Chapter 63: Inspiration is a Curse

Luo En didn't deny it: "Yes, Madam. I made my first attempt last night."

"How did it feel?" Lady Ailan's expression was hard to fathom, neither showing joy nor revealing worry, just a purely professional inquiry.

"Very shocking." Luo En weighed his words, "I saw the stars, heard strange whispers, and even saw some difficult-to-describe terrifying scenes—some existence was devouring stars and galaxies."

Hearing these descriptions, the old witch's expression changed slightly, but soon returned to calm.

"So that's it; it seems you indeed have extraordinary inspiration."

She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts: "Most people only see blurry starlight on their first attempt, at most hearing some intermittent whispers. You actually witnessed the scene of that 'Devourer' directly; truly unexpected."

While speaking, Lady Ailan stood up, walked toward him with her cane, and a complex expression appeared on her face:

"Luo En, do you know how long it usually takes to successfully enter the first stage of 'Whispers of the Star Eater'?"

Luo En shook his head; he really didn't know.

"Ordinary apprentices, even the fourth-rank star with the best aptitude, need at least three months to barely build the complete initial rune, and you..."

Her voice carried a hint of doubt: "And you, actually did it on the first night?"

Luo En was shocked in his heart, not expecting his progress to be so abnormal: "Maybe because the foundation I laid before was relatively good?"

"No, it's not just a foundation issue." Lady Ailan shook her head: "This shows that you have an extremely high affinity with 'Whispers of the Star Eater', or even can be said to be a natural affinity..."

She pondered for a moment, seemingly re-evaluating something: "There must be something special about you that I haven't noticed yet. But regardless, this is a good thing."

"Then, about the spiritual pollution during meditation, and the dreams..." Luo En asked tentatively.

"Ah, yes, this question is crucial."

Lady Ailan nodded: "Any advanced meditation method will lead to spiritual pollution to a greater or lesser extent, and 'Whispers of the Star Eater' is even more so. The higher the aptitude and the stronger the inspiration, the greater the impact, because they can perceive more 'Truth' that ordinary people cannot touch."

Her tone became more serious, even carrying a warning:

"In the Wizard World, there is a saying—inspiration is a curse. Because the higher the inspiration, the easier it is to touch certain 'Truths' too early, thereby triggering mental collapse, madness, or even worse. Many good wizard seeds have fallen into the abyss of madness before they could fully grow."

Luo En nodded thoughtfully: "Is this why I heard that some people clearly have extraordinary talent, but choose a slower and more stable path?"

"Exactly." Lady Ailan looked at him approvingly:

"Knowledge itself has no good or evil, but every kind of knowledge has its price. Those prices are sometimes time, sometimes money, but the highest knowledge often requires the integrity of the mind as a price."

She paused, seemingly considering whether to continue delving into this topic:

"Your mental endurance is unexpectedly strong, but don't take it lightly. The spiritual pollution of advanced meditation methods is cumulative. Every meditation brings a certain degree of pollution; if you are too eager for success during meditation, long-term accumulation may trigger irreversible damage."

"I will keep it in mind." Luo En nodded, secretly rejoicing that he had the pocket watch to help.

Lady Ailan didn't pursue how he dealt with spiritual pollution any further, seemingly assuming he had his own methods.

"Then continue today's guidance. But first, let me confirm your state again."

Her hand suddenly stretched out, and her aged but powerful fingers pressed on Luo En's temple, and a cold energy instantly seeped into the shallow layer of his consciousness.

Luo En almost reflexively wanted to resist this intrusion, but forcibly controlled himself, letting Lady Ailan's spiritual power probe in the shallow layer of his consciousness.

The old witch's spiritual power, like an experienced swimming snake, shuttled flexibly and precisely around his consciousness space, checking every possible abnormality.

A moment later, she withdrew her hand, the expression on her face somewhat complex:

"State is good, much better than I expected; it seems 'Whispers of the Star Eater' is indeed particularly suitable for you."

In fact, if it weren't for the special inspiration triggered by the additional trait, and the effect of artificial star dew weakening the pollution, the impact would have been even smaller.

It was estimated that Lady Ailan didn't expect Luo En to have such rapid progress.

In the following time, Lady Ailan explained in detail how to consolidate the structure of the initial rune, and how to gradually expand the depth and breadth of meditation.

This guidance was deeper and more specific than yesterday, and she even personally demonstrated some key steps, allowing Luo En to understand more intuitively.

"Remember, don't be eager for success."

Before leaving, the old witch emphasized again: "The cultivation of the first stage usually takes at least half a year to stabilize and consolidate; even if your talent is extraordinary, you should remain cautious."

Luo En nodded solemnly, indicating understanding.

"I have heard of too many geniuses who ruined themselves because of pride." Lady Ailan looked at him deeply: "Don't become one of them."

When leaving the herb shop, Luo En's thoughts were chaotic.

The cold wind brushed through the branches, making a rustling whisper, like the faint whispers between the stars, making him shiver unconsciously.

"'Devourer'... what exactly is that?" he whispered in his heart, the terrifying scene seen in the meditation last night appearing in his mind again.

That huge existence beyond mortal understanding, wandering in the sea of stars, devouring one star after another, like a hungry beast gnawing on prey on the grassland.

"This can't just be an illusion..."

Luo En stopped and looked toward a high tower vaguely visible in the mountains in the distance.

That was the residence of a formal wizard in the Black Fog Forest, the top of the tower flickering with eerie light all year round, like a lighthouse in the dark night, and like a giant eye peeping at everything.

"Who exactly is Lady Ailan? Why does she possess such a meditation method?"

This question was like a stone, pressing heavily on Luo En's heart.

Since first meeting Lady Ailan, he felt that this old woman was shrouded in layers of mystery.

What flickered in those dark green eyes was not only wisdom, but also some unfathomable ancient aura, as if she had lived far more than a century.

And the phenomenon of her returning to youth and beauty during the few days when magical power was most active every month was also something no ordinary wizard could do.

"'Whispers of the Star Eater'..." Luo En whispered the name, feeling the strange rhythm of each word dancing on the tip of his tongue:

"Where exactly did this meditation method come from? Is it really just a crazy wizard's creation?"

Thoughts were as complex as a maze, and every question seemed to lead to more doubts.

He took a deep breath, letting his thinking return to rationality.

"Regardless, this meditation method is indeed extremely beneficial to me." He weighed in his heart:

"Since Lady Ailan is willing to teach it to me, I should seize this opportunity, even if there is some intention behind it that I haven't understood yet."

"After all..." Luo En looked at his hands, whispering in his heart:

"In this world, power is the guarantee of survival; if you are always suspicious, then you can't get anything done."

The evening breeze blew away the mist on the treetops, the light on the distant tower became brighter, and he put on his hood and turned to walk toward the dormitory area.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 64 =====