Reincarnated as a blue dragon, he collided head-on with a wizarding civilization.

When Motu first started practicing the Blood Moon Meditation this morning, he passively received the information from the system without truly experiencing it.

Now that he calmed down and started working on it, he immediately felt the difference.

The path of the magic flow is different from the version obtained in the Dark Forest.

In the standard version of the Tower of Holy Blood, magic originates from the sea of ​​consciousness, travels down the spine, through the heart, lungs, and abdomen, and then returns.

The route is well-organized and the flow is gentle, like a river channel that has been artificially excavated.

However, the version provided by the system has a wider path and a faster flow rate.

The flow of magic within the body is not a reversal, but a cycle.

Starting from the sea of ​​consciousness, it flows down the spine, with a portion flowing into the limbs when passing the heart, and another portion flowing into the internal organs when passing through the abdominal cavity. It then converges at the coccyx and returns to the sea of ​​consciousness along another path.

The entire cycle is like a riverbed carved out by a flood, wide and deep, surging and wild.

More suitable for dragons.

Having reached a conclusion, Motu opened his eyes, a fleeting dark red light flashing in his vertical pupils.

Immediately afterwards, he immersed his consciousness in the sea of ​​consciousness and began to check the system panel.

Under the blue dragon's focused observation, the font of the corresponding reward on the panel slowly changed.

[Blood Moon Meditation Method (Dragon Blood Adapted Version) - Introduction]

As expected, it's not the original.

The system has been modified.

Motu stared at those words for a few seconds, then minimized the panel.

He didn't dwell on the issue.

Whether it's the original version or not doesn't matter, as long as it works.

As his consciousness returned, he closed his eyes again and ran the meditation method through the system version's path.

Magic surged within him, like a river flowing through his veins.

The feeling was completely different from running the standard version before.

The standard version is like walking on a smooth stone road—stable, but slow. The system version is like rushing downhill from a mountaintop—fast, but requiring greater control.

One lap. Two laps. Three laps.

He followed Akino's instructions, circulated the energy three times, and then stopped.

The expected fatigue did not materialize.

He opened his eyes, and the pale red magic power swirling around his fingertips slowly dissipated. Far from feeling weak, he felt his mind was crystal clear, and the magic power within him surged and roared like a newly awakened stream, wanting to continue moving forward.

That feeling of fullness was an experience I had never had when practicing the standard Blood Moon Meditation.

Previously, Qiuye had repeatedly warned that the Blood Moon Meditation Technique should be practiced in moderation, as talking too much would harm one's spirit and even damage one's sea of ​​consciousness, but at this moment, Lanlong only felt that he had not yet had enough.

A few rays of cool moonlight pierced through the windows of the stone house. The night was deep, and the sound of the lake lapping against the shore could be faintly heard in the distance, which only added to the tranquility.

Motu frowned, a hint of hesitation flashing in his vertical pupils, but it was immediately replaced by a determined expression.

He then closed his eyes again, trying to guide the magic to continue flowing according to the meditation and cultivation path given by the system.

In the fourth lap, the flow of magic remained steady, without the slightest stagnation.

On the fifth lap, subtle ripples appeared in his sea of ​​consciousness, and his mental energy became even more refined.

On the sixth cycle, the magic power within his body surged like a rising tide, nourishing every inch of his meridians with gentle yet powerful magic.

It wasn't until the seventh lap that Motu felt a moderate sense of fullness, as if a dry container had been filled with more than half a bottle of water, yet still had room to spare.

Why?

Motu looked puzzled, muttered to himself, and unconsciously tapped the stone bed beneath him with his fingertips.

As a formal wizard of the Holy Blood Tower, Akino couldn't possibly have deliberately misled him, but his situation was clearly completely different from what Akino described as the "limit of a wizard apprentice."

Not right.

Reopen the "Introduction to Wizardry" book that Akino gave me, and turn to the page about the meditation cycle.

The paper above is yellowed, but the handwriting is neat.

"Human apprentices are limited by their physical and mental strength, and the daily meditation cycle is usually capped at three cycles. Forcing oneself to exceed this limit will lead to mental fatigue, scattered attention, and in severe cases, damage to the sea of ​​consciousness."

"However, individual differences are significant. Those with high aptitude can gain excessive magical power after three cycles; those with low aptitude will only receive a slight increase. The upper limit of the number of cycles is determined by physical constitution, total mental strength, physical endurance, and compatibility with meditation methods; all three are indispensable."

Motu stared at the few lines of text for a few seconds, then closed the manual.

He got it.

The upper limit for human apprentices is three cycles of cultivation, because the total physical strength and mental power of humans is limited.

But he is not human. He is a blue dragon.

His mental strength far surpasses that of human apprentices, his physical strength can withstand stronger magical erosion, and he cultivates the system-improved [Blood Moon Meditation Method (Dragon Blood Adapted Version)].

This meditation method was designed specifically for dragons, with the width, flow rate, and branching points of every path precisely matched to their body structure.

Three cycles?

That's the standard for humans.

Driven by curiosity, Motu sat down cross-legged again, closed his eyes, and continued practicing meditation.

On the eighth lap, the magic began to thicken, and its flow slowed slightly, but it remained controllable.

On the ninth lap, a slight swelling and pain came from his sea of ​​consciousness. The magic power in his body was almost saturated, like a container about to be filled with water. If he continued, there was a risk of overflowing.

He stopped at the right moment, slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, and condensed a wisp of pale red magic power at his fingertips. The magic power was several times more concentrated than when he had circulated it three times, and it carried the domineering aura unique to dragons as it flowed.

Mo Tu smiled slightly, having already reached a conclusion in his heart.

With his racial advantages, coupled with the system-adapted meditation method, his cultivation speed will far surpass that of those human apprentices, and he may even catch up with those outstanding core apprentices in a short time.

For him, the limits of meditation that humans must exert their utmost efforts to reach are merely the beginning.

However, this feeling of exhilaration did not last long.

When Motu tried to activate the meditation technique again, aiming to reach the tenth cycle, he found that the growth of his magic power had become unusually slow, as if he had sunk into a quagmire. No matter how he guided it, the improvement in his mental strength was negligible.

The sense of stagnation was crystal clear, like an invisible barrier blocking his way.

A bottleneck has emerged.

Faced with this problem for the first time, Motu remained calm and picked up "The Wizard's Handbook" again, turning to the chapter on wizard apprentice levels.

The manual clearly records relevant information for novice wizard apprentices:

The mental strength range of a typical novice apprentice is 10-20 points, and this stage is called "the first appearance of the moon mark";

In terms of spiritual manifestation, due to the practice of the Blood Moon Meditation Method, a faint red glow will appear under the skin between the eyebrows, which is especially noticeable at night. When concentrating fully, a thin blood-red ring will also appear around the edge of the pupils.

Physically, their wounds heal slightly faster than normal.

Their magical abilities are limited to casting zero-level spells, such as the most basic Bloodlight spell, which requires chanting for more than 3 seconds and complicated hand gestures to be successfully cast.

Breaking through the bottleneck of beginner apprenticeship cannot be achieved through meditation alone.

The manual specifically states that a specific magical potion called "Moon Mark" must be taken, along with guided meditation, in order to successfully break through the barrier and enter the next stage.

Motu's gaze fell on the recipe for the potion [Moon Mark], examining it carefully word by word:

The main ingredient is 5 drops of fresh autologous blood, and the auxiliary ingredients are 3 Moonflowers, 2 Blood Moss plants, and 1 portion of Ghost Water Essence.

The requirements for refining potions include basic knowledge of potion-making or sufficiently refined magical control.

In addition, for some reason, Akino added a special note to the manual:

The Holy Blood Tower lineage has always encouraged apprentices to collect materials and concoct potions on their own. Basic breakthrough potions like [Moon Mark] cannot be purchased as finished products on the market; one must make them oneself.

This tradition aims to familiarize apprentices with the workings of the potion system from the very beginning, laying the foundation for crafting advanced potions later on.

"Do I need to refine it myself?"

Motu closed the manual, his brow furrowing slightly.