The nature of high-grade Meditation Methods was that the further one progressed, the harder they became.
Countless Wizards never lived long enough to advance their Meditation Methods — they simply grew old and died!
That was precisely why Wizards were so obsessed with gathering resources and accelerating their Meditation Method's progress.
"Haa…" Leylin let out a long breath.
"It looks like I'll have to use potions and other means to boost my progress. Two hundred years — that's just too long!"
The resources of the Dark Poles were completely different from those of the South Coast. There was a good chance he could find Spiritual Power potions suitable for a second-tier Warlock. Leylin was quite confident in the information reserves available here.
*Ding! Third-tier Wizard simulation data calculation complete. Completeness: 69.24%*
At that moment, the Chip issued another notification, and behind the second-tier Wizard data, a new subfolder rapidly generated.
"Third-tier Wizard — estimated Spiritual Power range: 200–400! Divided into three minor stages: Spiritual Power Gasification, Liquefaction, and Crystallisation! The gap in strength between each stage is estimated to be three to five times!"
The Chip projected a large block of information before Leylin.
"The further one goes, the more terrifying the gap in Spiritual Power becomes — even among Wizards of the same tier!"
Leylin sighed.
An apprentice's Spiritual Power fell below 20, a first-tier Wizard's ranged from 20 to 80, and a second-tier Wizard's from 80 to 200. Once one reached the third tier, it jumped to 200–400.
The wider the Spiritual Power range, the more pronounced the gap in actual strength.
Therefore, the disparity between a newly advanced third-tier Wizard and a third-tier Wizard with fully crystallised Spiritual Power would be beyond imagination!
From these subdivisions of the third tier, Leylin also grasped the terrifying difficulty of advancing to Morning Star Wizard.
He had long suspected that upon reaching the third tier of Wizardry, one would enter a prolonged period of transformation. This phase would often stretch on for an extremely long time, and if one finally managed to advance, it would mean reaching the level of the ancient Wizards!
"Of course! Even in ancient times, Morning Star Wizards were the powers who held dominion over entire regions — figures who could participate in the Final War. How could advancing to that level possibly be easy?"
Leylin stroked his chin. "Only through the continuous concentration and crystallisation of Spiritual Power can one eventually condense the supreme 'Quality Point' and drive a Wizard into the Morning Star realm!"
From this point forward, the complete advancement path for a Wizard before reaching Morning Star had fully crystallised in Leylin's mind.
First came the elementalisation of Spiritual Power. Only once at least 80% of one's Spiritual Power had been elementalised could one qualify for the transition into materialisation, advancing to the second tier.
And after a Wizard advanced to the second tier, they had to materialise all of their Spiritual Power, manifesting it into the real world as the most minute spiritual particles!
These spiritual particles, upon reaching the third tier, would gradually condense through three stages — gasification, liquefaction, and crystallisation — before finally converging into the ultimate 'Quality Point'!
At that moment, the Wizard would enter the realm of Morning Star!
"The path of a Wizard truly grows more difficult with every step! A mere 80% Elementalisation alone weeds out countless Wizards, let alone the hurdles that lie ahead!"
Lei Lin let out a deep sigh. "But at least the road ahead is now clear — all I need to do is follow it!"
"Chip, establish a long-term task: deduce the subsequent sections of the Eyes of the Cormoire and Holy Light Candlewick!"
Lei Lin issued the command immediately.
The Chip promptly projected two progress bars before his eyes — progress trackers for the deduction. Naturally, neither had even reached 1%, and they were advancing at a crawl, but at least there was now a glimmer of hope.
Among them, the Eyes of the Cormoire was Lei Lin's primary Meditation Method, a path he had settled upon long ago, one that could not be altered.
As for the Holy Light Candlewick — this Meditation Method obtained from the Portelli family of seers — it had also piqued Lei Lin's interest considerably.
Even after having seized so many high-grade Meditation Methods, in Lei Lin's estimation the value of the Holy Light Candlewick far surpassed all of them, rivaling even the Dragon King's Divine Power. The ability to foresee the future was simply too terrifying; even with the occasional error, it was something Lei Lin could not help but covet.
"With the Chip's computing power and a database of high-grade Meditation Methods, the deduction will be completed someday. And if I can continuously feed in new high-grade Meditation Methods, that process will accelerate considerably…"
Lei Lin understood this point all too well.
Boom!
Without warning, a faint yet secretive wave of Spiritual Power pierced through layer upon layer of barriers and exploded beside Lei Lin's ear.
"So it's finally here?" A flicker of amusement crossed Lei Lin's eyes, and he swept his hand across the laboratory bench.
Silver light shimmered, and every high-grade Meditation Method vanished without a trace. Lei Lin himself dissolved into a phantom and reappeared outside the headquarters of the Nature Alliance.
Following a faint thread of Spiritual Power guidance, Lei Lin arrived at a particular location.
This place had once been nothing but wasteland, yet now, at its very center, a silver-white metallic house had materialized out of thin air.
Lei Lin approached the front door and raised his hand to knock.
Click!