Chapter 2: The Elusive Legends

Chapter 2: The Elusive Legends

Every introductory tome is, in essence, a meditation technique.

The Star Ring Meditation Technique, which is the one that activates Su Nan's mental powers, is part of the enlightenment scripture he possesses.

The core of this technique is to construct a star ring within your mind.

Each time you successfully create a star ring, your mental power significantly increases.

According to the scripture, if you manage to construct three star rings and reach a mental power of 12, you can advance to the rank of a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice.

As Su Nan closed his eyes, his vision plunged into darkness, his consciousness sinking like a stone into a tranquil lake, gradually reaching the silent lake bottom.

A brilliant starlight slowly emerged from the darkness, growing and forming a locked ring.

However, most of this ring appeared ethereal, with only about one-tenth of it being solid.

During his meditation, light points continuously flashed around Su Nan, merging into his body and gradually filling the ethereal parts of the star ring.

After an unknown amount of time, Su Nan abruptly opened his eyes, waking up.

Checking his pocket watch, he saw that nearly two hours had passed.

On his status panel, the Star Ring Meditation Technique had gained 5 points in proficiency, and his mental power had increased by 0.01.

"The same two hours of meditation, but the gains are about two and a half times what I usually get."

"This is the benefit of increased mental activity."

A smile spread across Su Nan's face.

Just then, footsteps sounded from outside the door, followed by a knock.

"Master Su Nan, Lord Koy has returned and requests your presence at the training ground."

Su Nan came to his senses and replied calmly, "I understand."

Blackstone City was built on a mountain.

To defend against the Black-Scaled Lizards, the city walls were constructed to be exceptionally tall, with numerous towers surrounding them.

From a distance, the city resembled a fierce beast crouching in the forest.

At the heart of the city stood a sprawling inner fortress.

Unlike the crucial city walls, the inner fortress had not been repaired in years and looked somewhat dilapidated.

The only area that remained well-maintained was the training ground, which had recently been expanded, showcasing the owner's dedication to martial arts.

Su Nan entered the training ground and immediately saw his older brother, Koy, standing at the edge of the field, flanked by seven or eight armored, robust men.

These men were the only knights left in Blackstone City, the last remaining loyal forces of their father, Baron Yanest of the Flashing family.

"Formal knights have a constitution of 8 or higher, and advanced knights like my brother can reach 14 or more."

"Compared to these superhuman beings, my body is pitifully weak."

Looking at his own constitution of 0.7, which was even lower than that of an average person, Su Nan couldn't help but sigh.

His predecessor had been born with congenital weaknesses, and despite practicing breathing techniques, he made almost no progress and was far from being knight material.

Throughout his life, he had lived in the shadow of his older brother, Koy, feeling deep resentment despite not showing it outwardly.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have placed his hopes on the elusive legends of wizards, only to lose his life in the process.

While this continent still had many wizard scriptures, ordinary people couldn't understand the text, so these books were often treated as valuable antiques.

Wizards had become legendary figures, mostly appearing in ancient tales.

"Brother." Su Nan called out.

Koy turned around, a smile appearing on his chiseled face as he looked at his younger brother.

"You came just in time. I've brought what you wanted."

The knights around them bowed to Su Nan.

Su Nan's gaze shifted to a nearby cart.

On it lay over a dozen corpses.

These bodies were covered in black scales, with hands like eagle claws, protruding snouts, and mouths filled with sharp fangs.

Even in death, they exuded a fierce and brutal aura.

They were the Blackstone City's archenemies—the Black-Scaled Lizards!

These subhuman creatures lived in the wilderness dozens of kilometers away.

They did not engage in production but only knew how to plunder, raiding and killing in the villages around Blackstone City every year, making them universally despised.

The Blackstone City Guard often mobilized to deal with these bandits.

"Brother, could you please send someone to move these to my laboratory?"

"Of course."

Koy summoned a soldier and gave the order, then turned to Su Nan, hesitating for a moment before asking, "Can you really find a way to boost our army's strength just from these Black-Scaled Lizard corpses?"

Su Nan smiled and said, "If I told you now, you wouldn't believe me. Just wait until I show you the results with your own eyes, and then you won't have any doubts."

Koy sighed, "I'm not doubting you, but the legends of wizards are so vague and unverified. I just don't have a solid feeling about it."

Su Nan laughed, "It's just a dozen or so Black-Scaled Lizard corpses. Losing them wouldn't be a big deal."

Koy nodded and didn't say more.

Six months ago, their father died unexpectedly on the battlefield, the cause of his death shrouded in mystery. Their uncle, Owen Yanest, with the support of the Duke of Gold Rock, seized the opportunity to take over the title of Baron Flash and most of the Flash territory.

If it weren't for the fear of looking too greedy and the ambiguous stance of the other three barons in the Flash territory, Owen would have already killed them both, rather than finding an excuse to exile them to Blackstone City.

Even so, the threat from Owen loomed over them like the sword of Damocles, ready to strike at any moment and end their lives.

To counter this, Koy trained relentlessly, doing everything he could to strengthen Blackstone City's forces. He even harbored a glimmer of hope in the so-called wizard methods, despite his deep skepticism.

Hearing their conversation, many of the knights around them wore unconvinced expressions. They didn't believe that the Black-Scaled Lizards could provide anything to make them stronger. In the past, many had tried eating lizard meat, but it didn't make them any stronger and was quite unpalatable.

Noticing the knights' reactions, Su Nan sighed inwardly. The people of this world had no idea how powerful wizards truly were. Knights and wizards were like martial artists and cultivators—there was no comparison.

Even the most elite legendary knights of the Starlight Principality were mere ants in the presence of a true wizard, easily crushed at a whim.

Shaking his head, Su Nan had no intention of explaining further. He exchanged a few words with Koy and then left the training ground.

Back at his residence, Su Nan went straight to the basement. This was the laboratory he had set up specifically for biological modification research. The large collection of books left by his predecessor included enlightenment texts and a few spell model books, but the majority were related to biological modification and potion making.

Books like Biology, Mutation Studies, Bloodline Extraction, Anatomy, Neurology, Fundamentals of Potions, and Cultivation of Magic Plants had been crucial in helping Su Nan master the skill of potion making. He had also made significant progress in the skill of biological modification, reaching over 50%.

He estimated that he would complete it in another one or two months.

"However, to master other skills or spells, I'll need to collect more wizard texts."

This was one of the reasons Su Nan had made such bold claims to his brother. Only by making others realize the power of wizard methods would they be more willing to help collect resources. Otherwise, even if Koy continued to support him out of brotherly loyalty, his knights would grumble and work half-heartedly.

For the past two months, Su Nan had been busy with this. Mastering potion making was part of his preparation for the next phase.

Glancing at the dozen or so lizard corpses piled in the corner, he took a Comprehensive Guide to Zeroth-Level Potions from the shelf and flipped to page 284. The page was filled with dense text and intricate diagrams. At the top, in bold black letters, it read:

Dragon Blood Potion!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end