An Advanced Meditation Technique!
A rare meditation discipline that countless Wizard Apprentices dreamed of obtaining.
Pei Ze had previously only known that an Advanced Meditation Technique allowed one to construct more Will Runes, making them much more powerful after becoming a Wizard.
But he'd only had a vague understanding of *how* it made one more powerful.
It wasn't until he overheard some members of the Star Spirit Society discussing the topic that it all clicked.
The key lay in how a Wizard advanced.
After a Wizard Apprentice successfully constructed all their Will Runes and their Spiritual Power reached a certain threshold, they could begin to condense a Spirit Crystal.
The Spirit Crystal was, for all intents and purposes, the core of a Wizard's power.
It could be used to inscribe Magic, which simultaneously enhanced Magic Power and reduced its cost.
A Wizard who had condensed a Spirit Crystal would see their combat effectiveness skyrocket, earning them the moniker of a "walking artillery piece."
Consequently, the larger the Spirit Crystal and the more Magic it held, the stronger the Wizard.
And the size of the Spirit Crystal was determined entirely by the number of Will Runes.
The Universal Meditation Technique, promoted by the Star Realm Alliance, only allowed for the construction of 12 Will Runes.
An Advanced Meditation Technique, on the other hand, could construct at least 18, and in some cases, up to 24 Will Runes.
A Wizard who advanced using an Advanced Meditation Technique was far stronger than one who used the Universal Meditation Technique.
Furthermore, this disparity would only widen as the Wizard's level increased.
Therefore, the ideal path was to cultivate an Advanced Meditation Technique during the Wizard Apprentice stage.
Although this made advancing to Wizard more difficult than using the Universal Meditation Technique, if one succeeded, their future potential would far surpass that of an ordinary Wizard.
But ideals are one thing, and reality is another.
In all of Chenxi City, only the Dawn Council—the highest ruling body—and the five great Wizard Clans possessed Advanced Meditation Techniques.
Anyone who wasn't a core member of the direct bloodline couldn't even dream of getting near one.
For the vast majority of Wizard Apprentices, an Advanced Meditation Technique was completely unattainable.
So for one to appear in the Black Market was utterly mind-boggling!
A glint in his eye, Pei Ze squeezed his way into the crowd.
In the center of the throng, a small, thin figure in a black robe and a snake-head mask sat silently behind a counter, seemingly deaf to the murmurs around him.
On the counter before him rested a Memory Crystal Ball.
From the surrounding chatter, it wasn't difficult to gather that the so-called Advanced Meditation Technique was stored within that Memory Crystal Ball.
In fact, it was precisely because of this orb—worth over a thousand Gold Coins—that the crowd's skepticism was somewhat muted.
Otherwise, in any other situation, if someone claimed to possess an Advanced Meditation Technique, the crowd would have spat in their face.
'Are you delusional?!'
Just then, a tall, black-robed man stepped forward from the crowd. "What is the name of this Advanced Meditation Technique?" he asked, his voice low and heavy.
The Snake-faced Man glanced at him and shook his head. "I don't know. I obtained it in a secret realm. It's an Advanced Meditation Technique passed down from the Dark Age."
The Dark Age!
The tall man paused, then pressed, "A genuine Advanced Meditation Technique, and you're only selling it for 100 Magic Stone Coins?"
The Snake-faced Man seemed to sneer. "I never said I was selling it to just one person. Anyone present who can produce one hundred Magic Stone Coins can have the contents of this Advanced Meditation Technique."
"How can you prove it's genuine?"
The Snake-faced Man replied nonchalantly, "Show me one hundred Magic Stone Coins to prove you can afford it, and I'll let you preview a portion of it."
The moment he said this, a stir went through the crowd.
For the Snake-faced Man to make such a bold claim, he clearly had some confidence.
'Could this Advanced Meditation Technique actually be real?'
In an instant, many of the gazes fixed on the Memory Crystal Ball grew feverish.
Pei Ze's own curiosity was piqued.
On impulse, he activated his Eye of Omniscience on the Snake-faced Man.
[Analysis requires 5.2 Spiritual Power. Proceed?]
"Proceed."
A moment later, the Eye of Omniscience returned its findings.
[Spirit: 18.34]
[Physique: 45.12]
[Status: Demonic Infection]
'Demonic Infection!'
'A heretic!'
Pei Ze's gaze hardened, and the way he looked at the Snake-faced Man instantly became much more calculating.
'Needless to say, this so-called Advanced Meditation Technique has to be fake! If heretics had access to something like this, would they really need to trade their souls to Alien Gods and demons for power?'
'Still, this guy has some nerve, brazenly peddling a fake Advanced Meditation Technique in the Black Market. If he gets exposed, being torn to shreds by enraged buyers would be getting off easy. Anyone who can produce one hundred Magic Stone Coins on the spot is obviously not to be trifled with.'
'Or... is it possible the Snake-faced Man is confident he won't be exposed right here and now?'
While Pei Ze was lost in thought, the tall, robed man had already proven his financial standing to the Snake-faced Man. After previewing a portion of the Crystal Ball's contents, he hesitated for a few seconds before finally taking out one hundred Magic Stone Coins. He then viewed the complete contents and departed in a hurry.
His actions were like tossing water into a vat of boiling oil; the crowd instantly erupted into a frenzy, with many people eager to take their own chance.
Still, most remained skeptical.
After all, no one knew if that robed man had been a shill.
Such tricks were common in the Black Market.
Pei Ze gave the Snake-faced Man one last, deep look, then turned and walked away.
'I'm no champion of justice,' he thought. 'I'm not so bored that I need to go around exposing people.'
'Besides, a heretic who dares to pull a scam like this must have a few tricks up his sleeve, and he probably has accomplices. It would be far too dangerous for a mere Second-level Wizard Apprentice like me to confront these lunatics head-on.'
'And as for reporting him... I'd first have to explain how I discovered his true identity. I can't very well say I'm using a cheat, can I?'
'Better to just let it go and not cause unnecessary trouble. Whatever this heretic is plotting, the managers of the Black Market can have the headache of dealing with it.'
The thought suddenly struck Pei Ze. 'Speaking of which, I wonder how long it would take to improve the Universal Meditation Technique now?'
Back when he had just become a First-level Wizard Apprentice, he'd had a flash of inspiration to modify it, but was deterred by the projected time of over thirteen hundred days.
But his Spiritual Power had skyrocketed since then. The time required for the modification should, in theory, be drastically reduced.
Acting on the idea, Pei Ze immediately issued a silent command. "Omniscience, improve the Universal Meditation Technique."
[Task Created. Improving Universal Meditation Technique. Estimated time: 245 days, 16 hours, 32 minutes.]
'Over two hundred days, huh…'
Pei Ze's brow furrowed slightly.
While that was a significant reduction, it still fell short of his expectations.
Two hundred-plus days was enough time for him to analyze the last three Will Runes *and* modify four or five types of Magic.
'I'd better wait until I've finished analyzing all the Will Runes before I try to improve my Meditation Technique,' Pei Ze quickly decided.
After all, the first 12 Will Runes were identical for both the Advanced and Universal Meditation Techniques.
Cultivating the Universal Meditation Technique first wouldn't hinder his ability to switch to an Advanced Meditation Technique later on.
...
After returning from the Black Market, Pei Ze threw himself wholeheartedly back into his cultivation and potion refining. He fell into a fulfilling, if monotonous, routine, hustling every day between his apartment, Medicine Garden No. 8, and the Potion Refining Room.
In truth, with the income he now earned from selling potions, he no longer needed to keep his job tending the garden.
The meager reward of 50 contribution points was nothing more than a drop in the ocean to him now.
The main reason he hadn't quit was that he didn't want to lose contact with Yin Xue.
At this stage, staying in touch with Yin Xue offered many advantages.
For one, he could get a lot of information from her.
For another, if he ever ran into serious trouble, he could ask for her help.
Yin Xue had never said anything, but anyone with eyes could see she came from a powerful background.
Of course, Pei Ze wouldn't deny his own selfish reasons either.
After all, Yin Xue was a rare beauty. What man would refuse the chance to spend more time with a beautiful senior like her?