Ten years was a long stretch of time.
During this period, aside from his daily mandatory Meditation Method practice, Lei Lin had been constantly absorbing knowledge from the Dark Poles Domain, expanding the Chip's database.
As a second-rank Wizard of noble standing, many academies had opened their general archives to him directly, which had proven immensely beneficial.
Moreover, Lei Lin had obtained a great deal of cutting-edge disciplinary techniques through contribution exchanges, complementing the reserves of the South Coast.
"Chip! Begin the 'Giant Serpent Breath' potion preparation experiment!"
A sharp gleam flashed through Lei Lin's eyes as he issued the command.
Immediately after, he slapped his spatial leather bag, and all manner of materials instantly filled the entire experiment table.
The Giant Serpent Breath potion had been an unexpected find in the treasury of a small academy within the Dark Poles Domain.
It was a fragmentary recipe for an ancient Spiritual Power potion — originally, it had a different name, but Lei Lin had used the Chip and his own modifications to tailor the formula for Bloodline Warlocks, particularly those of the Komoyin Giant Serpent bloodline, and thus gave it this new name.
One could say it was his refinement of an ancient recipe, customized to his own specific circumstances.
For him, who had already advanced to second-rank Warlock, the ancient potions he had previously collected — even Maria's Tears — had long since lost their effect.
This Giant Serpent Breath, on the other hand, was the fruit of a decade of research — an ancient potion powerful enough to provide a tremendous boost to a Bloodline Warlock's Spiritual Power.
However, there was one unfortunate shortcoming: a substitute ingredient — the Earth Fiend Beast's Heart — had proven impossible to obtain, stalling Lei Lin's progress.
Cultivating a high-grade ancient Meditation Method was all about persistence — wearing stone away with a steady drip of water, grinding through time.
By now, the daily progress of Lei Lin's Spiritual Power had slowed considerably.
This was a common trait of high-grade Meditation Methods — the higher one climbed, the harder it became.
Unfortunately, as the intensity of the war continued to escalate, with official Wizards falling in battle, Lei Lin felt the pressure of time growing ever more acute.
Now, this Earth Fiend Beast's Heart had arrived at exactly the right moment!
Moreover, after ten years of consolidation, every hidden ailment within Lei Lin's body had been fully purged — he was ready for the next phase of potion enhancement.
This was, of course, welcome news for Lei Lin.
But there was more. Lei Lin closed his eyes and assumed Merlin's authority within Ailin's ring.
Ailin, though ten years older now, still appeared quite young thanks to the unique power of Wizards — time had left no trace on him, only eternal strength that continued to grow.
"Finally... I'm finally back!"
Ailin touched a road sign, a faint look of excitement crossing his face.
This was the location of his school's headquarters. The buildings hadn't changed, but the apprentices who walked through them were all strangers. Ailin felt a sense that everything had stayed the same yet everything had changed.
"Ha! Isn't that Ailin? You're still alive! If you're not in Doran City, why did you come back? Did you desert?"
A young wizard with a hawk nose suddenly spotted Ailin, as if he'd seen something unbelievable.
In an instant, a large number of apprentices poured out of the surrounding buildings, gathering around one wizard like stars encircling the moon. Behind that wizard stood a young woman, her gaze fixed on Ailin with a complicated expression.
The wizard surrounded by the adoring crowd wore luxurious robes. Although he only had the energy fluctuation of a third-tier apprentice, he wore several Magical Items.
"Ailin?" He furrowed his brow and glanced at the young woman beside him.
"The same Ailin?"
"Yes!" The young woman nodded, gripping the young man's hand. "But I have nothing to do with him anymore. I was the one who suggested he go to Doran, remember?"
"Oh! That did happen!" The noble youth slapped his forehead.
Seeing this scene, Ailin's expression grew darker.
"I don't care how you got back. Just remember — she's been mine for a long time now. Behave yourself from now on, or else..."
The youth yawned boredly, dismissing Ailin like a beggar, and turned to leave.
The surrounding apprentices obligingly erupted in laughter.
"Heh! What a show!"
Ailin suddenly looked up, and a wave of genuine wizard's Spiritual Power exploded from his body, sweeping across the entire courtyard.
Numerous apprentices collapsed to the ground directly, not daring to move even a muscle.
"A... a genuine wizard!" The noble youth's face shifted rapidly, while the young woman's facial muscles twisted into a distorted grimace.
Never in her wildest thoughts could she have imagined that the loser she had discarded back then would actually get a chance to turn things around!
The thought of regret lasted only a fleeting moment before it was swallowed by intense fear and resentment.
"Destroy him! Destroy him!"
The resentment came so suddenly and felt so real that it twisted the young woman's already exposed expression even further.
"Which wizard has graced us with their presence?"
Whoosh! A black figure flickered, and a white-haired old man suddenly appeared in the middle of the courtyard.