The Illusory Legend

Every enlightenment book is actually a form of meditation technique.

The Star Ring Meditation Technique is the meditation technique attached to the enlightenment book that activates Su Nan’s spiritual power. The core is to construct a star ring in the mind. With each star ring constructed, spiritual power increases significantly. According to the enlightenment book, as long as you successfully construct three star rings and your spiritual power reaches 12 points, you can advance to a second-level wizard apprentice.

As Su Nan closes his eyes, his vision plunges into darkness, his consciousness sinking like a stone into the serene, silent lake bed.

A gleaming starlight slowly emerges from the darkness, gradually forming a lock ring. However, most of this lock ring presents an illusory texture, with only about one-tenth of it being substantial. During meditation, dots of light continuously flash around Su Nan, merging into his body, gradually filling the illusory parts of the star ring.

Unaware of how much time passed, Su Nan suddenly opened his eyes and awoke.

Taking out his pocket watch, he sees that nearly two hours have elapsed. On the panel, the Star Ring Meditation Technique proficiency increased by 5 points, and spiritual power also increased by 0.01.

“The same two hours of meditation yield results about two and a half times my usual,”

“This is the benefit of increased mental activity.” Su Nan’s face breaks into a smile.

At this moment, footsteps suddenly come from outside the door, followed by a knock.

“Young Master Su Nan, Lord Ke Yi has returned and asked you to go to the martial training ground.”

Su Nan came back to reality, lightly said: “I know.”

Blackstone City is built by the mountains.

To prevent the intrusion of the Black-scaled Lizardmen, the city walls are built extraordinarily high, with towers densely lining the perimeter. From a distance, it resembles a beast lying in the mountains and forests.

At the heart of the city stands a vast inner castle. Unlike the crucial city walls, the inner castle has not been repaired for many years and appears somewhat dilapidated. The martial training ground alone is flat and spacious, showing signs of recent expansion, reflecting the owner’s martial ambitions.

Su Nan walks into the martial training ground and sees Brother Ke Yi standing at the edge of the field, accompanied by seven or eight armored and robust men. These men are Blackstone City’s only knightly force, the last bit of loyalty to the Shining Family left by their father, Baron Anes-t.

“A formal knight’s constitution is over 8, and a senior knight like Brother’s can even reach over 14.”

“Compared to these inhuman entities, my body is pathetically weak.”

Looking at his own constitution, which stands at a mere 0.7, inferior even to ordinary people, Su Nan can’t help but sigh inwardly.

His predecessor was congenitally deficient, weak from childhood, and although he practiced breathing exercises, he made almost no progress, and was completely unsuited to become a knight.

He had lived his entire life in the shadow of Brother Ke Yi’s glory, never expressing it outwardly, but inwardly extremely unwilling.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have pinned his hopes on the elusive mystic legend of wizards, resulting in the loss of his own life.

Though many wizard books remain on this continent, ordinary people can’t comprehend the words written within, and thus more often cherish them as collectible antiques.

Wizards have become legendary figures, most often only appearing in ancient legends.

“Brother.” Su Nan called out.

Ke Yi turned around and looked at his younger brother, a slight smile breaking on his sculpture-like rugged face.

“Just in time, I brought what you asked for.”

The surrounding knights bowed to Su Nan.

Su Nan’s gaze turned to the side of the cart. It was laden with over a dozen corpses. The bodies were covered in black scales, with talon-like hands, protruding mouths, and sharp, fang-like teeth. Even in death, they exude a fierce and formidable aura.
It’s the mortal enemy of Blackstone City—the Black-scaled Lizardmen!

These semi-humanoid creatures reside in the wilderness dozens of kilometers away. They don’t engage in production, only knowing how to pillage. Every year, they invade villages around Blackstone City, plundering and killing, arousing deep hatred.

Every time the city’s garrison is dispatched, it’s mostly to deal with these bandits.

“Could you trouble Brother to have someone move these things to my laboratory?”

“No problem.”

Brother Ke Yi summoned a soldier and ordered him, then turned to look at Su Nan, hesitated, and couldn’t help but ask:

“Can you really find a way to enhance the army’s combat power with just the corpses of these Black-scaled Lizardmen?”

Su Nan smiled slightly and said, “If I said it now, Brother wouldn’t believe me. Better wait until I produce results; only then will you see it and not doubt.”

Ke Yi sighed, “I’m not doubting you, it’s just that the legend of sorcerers is elusive, true or false remains undetermined, so I don’t feel secure.”

Su Nan laughed, “Anyway, they’re just a dozen corpses of Black-scaled Lizardmen. If they’re wasted, I won’t feel heartbroken.”

Ke Yi nodded without saying more.

Half a year ago, their father unexpectedly died on the battlefield under mysterious circumstances. Uncle Owen Anes-t, under the marquis of Golden Rock’s support, seized the title of Shining Baron and took over most of the Shining Lands.

If not for fear of appearing too ruthless, combined with the ambiguous stance of the other three nobles of the Shining Lands, Owen would have probably eliminated the brothers long ago instead of finding an excuse to subtly exile them to Blackstone City.

Even so, the threat from Owen remains a sword of Damocles, hanging over their heads at all times. Who knows when it might fall and take their lives.

For this reason, Ke Yi has been training desperately, trying every method to strengthen Blackstone City, even holding a glimmer of hope for the so-called sorcerer methods, though deep down he is not optimistic about it.

Listening to the conversation between the brothers, many knights around showed expressions of disbelief. They didn’t believe that anything from the Black-scaled Lizardmen could make them stronger.

It’s not like no one tried Lizardman meat before; they didn’t seem to get stronger after eating it, and the meat was quite unpalatable.

Watching the change in expressions around him, Su Nan secretly sighed. People in this world have no idea how powerful sorcerers can be.

Knights and sorcerers are like martial training and cultivation—completely incomparable.

Even the top legendary knights of the Duchy of Starlit Stars are merely slightly larger ants in the face of a formal sorcerer, easily extinguished with a backhand.

Shaking his head, Su Nan had no plans to explain, exchanged a few words with Ke Yi, then turned and left the martial arts training ground.

Returning to his residence, Su Nan went straight to the basement. Here, he had cleared a space specifically for conducting biological modification research in his laboratory.

Among the stack of books left by his predecessor, apart from introductory books and some spell model books, all the others are related to biological modification and potion making.

Including 《Biology》, 《Mutationology》, 《Bloodline Extraction》, 《Anatomy》, 《Neurology》, 《Basics of Potionology》, 《Magic Plant Cultivation》.

Relying on these books, along with some practical work, Su Nan smoothly maxed out his potion making learning progress, successfully mastering this skill.

Furthermore, the learning progress of another skill, ‘Biological Modification,’ has also exceeded 50%.

It seems like in one or two months, it can be maxed out as well.

“However, to master other skills or spells, I still need to collect more sorcerer classics.”

This is one of the reasons Su Nan boasted in front of his brother.

Only by letting others realize the power of sorcerer techniques would they be more devoted to helping collect various resources.

Otherwise, even if his brother continues to spend a lot of manpower and resources to help collect resources for the sake of brotherly love, his knights would complain, being unwilling to work.

For more than two months, Su Nan has been busy with this matter. Making every effort to master potion making is also to prepare for the upcoming action.

Looking at the more than a dozen Lizardman corpses piled in the corner, he took a 《Zero Level Potion Compendium》 from the shelf, and turned to page 284.

The pages were filled with dense words and complex patterns. At the top, in bold black characters, it read: Dragon Blood Potion!