"Ravings... This is a pleasant surprise." Ron pondered the potential uses of this new ability.
If he could grasp and utilize that special sound wave, it might be of great use in combating Spiritual Element attacks.
His Spiritual Power was also thoroughly purified at this moment, becoming more pure and powerful.
The feeling was akin to a gentle stream suddenly turning into a surging river, the increase in power awe-inspiring, and it carried an unprecedented sense of harmony and stability.
[Spirit: 3.99→4.0]
[Power Level Increased: Intermediate Apprentice→Advanced Apprentice]
Ron let out a long breath, feeling both surprised and relieved.
This peculiar consciousness battle had elevated his Spiritual Power to the 4.0 standard line of an Advanced Apprentice.
"That ’eye’... that ’gaze’..."
Ron recalled that enormous, enigmatic eye filled with doubt, a special feeling rising in his heart.
He vaguely understood that he might have inadvertently attracted the attention of a great being.
And that battle could perhaps have been a trial, or maybe merely an incidental "observation" by that being.
"This is merely a glimpse of the whole..." Ron murmured to himself, filled with awe.
Such a great being, could it be the level that Lady Allen referred to as the "Third Stage?"
If so, his understanding of "truth" likely remained in its infancy.
Ron closed his eyes, feeling the Spiritual Power flowing within him.
This feeling was entirely different now, no longer merely perceiving external energy but actively influencing and altering the energy flow around him.
Spiritual Power circulated within him like a living entity, each flow bringing deeper comprehension and greater Control Power.
"Advanced Apprentice..."
This title not only signifies the enhancement of power but represents a substantial step towards deeper esoteric mysteries.
And this is just the beginning.
Ron gradually withdrew from his meditation state, his consciousness detaching from that starry sky and returning to the physical world.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself still seated cross-legged in the laboratory.
The Array around him remained stably operating, the faint glow from the Magic Crystal Lamp intertwining with the moonlight seeping through the window, creating a tranquil atmosphere.
Glancing at the moon’s position outside, Ron estimated he had been meditating for a full six hours.
Unbeknownst to him, most of the night had already passed.
Yet the gains from these six hours far exceeded those of several weeks of accumulation.
Ron slowly stood, stretching his body, which had stiffened somewhat from maintaining the same posture for so long.
He suddenly recalled Lady Allen’s words:
"Inspiration is both opportunity and danger."
These words now held a unique significance.
Clearly, he might be the most extraordinary among all those practicing this Meditation Technique.
After all, he possessed a soul from the Otherworld, and the inspiration it brought far surpassed that of ordinary people...
Ron walked to the window, gazing at the moonlight and stars outside:
"Since ’true knowledge’ inevitably accompanies ’burden,’ what I must do is continually strengthen myself until I can bear the deepest knowledge."
Ron took a deep breath and closed his eyes, feeling the Spiritual Power surging within him.
At the moment he became an Advanced Apprentice, a fundamental change seemed to have occurred in his connection with this world.
Spiritual Power was no longer passively perceiving external energy but actively influencing and altering the flow of Magic Power around him.
This sensation was akin to a person once locked in a cage observing the world, suddenly obtaining the Key to open the cage.
His thoughts involuntarily returned to Lady Allen’s dark room filled with the scent of herbs.
"Star Eater’s Ravings, fundamentally different from other Gem Level Meditation Techniques."
Lady Allen spoke at that time, gently closing that ancient Scroll, her voice low and mysterious:
"It is not merely a cultivation tool; rather, it is like a bridge connecting mortals to those ancient and great entities. Every wizard truly mastering it has been ’gazed upon’ by ’them.’
"Many ancient texts have recorded that the true wizard’s path is to emulate those great entities, gradually understanding and approaching their essence."
Her emerald green eyes stared straight at Ron, seemingly able to pierce the soul:
"And Star Eater’s Ravings is one of the few Keys able to open that door."
Ron still remembered his query at that time: "So dangers after the first stage not only come from Spiritual Contamination?"
Lady Allen merely smiled mysteriously:
"If an ant suddenly gained the ability to understand human speech, do you think it could bear it? To mortals, the ’gaze’ of those great entities is both supreme honor and an extremely dangerous plight."
This conversation echoed repeatedly in Ron’s mind, intertwining with fragments from a book he once casually browsed in the School Library, "On the Origins of Wizards".
There was a passage in that book that left a deep impression on him:
"The first mystics were those gazed upon by the starry sky.
Therefore, they glimpsed truths incomprehensible to common people and attempted to collect and organize these passively obtained knowledge fragments through specific meditation methods...
Ron still remembered the characteristics described in the book of those ’watched’:
They often experienced a series of bizarre illusions and trials, often related to the stars, the Abyss, and ancient entities.
Those who successfully passed would undergo a qualitative breakthrough, while failures might forever sink into the Abyss of madness.