Francis looked through several docunts rejecting Locke's application for a dium-scale botanical garden, as well as the magic stone loan contract for the advanced ditation thod, and imdiately frowned with dissatisfaction. "I've already ntioned in high-level etings that we need to fully consider students' emotional establishnt with the academy. Such blunt loan contracts will only create alienation between students and the academy."
"It should be done more covertly." Francis pondered, "If the academy now agreed to give Locke a dium-scale botanical garden, it should make him feel grateful to the academy, but..."
"Never mind." Francis deliberated for a mont.
The last dium-scale botanical garden establishnt quota within these three years was also being eyed by the academy's only formal wizard of the beast taming magic branch, who wanted to secure this quota for his son.
Francis said, "Locke's talent still cannot be considered top-tier. In the sa period, there's a Child of Elents who performs better than him. Moreover, the Child of Elents's talent is stable and clear, while Locke's talent may not guarantee future progress at the sa speed as now. I've seen many fallen geniuses."
"He still cannot be compared with a formal wizard's son."
"I went to great lengths to bring a formal wizard of beast taming magic to the academy, allowing Lilith's Cottage to establish a series of beast taming magic category teachings and build the public facility, Blood Roar Arena."
"I cannot affect my overall planning for beast taming magic category teaching for the sake of a re student." Francis looked up at a map hanging on his wall, a map of the southeastern quadrant.
The entire southeastern quadrant was like a long coastline, resembling the edge of a pond, without extending inland.
The Atlas Dragon Mountain Range was like a natural barrier, separating the southeastern quadrant from the inland on the map.
But even so, the southeastern quadrant was vast enough, with an area many tis larger than the Eurasian continent.
Francis looked at the wizard organizations around Lilith's Cottage on the map, his gaze dark and expression gloomy. "These surrounding wizard organizations are always competing with our academy for students. It's annoying just looking at them."
"Recently, they've been following the Blood Curse Court, causing trouble nearby and consecutively stealing several excellent new student prospects."
"Hmph. As long as my plan to establish beast taming magic category teaching succeeds, I can at least steal most of the students from that laughable small white wizard organization [Beast Bone Kinship Society], then force them to gradually move away from this area."
Francis glared with disgust at the location of the Beast Bone Kinship Society on the map.
...
After leaving Francis's office, Locke exhaled a breath of stale air.
On the hired carriage, he sighed slightly and said in a voice only he could hear, "Being with that Lord Francis, I don't know why, but the pressure was enormous. My intuition tells he's very dangerous, yet his attitude toward was very good."
"Moreover... the On Mandrake Vine had no reaction at all."
"Of course, whether the On Mandrake Vine can affect formal wizards is still uncertain. Formal wizards have permanent defensive fields around their bodies, equivalent to having extrely high magic resistance. Ordinary spell effects can hardly affect them."
Locke shook his head. "Forget it, anyway, except for when I might see him when collecting advanced ditation thods, I basically have no chance to et him."
"My teacher is Witch Sophia, so it doesn't matter."
Locke quickly returned to his wooden house residence, then gave a few instructions to the gray dwarfs and cat servants before entering his ditation room.
Locke quickly recalled the content of the ditation thod he had just obtained.
This content couldn't appear as text in his mind, but had beco a kind of instinct, as if it were sothing he was born knowing.
Just like how mice are naturally born knowing how to dig holes, birds naturally know how to fly, and fish naturally know how to swim. He only needed to practice these naturally-known things through acquired training to beco proficient and improve.
Locke sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. His consciousness seed to transcend ti and space, seeing a beautiful scene.
In a place where the sky was filled with rainbow canopies everywhere, there was a vast forest. In that forest were ancient trees everywhere: thousand-year-old treants, Ancient Trees of Life, Ancient Trees of Knowledge, Ancient Trees of War...
In the center of this forest stood a magnificent World Tree.
This forest was so full of vitality, countless magical plants and magical creatures lived here. The enormous natural energy was enough to distort physical laws, making external forces unable to produce any effect here.
At this mont, a wizard wearing wizard robes with a blurred face suddenly entered this forest, like throwing a stone into a calm lake.
"So this is the World Tree? By simulating the World Tree's mana form, I can also obtain such powerful force from nature..." This wizard looked up, and his face beca clear, transforming into Locke's features.
The next mont, Locke's mana fluctuations began to change. He stopped breathing, each breath becoming almost imperceptible, and his mana showed so special rhythm.
That was mimicry of the World Tree's mana.
He mysteriously saw a void, and in this void saw so world plane in the distant place. From that world plane, natural energy continuously flowed back, strengthening his mana and increasing his ntal strength.
Thus, his mana, which had reached a bottleneck and couldn't advance an inch for months, was nourished again and began rapid progress once more.
"So this is the advanced ditation thod. Advanced ditation thods can directly obtain energy from other planes to improve wizards' mana. Thus, wizards who originally couldn't progress much with basic ditation thods can rapidly advance within their lifetis."
"Advanced ditation thods... seem to be divided into seven levels in total. I only need to learn this Natural Plane Advanced ditation thod to the fourth level to beco a formal wizard. Each subsequent level of ditation thod advancent seems to further improve the level after becoming a formal wizard." Locke understood.
Currently, he was at the first level of the advanced ditation thod, so he was very far from the natural plane and could only absorb a tiny bit of energy radiated from the natural plane through endless void.
But even so, it was enough to drive his mana to rapid progress.
Locke ditated for three hours and was exhausted and panting. "Advanced ditation thods are different from ordinary ditation thods. Because I need to absorb energy radiated from other planes through the void, the process of capturing this energy continuously consus my energy. I can ditate for at most three hours at a ti, unless I purchase [Energy Potions]."
"I rember energy potions cost two hundred magic stones per bottle! No wonder they're so expensive, they're actually supporting potions for advanced ditation thods."
"Additionally, I need to purchase [Four Seasons Fruit Core Incense], which can harmonize my mana and make more efficient at absorbing energy radiated from the natural plane. Of course, I can choose not to buy it."
"I rember Four Seasons Fruit Core Incense has a special manufacturing thod and is processed magical resources." Locke considered, "Monthly consumption should be around 300 grams, and this stuff costs about 50 magic stones per 10 grams."
Locke's expression changed slightly. "That would cost fifteen hundred magic stones per month."
"Of course, I don't need to use energy potions and Four Seasons Fruit Core Incense every night when ditating."
"But if pursuing the fastest advancent speed, then I'd spend over five thousand magic stones monthly just on these two materials for ditation. This doesn't even count my expenses on Weeping Blood Nightshade potions and Stardust Tears potions."
Locke felt his head was twice as big. "This doesn't even include expenses for other research. If truly unlimited, monthly expenses would exceed eight thousand."
"Most first-class wizard apprentices probably can't afford this money."
Locke thought, "If advanced ditation thods don't use additional materials, then one can only ditate three hours daily, and ditation efficiency is only about fifty percent."
"But probably most first-class wizard apprentices won't spend money purchasing additional materials. Or they need to sign harsh agreents to obtain large amounts of magical resources to have the money to buy additional materials."
"So I still need to make money." Locke thought, "No wonder Teacher Sophia didn't directly beco a formal wizard, but is simultaneously a First Circle breeder and First Circle potion master."
"Without so side profession, how can one continue learning. In this world, learning is the most expensive thing in the world."
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