Chapter 341: King of the Caucasus
"Yeah, just complete it..."
"That's impossible!" Ross Merlin nearly jumped up in shock.
Ross Merlin is currently practicing the first stage of the Elemental Tide, so of course he knows what level of Meditation Codex it is. To put it mildly, if the Elemental Tide were ever completed, it would contain at least thirteen formulas. Across the entire Northend World, it would rank among the top-tier Meditation Codices. In Auckland, it would utterly crush the core Meditation Codices of any faction—including Cloudspire Tower, Black Tower, Auckland Academy, and so on. No faction's core Meditation Codex comes close to thirteen formulas; that's already beyond Auckland's level entirely.
Even the Blackhorn Consortium, a first-rate power in the Northend World, likely doesn't possess a core Meditation Codex with thirteen formulas.
A Meditation Codex of this caliber is worth more than its weight in gold. Any faction that acquired it would guard it as their greatest secret. If it ever leaked, it could spark a war that would sweep up millions and leave rivers of blood. Even someone as powerful as Joey would fight over it.
That's right—Ross Merlin now knows his distant cousin is far from simple. The more he interacts with him, the more unfathomable he seems. Just standing before him, Ross Merlin feels a heavy pressure, because you can never predict what astonishing move he'll make next.
Just like in that previous battle...
At the start, Ross Merlin couldn't have imagined it would end like this, not even in his wildest dreams.
Two Ninth-Rank Phantom Archers died. One Fifth-Rank Magus died. Hanson Charlotte, who had transformed into a monster with the power of both Sword Saint and Title Archmage, also died. And in the end, the only one left standing was his distant cousin, who single-handedly killed four terrifying beings whose ranks far surpassed his own.
Wealth, power—everything about him terrifies Ross Merlin...
But...
No matter how terrifying he is, Ross Merlin still can't believe he could complete the Elemental Tide.
It's just too unbelievable. For a Meditation Codex like the Elemental Tide, even a Sky Rank powerhouse might not be able to complete it. Marfa, my cousin, is barely in his twenties—no matter how terrifying or unfathomable he is, he can't possibly be more powerful than a Sky Rank mage, right?
"You don't believe me?"
"It's not that I don't believe you, but... William, this is just... too... too... too..." Ross Merlin stammered, repeating the word 'too' several times.
He kept saying 'too,' but couldn't quite explain what he meant.
"I knew you wouldn't believe me..." William Merlin smiled, reached out his hand, and conjured a ball of flame: "Do you know what this is?"
"This..." Ross Merlin stared at the flame, puzzled. It wasn't fierce, nor was it scorching hot, but its purity was almost frightening—utterly free of any impurities, as if it were condensed entirely from fire-elemental magic itself.
Thinking of this, Ross Merlin ventured a guess: "Is this your Meditation Codex?"
"That's right. This is Bloodstone—a Meditation Codex with nine formulas."
"Nine formulas!" Ross Merlin exclaimed, finally understanding...
No wonder William Merlin's progress has been so astonishing these past six months. He was only a Grand Mage before, but now he's reached the rank of Archmage, and his combat power doesn't lag behind mine at all—he even beat me in a direct fight once.
I've been puzzling over what William Merlin went through in these six months to improve so dramatically...
Now I get it. I get it...
It was all because of Bloodstone.
A Meditation Codex with nine formulas surpasses every codex in the Merlin Family—even my first-stage Elemental Tide.
The first stage of Elemental Tide only has eight formulas, but William Merlin's Bloodstone has nine...
Thinking about this, Ross Merlin was suddenly shocked: "Are you saying your Bloodstone was completed by Marfa—by our cousin Marfa?"
"No..." William Merlin shook his head.
Just as Ross Merlin let out a sigh of relief, thinking he had guessed wrong, William Merlin suddenly added, "This Bloodstone Codex was taught to me by cousin Marfa—he had me use it to improve my Arcane Sigils. But the true Meditation Codex I am meant to learn is one with thirteen formulas... Yes, that's right, don't look at me like that. You heard me—the thirteen-formula Meditation Codex was also taught to me by cousin Marfa..."
"My god..." Ross Merlin drew in a sharp breath.
"Now you understand what cousin Marfa meant by all that, don't you?"
...
"To be honest, Ross, cousin Marfa is at least a hundred times scarier than you imagine. Have you heard of Sylas West from Mercury Tower? The new Title Archmage in Auckland? He wouldn't even dare raise his voice in front of cousin Marfa. Or Caron, the future master of Mercury Tower—he's always respectful to cousin Marfa. Ask around: has Caron ever been polite to Hoffland, our patriarch? And don't think Seaview City is just some backwater with no heavy hitters. Cousin Marfa is far more terrifying than you can possibly imagine..."
………………
Ross Merlin and William Merlin talked long into the night. By morning, Ross was itching to find cousin Marfa and beg him to help complete the second and third stages of Elemental Tide. But just as he was about to knock on the door, William Merlin stopped him.
"Did you forget what cousin Marfa told you yesterday? He said to use these few days to properly sort out the first stage of Elemental Tide. What's the rush?"
"But I..."
"All right, enough with the buts. I spent half a year in Seaview City and learned one thing. Want to know what it is?"
"What is it?"
"That lesson is: whatever cousin Marfa tells you to do, you’d best do it exactly as he says. Otherwise, you’ll regret it in the end..."
...
Lin Yun left the Merlin family estate at noon, taking only William Merlin with him. Ross Merlin was left behind, mainly because Lin Yun wanted Ross to organize his understanding of the first stage of Elemental Tide.
There was no other way. Lin Yun simply couldn’t remember the complete Elemental Tide. Back in that vast, decaying library, he could find the Meditation Codex for Elemental Tide, but at the time, the thirteen-formula Meditation Codex was little more than a curiosity to him...
The greatest effect of Elemental Tide is to expand the mana vortex. When mastered, it can increase the vortex a hundredfold or more. At that point, the amount of mana it can contain is truly limitless. If you add the Endless Spring, or even its advanced form, the Sea of Mana, then a mage could truly become a perpetual motion machine...
But here’s the problem...
At that time, Lin Yun’s environment was the Northend World on the verge of destruction. The mana between heaven and earth had long since dried up. What use is a hundredfold mana vortex from Elemental Tide? There was nowhere to draw power from. Even if you meditated to death, you'd never fill that vast vortex.
So Lin Yun couldn’t teach Ross Merlin the entire Elemental Tide as he had instructed William Merlin.
Lin Yun could only have Ross Merlin organize the first stage of the Meditation Codex, then build on that foundation to complete and deduce the second and third stages.
"By the way, cousin, you said the place that map leads to is really dangerous, right..." The two of them sat in the carriage. William Merlin hesitated for a long time before finally speaking up.
"Yes, it's extremely dangerous..." Lin Yun nodded, a helpless smile on his face. "But there's no choice. I have to go..."
"Huh?"
"It's time for me to choose my own Meditation Codex..." Lin Yun smiled and said no more.
Previously, because Lin Yun's Arcane Gear was so unique, he had never chosen a specialized Meditation Codex. But now, there was no more time to wait. His ten Arcane Gear units had merged into one. If he didn’t choose a specialization soon, his magical path might be left with hidden dangers.
In fact, Lin Yun had already put this on the agenda long ago. Before heading to Auckland, he had started picking from the many Meditation Codices he knew.
And the ones Lin Yun considered weren’t just eleven, twelve, or even thirteen-formula Meditation Codices. The ones that caught his eye had at least fourteen formulas. This level of codex was among the very best in the Northend World—each one was profound, each one powerful. Lin Yun spent a long time weighing his options, unable to make up his mind.
Until today...
From Ross Merlin, Lin Yun learned about the existence of the Sea of Mana and Elemental Tide. Suddenly, he realized he might have a chance to try something entirely new...
No, no, no—it’s not the Sea of Mana and Elemental Tide...
Sea of Mana, as an Arcane Sigil, can’t compare to Arcane Gear. Elemental Tide is impressive, but it’s just a thirteen-formula codex.
But behind the Sea of Mana and Elemental Tide lies a legendary Heavenly Tier powerhouse whose name echoes through history...
In the mid-third dynasty, the Caucasus region saw the rise of a Heavenly Tier powerhouse who shook the Northend World—Jason Vagran, King of the Caucasus, the famous Prince Vagran. He was both lifelong friend and rival to the Long-Legged Majesty. In his youth, King of the Caucasus studied at Auckland Academy, where he was a classmate of the Long-Legged Majesty. Later, he returned to the Caucasus and declared independence, plunging the empire into thirty years of war.
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