The room was quiet. A faint silver lamp hung above the desk, casting a soft glow across the polished floor and the edge of the bed. Beyond the window, night had already settled over White Wing Saint Academy, while distant towers stood beneath the stars like silent guardians watching the land below.
Ivan sat cross-legged on the bed, calm and motionless. The thin volume titled Basic Meditation Method rested open in his hands. Compared to the thick inheritance book from before, this manual appeared plain and ordinary, yet he understood its true value far better than any glorious legacy or paths.
For every wizard seed, dazzling paths meant little without a foundation. Without cultivation, talent was empty talk. Without strength, even survival depended on luck. After choosing the Alchemy Wizard path, this book had become the most urgent matter before him.
He lowered his gaze toward the first page. What greeted him was not diagrams, techniques, or spell formulas, but history. It was written in calm and concise language, explaining how meditation methods had first appeared in the long river of wizard civilization.
In the early wizard age, meditation methods did not exist. At that time, the growth of mental energy was painfully slow. Wizards relied on natural aging, repeated practice, rare magical resources, precious medicines, and dangerous experiments to strengthen the mind and expand the soul sea.
Yet progress was unsatisfactory, waste was enormous, and luck often mattered more than talent. Many gifted individuals died before reaching their potential, buried beneath the limitations of their era.
Only after tens of thousands of years of exploration did the situation begin to change. Ancient wizards discovered that the world itself possessed hidden natural patterns engraved deep within the rules of reality. These mysterious patterns were later named runes.
They were not ordinary symbols, nor simple written language. They were fragments of law that upheld existence itself. Fire, water, life, gravity, motion, death, and space all left traces of runic structure hidden beneath the surface of the world.
The world itself was built upon countless invisible runes. Mountains, oceans, storms, flames, living beings, even the passage of time all followed unseen patterns. Once that truth was discovered, the path of wizard civilization changed forever.
When the early wizards began studying those patterns, they attempted to imitate the runes with pure mental energy. They tested countless forms, suffered endless failures, and paid heavy prices in madness, collapse, and death before obtaining results.
Through those attempts, a shocking discovery was finally made. Certain rune structures, when formed within the soul sea, could temper the mind, refine thoughts, and steadily increase mental power. What once required years could now be achieved within months.
What once demanded rare treasures could now be accomplished through meditation alone. That single discovery shook the foundations of wizard civilization. From then onward, the road of cultivation no longer belonged only to the fortunate and wealthy.
Generation after generation improved the concept. They removed unstable structures, refined flawed patterns, increased efficiency, and gradually organized complete systems of practice. After countless revisions and inheritances, the first true meditation methods were born.
Ivan's gaze deepened slightly as he read. One discovery. One concept. Yet it had transformed an entire civilization for hundreds of thousands of years. The greatest changes often began from ideas that seemed simple at first glance.
He continued reading. As wizard civilization developed, meditation methods were gradually divided into ranks according to quality, efficiency, safety, and reliability. Different methods represented different futures, and the difference between them could shape an entire lifetime.
The most common and universal was the Basic Meditation Method. This type could be practiced by nearly anyone possessing wizard aptitude. It required no specific elemental affinity and formed the standard foundation used throughout the apprentice stage.
Its growth speed was average, but it was stable, safe, and reliable. Because of those qualities, it endured through countless generations. For the majority of ordinary wizards, this was the road they would begin with and often the only road they could afford.
Above that were Intermediate Meditation Methods. These methods were usually created by high-level wizards for their blood descendants, disciples, or factions. Unlike universal methods, they were specialized and favored specific talents or elemental affinities.
A fire method favored those with fire affinity. A darkness method favored those with darkness affinity. A wind method favored those sensitive to movement and flow. Those who matched such methods would cultivate far faster than users of the basic method.
However, if incompatible wizards forcefully practiced one, they could suffer elemental conflict, spiritual backlash, or permanent damage to the soul sea.
Ivan nodded faintly. Universal methods were broad and accessible, while specialized methods were sharper and faster. That was only natural. What suited everyone could never equal what was forged for a chosen few.
Above intermediate methods were High-Level Meditation Methods. These techniques could only be created by Seventh-Level Wizards or higher, because they were no longer simple cultivation systems, but inheritances carrying traces of law and profound understanding.
At the seventh level, a wizard's comprehension became immense enough to touch and rewrite portions of worldly law itself. Only beings of that level possessed the authority and insight required to create methods of such depth and complexity.
If meditated successfully, then at every major breakthrough, unique innate spells could naturally form within the practitioner's soul sea. A flame method might create a fire domain, while a shadow method could awaken concealment abilities.
A spatial method might produce dimensional perception or short-range distortion. Such powers were born together with cultivation itself, requiring no separate study. Methods of this level were treasures beyond the reach of ordinary wizards and priceless to great factions.
Super-Level Meditation Methods stood at the final category recorded within the manual. These techniques were said to have been created by the legendary Eight-Ring Truth Wizards, beings whose names alone could shake planes and whose will could alter the course of civilizations.
Those qualified to cultivate such methods would face almost no bottlenecks before the Fourth Level. Their cultivation speed would be monstrous, while the advantages granted by the method could continue all the way toward the Seventh Level.
But the qualifications and conditions were equally terrifying. One required Limit-Breaking Aptitude, talent beyond the standard Fifth Grade boundary. In addition, cultivation demanded vast resources, rare medicines, precious materials, powerful barriers, and harsh or special environments.
Even powerful wizard families and established academies might struggle to sustain such costs for long. Such methods were less techniques and more roads prepared for future Truth Wizards, or legends destined to leave their names in history.
Ivan closed his eyes briefly. The deeper he looked into this world, the vaster it became. What he had seen so far was only the outer shell, while beneath it lay depths vast enough to drown countless geniuses.
He calmed his thoughts and turned to the next page. Now came the true content. The Basic Meditation Method used by White Ring Saint Academy contained eighteen foundational runes, divided into three major stages corresponding to the apprentice realm.
The first stage was the Introductory Runes. Before officially becoming a Low-Level Wizard Apprentice, one first had to construct the initial rune seed within the soul sea. Once successfully formed, it would begin drawing in the free-floating particles scattered through the world.
With the aid of that first rune, those particles would be refined into usable spiritual force, gradually increasing one's mental energy. When the required threshold was reached, the wizard seed could officially step into the Low-Level Apprentice stage.
Afterward, with strengthened mental energy supporting the process, the next three runes could gradually be engraved. Once all first four runes were completed, the practitioner would reach the limit of the Low-Level Apprentice stage and prepare for the next breakthrough.
The second stage was the Intermediate Runes. After advancing further, the next six runes would be constructed. These runes were far more complex than the first set, more stable in structure, and significantly more efficient in gathering and refining energy.
Once all ten runes were fully engraved upon the mental sea, mental energy would naturally rise toward the threshold of a High-Level Apprentice. Each completed rune acted like another engine, steadily pushing the practitioner upward.
The third stage was the Advanced Runes. The final eight runes were the most difficult among all eighteen. Their structures were intricate, layered upon layered, and required precision far beyond the earlier stages.
Once all eighteen runes were completed, the practitioner's mental energy would reach the upper limit of the apprentice stage—fifty points of mental energy. That was the recognized threshold required to challenge the realm of a First-Level Wizard.
Ivan's fingers lightly tapped the cover of the manual. The instructions were clear, logical, and arranged step by step. No wonder this method had endured for so long. Simplicity, reliability, and stability were often more valuable than brilliance.
He turned to the next page. The moment his eyes landed upon the diagram, his pupils narrowed slightly. A faint tingling sensation spread across his forehead, as though something within his mind had been touched.
There, upon the page, floated the image of the First Meditation Rune. Though drawn on paper, it did not appear flat. The structure seemed layered and three-dimensional, like a geometric maze folded into itself through impossible angles.
Curved lines crossed sharp edges. Several points spiraled inward, while others linked together with strange and flawless symmetry. It looked less like writing and more like a miniature law carved into shape.
Even looking at it stirred his mental energy. Ivan immediately understood this meditation method was not meant to be simply read. It was meant to be visualized, memorized, and reconstructed using pure mental energy.
He steadied his breathing and carefully studied the page. Beneath the rune were precise instructions detailing where to begin, how to shape each line, where to stabilize the central node, and how to connect the outer layers without collapsing the entire structure.
This was not writing.
This was soul engineering.
He continued flipping pages. The second rune. The third rune. The fourth rune. Page after page revealed increasingly complex structures, each one more profound than the last.
By the time he reached the eighteenth rune, a faint warm pressure had gathered on his forehead. His mental sea had become active merely from observation, reacting instinctively to the presence of those structures.
These symbols were not harmless. Even precise observation could trigger reactions. But Ivan considered it natural. These runes were fragments of law that helped construct the world itself. For an ordinary wizard seed, merely looking upon them would naturally create disturbance.
After examining all eighteen rune pages, Ivan flipped to the final section. The last page contained warnings written in stern and deliberate script. He read every line carefully without missing a word.
Every person's mental energy was limited, and each practitioner could only meditate for a certain period each day. Once that limit was reached, continuing by force would exhaust the spirit or even damage the soul sea.
That personal limit could be felt during cultivation itself. Fatigue, dizziness, mental heaviness, and loss of concentration were all warning signs. Ignoring them was the behavior of fools.
Rune construction also had to be exact. If even one line was misplaced, one node destabilized, or the structure collapsed midway, the rune would instantly shatter and trigger a mental backlash.
The severity of that backlash depended greatly on wizard aptitude. Those with First Grade Aptitude would suffer heavily. Splitting headaches, mental instability, and in severe cases, permanent cognitive damage could occur. Some had even become fools after repeated failures.
Those with Second Grade Aptitude fared somewhat better, but could endure only one or two failed attempts each day before requiring rest. If they forcefully continued beyond that limit, they could still suffer the same miserable fate as those of the First Grade.
Those with Third Grade Aptitude suffered only moderate backlash. They could usually withstand around ten failed attempts within a day before their spirit became exhausted and unstable.
Those with Fourth Grade Aptitude would feel only minor headaches when a rune collapsed under ordinary failure. Their tolerance was far greater, and many could endure close to thirty attempts in a single day before true spiritual strain appeared.
Those with Fifth Grade Aptitude barely noticed normal backlash at all. Rune collapse would bring little pain to them. Their greatest limit was no longer suffering, but the depletion of mental energy itself.
Every attempt to construct a rune consumed mental force. No matter how gifted one was, each person's reserves were limited. Once those reserves were exhausted, they could only rest and recover before trying again.
Ivan's eyes narrowed slightly. A question that had lingered in the back of his mind surfaced once more. What exactly was wizard aptitude? How was it measured, and why did it influence meditation so deeply?
He gave an inward command. "Nova. Search the academy library records and extract all information related to wizard aptitude."
"Yes, Master."
A second later, Nova's calm mechanical voice echoed through his mind. "Wizard aptitude is fundamentally related to soul quality. It is the most direct measure of how suitable an individual is for the apprentice path."
"A First Grade Aptitude indicates a soul superior to ordinary mortals, yet still filled with many impurities. Its receptivity is low, its endurance is weak, and progress is slow."
"A Second Grade Aptitude indicates a soul stronger, purer, and more stable than the First Grade. Meditation becomes easier, and resistance to backlash increases."
"A Third Grade Aptitude indicates a sufficiently refined soul that naturally improves sensitivity toward mental energy and elemental particles. Its cultivation efficiency rises significantly."
"A Fourth Grade Aptitude indicates a soul highly refined and close to the ideal apprentice standard. Impurities are few, structure is stable, and progress is smooth in most situations."
"A Fifth Grade Aptitude indicates a soul nearly perfect for the apprentice stage. Its receptivity, endurance, and compatibility approach the limit attainable before formal wizard transformation."
Ivan listened carefully without missing a single word. The more he learned, the more clearly he understood why talent determined so many destinies before the journey had even begun.
Nova continued. "Wizard aptitude most strongly affects the apprentice stage and the breakthrough into the First-Level Wizard realm. Approximate success probabilities are as follows."
"An individual with First Grade Aptitude possesses roughly a ten percent chance of successfully advancing."
"An individual with Second Grade Aptitude possesses roughly a thirty percent chance."
"An individual with Third Grade Aptitude possesses roughly a fifty percent chance."
"An individual with Fourth Grade Aptitude possesses roughly a seventy to eighty percent chance."
"An individual with Fifth Grade Aptitude possesses a near-certain chance of success, provided they do not perish or fail through external causes."
Ivan's eyes sharpened faintly. It was cruel. Very cruel. Countless people would struggle for years, consume their youth, exhaust resources, and still fall before the final gate because of innate limitations.
No wonder talent was valued so highly. No wonder every academy, family, and wizard organization fought over those with superior aptitude.
Nova spoke once more. "After advancing to First-Level Wizard, the soul undergoes purification and transformation. At that stage, previous aptitude limitations become far less significant."
"The soul becomes complete."
"Future progress depends more upon knowledge, resources, opportunities, bloodline, comprehension, and luck."
Ivan slowly exhaled. So aptitude was the entry ticket to the transcendental path, but not the entire journey. That was fairer than he had expected.
His own aptitude was Fourth Grade. Not perfect, yet already enough to stand above the vast majority. Combined with Nova, and combined with the inheritance of an ancient civilization, the advantages in his hands were already beyond imagination.
A faint light flickered through Ivan's eyes.
He could see it now—a distant possibility hidden beyond danger, struggle, and endless years of cultivation. A chance to climb toward the peak of this universe.
The road ahead would be filled with enemies, obstacles, and unknown storms.
But Ivan would face them all.
Step by step, he would ascend.
Until one day, he stood as a supreme existence beneath the endless planes.