Chapter 521 - 365: Meditation Method Deduction and Path Clarification

Inside the cavern, the miniature "Fixed Star" dissipated, leaving behind only Ashes and a dead silence.

Ian hovered in mid-air, his robes fluttering as he gently twisted his fingers.

The surrounding spatial ripples that had yet to calm, the residual high-temperature radiation, the Rule Fluctuation that Purified everything...

All of these traces were forcefully pulled and compressed by a powerful yet precise Gravity Field.

In a matter of moments, aside from a faint "clean" scent lingering in the air, all traces of the battle were gone.

He was well aware of the chain reaction that the fall of a Level Four Mutant Beast could trigger.

The Gravity Rule silently contracted, masking Ian’s very presence.

The next moment, he flickered and vanished silently into the hard rock strata.

The Rock and earth parted before him like the most obedient of servants, then silently closed behind him.

He left no tunnel, leaked not a single wisp of his aura, and vanished completely into the depths of the Earth Vein.

「Deep Rock City.」

On the top floor of the City Lord’s Castle, Lumina gripped the railing, her expression fraught with tension.

The terrifying shriek from moments ago, the one that had pierced through layers of rock to stab directly at the soul, had been brief, but it had still left her considerably injured.

At that same moment, the city’s Star Barrier had buzzed and vibrated violently, its silver radiance flickering like a candle in the wind.

She had to mobilize all her Spiritual Power just to stabilize the Barrier’s core. Now the shriek had vanished, and the vibrations had subsided.

But a deeper tremor, one rooted in the instinct of her very soul, refused to fade.

"Ian... Senior..."

Lumina murmured, her gaze locked on the direction Ian had taken when he left.

Just then, the air before her shimmered with the faintest of ripples, and Ian’s figure quietly materialized.

His robes were still pristine, his expression as placid as still water.

Lumina’s heart seized. Her pupils dilated as an uncontrollable suspicion began to bloom wildly in her mind.

She subconsciously bowed her head, her posture more deferential than ever before, tinged with the humility of a believer before one of the Deities.

Ian’s gaze swept over her, paying no mind to the turmoil in her heart.

"Take me to the Secret Vault." His voice was calm, devoid of any emotion.

"Yes... Senior!" Lumina replied at once, practically holding her breath as she led the way.

「For the next two days, Ian remained within the Secret Vault of Deep Rock City.」

The vague phantom of the Floating City in his mind grew clearer, its details sharper and its structure more stable and logical.

Yet, whenever his deductions reached the core, either the Talisman Array would spontaneously collapse or an Energy Conduction error would occur. All that remained was a blurry, scorched blackness, bringing his deductions to a complete halt.

Ian slowly retracted his Spiritual Power and opened his eyes. ’Still no good. There are too many missing pieces.’

He murmured to himself, his tone holding little disappointment.

’A Floating City is the pinnacle of a civilization’s achievements, after all. It’s unrealistic to think I could deduce its workings in just a few days.’

’I’ve extracted all the knowledge of value from Deep Rock City. I need to travel to other human settlements.’

But Ian had a feeling the true key lay in the former capital now occupied by Mutant Beasts—the "Eternal Star Dome," known to later generations as the Land of Fallen Stars.

Having decided on his next destination, Ian didn’t depart immediately.

After his battle with the Level Four Mutant Beast, he needed to take stock of his own path and organize his thoughts.

Ian sat cross-legged in a room deep within the castle, one that Lumina had specially prepared for him.

His consciousness sank into the depths of his Sea of Spirit, his focus turning to the "Blazing Star Core" suspended at its center.

It was less than a centimeter in diameter and glowed a translucent, crimson-gold.

Vague, fusion-like ripples flowed within it, and its surface was encircled by five Star Orbits, each a different color.

Silver for Gravity, crimson for Thermal Energy, gold for Purification, transparent for Time, and earthy-yellow for Earth.

The five Star Orbits intertwined, yet they revolved in harmony around the central Star Core.

As he channeled the Starry Sky Festival, a realization washed over him. This supreme Secret Scripture of the Shadow Moon Tower had reached its limit.

The Meditation Method was divided into four floors. The first floor laid the foundation, the second condensed the Crystal Core, the third constructed the Starry Sky Domain, and the 4th Floor...

...but with Ian, it had changed completely. He had condensed the unique "Blazing Star Core" and achieved the rank of Morning Star.

Now that the Star Core was complete and the 4th Floor had reached Perfection, the path forward was cut off.

The Meditation Method itself could no longer provide the steps for him to ascend further.

’I need to deduce the subsequent stages, but I’ve never encountered any other High Tier Meditation Methods.’

He recalled some information he had once read from the Just Family’s records.

On the Central Continent, deep within the Wizard World, the power structure was primarily divided into three types of factions.

Wizard Organizations built around High Level Meditation Methods; Bloodline Warlock Clans, which were bound by blood; and large Wizard Academies, which were a mix of various schools of thought.

The Bloodline Warlock factions were the most difficult to integrate with. They were extremely exclusive, rarely accepted outsiders, and their High Tier Meditation Methods for Level Four and above almost never left their families.

As for the Wizard Organizations, which were held together by their High Tier Meditation Methods, joining them required signing an incredibly strict Soul Contract.

It was said that some of these contracts were powerful enough to bind even a Level Six Bright Sun Wizard.

The large Wizard Academies were the most lenient, comparatively speaking, but they still required signing a contract.

’It seems I’ll have to wait until I return to the Wizard World to slowly figure out a way to gain access.’

’Before then, I need to prepare. It would be best if I could trade for one directly, but the cost would certainly be immense.’

’Resources at the Morning Star Level are not easy to come by.’

’If I can’t find a suitable replacement Meditation Method, I’ll just have to spend more time deducing the next stage myself with the help of the panel.’