Lei Lin's high-grade Meditation Method, the Eyes of the Comoin, placed extremely demanding requirements on resources. Had he not stumbled upon the flesh of an ancient Thousand-Eyed Starfish last time, he had no idea when he would have been able to complete his heart transformation and advance to become a second-level Wizard.
Moreover, the entry threshold for Warlocks was even stricter than the cultivation of other high-grade Meditation Methods!
Don't forget! At the very beginning of the Eyes of the Comoin Meditation Method, it required the bloodline of an ancient Comoin Giant Snake!
And that single requirement was enough to stump the vast majority of apprentices!
Whether on the South Coast or in the Dark Polar Domain, creatures possessing ancient bloodlines were exceedingly rare—virtually on the brink of extinction!
And for any apprentice to obtain even a trace of ancient bloodline essence, the difficulty was arguably greater than advancing to become an official Wizard!
Take the Eyes of the Comoin for example! Never mind obtaining bloodline from terrifying giant snakes like the Comoin Giant Snake or the Horalar Black Snake—even settling for the second-best option of drawing blood from a Manxter Giant Snake, which already possessed the strength of an official Wizard upon reaching adulthood, was a task virtually impossible for a third-level apprentice!
Such monstrously demanding resource requirements of high-grade Meditation Methods were obviously beyond what Wizards in a backwater like the Dark Polar Domain could satisfy.
Therefore, even though this region had preserved more ancient legacies than the South Coast, the overall strength of both sides was roughly comparable—or perhaps the Dark Polar Domain was even slightly inferior.
"The times are constantly advancing!"
Once he had worked through this realization, Lei Lin couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Although the South Coast had experienced a discontinuity in its legacy, the talent and research capabilities of subsequent generations of Wizards were clearly no worse than those of the ancients.
Lacking specific resources, they had independently developed an entirely different advancement model for Wizards—using Greene Water and first-grade spell templates to stimulate Spiritual Power breakthroughs!
While this method severely depleted a Wizard's vitality and lacked a clear path for further advancement, at least at the first and second levels, it remained relatively accessible and affordable for ordinary people.
At the very least, compared to high-grade Meditation Methods that demanded exotic materials from other worlds at every turn, this simplified version of Wizardry—though still demanding in terms of resources—could be largely satisfied by locally available materials on the South Coast, which in turn had fueled the prosperity of the South Coast's Wizarding community.
The remaining top-tier resources were collected and collectively supplied to Wizards practicing high-grade Meditation Methods, ensuring the development of elite combat power to maintain dominion.
"Times are progressing! That simplified version of Wizardry on the South Coast may not necessarily be the best choice, but it is certainly the most suitable choice for the South Coast itself..."
Lei Lin sighed with emotion.
In the Dark Polar Domain, which possessed far more ancient legacies than the South Coast, he had clearly witnessed no such progress. The numerous Wizards here were still consumed by the power of the ancients, squandering and fighting each other over the pitifully scarce resources that remained.
"However, since the Dark Polar Domain has so many Wizards practicing high-grade Meditation Methods, that means the ancient resources here must be far more abundant than on the South Coast. This might just be my opportunity!"
A gleam of light flashed in Lei Lin's eyes.
For him, collecting high-grade Meditation Methods, completing the database, repairing the Sacred Light Candle Fire, and deducing the contents of the fourth layer of the Eyes of the Comoin were only one aspect—obtaining the rare and precious resources underground, even resources that could facilitate the advancement of high-grade Meditation Methods, was also one of his objectives.
"Be careful! Up ahead in those hills—that's where we were ambushed last time!"
At that moment, Jamos suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence.
Hearing this, Weilin immediately tightened the longsword at his waist, while Ralin didn't so much as twitch an eyelid.
An ambush laid by a third-tier apprentice was nothing but a joke to him!
The carriage pressed on and soon entered a stretch of rolling hills. Towering ancient trees reached toward the sky, casting enormous shadows across the ground—it was indeed an ideal spot for setting an ambush.
Moreover, the ground was littered with chaotic footprints and dark reddish-brown bloodstains, and the surrounding boulders and trees bore numerous slash marks and arrow holes.
Although some time had passed and passing travelers had buried most of the traces, one could still imagine how ghastly the scene must have been.
Seeing this, Jenny's body began to tremble slightly, and she ducked straight into the carriage.
Jamos let out a long sigh. "Miss Jenny is still just a fifteen-year-old girl. All of this is far too heavy for her, and far too soon…"
"Since she was born a noble, along with enjoying glory and a comfortable life, she must also shoulder her duties—those do not shift with age or gender. This is her fate…"
At that moment, Ralin—who had been sitting with his eyes closed, mentally working through the advanced Meditation Method known as Sacred Light Candlefire—seemed to suddenly grasp some elusive point, and spoke aloud.
"Lord Ralin's words are truly full of profound wisdom!"
Jamos offered a dry smile of admiration, and Ralin's eyes lit up.