Meditation is not a simple thing.
It was a shocking event when Link achieved the first level of the Meditation Technique during his very first meditation session, making the leap from the mundane to the extraordinary.
In the vast Wizard World with its long history, of course, there have been individuals who have accomplished such a feat.
But it attracted quite the attention when it occurred with Link—a New Blood from the Stormy Sea.
Link didn't want to court trouble. Even though he was pleased inwardly, he had no intention of flaunting his accomplishment.
He decided he wouldn't tell anyone about it!
Upon coming out of his meditative state, Link found that his Sea of Consciousness had undergone a drastic transformation.
From bottom to top, the Sea of Consciousness was divided into three layers.
The bottommost layer showed the reflection of the Memory Library in the lake, the middle layer was the Memory Library itself, and the topmost layer was the rune equilateral triangle floating above the surface of the lake.
The boundaries were blurred, yet the layers were distinct and naturally harmonious.
The triangular rune formed by the Meditation Technique and the Hall of Mind formed by the Mind Closure Technique coexisted harmoniously in the Sea of Consciousness.
Delighted with his luck, Link came up with an idea to hide the fact that he had become a first-rank wizard apprentice.
But he couldn't implement it immediately.
Constructing runes through meditation consumes spiritual power.
A single rune consumes at least 5 standard units of spiritual power.
This was why Link, with his innate spirit power of 17 and the aid of the Mind Closure Technique, was able to construct runes without any loss and achieve the first stage of the "Water Wood Mutual Growth Meditation Method" in one attempt.
Now, Link needed to rest and recover his spiritual power.
He picked himself up off the floor, dragged his tired body into the bedroom and fell into a deep sleep.
He slept soundly.
When he woke up, Link felt refreshed and extremely revitalized.
Choosing not to get up and freshen up immediately, Link lay in bed, activating the Mind Closure Technique and entering the Sea of Consciousness. He attempted to reflect the triangular rune on the surface of the lake, forming a mirror image.
His first attempt, which he did not hold much stake in, succeeded.
Suppressing his stirring emotions, Link solidified the reflection of the triangular rune and concealed the original floating above the lake.
As a result, as long as Link doesn't reveal it himself, the New Bloods will remain unaware of the change that has occurred within him.
As for the lecturers at the academy and the official wizards, Link wasn't sure if they would detect it.
But he was not particularly afraid.
After all, it's not like he was doing anything wrong, right?
…
It was Sunday morning.
A new day had begun.
Yesterday, Saturday, had been a fulfilling day for Link. He meditated during the day and slept at night, reaping huge rewards.
After freshening up, Link contemplated for a moment, then decided to visit the library for some study.
All the progress he had made before was exhausted when he achieved the first level of the "Water Wood Mutual Growth Meditation Method".
To attain the second level of the Meditation Technique, and become a second-rank wizard apprentice, he would need a spiritual power of over 30. Additionally, the more knowledge he had about "Rune Studies," the better.
This didn't even include the study of witchcraft.
A first-rank wizard apprentice can master anywhere from 1 to 10 Zero Ring spells.
The essence of witchcraft lies in the wizard controlling their magic power through their spiritual power, combining their will and knowledge to form a magic blueprint, thus leveraging the vast free magic in the outside world to influence and alter reality.
Building a magic blueprint is much more complex and sophisticated than meditation. It involves not only the connection and relationship between runes but also the interaction and feedback between people and objects, objects and objects, people and nature, and nature and people.
No matter the aspect, it would take Link a substantial amount of time to accumulate the required knowledge.
Learning is an endless journey.
...
At the library, not long after Link sat down, Jasmine arrived.
"Link, Link..."
Jasmine didn't come to study; as soon as she arrived, she started calling for Link, waving her little hand in front of his eyes several times.
Link put down his pen, looked up at Jasmine, and asked in a low voice, "What's up?"
"Stop reading the whole time, come out and play with me."
Jasmine flashed a pleasing smile and unleashed her irresistible rallying charms.
"Let's talk outside."
Link looked left and right and saw quite a few people in the reading room. Not wanting to disturb anyone, he got up and motioned for Jasmine to follow.
In a corner of the spacious lobby outside the reading room, Link asked, "What activity are you planning to participate in this time?"
Jasmine giggled in response, "I joined the 'New Blood Mutual Aid Association', remember? The association is hosting a picnic on the south lawn by the lake today."
Link coldly refused, "I'm not interested in any such association, I'm not going."
Having said that, Link turned and walked away.
The call of endless knowledge was much more enticing to him; why waste time playing 'house' with the 'New Blood Mutual Aid Association' when he could be studying?
"Link..."
Jasmine suddenly grabbed Link's right hand. Her small, tender hands tightly gripped Link's palm. She shook it left and right, acting cute and pleadingly said: "Oh please, accompany me, I beg you. Just accompany me, I'm a little scared to go alone. What if something happens and there's no one to help me?"
Faced with the blue-eyed blonde girl's sincere pleas and charming childishness, Link utilized the 'Mind Closure Technique' to dispel any hint of agitation.
Harlot, she disturbs my path!
Three years from now, the death sentence awaits.
But safety is indeed a major concern.
At these types of gatherings, young people tend to drink too much and it's easy for violations to occur.
Not wanting to see his fellow countrymen fall victim to such incidents, Link sighed and reluctantly agreed.
"Fine, I'll accompany you this once. But this is an exception."
Upon hearing this, Jasmine cheerfully jumped for joy, "Ha! You agreed! This is indeed rare! I knew Link was the best!"
Once again, it was proven that girls' competitiveness is no less than that of boys.
Over the past two weeks, Jasmine several times had tried to get Link to join her in exploring the academy and participating in recreational activities. But she was rejected every time.
But Jasmine wasn't discouraged; her fighting spirit soared even higher.
Today, Jasmine coaxed a little and successfully got Link to yield. She was happy and proud!
Men, huh!
That's all we are indeed.
Link watched Jasmine celebrate with a calm face.
After packing up his books and taking them back to the dormitory, Link accompanied Jasmine, who had followed him to the bottom of the dormitory building, toward the south lawn by the lake.
The South Lawn was quite large, and the picnic of the 'New Blood Mutual Aid Association' only occupied a corner of it.
Jasmine was quite popular. As soon as they arrived at the picnic area, a few girls pulled her away, and they started to chat away.
Link picked up a cup of sparkling wine from the towering stack of bottles and sipped leisurely. However, from the corner of his eye, he kept an eye on Jasmine.
At these kinds of parties with people coming and going, it was indeed easy for deplorable incidents to occur.
One must know, the 'New Blood Mutual Aid Association' was an old organization, comprising not only young newcomers who had just started school but also a lot of upperclassmen who had been at school for two to three years.
"Are you Link Grande?"
Suddenly, a tall, burly man strode straight to Link and coldly said,
"Stay away from Jasmine Kidman from now on!"