The defining trait of high-level Meditation Methods was that they grew progressively harder the further one advanced.
Countless Wizards grew old and died before their Meditation Method ever reached the next tier!
That was precisely why Wizards were so fanatical about collecting resources to accelerate their Meditation Method's progress.
"Phew…" Lei Lin let out a long breath.
"It looks like I'll have to resort to potions and other means to boost my progress. Two hundred years is just too long!"
The resources available in the Dark Polar Region were entirely different from those on the South Coast. There was a good chance he could find Spiritual Power potions suited to a Second-rank
"Ding! Simulation data for Third-rank Wizard complete. Comprehensiveness: 69.24%"
The Chip issued another notification, and behind the Second-rank Wizard data folder, a new sub-folder rapidly generated itself.
"Third-rank Wizard: estimated Spiritual Power range of 200 to 400! Divided into three minor tiers—gaseous, liquid, and crystallized Spiritual Power! The strength gap between each minor tier is estimated at three to five times!"
The Chip projected a large block of information in front of Lei Lin.
"The further you go, the more terrifying the Spiritual Power disparity becomes between Wizards of the same rank!"
Lei Lin sighed.
An Apprentice's Spiritual Power sat below 20, a First-rank Wizard ranged from 20 to 80, and a Second-rank Wizard from 80 to 200. But once one reached the Third tier, the range jumped to 200 to 400.
The wider the Spiritual Power span, the more obvious the gap in actual strength.
Therefore, the difference between a newly advanced Third-rank Wizard and one whose Spiritual Power had been fully crystallized would be staggeringly vast—beyond imagination!
And from these subdivided tiers within the Third rank, Lei Lin grasped the terrifying difficulty of advancing to a Morning Star Wizard.
He had long had a vague understanding that at the Third rank, a Wizard would enter an extended period of transformation. This phase could last an extraordinarily long time. And if one ultimately managed to break through, that would place them at the level of the ancient Wizards!
"Of course. Even in the ancient era, Morning Star Wizards were regional overlords who could participate in the final wars. How could advancing to that level possibly be easy?"
Lei Lin stroked his chin. "Only Spiritual Power that had been continuously condensed through crystallization could ultimately coalesce into the supreme 'Essence Point,' driving a Wizard into the Morning Star realm!"
From this point forward, the entire advancement path before the Morning Star tier was complete in Lei Lin's mind.
First came the elementalization of Spiritual Power. Only when at least 80% of one's Spiritual Power had been elementalized did one qualify to transition to materialization and advance to the Second rank.
After a Wizard reached the Second rank, they had to fully materialize all their Spiritual Power, manifesting it in the real world as the finest possible Spiritual particles!
Then, at the Third rank, these Spiritual particles would gradually condense through three stages—gaseification, liquefaction, and crystallization—until they finally coalesced into the ultimate "Essence Point"!
At that moment, the Wizard would enter the Morning Star realm!
"The path of a Wizard truly only grows harder. Just the 80% elementalization threshold alone must have weeded out countless Wizards, to say nothing of the hurdles that came after!"
Lei Lin let out a deep sigh. "But at least the road ahead is clear now. I just need to follow it."
"Chip, establish a long-term task: extrapolate the subsequent sections of Comoin's Eye and Holy Light Candlelight!"
Lei Lin issued the command.
The Chip automatically projected two progress bars in front of him—the progress of the extrapolation. Of course, they were barely past 1% and creeping forward very slowly, but at least there was hope.
Of the two, Comoin's Eye was Lei Lin's primary Meditation Method and a path he had settled on long ago. There was no changing it.
As for Holy Light Candlelight—this Meditation Method obtained from the Prophet Portley family—Lei Lin found it equally fascinating.
Even after seizing so many high-level Meditation Methods, in Lei Lin's view, the value of Holy Light Candlelight far surpassed all of them, rivaling even Dragon King Divine Power. The ability to foresee the future was simply too terrifying, and even if it carried some margin of error, it was enough to make his mouth water.
"With the Chip's processing power and the high-level Meditation Method database, I'll be able to extrapolate it eventually. And if I keep feeding in new high-level Meditation Methods, the process will accelerate considerably…"
Lei Lin understood this very well.
Boom!
A faint, discreet pulse of Spiritual Power suddenly pierced through layers of barriers and detonated beside Lei Lin's ear.
"Finally here?" A hint of amusement flickered through Lei Lin's eyes. He swept his hand across the workbench.
Amid a flash of silver light, all the high-level Meditation Methods vanished. Lei Lin himself dissolved into a phantom and appeared outside the headquarters of the Alliance of Nature.
Following an ethereal thread of Spiritual Power guidance, Lei Lin arrived at his destination.
The area had originally been barren wasteland, but now a silvery-white metallic house stood at its center.
Lei Lin walked up to the front door and raised his hand to knock.
Click!
Before the motion could be completed, the ornate metal door swung open on its own, revealing the space within.
In the middle of the hall sat an old man, resting on a chair made entirely of metal, watching Lei Lin with a warm smile.
"Lord Lei Lin! You've truly advanced to the rank of Second-rank Wizard!" The old man rose to his feet, smilingly gesturing toward an empty seat.
The Wizard wore coarse hemp clothing, and his appearance was utterly unremarkable—just an ordinary-looking old man. But Lei Lin showed no carelessness as he returned the courtesy.
"I've merely been fortunate enough to take one small step forward on the path of pursuing truth!"
Lei Lin was thoroughly modest. From the old man, he sensed a Spiritual Power that had been materialized far more deeply than his own—accumulation that far exceeded his own.
Of course, high Spiritual Power was one thing; actual combat ability was another. With the boost of his bloodline and a few hidden cards up his sleeve, Lei Lin was confident he wouldn't be at a disadvantage. But there was no need to show that.
"Haha… please, sit! You don't know my name yet, do you? I'm Logan, Head of the Merhawk School!"
The old man introduced himself with a genial grin.
"Wizard Logan—your reputation as the Guardian of the Eastern Domain has long preceded you!" Lei Lin replied with a smile as he settled into the chair.
"Oh?" The chair's surface had a metallic sheen, yet it lacked any hardness. Instead, it sank inward like a cushioned sofa, cradling Lei Lin's body in comfort.
"What do you think? This is a metal lifeform I personally subdued from the Outer Domain!"
Seeing Lei Lin's expression, a pleased look appeared on Logan's face.
"Very impressive," Lei Lin remarked calmly. Although this metal lifeform was far from the fully elementally-composed beings found in true Metal Worlds, it was still a rare find here.
"This entire house is probably one enormous metal creature. Right now, we're having a conversation inside its body…"
"Haha, 'Dark Gold' is uniquely gifted at concealing its life aura. You're the first person to figure it out so quickly!" Logan laughed heartily and patted the table surface. "Dark Gold, come out and say hello!"
Click! Click!
The metal flowed like liquid, forming a rather rugged face on the table's surface. "Greetings, Lord Lei Lin!"
Now that it no longer needed to conceal itself, Lei Lin could clearly sense a rather impressive energy fluctuation emanating from the metallic house. Converted to Wizard terms, it was roughly at the peak of the First rank.
After a few more pleasantries, Logan finally got down to business.
"Lord Wizard Lei Lin, I imagine you know perfectly well why I'm here?" The old man's face had taken on a hint of solemnity.
"Of course!" Lei Lin nodded.
"Then regarding the Alliance of Nature School's violation of regulations—razing the Mist Forest School and taking out the surrounding minor factions along with it—what explanation do you have?"
Logan fixed his eyes on Lei Lin, looking as though he might strike at any moment.
"That?" Lei Lin leaned back with a faint smile, interlacing his fingers in a casual display of nonchalance.
"The Mist Forest ambushed us first. After that, they breached the Alliance of Nature's headquarters, slaughtering their way through and nearly annihilating our entire school. That was why we retaliated. As I recall, this should fall within the rules of the bloody vendetta recognized throughout the Eastern Domain, shouldn't it?"
Lei Lin smiled calmly and handed over the crystal ball that Xiling had recorded. "Furthermore, we have a witness. If you'd like to hear his account, you can come with me right now and see for yourself…"
"But with the
After taking the crystal ball, Logan didn't look at it immediately. The storm clouds on his face had eased somewhat, but his brow remained deeply furrowed.
"He offended me! The dignity of a Second-rank Wizard!"
Lei Lin narrowed his eyes, and the atmosphere grew taut. "He nearly disrupted my advancement. Such a transgression can only be washed clean with every last drop of his blood…"
"Is that your entire defense?" Logan met Lei Lin's gaze.
"It's the truth! Not a defense!" Lei Lin retorted without a shred of deference.
Two streams of silver light clashed invisibly in the air between them, producing a faint, sharp ringing sound.
"Heh heh…"
Suddenly, Logan's face broke into a broad smile, dissolving all the tension into nothingness.
"If they struck first and he offended you personally, then I have nothing more to say…"
"I appreciate your understanding and support!"
Lei Lin returned the smile.
This had all gone exactly as he'd calculated. After all, Wizards were shrewd beings—and the older they got, the shrewder they became!
Between a mid-sized school and a Second-rank Wizard, the choice didn't require any deliberation.