After living on the South Coast for so many years, Leilin had gained a basic understanding of the region.
Geographically speaking, although it was called the "Coast," the South Coast was actually an enormous continent that encompassed mountains, swamps, plains, snowfields, and many other complex terrains. There were also hidden and dangerous ruin zones that even officially ranked Wizards dared not explore.
The most numerous inhabitants of this continent were its indigenous people—ordinary humans numbering roughly one hundred million, divided into hundreds of principalities and duchies large and small.
Behind these principalities stood Black Wizards and White Wizards pulling the strings.
The ruling grand dukes and nobles were, in truth, the blood descendants of numerous officially ranked Wizards!
Periodically, the major
Although these academies also accepted a certain number of commoner apprentices, the proportion was extremely low—only those with truly outstanding talent would catch their eye, and even then, personal safety was rarely guaranteed.
Some White Wizard academies would not accept commoner apprentices at all. Only the Black Wizards were willing to do so!
Yet despite such a vast population base, the probability of a commoner possessing soul talent was still far too small.
Perhaps one in several thousand, or even one in ten thousand commoners, would luckily produce a single case of someone with Wizard talent capable of becoming an apprentice.
And even then, the talent was usually mediocre. Third-tier, or even fourth-tier or fifth-tier talent, truly came down to nothing but luck.
As a result, many academies and schools were destroyed not by enemy invasion, but by the inability to find suitable successors, causing their strength to gradually wither away until they perished.
Both Black and White Wizards had their own territorial divisions, and recruiting apprentices across boundaries was absolutely forbidden. Due to differences in philosophy and management, the population and prosperity under Black Wizard control fell far short of that under the White Wizards.
Thus, recruiting apprentices from territories outside their own became a supplementary means for Black Wizard organizations to replenish their ranks.
Black Bone Forest Academy was precisely such a Black Wizard organization. Every year, it expelled more apprentices than it admitted, and since it could not snatch students from White Wizard territories, it turned its attention to the Keli Archipelago when it faced a shortage of recruits.
Despite all these measures, the total number of officially ranked Wizards across the entire South Coast remained small.
Furthermore, the difficulty of advancing in rank increased progressively.
Those with first-tier or second-tier soul talent would likely never advance in their entire lives—Third-rank Apprentice was their ceiling.
The advancement to officially ranked Wizard was even more grueling, and with the pathways to promotion monopolized, commoner-origin apprentices had never even heard of advanced Meditation Methods. Even if they managed to advance through sheer luck, they remained among the most mediocre and ordinary.
Second-rank Wizards were even rarer. Even if every Second-rank Wizard across the entire South Coast were counted, the total would not reach one hundred!
It was precisely for this reason that when the White Wizard Alliance lost four Second-rank Wizards in succession, their overall strength suffered a devastating blow, stirring the Black Wizards to action.
If Second-rank Wizards were the true elite—overlords and heroes who held dominion over their territories—then Third-rank Wizards were the true masters of the South Coast!
According to Leilin's knowledge, in the modern era when Fourth-rank Dawn Star Wizards had all but vanished, Third-rank Wizards were the real rulers of the South Coast!
Moreover, even counting all Third-rank Wizards with documented accomplishments, the total would not exceed ten! Each one was a supreme leader with the power of a top-tier Wizard like the lighthouse of the Dark Night!
From the descriptions in the Eye of Comion and the Book of the Giant Serpent, after advancing to the Third-rank, Wizards would often awaken many extraordinary abilities, and the gap between them and Second-rank Wizards was as vast as heaven and earth.
Under the pursuit of a Third-rank Wizard, no matter what arrangements the Second-rank Wizard Elist had made, he would have no place to hide.
"That Elist was very likely being hunted by a Third-rank Wizard! And he fled all the way here!"
Leilin felt he had guessed the truth.
"That shady shop actually dared to feed me false information. If I ever see them again..."
As for the shady shop and the
And he was quite interested in that exchange meeting.
"The exchange meeting hosted by the Iron Crown? I suppose I really should take a look..."
Leilin pondered, then turned into an alley.
Immediately afterward, a silver-haired old man emerged and quickly disappeared into the market...
...
Three days later.
Near a cliff not far from the Thorn Iron Gate.
Tall black cliffs pierced the sky, and suspended halfway up was a small platform formed by a protruding boulder. There was some soil on the rock's surface, overgrown with weeds and unknown vines and flower buds.
Whoosh!
A streak of black light shot in from the distant horizon, striking directly onto the platform.
Boom! The earth caved in, forming a deep crater, revealing a burly middle-aged man who was, of course, Leilin in disguise.
"According to the card's guidance, this should be the place!"
The man produced a black card and approached the rock face. Several layers of ordinary Wizard concealment were naturally seen through at a glance. The man sneered and directed spiritual energy fluctuations straight at the cliff wall.
Pop! Pop!
The rock wall immediately parted like water, revealing two Wizards in uniform, with iron badges pinned to their chests.
The moment these two Wizards saw Leilin, they bowed respectfully and said, "Are you Lord Black Snake? We are the Iron Crown's Black Iron Guard! We were sent here specifically to await your arrival!"
After seeing the card Leilin produced, the two Wizards bowed even more respectfully. "Please follow us!"
They then led the way into the illusory Magical Array, and the expressionless man followed behind.
Inside the array was a descending stairway corridor. After walking for several hundred meters, the man was respectfully ushered into a lavishly decorated private room.
After dismissing the attendants, the man looked around the room.
Before him was an enormous crystal window, through which he could clearly see the vast circular audience seating and elevated stage below.
Some seats in the audience already held Wizards, their energy fluctuations extremely subtle—yet under the man's gaze, not one went undetected. At a minimum, they all possessed the strength of peak First-rank Wizards on the verge of breaking through!
Thinking of the many branching corridors and the large number of Wizards he had seen along the way, the man couldn't help but sigh: "To have carved out a separate通道 for us Second-rank Wizards—the Iron Crown really has put thought into this!"
This burly man was, of course, Leilin in disguise.
After receiving the invitation, Leilin had lost interest in browsing the Thorn Iron Gate. He casually found a cave outside, and each day he practiced his advanced Meditation Method, quietly waiting for the exchange meeting to arrive.
For Wizards, meditation was a daily essential, and Leilin was no exception.
The Eye of Comion was a Meditation Method perfectly suited to him. After each session of meditation, he could feel his strength advancing bit by bit—and this rate of progress was nothing short of astonishing!
By Leilin's estimation, his speed of advancement far surpassed that of any Second-rank Wizard who possessed an advanced Meditation Method, by an immeasurable degree!
The Chip had already analyzed the reason: it was the effect of the Comion Giant Serpent bloodline!
After the heart transformation was complete, Leilin had fully merged with this bloodline. The mysterious power contained within the bloodline had begun to activate under the Eye of Comion's influence, constantly strengthening Leilin's power.
Every advanced Meditation Method had its own unique characteristics. As a Wizard delved deeper into practice, it could even enhance specific aspects of the practitioner—boosting elemental resistance in a single element, or even generating extraordinary skills!
In Leilin's view, the Eye of Comion as an advanced Meditation Method was one that continuously transformed the practitioner's body, gradually aligning the Wizard's constitution closer to that of the ancient Comion Giant Serpent as practice deepened and rank increased.
As for the incomplete Holy Light Candlelight, it cultivated a special form of spiritual power. This spiritual power had no other particular use, but it could extend into the continental collective consciousness, extracting useful fragments from the vast stream of historical information and granting certain premonitions.
However, this ability carried strong uncertainty—sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't—and the Meditation Method itself was severely incomplete, which Leilin found regrettable.
Behind the crystal glass shield sat a comfortable white leather sofa-style chair, and beside it was a communication device inscribed with magical runes.
Leilin sat down quietly. A wisp of pale silver spiritual power instantly connected with the device, granting him an immediate understanding of its functions.
This communication device was the universal bidding terminal. Wizards could operate it through spiritual power to conduct various transactions, while also avoiding recognition by acquaintances.
After all, the South Coast was only so large, and many Second-rank Wizards bore grudges against one another. If a confrontation broke out, even the Iron Crown would have a massive headache on its hands.
Therefore, they dared not hold the exchange meeting at their headquarters, instead carving out this underground space in the outskirts as a trading venue.
For Second-rank Wizards, the Iron Crown was especially attentive. On the small table beside the sofa, they had arranged various refreshments and fruits—some even had the effect of enhancing spiritual power and meditation efficiency, their value enough to make ordinary officially ranked Wizards fight over them. Yet here they sat, quietly displayed for Leilin to take as he pleased.
"Iron Leaf Fruit!" Leilin casually picked up an apple with a metallic sheen on its surface and took a bite.
The Iron Leaf Fruit was a specialty of a secret realm controlled by the Iron Crown. It had the effects of condensing spiritual power and amplifying meditation efficiency, and was highly sought after by many officially ranked Wizards—but Leilin felt no effect whatsoever.
After advancing to Second-rank Warlock, many of the resources effective for First-rank Wizards had lost their potency for him. These Iron Crown specialties now served only to satisfy his palate.