"Sunlit Sea, Lightless Sea, and Dark Sea.”
"The Sunlit Sea represents the first stage of the Deep Sea Meditation Art. At this stage, one’s consciousness can only sink into the shallow depths, a realm that exists at the boundary between reality and illusion. Here, everything remains within the scope of cognition. This stage corresponds to low-level wizard apprentices.”
"The Lightless Sea is the second stage of the Deep Sea Meditation Art. When the sea of consciousness reaches this point, visibility diminishes to the point where one cannot even see their finger. They have drifted far away from reality and entered the realm of illusions. The spiritual power becomes even stronger. This stage corresponds to intermediate-level wizard apprentices.”
"The final stage, the Dark Sea, is the ultimate level of this entry-level
Meditation Art. The consciousness delves into the deepest part of the sea, an unknown and eerie territory where everything appears bizarre and surreal. To maintain sanity in such a place, one needs significantly stronger mental strength and willpower. This stage corresponds to high-level wizard apprentices.”
"Beyond this lies the domain of official wizards, a realm still distant from my current state.”
During this period of meditation and cultivation, Levi’s became increasingly enigmatic. Although he had not yet fully mastered the Meditation Art, he could sense some changes taking place.
"As expected of a Meditation Art, even reaching the entry level is so difficult. I can only imagine how much more challenging the further cultivation will be,” Levi sighed with a mix of admiration and frustration.
Despite two months of practice, Levi had not yet achieved proficiency in the Deep Sea Meditation Art. It remained unrecorded on the proficiency panel.
Summoning Tuten, Levi inquired, “Under normal circumstances, how long does it take to master a Meditation Art?”
Tuten pondered for a moment and replied, “Let’s take the Deep Sea Meditation Art as an example. For those with the aptitude of a Water Element Child, it could take as little as one month or even three to five days to get started. In general, within a month, most should have entered the basics. However, for Children of Chaos, it may take half a year at the fastest, but there’s no upper limit.”
"D*mn?” Levi couldn’t help expressing his discontent inwardly.
The slow progress in mastering the Meditation Art and its absence on the proficiency panel left him disheartened.
"Is there any shortcut to improve meditation? Like supportive potions?” Levi inquired further.
"Yes, but don’t even think about it. Each major faction possesses its supportive cultivation potions. Potioneering is a profound field of knowledge, and these prescriptions are the most closely-guarded secrets of the respective factions. Intellectual property protection is strictly enforced among wizards, making these prescriptions challenging to acquire. Additionally, the required ingredients for cultivating Meditation Arts are extremely rare, even in the
Realm of the Unbelievers. Usually, only official wizards have access to them.”
"Other than the regular potions that have been tested by countless wizards, all other so-called shortcuts for Meditation Arts are unreliable. Once you deviate from the right path, the consequences can be unimaginable,” Tuten said.
"Sigh, the path of a wizard is so difficult from the very beginning.” Levi sighed in his heart.
"Your top priority is to find the entrance to the Realm of the Unbelievers and your guide. Leave this world first. The invasion of the blue frost is not a good sign. It signals the return of the Dark Wave. The human world has distanced itself too far from the supernatural and the mysterious. Facing the impending torrential waves, I believe the secular church is powerless to resist.
"Once the Dark Wave returns, no existence in the mortal world can escape its impact. The only way to avoid it is to enter the Realm of the Unbelievers. Moreover, it is only there that you can find a suitable mentor.”
"Wizards cannot cultivate on their own. They need to absorb the wisdom of their predecessors. A good mentor will make your path as a wizard smoother.”
"It was because I didn’t have the fortune to meet a good teacher that I ended up meeting an unfortunate end… Haha,” Teuton recalled the past with a self-deprecating chuckle.
"This is also why I don’t recommend you join the School of Death. People from the School of Death deal with hell creatures and death all day long, and their minds can become twisted and overly selfish. If you’re not careful, you could easily be misled.”
Levi also wanted to enter the Realm of the Unbelievers, but he could not find anyone from the four great families. He did not even know an official wizard, so how could he contact his guide?
Only the descendants of the four great families might still have the means to enter the Realm of the Unbelievers.
The progress of Levi’s Meditation Art was slow, but he was not discouraged. As long as he could confirm his qualification to become a wizard, he would be at ease. It was just a matter of spending a little more time to get started. Whether it took half a year, three years, or ten years, he was willing to wait!
"But, to be honest, the Children of the Elements’ cultivation is incredibly fast.” Levi sighed in his heart.
"Even though I, as a Child of Chaos, may be slow in my cultivation, I have many choices for the future. I can learn any Meditation Art or spell from Nature Faction, earth, fire, storm, ocean, thunder, ice, whatever I want!” Levi comforted himself.
On the other hand, the Children of the Elements could only cultivate the
Meditation Arts and spells of the Elementalist School they were affiliated with. This limitation existed because different elements have distinct characteristics, leading to varying focuses in different schools of thought.
The Earth School of Thought and the Ocean School of Thought emphasized defense, the Burning School of Thought and the Lightning School of Thought emphasized offense, and the Storm School of Thought and the School of Ice emphasized control.
"I want to learn them all!”
This was Levi’s future development plan.
With the proficiency panel, everything was possible.
"I haven’t been completely empty-handed during this period. I’ve gained quite a lot from the breathing technique.”
During his practice, Levi’s various breathing techniques had shown significant improvement.
However, Levi’s current level of attainment was so high that the progress wasn’t very noticeable to him.
As for the Black Devil Blade, its maximum distance from his body had now reached fifty meters.
Within this fifty-meter range, Levi’s black gas-concealed weapons hit their mark with 100% accuracy.
"Forget it, let’s go back home. The war won’t end anytime soon.”
Levi stood up, deciding not to roam the wilderness anymore. Since it would take some time to master the Meditation Art, he could return home and cultivate slowly.
Moreover, the secret medicine he brought with him had been completely used up..