Future

Under Baha's guidance, Luo Lin fought through his mental weakness and bodily heaviness, staggering after the group. Before losing consciousness completely, he casually scooped up the largest raw Mind-Calming Crystal on the ground, one that shimmered with pure blue light.

After they fled the valley in a wretched state and escaped the Mountain Demons' pursuit, everyone collapsed to the ground, still shaken by the ordeal.

Holm looked at Luo Lin, whose face was pale and who was nearly spent, his eyes filled with shock and gratitude.

He knew that if not for Luo Lin's risky strike just now, their entire team might have been wiped out in that terrifying valley.

Luo Lin spread open his palm and looked at the pigeon-egg-sized Mind-Calming Crystal. Blue light seemed to flow within it like liquid, and he could feel the pure energy it emitted soothing his mind. A complicated smile appeared on his pale face.

The materials for the first Crystallization Medium were in hand.

With that hard-won Mind-Calming Crystal and exhaustion covering every inch of their bodies, Luo Lin and his group made their difficult return to Gray Tower Outpost.

This mission had been far more dangerous than any before it. Nearly every team member was injured, while Luo Lin remained weak for several days due to mental exhaustion.

That pigeon-egg-sized Mind-Calming Crystal became Luo Lin's most prized possession.

He did not rush to use it. Instead, he carefully stored it in a specially made lead box that could prevent energy from dissipating.

Simply carrying it on him allowed him to faintly sense a cool, calming aura leaking through tiny gaps, slowly nourishing the somewhat damaged foundation of his mind.

This gave him a more direct understanding of the effects of the Crystallization Medium.

When the mission was settled, the Outpost placed great importance on their discovery and experience in the valley.

The location of the Mind-Calming Crystal vein and the threat posed by the Crystal-Cluster Mountain Demon were recorded in detail. Luo Lin's team received a generous contribution point reward, while Luo Lin himself received the largest share due to his crucial decisions and contributions.

This experience also raised Luo Lin's reputation within Gray Tower Outpost to a new height.

Not only because he had brought back precious Mind-Calming Crystals and vital intelligence, but also because of the calm he displayed in a crisis—and his potential to forcibly create a new spell and turn the battle around.

Captain Holm gave him extremely high praise in the mission report. Some veteran combat apprentices who had previously maintained some distance from an "academy type" like him also began to truly acknowledge his strength.

However, Luo Lin did not become complacent because of this.

He knew that one Mind-Calming Crystal was only the beginning. He was still far from gathering all the conditions required for advancement.

Moreover, this adventure had exposed his shortcomings.

When facing truly powerful groups of magical creatures with special abilities, his conventional methods remained limited. [Corrosive Orb] consumed too much, while fusion spells were a life-or-death gamble that could not be replicated.

After recovering, he focused even more on improving his overall abilities.

Using his generous contribution point reward, he exchanged it at the Outpost for a knowledge scroll called Basic Energy Structure Deflection. He began systematically learning how to apply energy attacks of different attributes more effectively, especially against enemies with elemental resistance like the Crystal-Cluster Mountain Demon.

At the same time, he did not abandon his research into the ancient scrolls.

He further integrated the improvement concepts for Rock Skin with his own defensive spells.

Luo Lin no longer pursued overwhelming instantaneous defense. Instead, he began trying to construct a force field structure with greater "resilience" and "adaptability," one that could make slight adjustments to its energy distribution based on the type of attack it received, deflecting or canceling it out.

The process progressed slowly, but it demanded extremely precise energy control, making it perfectly suited to his current need to polish his foundations.

Baha also seemed to have grown after experiencing the crisis in the valley.

Its ability to foresee danger had become more accurate, and it could even vaguely distinguish the intensity of danger posed by different kinds of threats.

Luo Lin began training it to conduct more complex reconnaissance, such as distinguishing the energy attributes of magical creatures and estimating their general energy levels.

Baha completed these tasks excellently. Its intelligence and ability to understand Luo Lin's intentions made it seem less and less like a mere magical pet and more like a clever companion.

The search for information on the Advanced Meditation Method and the remaining materials also continued.

Old Jack could no longer yield any more valuable information, so Luo Lin began looking farther afield.

Through the channels Mason had left behind, he contacted the elusive general store owner once more.

The communication runestone lit up, and Mason's somewhat tired voice came through.

"Yo, Luo Lin?"

"I heard you've been doing great at Gray Tower. You even got your hands on a Mind-Calming Crystal?"

"Just luck." Luo Lin skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.

"Boss Mason, I need definite information on ways to obtain an Advanced Meditation Method, as well as materials like Soulflame Flower, Elemental Essence, and Origin Ink. The price is negotiable."

There was silence on the other side of the runestone for a moment, then Mason's voice grew more serious.

"Kid, you're playing with fire."

"Which one of those things is something an apprentice can touch?"

"Meditation methods are the lifeblood of every major organization. Any that end up outside are either traps or come with enormous trouble."

"As for those materials... I've only heard that Soulflame Flowers may have appeared in the depths of Deathwhisper Marsh. That place is even more sinister than Rotting Mire.

"Elemental Essence... perhaps it can be found in fragments of certain elemental planes or extremely pure elemental nodes, but those aren't places people at our level can explore.

"Origin Ink involves the level of the soul. The preparation method has almost been lost, and I've only heard of finished products in rumors."

Deathwhisper Marsh... fragments of elemental planes... Luo Lin silently noted down these place names and keywords.

Though the hope was slim, he at least had a concrete direction now.

"As for the meditation method..."

"I do have a vague lead, but I can't guarantee it's real, and the risk is enormous."

Mason lowered his voice.

"Go on."

Luo Lin was interested.

"Have you heard of Shipwreck Bay?"

Mason asked.

Luo Lin thought back. He seemed to have seen the name on a scroll recording ancient geography, and he asked uncertainly,

"The dangerous sea region said to have been formed when a large fragment of a continent was sunk during an ancient war?"

"That's right. Rumor has it that not only countless ancient warships and cities sank there, but some wizard towers that failed to evacuate were buried there as well."

"There are rumors that some treasure hunters who weren't afraid of death found fragmented ancient meditation methods there. Most of them can't be cultivated directly, but perhaps they can offer different ideas, or... be used in exchange."

There was a hint of temptation in Mason's voice.

"Of course, it's a true lawless land. Pirates, exiles, other races, and all kinds of marine magical creatures twisted by magical contamination—the danger there is no less than in the Black Forest."

Shipwreck Bay... fragments of ancient meditation methods... Luo Lin weighed it in his heart.

It was indeed a path full of the unknown and danger, but compared to signing a two-hundred-year contract of servitude, it seemed to offer a little more possibility of autonomy.

"I've received the information. I'll pay the agreed reward."

Luo Lin ended the communication.

After setting down the runestone, he walked to the window and looked at the gray sky outside and the rolling outline of the distant Black Forest.

Obtaining the Mind-Calming Crystal had given him a thread of hope, but the information Mason provided pulled him back to reality.

The road ahead was still long and strewn with thorns.

Deathwhisper Marsh, elemental nodes, Shipwreck Bay... behind each of these names lay tremendous risk.

There was still no reliable way to obtain an Advanced Meditation Method.

The materials for his innate spell were even further beyond reach.

But Luo Lin did not feel discouraged.

Five years of life in the Black Forest had long tempered his will like steel.

He had the panel, [Efficient Scholar], Baha, and the ancient perspective on knowledge he had gained from the ruins.

These were all the foundations of his confidence.

"One step at a time."

He said it to himself.

His foremost task now was to use the Perfect Meditation Method and the resources already available to bring his mental strength and physical condition to their true peak, while continuing to deepen his knowledge and spells.

Luo Lin glanced at Baha, which was preening its feathers in its nest. The little fellow seemed to sense his gaze and raised its dark golden eyes to meet his, conveying steadfast support.

The road was still long, but he was already heading in the right direction.

Every step ahead would require greater caution—and greater resolve.