrison of Lilan Fortress?! Madmen! Madmen! They actually dare to mobilize an army to hunt us down..."
James's face was filled with shock, followed immediately by a look of utter despair.
Wizards possessed tremendous power and could treat ordinary humans as mere ants, but this equation changed when facing an army composed of mortals.
For high-ranking wizards, no number of ordinary soldiers posed a threat—the radiation alone emanating from their bodies could kill mortals in excruciating pain.
But James, still at the apprentice level, certainly didn't possess such terrifying strength.
He figured that if it were fewer than a hundred soldiers, he could employ guerrilla tactics to eliminate them all. But beyond that number, there was nothing he could do...