Soul Whisper Meditation Method

Ever since the young prince Alphonse had taken the initiative to befriend him, the threshold of Lynn's top-floor cabin had nearly been worn through.

Apprentices from various cities, each considering themselves extraordinary, came calling with smiles that ranged from sincere to false.

Lynn did not refuse them. Instead, he earnestly conversed with them and learned about the Wizard World.

He had nothing better to do anyway. The more he understood about the Wizard World, the smoother his path of cultivation might be in the future.

Every conversation took place on the deck or in the ship's corridors. He never spent time alone with any of them.

Though he knew they probably would not dare attack a top genius like him right outside a Wizard's doorstep, it was always good to remain vigilant.

"Brother Lynn, I am the young lord of Grayrock City. I hope you will look after me at the Academy in the future!"

"Student Lynn, my family's trading company spans several countries. If you need any supplies, just say the word!"

"Lord Lynn, your talent truly is astonishing..."

A gentle smile remained on Lynn's face as he treated everyone with courtesy.

He was neither overly warm nor distant.

From their words, he continuously gathered scattered information about the Wizard World and Bone Spire.

"I heard Contribution Points are the most important thing at the Academy. They can be exchanged for knowledge and materials..."

"Bone Spire controls several resource planes, but they are all extremely dangerous. The most important of them is the Forest of Ten Thousand Bones..."

"The choice of mentor is crucial. Some mentors conduct extremely dangerous research, and the attrition rate for 'materials' is high. If you follow the wrong person, your whole life may be ruined..."

After conversation after conversation, Lynn gradually formed a rough picture of the Wizard World and Withered Bone Spire Academy.

As for the gray-robed Wizard, ever since the Netherbone had set sail, he had remained shut inside his cabin, doing who knew what.

A few days later, as Lynn passed the Wizard's cabin, he accidentally noticed that its door was slightly ajar.

Lynn's heart stirred.

The Wizard seems to have... finished his work?

After hesitating for a moment, Lynn stepped forward and lightly knocked on the door.

"Wizard, this student Lynn has come to pay you a visit."

The moment his words fell, the cabin door seemed to be pushed open by an invisible hand, and the Wizard's hoarse voice came from within.

"Come in."

Lynn took a deep breath and entered the room.

The gray-robed Wizard was currently handling several strange organs soaking in green liquid. A faint scent of blood permeated the air.

"Wizard, forgive the disturbance."

"Morris."

The Wizard spoke with brevity.

"Mentor Morris." Lynn respectfully bowed.

Morris stopped what he was doing, his insect-like compound eyes turning toward Lynn.

"Little one, what is it?"

His voice remained dry and raspy.

"I wish to ask you about the Academy."

Lynn's attitude was humble.

Morris let out a crackling laugh like bones grinding together.

"Strong curiosity is a good thing, but at Bone Spire, all knowledge requires an appropriate price."

"After all, to Wizards, knowledge is the greatest wealth."

"However, in consideration of your talent, I can tell you some basic information for free."

Lynn was overjoyed and quickly thanked him.

But... do all us dark Wizards laugh this distinctively?

Unaware of Lynn's thoughts, Morris briefly introduced several major divisions of the Academy, as well as its brutal rules of competition and mentor system.

"Remember, little one, the Academy does not forbid conflict. It only forbids meaningless waste—for example, wasting a potentially valuable 'material.'"

He added meaningfully.

Lynn's heart chilled. He knew that "material" most likely referred to apprentices like them.

"Rest assured, a 'genius' like you need not worry about being casually expended by the Academy. That would be far too wasteful, and the Academy could not have endured for so long if it acted that way."

"However, though talent is important on the path of a Wizard, it does not represent everything."

"To become a Formal Wizard, knowledge, comprehension, resources, willpower, and luck are equally important."

"For a Wizard, the foremost priority is the accumulation of 'knowledge.'"

"'Wizardry' is the lever that moves the rules of the world, while endless 'knowledge' is the key to mastering them!"

Lynn's heart stirred at those words. He took out the pouch containing eight Magic Stones from his robe and offered it with both hands.

"Mentor Morris, thank you for your answers."

"Could these Magic Stones be exchanged for some... 'knowledge' that would benefit me most right now?"

The red light in Mentor Morris's compound eyes flickered, and he once again gave a crackling laugh.

"Smart boy."

His bone-blade arm lightly swung, and the pouch flew directly into his hand.

He weighed it, then gave an indistinct snort. "Eight inferior Magic Stones? How shabby."

"Fine. First tell me, what kind of knowledge do you want? Offensive Wizardry? Defensive techniques? Or magical theory?"

Lynn was slightly stunned.

What kind of knowledge? How would I know?

He honestly replied, "I do not know what suits me best. I ask for Mentor's guidance."

This answer seemed to please Morris. The red glow in his compound eyes softened slightly.

"A smart choice."

"Once you arrive at the Academy, the Basic Meditation Method will be issued to everyone. But that thing is merely common stock. For someone with exceptional soul talent like yours, it would simply be a waste of time."

He paused, then rummaged through a drawer with his bone-blade arm and took out a black bone fragment emitting faint spiritual fluctuations.

"This records the Soul Whisper Meditation Method. It is a fairly good beginner method for the soul school and is highly suited to your soul talent."

"This meditation method is extremely effective at tempering and expanding spiritual power. It can lay a solid foundation for your future cultivation of soul Wizardry."

"Of course, its value is far greater than eight Magic Stones."

With that, he directly tossed the bone fragment to Lynn.

"Press the bone fragment against your forehead and focus your mind on sensing the information within."

Lynn was overjoyed. He hurriedly caught the bone fragment, which felt ice-cold in his hand.

"Thank you, Mentor Morris. This student will remember your kindness!"

"Go back and study it yourself. If there is anything you do not understand, you may come ask me before we reach the Academy."

Morris waved his bone-blade arm, signaling that Lynn could leave.

This was clearly a special privilege.

Being a 'genius'... felt great!

Upon returning to his cabin, Lynn impatiently pressed the bone fragment to his forehead and focused his mind inward.

A vast amount of complicated information flooded into his mind. At the same time, the light screen on his retina immediately began to operate.

[Detected high-information-density knowledge carrier: Soul Whisper Meditation Method. Beginning Record... Record progress: 1%...]

Within the Memory Library, the Soul Whisper Meditation Method was prominently listed, though its Record progress was rather slow.

Without waiting for the Record to finish, Lynn eagerly began the Analysis.

[Beginning Analysis of Soul Whisper Meditation Method... Analysis progress: 0.1%...]

Well... that was even slower.

Whether it was Record or Analysis, the speed was far slower than when it had previously scanned ordinary books.

Clearly, the level of knowledge contained in this meditation method was extremely high, and the information it held was exceptionally complex.

The path of a mage lay right before him, and Lynn could not help feeling anxious.

While relying on the panel's Analysis, he also tried to understand and memorize those obscure incantations, spiritual guidance routes, and visualization diagrams himself.