Although this book was called the Beginner's Meditation Manual, its content was far from "beginner-level." Instead, it was extremely complex and fragmented.
When Lynn and his group first received this book, they were all ecstatic. After all, becoming a wizard was their ultimate dream.
However, when they opened the book, their initial excitement quickly turned into confusion and frustration.
The content was scattered and disorganized, seemingly introducing the basics of wizardry but filled with countless obscure terms and information.
Without a teacher's guidance, it was impossible to make sense of it, let alone understand its secrets.
But Lynn was different.
He possessed the "Heaven Rewards Diligence" talent, which ensured that as long as he put in the effort, he would inevitably reap rewards.
Even though, at first, Lynn was just as lost as the others when reading the Beginner's Meditation Manual, he didn't give up.
Thanks to his talent, Lynn discovered that as long as he continuously studied the book, even if he didn't fully understand it at first, he would gradually unravel its mysteries and grasp its secrets.
Since receiving the Beginner's Meditation Manual, Lynn had immersed himself in studying it day and night.
Under the influence of "Heaven Rewards Diligence," he had already mastered about 35% of the book's content.
The core purpose of the meditation method was simple through meditation, one could continuously enhance their mental power.
And the growth of mental power was the first step on the path to becoming a wizard.
The fact that Lynn and the other youths had passed the Furnace's initial screening proved that they all had the potential to become wizards.
As long as they learned the meditation method and used it to increase their mental power, they could officially step onto the path of wizardry.
Based on what Lynn had learned so far, there were three stages to cross from being an ordinary person to becoming a full-fledged wizard the Apprentice Wizard stage.
This stage was further divided into three levels:
First-Level Apprentice Wizard, Second-Level Apprentice Wizard, and Third-Level Apprentice Wizard.
The Beginner's Meditation Manual was primarily designed for these three levels of apprentice wizards.
In other words, mastering the contents of this book could potentially allow one to smoothly progress through the Apprentice Wizard stage.
However, Lynn had only grasped about 35% of the content so far, which included the complete knowledge of the First-Level Apprentice Wizard and part of the Second-Level Apprentice Wizard's content.
In the world of wizards, a First-Level Apprentice Wizard was the lowest tier of wizardry. Compared to ordinary people, they only had slightly stronger mental power and some resistance to spells, but otherwise, there wasn't much difference.
The standard for becoming a First-Level Apprentice Wizard was the ability to meditate on the twenty-four letters of the wizard's unique writing system.
The writing system used by wizards was unique, consisting of twenty-four ancient and mysterious letters.
These letters weren't just ordinary characters; they were a symbolic system deeply connected to mental power.
Only by being able to meditate on all twenty-four letters clearly and completely could one prove that their mental power had reached the minimum standard to become a First-Level Apprentice Wizard.
Beyond that, the core of the meditation method taught wizards how to use their mental power to sense the various energies present in the world.
These invisible energies existed in every corner of the world, and wizards used specific methods to harness them, allowing them to perform a wide variety of spells.
"How far am I from becoming a First-Level Apprentice Wizard…"
Lynn decided to test his mental power.
He had already familiarized himself with the forms and structures of the twenty-four letters during the previous training.
Now, he closed his eyes and began constructing these letters one by one in his mind, testing whether he had met the standard.
The key to becoming a First-Level Apprentice Wizard wasn't just the ability to meditate on all twenty-four letters.
It also required that the letters be clear and solid during meditation and that one wouldn't forget the previous letters while meditating on the next.
Lynn focused his mind, free from distractions, and concentrated on the meditation.
First… second… third…
Time passed unnoticed, and as the number of letters increased, Lynn's face gradually turned pale a sign that his mental power was being heavily drained.
However, a faint smile began to form at the corner of his mouth.
Finally, when the twenty-fourth letter took shape, Lynn completed the entire meditation.
At that moment, Lynn couldn't hold back anymore and let out a laugh, startling the Earth Rhinoceros Beast that had been dozing beside him. The beast looked at its master, confused.
Not only had Lynn successfully meditated on all twenty-four letters, but he also felt that his mental power still had some reserves. Perhaps he could even meditate on one or two more letters.
Without a doubt, Lynn's mental power had reached the standard of a First-Level Apprentice Wizard!
"It must be because of my transmigration…"
Lynn fell into thought.
He recalled the Furnace's initial screening. At that time, his "former self" had no special qualities he merely possessed the potential to become a wizard.
If he had already possessed the mental power of a First-Level Apprentice Wizard back then, he would have undoubtedly drawn special attention from the Furnace.
"Could it be that my soul devoured the former soul… and that's why I gained such strong mental power?"
Lynn speculated in his heart.
But no matter what, this was undoubtedly a fortunate turn of events for him.
The "legacy" of his former self had allowed him to skip the initial stages and become a true First-Level Apprentice Wizard!
While Lynn was engrossed in his meditation and studies, the atmosphere in the central area of the beast arena was completely different.
A few figures had gathered together. They were noticeably taller and more robust than the other youths, clearly coming from extraordinary backgrounds.
Although all the examinees had passed the Furnace's initial screening, their backgrounds varied greatly.
These tall youths were clearly from noble families.
One of them, a blond-haired youth, looked relaxed as if he had some insider knowledge about the Furnace's operations. He smiled faintly, but his tone carried a hint of coldness:
"The Furnace hasn't gone to war in over ten years. The resources for wizards are already stretched thin. This year's death quota for the examination is set quite high."
Another youth snorted coldly, his voice icy:
"This year, only ten apprentice wizards will be accepted. Seven were already admitted in the first half of the year, leaving only three spots. Our group is here to compete for those three spots."
A third youth leaned lazily against a large rock, arms crossed, his eyes filled with mockery as he spoke in a disdainful tone:
"It's just our luck that this year's examination task involves raising Earth Rhinoceros Beasts. It's going to take time, and the final three spots will be decided based on rankings."
"If it were last year's examination task, we wouldn't have to go through all this trouble…"
Another youth sneered, his eyes filled with contempt.
The blond-haired youth narrowed his eyes, a cold smile spreading across his face as he let his killing intent show:
"I don't want to waste time. Instead of waiting through several rounds of evaluations to determine the final spots, it's easier to just kill the others. In ten days, the three of us will enter the inner Furnace together!"
The three of them exchanged glances, then burst into low, sinister laughter.