Wizard: Starting With Synthesized Gems-Chapter 103: Secrets of the Advanced Meditation Method

Francis looked through several documents rejecting Locke's application for a medium-scale botanical garden, as well as the magic stone loan contract for the advanced meditation method, and immediately frowned with dissatisfaction. "I've already mentioned in high-level meetings that we need to fully consider students' emotional establishment 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 medium-scale botanical garden, it should make him feel grateful to the academy, but..."
"Never mind." Francis deliberated for a moment.
The last medium-scale botanical garden establishment 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 same period, there's a Child of Elements who performs better than him. Moreover, the Child of Elements's talent is stable and clear, while Locke's talent may not guarantee future progress at the same 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 mere 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 times 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 me he's very dangerous, yet his attitude toward me was very good."
"Moreover... the Omen Mandrake Vine had no reaction at all."
"Of course, whether the Omen Mandrake Vine can affect formal wizards is still uncertain. Formal wizards have permanent defensive fields around their bodies, equivalent to having extremely 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 meditation methods, I basically have no chance to meet 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 meditation room.
Locke quickly recalled the content of the meditation method he had just obtained.
This content couldn't appear as text in his mind, but had become a kind of instinct, as if it were something 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 become proficient and improve.
Locke sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. His consciousness seemed to transcend time 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 moment, 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 became clear, transforming into Locke's features.
The next moment, Locke's mana fluctuations began to change. He stopped breathing, each breath becoming almost imperceptible, and his mana showed some special rhythm.
That was mimicry of the World Tree's mana.
He mysteriously saw a void, and in this void saw some world plane in the distant place. From that world plane, natural energy continuously flowed back, strengthening his mana and increasing his mental 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 meditation method. Advanced meditation methods can directly obtain energy from other planes to improve wizards' mana. Thus, wizards who originally couldn't progress much with basic meditation methods can rapidly advance within their lifetimes."
"Advanced meditation methods... seem to be divided into seven levels in total. I only need to learn this Natural Plane Advanced Meditation Method to the fourth level to become a formal wizard. Each subsequent level of meditation method advancement seems to further improve the level after becoming a formal wizard." Locke understood.
Currently, he was at the first level of the advanced meditation method, 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 meditated for three hours and was exhausted and panting. "Advanced meditation methods are different from ordinary meditation methods. Because I need to absorb energy radiated from other planes through the void, the process of capturing this energy continuously consumes my energy. I can meditate for at most three hours at a time, unless I purchase [Energy Potions]."
"I remember energy potions cost two hundred magic stones per bottle! No wonder they're so expensive, they're actually supporting potions for advanced meditation methods."
"Additionally, I need to purchase [Four Seasons Fruit Core Incense], which can harmonize my mana and make me more efficient at absorbing energy radiated from the natural plane. Of course, I can choose not to buy it."
"I remember Four Seasons Fruit Core Incense has a special manufacturing method 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 meditating."
"But if pursuing the fastest advancement speed, then I'd spend over five thousand magic stones monthly just on these two materials for meditation. 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 meditation methods don't use additional materials, then one can only meditate three hours daily, and meditation 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 agreements 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 become a formal wizard, but is simultaneously a First Circle breeder and First Circle potion master."
"Without some side profession, how can one continue learning. In this world, learning is the most expensive thing in the world."