The reason Link was so eager to break through to Level 1 Esper
was because only then could he officially begin cultivating the Frost Meditation Technique.
In fact, the importance of a Meditation Technique—in certain respects—could even surpass that of a Flesh Forging Art.
While Flesh Forging Arts focused on strengthening the physical body,
Meditation Techniques were aimed at increasing one's spiritual power capacity.
For most espers, the amount of spiritual power they could harness directly determined how many skills they could use—and how powerful those skills would be.
Of course, having a massive spiritual power reserve didn't mean much if one's body was frail and fragile.
In short, Flesh Forging Arts and Meditation Techniques complemented each other. Only by developing both could an esper grow strong in a balanced way.
Link wiped his damp hair with a towel, then casually picked up his phone and glanced at his balance.
Despite spending hundreds of thousands during his last materials purchase, his bank balance had not decreased.
In fact, thanks to the revenue-sharing agreement with the auction house, it had increased by another two million.
That amount of money was more than enough to buy his family a new apartment and allow his parents to live a much better life.
He was still contemplating this when his phone suddenly rang.
Seeing the caller ID, Link frowned.
Goldrolyn Auction House?
Why were they suddenly contacting him?
"Hello, is this Mr. Link?"
"I'm a negotiator from the Elixirist Guild. I'd like to discuss a potential collaboration with you."
Elixirist Guild?
They had come looking for him?
Link immediately sensed that something was off. He had taken great care to stay discreet, and yet… they had still managed to find him.
"What kind of collaboration are you proposing?"
He asked cautiously.
"It's like this—on behalf of Lord Velmoria, we would like to discuss a potential partnership with you."
"You may know that Velmoria operates its own elixir workshop. The city lord is interested in acquiring your formula. Would you be open to that?"
Upon hearing the name Yilan Elixir Workshop, Link let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Given Velmoria's current financial strain, combined with the recent chaos caused by the Moon Worship Sect, it made perfect sense that Yilan Elixir Workshop would come to him.
They had done similar things in the past—frequently purchasing potion formulas from freelance elixirists.
"I can only offer collaboration-based agreements at the moment. I'm not interested in any one-time sales,"
Link replied after some thought. He couldn't afford to part with too many formulas all at once—long-term, steady business suited his needs much better.
"That's completely fine with us, Mr. Link. Would you be available sometime to meet in person for a detailed discussion?"
Link thought for a moment.
Today was already quite late, and tomorrow, the school would be holding its monthly Power Values assessment—leaving little time for anything else.
The day after tomorrow, though, he had no particular plans.
"Let's meet the day after tomorrow—at the Solar Café, right across from Yilan Middle School."
"Understood, Mr. Link. We won't take up any more of your time. See you then."
After hanging up, Link couldn't help but feel a ripple of excitement rise in his chest.
Although he already had an agreement with Goldrolyn Auction House,
there was nothing preventing him from establishing a second collaboration with Yilan Elixir Workshop.
Goldrolyn hadn't signed any exclusive distribution contracts with him—if they had, the price would've been far higher.
Calming his swirling thoughts, Link sat cross-legged on his bed.
It was time to officially enter a state of meditation.
The primary purpose of meditation was to strengthen one's mind power, allowing them to store even more spiritual power inside their body.
Even among espers, everyone followed different paths.
Some focused heavily on their physical strength, placing greater emphasis on Flesh Forging Arts.
To them, spiritual power was merely a tool to enhance their already formidable bodies. These espers were commonly referred to as Berserkers.
Others, however, prioritized their mind power.
Though their bodies might not be as powerful, they made up for it by being able to cast a far greater number of skills—each one far more destructive than normal.
This type of esper was known as a Psychic.
Of course, the majority of espers cultivated both areas simultaneously.
Only those with no obvious weaknesses could be considered truly powerful espers.
Link, too, had no plans to neglect his meditation practice—especially because his Death Rewind skill consumed a massive amount of spiritual power each time it was activated.
The more spiritual power he could store, the more times he could rewind time—
and potentially, the further back he could go.
However, he instinctively understood that using Death Rewind multiple times in a short period would impose an enormous burden on both his mind power and spiritual reserves.
With his current abilities, he probably couldn't handle multiple rewinds in succession.
Once he settled his thoughts, Link began constructing the mental framework of the Frost Meditation Technique in his mind.
This meditation technique had been handpicked for him by Lib.
It originally came from the Frost Behemoth Clan, who lived on the dark side of the moon.
After a number of adjustments by Lib, it had been modified to suit the human race.
But even with those changes, the meditation method was still extremely painful for Link.
He had to endure an unbearable chill—and even the slightest mistake could result in his consciousness being completely frozen.
As soon as he began the meditation process, frosty energy manifested in his mind, freezing his thoughts to near stagnation.
Link immediately felt a biting, bone-deep cold.
He instinctively tried to sense the deeper layers behind the chill—
but discovered that he couldn't even control his own mind power.
Just as he began to think that maybe he wasn't suited for this meditation technique,
a sudden wave of warmth surged through his body.
The warmth only lasted a moment before he was forced out of his meditative state—but he immediately realized what had happened.
The DragonFlesh Forging Art had activated on its own, providing temporary protection.
It was now obvious that Lib had chosen the Flesh Forging Art and Meditation Technique to be mutually supportive.
The only reason he had struggled so much was because his current strength was too low, and the Frost Meditation Technique was simply too overbearing.
Still, the harder a meditation technique was to master, the better its long-term effects.
Even after just a few minutes, Link could feel a subtle improvement in his mind power.
That said, the attempt had left him utterly exhausted.
He collapsed onto his bed and fell fast asleep.
By the time he woke up, it was already the next day.
Today was the day of the school's monthly Power Values assessment.
Because every student progressed at their own pace, the school did not enforce mandatory attendance.
Instead, students could choose to cultivate or test themselves voluntarily.
If issues arose along the way, teachers would be available to provide assistance.
Link didn't care much for these arrangements—because with Lib, he essentially had access to an all-knowing, all-teaching mentor.
What truly interested him was something else:
The school-issued letter of recommendation for outstanding students.