Ethereal Legends

Every primer tome was, in fact, a type of meditation method.

The Star Ring Meditation was the meditation method included with the primer tome that had activated Sunan's Spirit Power.

Its core lay in constructing star rings within one's mind.

Each star ring constructed would greatly increase Spirit Power.

According to the primer tome, as long as one successfully constructed three star rings and reached 12 points of Spirit Power, one could advance to a Level Two Wizard Apprentice.

As Sunan closed his eyes, his vision instantly sank into darkness. His consciousness was like a stone falling into a lake, gradually descending into its silent, tranquil depths.

A dazzling glimmer of starlight slowly emerged from the darkness, gradually growing into a ring.

Yet most of the ring seemed illusory, with only about one-tenth of it being solid.

As he meditated, points of light continuously flickered around Sunan and entered his body, steadily filling in the illusory portions of the star ring.

After an unknown amount of time, Sunan suddenly opened his eyes and awoke.

He took out his pocket watch and saw that nearly two hours had passed.

On the panel, the Star Ring Meditation had gained 5 proficiency points, while his Spirit Power had increased by 0.01.

"With the same two hours of meditation, the gains are about two and a half times what they normally are."

"This is the benefit of increased spiritual activity."

A faint smile appeared on Sunan's face.

Just then, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, followed closely by a knock.

"Young Master Sunan, Lord Kei has returned and asks that you go to the Training Field."

Sunan came back to himself and replied evenly, "I understand."

Blackstone City was built against the mountains.

Because it had to guard against the harassment of the Blackscale Lizardmen, its walls had been built especially tall, with watchtowers densely scattered along the perimeter.

From afar, it resembled a fierce beast crouching amid the mountains and forests.

At the very center of the city stood a spacious inner castle.

Unlike the vitally important city walls, the inner castle had not been repaired in years and looked somewhat dilapidated.

Only the Training Field was level and spacious. It was clear that it had recently been expanded, revealing its master's passion for martial pursuits.

When Sunan entered the Training Field, he immediately spotted his Big Brother, Kei, standing at the edge of the grounds, accompanied by seven or eight sturdy men in armor.

They were the only knightly force in Blackstone City, as well as the last remaining fighting strength loyal to the Shining Family left behind by their father, Baron Arnester.

"A Formal Knight has a Constitution of at least 8. An Advanced Knight like Big Brother can reach over 14."

"Compared to those inhuman beings, my body is pathetically weak."

Looking at his Constitution of merely 0.7, lower than even that of an ordinary person, Sunan could not help but sigh inwardly.

His predecessor had been frail from birth. Though he had practiced a Breathing Technique since childhood, he had made almost no progress and was utterly unsuited to becoming a knight.

From childhood to adulthood, he had always lived beneath Big Brother Kei's brilliance. Though he never said it aloud, he had been deeply unwilling to accept it.

Otherwise, he would not have pinned his hopes on the ethereal legends of wizards, only to lose his life as a result.

Although many Wizard Codices had survived on this continent, ordinary people could not understand the writing within them. Thus, people mostly regarded these books as collectible antiques.

Wizards had also become creatures of legend, appearing more often than not only in ancient tales.

"Big Brother," Sunan called out.

Kei turned around. A trace of a smile appeared on his hard, chiseled face as he looked at his younger brother.

"Perfect timing. I got what you asked for."

The surrounding knights all bowed to Sunan.

Sunan turned his gaze toward the cart nearby.

More than a dozen corpses lay on it.

Their bodies were covered in black scales, with hawk-like claws, protruding snouts, and mouths full of sharp fangs.

Even in death, they still radiated a fierce, savage aura.

They were none other than Blackstone City's mortal enemies—the Blackscale Lizardmen!

These demi-human creatures lived in the wilderness dozens of kilometers away.

They produced nothing and knew only plunder. Every year, they invaded the villages around Blackstone City to loot and slaughter, making them utterly detestable.

Whenever Blackstone City's garrison was deployed, it was usually to deal with these bandits.

"Sorry to trouble you, Big Brother. Have someone carry them into my laboratory."

"No problem."

Kei summoned a soldier and gave the order. Then he turned back to Sunan, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately could not resist asking, "Can we really find a way to improve the army's combat strength using only these Blackscale Lizardmen corpses?"

Sunan smiled faintly. "Even if I explained it now, Big Brother wouldn't believe me. Once I produce results and you see them with your own eyes, you won't doubt me anymore."

Kei sighed. "It isn't that I doubt you. It's just that the legends of wizards are too ethereal. No one has ever determined whether they're real or not. I can't help feeling uncertain."

Sunan smiled. "They're only a dozen or so Blackscale Lizardmen corpses. Even if they're wasted, it isn't much of a loss."

Kei nodded and said no more.

Half a year ago, their father had died unexpectedly on the battlefield under mysterious circumstances. Backed by the Golden Rock Marquis, their uncle, Owen Arnester, had seized the title of Shining Baron and taken control of most of the Shining Territory.

If not for the fear of looking too greedy, along with the ambiguous stance of the other three lords of the Shining Territory, Owen would likely have killed the two brothers long ago instead of finding an excuse to effectively exile them to Blackstone City.

Even so, the threat from Owen remained a Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads at all times.

It could fall on any given day and take both brothers' lives.

For this reason, Kei trained desperately and did everything he could to strengthen Blackstone City's forces.

He had even placed a sliver of hope in the so-called methods of wizards.

—Though deep down, he did not think much of the idea.

Hearing the brothers' conversation, quite a few knights nearby wore disdainful expressions.

They did not believe the Blackscale Lizardmen possessed anything that could make them stronger.

It was not as though no one had tried lizardman meat before. No one's body had grown stronger after eating it, and the meat tasted terrible to boot.

Taking in the changes in everyone's expressions, Sunan sighed inwardly.

The people of this world simply did not understand how powerful wizards were.

Knights and wizards were like martial arts and immortal cultivation. They were fundamentally incomparable.

Even a Legendary Knight, the strongest combatant in the Starry Sky Principality, was merely a slightly larger ant before a formal wizard, easily crushed with a backhand.

Shaking his head, Sunan had no intention of explaining. After exchanging a few words with Kei, he turned and left the Training Field.

After returning to the courtyard where he lived, Sunan went straight to the basement.

He had had this place cleared out specifically as a laboratory for Biological Modification research.

Aside from primer books and several books on spell models, the large pile of books left behind by his predecessor consisted of books related to Biological Modification and Potion Making.

They included "Biology," "Mutation Studies," "Bloodline Extraction," "Anatomy," "Neurology," "Basic Pharmacology," and "Magical Plant Cultivation."

It was precisely through these books, along with some hands-on practice, that Sunan had successfully filled the learning progress for Potion Making and mastered this Skill.

Besides that, the learning progress for another Skill, 'Biological Modification,' had already exceeded 50%.

By his estimate, it would be fully completed in another month or two.

"Still, if I want to master other Skills or spells, I'll need to collect more Wizard Codices."

This was also one reason Sunan had boasted so confidently before Big Brother.

Only by making others realize the power of wizard methods would they put more effort into helping him gather all kinds of resources.

Otherwise, even if Big Brother continued to spend vast amounts of manpower and resources helping him collect supplies for the sake of brotherhood, the knights under his command would be full of complaints and drag their feet.

For the past two months, Sunan had been busy with this very matter.

His painstaking efforts to master Potion Making had also been in preparation for what came next.

Glancing at the dozen or so lizardman corpses piled in the corner, he took a copy of the "Encyclopedia of Tier-Zero Potions" from the cabinet and turned to page 284.

The page was filled with dense writing and intricate, complicated diagrams.

At the very top, the first line was printed in bold black letters.

Dragon Blood Potion!