Magic Training

"First, sit cross-legged and settle down. Slowly close your eyes, calm your mind, and try to enter a meditative state." Laun's voice was gentle and steady, as if carrying a soothing, almost magical quality.

"Meditative state?" Lin Tian felt his heart involuntarily race. The mix of nervousness and eager anticipation was just like when he first practiced the Qi Gathering Stance. The unknown mystery and the new journey ahead left him both excited and uneasy.

"No need to worry too much. With your current mental strength, entering a meditative state is not difficult. Just relax completely and carefully sense everything around you." Laun noticed Lin Tian's tension and encouraged him warmly. Lin Tian took a deep breath, slowly sat cross-legged as instructed, closed his eyes tightly, and tried to calm his restless mind.

"Don't rush. Let yourself fully relax, try to merge with nature, and use your heart to perceive its subtleties." Laun continued guiding softly. Hearing this, Lin Tian couldn't help but recall his earlier practice of the Qi Gathering Stance, and his entire demeanor eased considerably. He began to adjust his breathing, making each inhale and exhale long and steady, as if connecting himself to the world around him through this rhythm.

Meditation, for a mage, was the most fundamental and crucial step. Whether drawing elemental energy from heaven and earth to refine it into one's own "Magical Power," or gradually enhancing mental strength, both required deep meditation time and again. Recalling last year, Lin Tian had asked his mother about meditation methods, but at that time, he was too young, his mental strength unstable, and attempting meditation rashly carried many risks, so he had to wait until the time was right.

In the eyes of ordinary people, a first attempt at meditation was often fraught with difficulty and danger. But Lin Tian was exceptionally gifted, and with the Saint-level Magus Laun guiding him, he couldn't help but feel a bit relaxed about it.

"But it's not that easy!!" After about five or six minutes, a wondrous scene appeared before Lin Tian's eyes: countless fiery red specks of light floated around him like stars, dense and numerous beyond belief. He couldn't help but complain inwardly.

"Lin Tian, can you sense it?" Laun's concerned voice sounded timely in Lin Tian's ear.

"Teacher, I can sense it! So many fiery red specks, too many, dense and countless, thousands upon thousands, all around me." Lin Tian excitedly described the marvelous scene he perceived. At the same time, he thought to himself: "Entering a meditative state smoothly in just a few minutes—my comprehension is indeed good. And the number of fire elements I sense during meditation is on par with the earth elements Lin Lei sensed in his first meditation. That means my super-grade affinity is at the same level as Lin Lei's, and I might even reach Grand Perfection in the future!"

"What?" Laun exclaimed briefly at Lin Tian's description, but quickly cut himself off.

Then, he swiftly regained his composure and said gently, "Good. Now just do as I say: empty your mind, think of nothing, and immerse yourself fully in the feeling of heaven and earth..." Laun's soft voice flowed into Lin Tian's ears like a babbling brook. Lin Tian strove to follow the guidance, trying to calm the lake of his heart.

At first, his mind was cluttered with stray thoughts—expectations for his training progress, dreams of future achievements, the lingering unfamiliarity with this fantastical world... But as his breathing gradually steadied, these thoughts dissipated like wisps of smoke.

Time slipped away in silence. Lin Tian maintained his meditative posture, his breathing growing longer, his body and mind slowly relaxing in the process. After an unknown period, Lin Tian suddenly felt a gentle mental force, like a mother's hand softly stroking him, and he slowly awakened from his meditative state.

"Don't meditate too long, or you'll overconsume your mental strength and faint." Laun reminded softly.

After fully recovering from the meditative state, Lin Tian felt refreshed, as if every cell in his body had been reawakened. He felt light, as if he could ride the wind at any moment. Moreover, even in his waking state, he could clearly sense the presence of fire elements, though far fewer than during meditation.

"Can you still sense the fire elements now?" Laun asked sharply, as if he had anticipated Lin Tian's condition.

"Yes, teacher. Isn't that normal?" Lin Tian asked in surprise, puzzled.

"Ordinary super-grade fire affinity wouldn't allow such clear perception in a waking state. The vast number of fire elements you sensed during meditation would only be possible with super-grade fire affinity in an extremely dense fire element environment. Normally, only a Saint-level Magus using techniques to raise the elemental concentration a hundredfold would let super-grade affinity sense so many elements." Laun explained patiently.

Hearing this, Lin Tian's mind flashed back to Lin Lei's first meditation—it was Delin, the earth Saint-level Magus, who increased the earth element concentration, allowing Lin Lei to sense so many earth elements. At this thought, he felt secretly delighted: his fire affinity was likely far beyond ordinary super-grade—super-super-super-grade, perhaps.

"Your elemental affinity is unimaginably high. This means your training plan must be adjusted accordingly. Come, let me see how fast you can refine magical elements." Laun's eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation.

"Close your eyes, empty your mind, and enter the meditative state again." Laun commanded.

Lin Tian complied, and soon entered the meditative state smoothly once more.

"Relax, carefully sense, fully amplify your perception, and try to use your mental strength to bind a single fire element." Laun's voice guided him clearly, like a beacon in the dark.

Lin Tian focused intently, carefully controlling his mental strength as he slowly approached a fiery red speck. The moment his mental force touched the speck, it shot into his body like it was drawn by a powerful force. The instant it entered, the refinement process was completed in a flash.

"This speed—I didn't even have time to react?" Lin Tian was both shocked and delighted.

"Never mind, keep refining." Then, Lin Tian concentrated, skillfully controlling his mental strength like a fisherman casting a net, reaching out to the fire elements in batches and refining them continuously.

Laun observed quietly, his eyes full of amazement. He clearly saw Lin Tian's Magical Power grow from nothing, surging like bamboo shoots after rain, quickly reaching the level of a First-rank Magus, and still rising, heading toward Second-rank Magus. Laun felt both joy at Lin Tian's talent and a faint worry. After all, cultivation required gradual progress; such rapid improvement could lead to disastrous consequences if something went wrong.

Finally, Laun couldn't help but stop Lin Tian's refining. He asked softly, "Lin Tian, do you feel anything unusual now?"

Lin Tian slowly opened his eyes, clear and determined, and replied, "Teacher, I don't feel anything unusual."

Laun frowned slightly, then chuckled, "With your current mental strength, you've actually reached the level of a Third-rank Magus. If you keep refining magical elements and complete the accumulation, you can officially become a Third-rank Magus who can't cast spells yet. But I'm worried that such rapid progress might be too much for your body. Tell me, what level has your warrior cultivation reached?"

Lin Tian answered truthfully, "Teacher, my physical body has reached the level of a Second-rank Warrior."

Laun felt somewhat relieved and said, "Mm, a Second-rank Warrior's physical strength should be enough to support your Magical Power up to Second-rank Magus. So refine the fire elements until you reach Second-rank Magus, then stop. Cultivation must not rush; steady and solid progress is the way to go far."