In a three-story tower, on the second floor, there was a meditation room.
Ivan summoned Locke, and Jennie followed as well.
“Boss, are you ready to fully receive the Black Beard Chapter now?” Locke understood his intent.
“That’s right, you both have that peculiar restraining power inside you. We can’t delay dealing with the Black Beard Chapter any longer,” Ivan nodded slightly.
Given the terror of the alien world lord, he had not dared to act rashly before he reached Enkate City, and had never asked Locke for the full version of the Black Beard Chapter.
“That’s great, I also want to get rid of this disgusting power soon. Having this power inside makes me feel somewhat uneasy,” Locke said, clearly pleased.
“Sorcerer Ivan, I have some of your spoils of war here; do you need them?” Jennie suddenly interjected.
Caught between their curious gazes, she took out a section of something jet-black and made it hover mid-air.
Seeing this, Locke’s pupils shrank, and he stepped back several times in fright.
“Are you—you’re crazy for picking this thing up; aren’t you afraid they’ll suddenly come knocking on your door?” Locke pointed tremblingly at the jet-black section.
Ivan didn’t react as strongly, but his gaze towards the object was also filled with caution and dread.
The reason for such reactions was the peculiar nature of the object Jennie had produced.
A palm-sized black beard.
Impressive to those who had seen it and heard of it.
“It was already severely damaged. I’ve used the power of the earth to seal it. Sorcerer Ivan, you wanted to study the Black Beard Chapter, and there’s no better material than this,” Jennie explained calmly.
“This still seems a bit improper,” Locke hesitated.
“No worries, I trust Jennie’s judgment,” Ivan waved his hand, agreeing with Jennie’s suggestion as this black beard originated from the alien world lord and would be beneficial for studying the Black Beard Chapter.
Taking such a risk seemed trivial to him; it was an unexpected boon.
Then, he shared the full version of the Black Beard Chapter from Locke: Insect Language Breath, Flower Breath, Candle Sun Breath, Spring Breath, King Insect Breath.
Compared to the Black Beard Chapter from Mongna Ant Land Cottage, the full version was clearer, more detailed, and more directional.
It wasn’t hard for Ivan to discern that this Meditation Method was created to worship that alien world lord. In the end, one would either become the insect slave or sustenance for the other party.
“Regarding the malice contained in the Meditation Methods, the Black Beard Chapter and the String Control Sacred Heart are equally matched,” he sighed with a bitter smile.
In fact, there was a fundamental reason for such a situation, which rooted in the entire sorcerer world. The rise of sorcerers was recent, and their inadequate heritage led to this.
Without sufficient heritage, these malevolent Meditation Methods flourished.
“Hah? None can be practiced?” Locke said disappointedly.
“Of course not, this Black Beard Chapter has come at just the right time,” Ivan was not disappointed, on the contrary, he was quite satisfied.
Given the situation in the sorcerer world, you either had no profound Meditation Methods to practice, or you accepted the evil-intended Meditation Methods and blazed a magnificent path through them.
His choice was of course the latter.
“The new meditation method I had previously deduced was too biased towards String Control Sacred Heart, and it felt somewhat top-heavy,” Ivan thought to himself. “Now that I have the complete Black Beard Chapter and this section of a black beard, I can finally balance that aspect.”
“Not only the various meditation methods, but also the metamorphic memories of the Black Scythe Lord, Black Magic Wind Fire Array, Ant King Rebirth Cocoon Array, and knowledge of the Ant Beings Sacred Altar can all be combined to deduce the meditation method that best suits me.”
As he delved deeper into his thoughts, Ivan’s expression gradually became solemn.
Remembering the Level 4 creatures he had encountered in recent years, such as the terrifying spiritual bodies, Black Scythe Lord, and Black Beard Lord, Ivan felt both helpless and a flame ignited within him.
This flame was the uncontrollable ambition that had grown out of enduring hardships.
His ambition lay in deducing the meditation method. In this deduction, Ivan not only wanted to obtain a new meditation method that would allow him to cultivate to Level 3 Sorcerer, but also to take into account the advancement to Level 4, to lay the foundation for becoming a Level 4 Sorcerer sooner and avoid a prolonged advancement phase later.
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“There’s also the fact that the aura of the Black Beard Chapter probably can’t be completely eliminated, which I have to consider,” he reasoned.
He didn’t expect the Abnormal Creature Monitoring Investigation Institute to completely solve his major problems. Sooner or later, he might have to confront the Black Beard Lord directly, and he had to take this factor into account.
Once Ivan had a clear idea in mind, he tirelessly delved into both the complete Black Beard Chapter and the sealed section of the black beard, occasionally consulting Jenni about Earth-type powers.
[Meditation Skill Experience Point +150]
[Meditation Skill: Lv8 (9/4000)]
A few days later, Meditation Skill, on the verge of leveling up, advanced to an 8th level discipline.
Not long ago, while deducing a new meditation method, the experience points for Meditation Skill had soared, progressing from a 6th level discipline to a 7th, with most of the experience points for the 7th level having been accumulated.
Now, with the complete Black Beard Chapter, he managed to push Meditation Skill to an 8th level discipline and earned a Small Light of Wisdom and a Light of Wisdom.
His Academic Prodigy panel emerged in his eyes, still showing Lights of Wisdom: one at level 8, one at level 11; and Lights of Great Wisdom: one at level 7, two at level 10.
The quantities were significant.
Speaking frankly, deducing a meditation method that suits himself was tremendously challenging; Ivan didn’t even know if it would be enough.
However, he had made up his mind: no matter whether it was enough or not, he would give his all, even if it meant using up all Lights of Wisdom and Lights of Great Wisdom.
That day, the tranquility of the high tower was disrupted by a visitor.
“Ivan, I have to tell you some bad news,” Solomon said, cutting to the chase. It was actually Pidel, Solomon’s Secret Method Body Double, who had come to the tower.
“Have the members of the Black God Society gone into hiding?” Ivan asked.
“Exactly. By the time the Institute’s people arrived, the place was completely empty. The Black God Society, along with what you call the Black God Abyss, had fled, leaving behind only a pile of rubble. Despite our efforts to track them, we were just a step too late; they left no trace,” Solomon said with regret.
A cunning lord from an alien world—if the Institute could apprehend him, they would gain considerable credit.
“Nothing can be done about it; such powerful beings have plenty of methods and means; it’s never easy to capture them,” Ivan said, having anticipated this, and he wasn’t particularly surprised.
“Nevertheless, there is some good news,” Solomon added.
“Let’s hear it,” Ivan responded.
“After our investigation, we confirmed that the fellow must have been badly injured, and might even be dying. His real body is likely in hibernation within some hidden space.”
Hearing this, Ivan nodded in agreement. This indeed was good news.
With the enemy severely injured, he would not be able to act recklessly, making it harder for him to cause trouble in the Danaila World. This undoubtedly gave Ivan the opportunity to grow and strategize.