"The effect of this Meditation Method likely serves only one purpose! To increase affinity!"
"Closeness to nature! Closeness to all things! To the point where it eventually influences not just sentient beings, but even inanimate objects, automatically drawing in illusion-system energy particles from the air..."
Leilin rapidly deduced the contents of Shilin's Meditation Method.
"Terrifying! At its final level, this Meditation Method might cause the
Of course, Shilin's Meditation Method was nowhere near this level, and Leilin even harbored doubts about whether such a level existed in the original technique at all.
But clearly, her current display was nowhere near enough to fool him.
So Leilin completely disregarded Shilin's beauty, pulled up a rattan chair, and sat down across from her. "I imagine Miss Shilin is quite clear about my intentions..."
This attitude made Shilin's lovely brows furrow slightly, but soon after, a meaningful smile appeared on her face. She stretched languidly and rose to her feet.
"Since Mr. Leilin puts it so directly, I won't beat around the bush either!" A trace of bitterness crept into Shilin's lovely smile. "The Glacial Cavern isn't controlled by my Nature Alliance, and the Ice Jade Scorpion is an extraordinarily powerful high-energy creature. Any adult specimen possesses strength rivaling a formal Wizard, and their extreme cold-imbued venom is a headache that Wizards go out of their way to avoid... What's more, elite Ice Jade Scorpions have strength on par with semi-elementalized Wizards, and according to rumor, their king—the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor—is something even peak first-rank Wizards cannot subdue..."
"With so many disadvantages stacked against us, every single Breath Crystal we obtain comes at an enormous cost. And what's worse, this species simply cannot be domesticated—they attack every living thing within sight... To be honest, Mr., that batch of materials sold earlier was the last I had in stock..."
Shilin's melodious voice continued pouring out grievances. She looked utterly pitiful, like a delicate, frail woman—hardly reminiscent of her true identity as a Wizard.
But Leilin wasn't about to be so easily deceived. And even if things were truly as difficult as she claimed, he had no intention of helping.
"I'm sorry, but I've come here solely to purchase Ice Jade Scorpion Breath Crystals in bulk. Additionally, if you're facing difficulties on your end, perhaps we could arrange a different kind of trade—you provide me with access to the Glacial Cavern and a detailed map, and in return I can offer a substantial number of Magic Stones, rare resources, even top-tier academic research materials..."
Leilin projected an air of effortless wealth.
Of course, to enter the Glacial Cavern, he could have sought out other factions or simply snuck in on his own.
But maintaining an aboveboard identity was always preferable, and he had already done some preliminary investigation into the other factions controlling the Glacial Cavern. They were either non-human intelligent races or extremely stubborn, conservative groups, and Leilin had his doubts about whether he could obtain what he needed from them.
All things considered, unless he wanted to cause a complete upheaval, cooperating with the Nature Alliance was the optimal way in.
That said, if everything else failed, Leilin wouldn't mind lying low for a while—once he recovered his strength as a second-rank Warlock, he could simply force his way in and claim the entire Glacial Cavern for himself.
"Access? And a map?" Shilin lowered her head in thought for a moment, then shook her head in refusal. "I'm sorry, Mr. Leilin! You're not a member of the Nature Alliance. If I let you in, it would inevitably upset the other factions..."
"However! If you were to join the Nature Alliance, there would be no problem at all!" Shilin said with a smile.
Leilin burst into laughter. "To think you'd ask me to join your organization just for simple access—aren't you dreaming a bit too sweetly?"
"Of course it's more than that! If you're willing to join, Shilin would offer you the position of Honorary Professor, with an annual stipend of five hundred thousand Magic Stones in resources. Moreover, some of the Nature Alliance's treasured collections and laboratories would be opened to you as well! Sir, couldn't you help poor Shilin just a little?"
Her voice was exceedingly sincere, laced with a thick, honeyed nasality that seemed to lull one into a daze. From her beautiful eyes flowed a shimmering light like rippling water.
"Hmm?" Leilin paused, then met Shilin's gaze with a half-smile.
Under the Chip's detection, an extremely subtle fluctuation of spiritual power was laid bare before his eyes—and the direction of this spiritual power was aimed directly at his brain and Sea of Consciousness.
"You actually dare use an illusion on me?" Leilin found it almost laughable. This woman was either incredibly brazen or utterly ignorant of death. Setting aside the counterattack from his own bloodline, his massive spiritual power as a second-rank Warlock alone could cause Shilin to suffer devastating spiritual backlash—potentially reducing her to an imbecile!
But he still had use for her at the moment, so he wouldn't go that far.
From Leilin's eyes, a torrent of crimson light flashed. His blood-red Sea of Consciousness surged with rolling waves, instantly grinding the invading spiritual power to dust.
Upon sensing this, Shilin's face went deathly pale. Leilin had always kept a low profile, using spiritual power compression techniques to mask his true energy fluctuations, presenting himself as nothing more than an ordinary first-rank Wizard.
It was precisely because of this that Shilin had attempted to cast her illusion on him.
But now it was clear that this Wizard named Leilin had been concealing the vast majority of his strength—and she had paid a bitter price for it.
Most illusions, when cast against a target with vastly superior spiritual power or disrupted by other unforeseen influences, would suffer backlash against the caster upon failure.
Shilin struggled, trying to avert her gaze.
But at that moment, her neck seemed locked in place—completely immovable.
Panic surged through Shilin's heart, yet all she could do was fix Leilin with those pitiful, pleading eyes, hoping for his mercy.
After toying with her sufficiently, Leilin smiled faintly. The crimson glow in his eyes receded, and Shilin's entire body shuddered violently. Two thin trails of blood trickled from her delicate nose, marring her otherwise flawless beauty.
"Peak first-rank! You're a peak first-rank Wizard!" Shilin didn't even bother tidying her appearance before blurting out the exclamation.
Through their brief spiritual power contact, she had felt his vast spiritual power—deep and boundless as the ocean—and the frigid, terrifying aura carried within it had left her trembling with hindsight.
Moreover, she had absolute confidence in her own illusions. According to the records of her Meditation Method, breaking through her illusion by force required at least peak first-rank strength.
Wizards at this level had nearly fully elementized their spiritual power, their entire bodies undergoing subtle transformations, rendering ordinary illusions essentially useless.
And this Leilin was unmistakably a peak first-rank Wizard!
"My sincerest apologies! Shilin had no idea Mr. Leilin had already advanced to the peak of the first rank. My reckless probing earlier—I hope you will forgive me! And I must also thank you for showing restraint..."
Shilin rose with a solemn expression and bowed deeply to Leilin, her demeanor exceedingly grave.
In a world where many academies had only a single formal Wizard in residence, a peak first-rank Wizard possessed enough power to annihilate numerous small academies. Shilin was acutely aware of the destructive potential of such figures.
A Wizard of this caliber could serve as a trump card for any mid-tier academy—so why was one here?
As she bowed, Shilin stole a glance upward, studying this Wizard who looked far too young and handsome, her mind racing with countless speculations.
"No matter. What about the deal? Have you reconsidered?" Leilin shook his head indifferently.
Showing a glimpse of his true strength was enough to make this little fox see the gulf between them. When the disparity in power was as vast as heaven and earth, all schemes and tricks became utterly meaningless!
"There's no rush about the deal! Please wait just a moment, Mr.!"
Shilin's attitude had done a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. She gave a slight bow, then fluttered like a butterfly through a hidden door.
She didn't keep Leilin waiting long. A few minutes later, she reappeared before him.
But now she had changed into a purple-gold dress, retouched her appearance, and bore no trace of her earlier discomfiture. In her hands she carried a circular tray.
"This is a treasure from our establishment—its annual yield is quite limited, and we only serve it to a few distinguished guests!"
Shilin smiled sweetly and placed the item from the tray onto the table.
It was an olive-shaped seed, its surface etched with walnut-like patterns—clearly the seed of some plant.
Shilin's pale, elegant hand brushed lightly across it.
Hummm! Accompanied by a ring of green light, the entire seed began to tremble.
Crack! A white tendril burst through the seed coat and unfurled from within, followed by more and more.
After the tendrils came brown branches, then green leaves, and finally pink blossoms.
Bathed in the emerald glow, the seed rapidly experienced an entire lifetime in moments. When the last petals fell, a single red fruit—resembling an apple—hung from the branch.
"This is a local delicacy of ours—the Cecily Fruit! Because its ripening period is so exceedingly brief, it must be consumed immediately after harvesting to enjoy its purest flavor..."
Shilin explained with a gentle smile.
"What a wondrous miracle of life—truly splendid!" Leilin marveled. Such miracles could only be achieved through the power of magic.
He casually plucked the fruit from the plant. Without it, the plant quickly withered, and within seconds it had crumbled into a mound of grey ash.