Wizard: Starting With Synthesized Gems - Chapter 1069

Chapter 1052 The Ultimate Meditation Method—Making Subtraction into Emptiness and the Persistence of the Wizard of Probus!

Locke obtained the complete event information compiled by the “Deer” witch. Lion and the other three second-ring wizards also curiously gathered around to look, and Locke did not stop them.

The five saw that Wizard Probus, in his youth, was a chaired wizard at the Black Spade Garden of Golden Crown Mountain. He obtained his position by publishing three articles in the first-ring, first-zone journal of Cloudze Wetland while in the intermediate academy, and by good fortune, he encountered the talent program of that year.

He was also noticed by a formal wizard instructor in the Black Dragon Throne’s academic lineage, and thus, he gained a foothold in Golden Crown Mountain through this connection.

However, according to the records, Probus clashed with his mentor in his second year teaching at Golden Crown Mountain. The conflict stemmed from Probus deceiving his mentor; he hadn’t submitted the first-ring application form to the White Wizarding Association’s Funds Department, yet he told the official mentor he had.

This caused serious problems, and

he almost lost his job at Golden Crown Mountain that year.

The second-ring wizard believed Probus had a serious integrity issue. To stay at Golden Crown Mountain, he repeatedly denied submitting the application, fabricating lies to the second-ring wizard that he was confident of success. After the truth was revealed, he even managed to transfer his academic lineage, leading to his reprimand by Mordan, the Black Dragon Throne, who was then a third-ring wizard.

After reading this, “Lion” felt overwhelmed and couldn’t help but feel contempt for Probus.

“This person is such a terrible person.”

“Putting aside everything else, even if his academic level is poor, integrity and respect for teachers are basic principles of being a decent human being.”

The other three second-ring wizards all shook their heads.

One of the second-ring wizards gave a bitter smile.

“If I encountered someone like this, I would be furious. I gave him a chance to join the academy and become my student, but he betrayed me with a first-ring grant application and then transferred the academy afterward.”

“This second-ring wizard is so pitiful.”

The other two second-ring wizards sympathized with him.

Wizard Ike was indignant.

“Does this kind of person deserve to stay on Golden Crown Mountain? I don’t know whose connections he used to successfully transfer the academy, but later events have proven that his heart is not pure.”

The third second-ring wizard said, “According to the information, he probably took away the experimental data he conducted under that second-ring wizard for two years. Perhaps he was able to successfully transfer the academic lineage because he betrayed the Black Dragon Throne’s academic interests. He might have some key data from the Black Dragon Throne’s projects back then.” “

The head of the academic lineage might split off some of their experiments and distribute them to their subordinates. On the one hand, this helps their subordinates publish papers and improve their level; on the other hand, it saves their own time and energy.” “

Judging from the information, the third-ring wizard, Heart Dragon Wizard’s lineage, which he later transferred to, might have been for the key data he possessed.” “

Unfortunately, Heart Dragon Wizard went to the Star Domain Sea at the end of last year and is said to have joined the Academic Alliance.” “

Lion” retorted, “Even if Heart Dragon Wizard were still at Golden Crown Mountain, we wouldn’t go looking for him for something like this. He’d probably find it strange and kick us out.”

The second-ring wizard nodded and said, “That’s true.”

“It’s not worth bothering a third-ring wizard with something like this.”

Lion looked at Locke and said, “Captain, we now know the true nature of this Probus.”

“Captain, I think the truth is quite clear. It’s normal for someone with such a serious criminal record to do something like what happened sixty years ago. We just don’t know what kind of experiments he’s conducting. To find out, we need to enter the laboratory. And the magic key hasn’t been delivered yet. So, we can only enter through his ultimate magic.” “

If we can make good use of that moon-ring wizard, we might have a chance to get in.”

“Regarding this, Elk and I have devised a plan.”

Lion said to Locke, “We’ve constructed a spell model that allows us to channel our magical energy into Probus’s ultimate magic when he uses it, increasing its energy dissipation. According to our calculations, once the energy dissipation of his ultimate magic reaches a certain level, it will be suppressed by the moon-ring wizard’s ultimate magic, Ten-Sun Winged Dragon.”

“At that point, the two sides will be locked in a stalemate.”

“That’s our chance. To do that, we spent two months gathering information about the area surrounding the Despair Valley Laboratory and integrating that information into our power system, aiming to completely cover it. This way, we can anticipate all the changes in his magic.”

The “Deer” witch brushed a strand of short hair from her forehead and said to Locke, “Captain, I wanted to introduce this plan to you before. However, since it was proposed by the Lion’s team who asked me to collaborate, I had to wait for them to bring it up first.”

Locke nodded.

“Go ahead with your plan. You can utilize the resources within the investigation team and the resources the Maupassant family has provided for our collaboration. If it succeeds, that would be excellent.” “

Deer, give me the contact information for that wizard mentor in the Nexus. He was previously a contract wizard mentor at Golden Crown Mountain, but he’s been promoted or dismissed, right?”

The “Deer” witch nodded and then sent the message to Locke via the Water Hyacinth System.

“This wizard’s name is Martin Ed.”

“This matter is rather complicated, and it’s from sixty years ago. I also think the captain should ask him to clarify things. From my previous conversations with him, he’s quite a liar. He also likes to embellish his memories.” “

However, he has one advantage: he doesn’t have many vested interests with the major powers involved sixty years ago. In other words, he’s probably lying simply because he likes to embellish his memories.

Locke and the other wizards noticed the elk…” the witch’s wording.

Locke closed the file and immediately sent a friend request to the wizard through the Water Hyacinth System. At the same time, he asked the “Deer” witch with a puzzled look, “Memory embellishment?”

The “Deer” witch replied, “Yes, my previous wording was incorrect. He doesn’t like to lie, and in his subjective perception, he’s not lying.”

“He’s just embellishing his memories, rationalizing his past behavior, and inexplicably adding new memories.” “

This is actually quite common for people.”

“After all, for distant memories, those one has experienced and felt are definitely stronger, so he’s more likely to remember those parts. But for other people’s feelings and actions, his memory is naturally shallower, so he easily remembers the grievances he suffered and the things he did.” “

While ignoring the grievances of others and what they did at the time.”

“Over time, wouldn’t those memories become distorted? I have three research articles related to this, all from the Second Ring, First District, which I read in my spare time,”

Locke said. “So, you also suspect that the events surrounding this Probus wizard during his time as a First Ring wizard aren’t as simple as they seem?” “

Elk” replied to Locke, “When I was a First Ring wizard, I wasn’t at Golden Crown Mountain, but at a wizarding academy in an ordinary wizarding area. I had a conflict with that wizard mentor in that research group, and everyone in that group proved me wrong to the academy. That wizard mentor was so angry that he couldn’t sleep for days.” “

But all I wanted was to use my data to publish an article, and he wanted me to take the data I had to his top disciple for a competition. Everyone in the research group said I was selfish, emphasizing the wizard mentor’s sacrifices for me and my ingratitude.”

“I won’t go into the details of right and wrong.”

“I just want to say that many things are indeed not so simple, and we can’t jump to conclusions.”

“Lion, what do you think?”

The Lion Wizard looked at her and said, “His situation is different from yours. There’s direct evidence here proving that he didn’t submit his project application back then, but lied to his wizard mentor that he had, which prevented him from being eliminated from Golden Crown Mountain early and instead gave him the opportunity to transfer his academic lineage later.” “

This proves he’s a complete scoundrel.”

“Deer, I advise you not to be too empathetic. Sometimes the situation is very simple, obvious at a glance. It’s people who overthink things and make simple things more complicated, leading to a point where it’s hard to distinguish right from wrong. In fact, based on my experience, if someone makes many reasons and excuses for themselves, then they are basically in the wrong.”

“Everyone who makes a mistake eventually has their own reasons. Is it possible that a bad person is just a bad person and doesn’t have so many reasons?”

The Deer Wizard said, “Then, based on my experience, to slander someone, you don’t need such complicated accusations. Just say what they are. Lion, don’t be so emotional.”

“Lion,” said the lion, “I’m emotional?”

Locke coughed, immediately silencing the two men and stopping their argument.

“Let’s not have internal conflicts within our investigation team. I’ve already added this wizard as a friend. I’ll ask him directly about what happened back then.”

Locke said, “I need to confirm things for myself.”

“Also, Lion and Deer, your plan is excellent. If you can get directly into the laboratory, then go for it. It wouldn’t be good if that Moon Ring Wizard from the Winged Dragon Garden and his student beat you to it. So you can proceed with this plan.”

Locke said, “Alright, you can go now. I need to ask this wizard.”

After everyone left, the red witch didn’t leave. She approached Locke and asked, “Do you really trust this Star Ring Wizard from Mount Probus of Mount Golden Crown?”

Locke seemed thoughtful. “What do you want to say?”

The red witch took a few steps forward and then said, “No, I’m just curious why you believe Probus so much, even thinking that the preliminary findings from the Golden Crown Mountain sixty years ago were wrong, and you’re determined to overturn them.”

Locke said, “I’ve said it many times before, this is my responsibility as an investigator on the Academic Committee. We wizards should seek truth, and truth is one kind of truth.”

The red witch raised her eyebrows, walked past Locke, and gazed at the sunset outside the window.

“Right and wrong are sometimes really hard to define. Is right and wrong really that important? Sometimes, I don’t even think about right and wrong. But if we really get into it, some things are hard to tolerate, and some losses are hard to swallow.” “

Locke, I mean, what if the investigation turns out that Wizard Probus is the one most responsible for the laboratory accident sixty years ago, that the accident was due to his lax management and that he had conducted dangerous experiments on his own? I’ve watched you investigate here for two months, and the results are only increasingly confirming this.” “

Whether it’s the dangerous magical materials you collected outside the Despair Valley Laboratory, or your investigation into his past.”

“Captain Locke,”

the red witch’s tone hardened. “Perhaps, Probus really is a scumbag.”

Locke nodded. “Of course, that’s also possible.”

“My stance has never been presupposed. I’m simply investigating to find out the truth. Truth is a kind of truth, and seeking the truth is pursuing the truth. I think this is what makes our wizarding civilization different from other civilizations.

Because we value the truth enough and want to confirm the right and wrong of things.”

The red witch’s expression was complicated. “First of all, Wizard Probus seems to have a rather wicked personality, no matter what. Secondly, what if there’s no right or wrong at all?”

Locke looked at the red-clad witch strangely. “No right or wrong?”

The red-clad witch nodded. “Yes, although the chances aren’t high, from your perspective and considering your interests, I think it’s very likely you’ll end up with a result without right or wrong. If there’s no right or wrong, does that mean there’s no truth, and the final result is just a mess?”

The red-clad witch took a half-step back from the window, as if she had thought of something, and turned to Locke, saying, “Of course, this has nothing to do with me. I’m just thinking from your perspective. From my perspective, I certainly hope you can continue the investigation. Because I want to obtain the representative species from the laboratory, and I also want to utilize the abundant resources within this Valley of Despair.”

“Captain Locke, I’ve enjoyed cooperating with you. I hope you can make good use of the three spell models I gave you. If you need anything from me in the future, please feel free to contact me.”

“I hope you’ll still agree to let me go into the valley with your survey team,”

Locke nodded. “Of course, this is a deal we agreed on from the beginning.”

The Red Witch nodded to Locke. “Then I hope you get what you want.”

After the Red Witch left the room, Locke activated the Water Hyacinth System and contacted the wizard Martin Edd of Nexus through it.

At the same time, before contacting him, Locke sent a message to the witch Camilla of Nexus.

The video call was quickly established. Martin Ed, a wizard with dark circles under his eyes but impeccably dressed and with visible makeup, appeared before Locke. His eyes held a wary glint. On the illusion screen, he gave Locke a curt bow and said, “Your Excellency Augustine, did you seek me out?” “

I made myself clear to that elk before. I utterly despise wizards like Probus, even though he later appeared to become a Star Ring Wizard, achieving feats I could not attain in the magical realm. But the outcome proved my judgment correct; he is a man with serious character flaws.” “

I often use him as a cautionary tale for my students. For sixty years, countless people have developed a reverence for magic and law because of his example.”

“He had some talent, but no virtue, and this is the result.”

“Disobeying teachers and elders, showing no respect for seniors, and this is the result. He can only become a negative example for generations to come.”

Wizard Martin Ed lit a wizard’s cigarette. Locke realized that although this man appeared respectful, he was a seasoned veteran, actually quite difficult to deal with.

Locke glanced at him, quickly assessing his character and devising a plan.

Locke sat down at a table in the room, in front of the Garden Mirror, and began tapping the table with his fingers.

“I’ve read the oral account you gave to the elk, and there are a few key points I’m not quite clear about. Sixty years have passed, and it’s hard to say who was right and who was wrong, but I still hope to learn about Wizard Probus’s personality and his experiences as a first-ring wizard through you.”

“This will facilitate my investigation.”

A hint of surprise flashed in Wizard Martin Ed’s eyes. When the elk witch approached him before, she used a combination of persuasion and coercion, mainly the latter. After all, he was now a second-ring wizard, a resident of the Nexus, and part of the Black Dragon Throne’s academic lineage. Logically and emotionally, even if he didn’t say anything, what could anyone do to him?

So, the last time the elk witch approached him, she even paid him 300,000 magic stones before he finally relented and told her about what happened back then.

Wizard Martin Ed felt uncomfortable with Locke’s commanding tone. Admittedly, the other party was a promising young breeder, admittedly he was a Star Ring Archmage, and a senior researcher at Golden Crown Mountain, but he didn’t necessarily have to submit to him.

“Logically speaking,” said Wizard Martin Ed, “we’re all former colleagues, members of the Five-Colored Dragon lineage, and you’re a successor of the Red Dragon lineage’s Star Ring Wizards, our leader. I should give you face, sir. I’ve read and studied many of your articles. But we’re from different academies now.” “

Sir,” said Wizard Martin Ed with a slick tone, “Last time, Lord Elk gave me 300,000 magic stones. How much are you planning to give me?

” “And actually, asking is unnecessary. I’ve already said everything. Wizard Probus is a despicable person. Back then, he clearly didn’t submit his application, but lied to me, saying he had, and even before he was expelled, he made connections with someone else.” “

He made me lose face.”

“I’ve always held a grudge about it.”

“For over sixty years, I’ve been telling my students about this, using him as a counterexample. You can find that out yourself.”

Locke completely ignored him, merely glancing up at him before speaking in a businesslike and absolutely commanding tone: “My first question is, you said that Wizard Probus lied about submitting his application to stay at Golden Crown Mountain. If that’s the case, how could a formally appointed wizard who couldn’t even stay at Golden Crown Mountain quickly transfer to another academy and obtain a tenured chaired wizard position so easily?”

Wizard Martin Ed’s expression changed slightly.

Locke gave him a cold look.

“This shows there must have been a hidden reason why he deliberately didn’t submit his application back then. My second question is, you said he gained entry into someone else’s academic lineage by selling data from your lineage, so why couldn’t that data have helped him obtain that first-ring grant application?”

“This second question might have gone unnoticed without careful investigation. Because I saw the first-ring grant application obtained by one of your students from the same period. As an investigator on the academic committee, and given that the application was sixty years old, I was able to access it immediately through the Water Hyacinth system. Golden Crown Mountain granted me extensive access, and I also reviewed the application that Wizard Probus hadn’t submitted back then. I discovered a problem: the content of these two applications is very similar, and the key data—is the same.”

“It’s just that your other student’s application had a little more data; he must have added some supplementary data himself later.”

Wizard Martin Ed’s face was grim. In fact, Locke’s cold tone had already made him uncomfortable and frightened.

Unlike the elk, who showered him with pleasantries and allowed him ample time to think, Locke directly established a framework, solely to clarify matters from decades ago.

Martin Ed said, “I don’t want to continue this conversation. Respected Augustine Wizard, I don’t think I’m violating any wizarding laws. I am a wizarding instructor in the Nexus, with many students, numerous courses, and several projects. I need to attend to my duties. I—”

Locke looked up and said calmly, stopping Martin Ed from ending the video call.

Locke said, “You know Camilla, don’t you?”

Martin Ed froze, glancing at Locke with considerable panic.

“Yes—I’ve been working under Team Leader Camilla recently, of course I know her.”

“Lord Augustine, what do you mean by this?”

A bad feeling crept into Martin Ed’s heart. He felt his aura being suppressed by Locke. He wanted to explode, but he lacked the confidence to do so.

The situation was slipping into Locke’s hands.

Locke said, “Camilla and I are good friends. We have a deep collaboration on the construction of Great Magic. A few days ago, I heard she became a Second Circle Wizard, and I privately celebrated for her on the Water Hyacinth System. Well, she should be looking for you on the Water Hyacinth System now. I just want to tell you that no matter which wizarding academy you’re in, there are some things I can still control.” “

You’ve misunderstood something. You mistakenly believe that because you’re in the Nexus, you’re far removed from the emperor’s reach.”

“The connections between the geniuses of Cloudswamp Wetlands are much closer than you imagine.”

“Martin Ed, I won’t give you any reward; Elk has already given you one. But I’ve noticed several logical inconsistencies in the information you gave Elk, and some preconceived notions. I hope you can explain them in detail.”

Locke wasn’t intentionally being so harsh.

But he knew in his heart that with this slippery old wizard, if you were polite, you could forget about getting the truth out of him.

That was precisely where the Deer Witch’s weakness lay.

The nicer she was to him, the more adept he became. Only by first establishing her stance and setting the framework could she possibly extract any real information.

Wizard Martin Ed glanced at the Ganoderma lucidum plant; sure enough, he saw the message from the Witch Camilla demanding his full cooperation with Locke, or he’d be kicked out of her group.

Locke asked, “Now can you talk?”

Wizard Martin Ed’s eyes darted around, then he immediately yielded.

“Alright. I did hide something. Actually, there was a reason why Wizard Probus didn’t submit his application back then. Although neither I nor anyone else could understand it. He was an arrogant person, and he would never take anything seriously unless he produced something extraordinary. He had the idea of changing the world from the time he was a first-ring wizard, even though he was only a first-ring wizard.” “

So, when I asked him to do a simpler project that would be easier to get funding for, he had a serious resistance. You’re right, it’s logically flawed for me to say that he deliberately lied to stay at Golden Crown Mountain. Actually, what he really thought back then was that he felt he was a genius and couldn’t do ordinary projects.”

A hint of humiliation flashed across Wizard Martin Ed’s face.

“Or rather, he felt that what I thought, what I gave him, was too ordinary.”

“Not good enough for him.” “

Back then, I wanted him to work on the expression mechanism of petrified mushrooms in the genus *Boletus* responding to drought. It was a very mature research direction, and also a relatively popular one at the time. He could have easily gotten approved with a little effort. But he refused.” “

I remember him saying that he had a brilliant idea—he was interested in various magical plants in the genus *Andrographis*, and wanted to explore why magical plants in the genus *Andrographis* always had a special bitter taste. He wanted to do a natural magical structural analysis of the *Andrographis* genus, which was still a blank slate at the time.”

“Heh heh heh, I stopped him, and this arrogant person used lies and deception to deal with me. In the end, he is still an arrogant and conceited person without any bottom line.”

Locke said strangely, “I didn’t find much of his research on magical plants in the genus *Andrographis*.”

Wizard Martin Ed gave a sarcastic smile.

“Lord Augustine, he won some important competitions with this research, but his titles were later revoked due to the review by the ethics committee, so the relevant information is hard to find. However, some of his articles should not have been retracted, and his name is still on them, just downplayed as much as possible.

“How ridiculous.”

“He didn’t listen to me back then, and what honors has he received now? He’s a laughing stock.”

Locke looked up at him and said, “Don’t go off-topic. Regarding what you said, Wizard Martin Edd, it seems you still haven’t been telling me the truth. There’s a new logical contradiction in what you’ve just revealed.” “

If he really wanted to do this research on the Andrographis genus, and you later confirmed that he succeeded, then why didn’t he just do it and use it to apply for a first-ring grant? If he was capable of doing it, then he could do it. If he did apply, and you, as his teacher at the time, saw this, you definitely wouldn’t have stopped him; on the contrary, you would have been happy to see it happen.”

“Therefore, you still can’t explain why he would rather lie and not submit an application than actually conduct research in this area and use preliminary experimental data from that research to write the application.”

“Witch Martin Ed, it seems I’ve been far too polite to you. Camilla holds a high position of power in your Nexus, doesn’t she?” “

But she still gives me some face.”

Locke pretended to pick up the Ganoderma lucidum plant. At that moment, Witch Martin Ed clearly panicked, because Camilla was an opportunist; she often cheated and kicked out people in her research group whenever possible.

If Locke had actually said anything to Camilla, she would probably find another excuse to exploit him.

Wizard Martin Ed immediately said, “Wait, Lord Augustine—you know how difficult it is to get someone to admit their mistake, especially something that happened decades ago, something I suffered at the hands of a junior first-ring wizard, especially since he later surpassed his former teacher, that is, me.”

“You suddenly want me to admit to that fleeting regret I felt back then.”

“Really—it’s too much for me.

” “Lord Augustine, I didn’t expect you to dig this far. Your keenness and persistence—impress me deeply. No wonder you’ve come so far on the path of seeking truth.”

Wizard Martin Ed sighed.

“Actually, I’ve been hiding something from you. The academic lineage deal back then was an internal transaction, so key information was really hard for outsiders to know. In fact, I didn’t give him a research project on the drought resistance mechanism of petrified mushrooms; instead, I gave Probus the experimental data from a former first-class wizard apprentice who had just become a full-fledged wizard and left Golden Crown Mountain, which he had spent ten years conducting.”

“My thinking back then—was like this.”

Under pressure from Locke, Wizard Martin Ed had no choice but to speak. He secretly glanced at Locke, and after noticing Locke’s stern gaze, he said, “When a first-ring wizard applies for their first first-ring grant, don’t they get preferential treatment? When the applications are packaged and grouped, they’re more likely to be placed in a weaker group.”

“There’s a fixed ratio for how many projects in a group can get a first-ring grant. So, it’s easier to get a first-ring grant if you’re assigned to a weaker group. I wanted more projects in our group, so I took it upon myself to use the data left behind by the wizard who had already left Mount Golden Crown—I had him leave the data before he left, and I gave it to Wizard Probus so he could use it to apply for his first first-ring grant.”

Wizard Martin Ed’s face showed a hint of undisguised incomprehension.

“I think it’s all the same whether you get a first-ring grant or not; what data you use and what experiments you do are all the same. Giving him this data so he can apply for his first first-ring grant while preparing for a larger project seems reasonable, right?”

“That’s using policy fairly. The first-ring grant I got could stay in my research group and be used by one of my then somewhat disadvantaged first-ring witch students to help her. But Wizard Probus questioned the source of the data, and after learning that I had practically forced the first-ring witch to leave the data in my research group before leaving school, Probus immediately said he refused to use it.”

Wizard Martin Ed’s face showed anger.

“He really likes to insist on things that are useless.”

“He refused to use the data I provided, and I got very angry with him about it. As a result, to appease me, he lied several times, saying that he was using the data to write applications and submit them. It wasn’t until later that I discovered that ever since we argued about this, he had been preparing to leave my tutelage.”

Wizard Martin Ed said, “I always knew I was right. It was a problem with this person’s personality. But sometimes, I also wonder if what I insisted on back then was really wrong. I let that wizard keep the data he had worked on for ten years, and I also wanted a proud genius like Wizard Probus to use this data, which resulted in a series of subsequent events.”

“After Probus refused to use the data, I let the witch use it herself. Although it took more effort, we finally managed to get a first-tier grant with that data back then. Because her qualifications weren’t as good as Probus’s, I had her supplement some experimental data separately.”

Locke nodded. Only now was Locke certain that Martin Ed had finally told most of the truth.

After all, in his previous account, all the responsibility was placed on Probus, and he was completely absolved of responsibility.

But this account was more reasonable. Probus was indeed a bit strange, arrogant, with lofty goals, and disdainful of colluding with the original research group, which was why he broke with the original group. He did indeed switch sides, and he did indeed lie about submitting the paper.

He did do both.

Taken individually, his behavior was indeed extremely bad.

But combined with the latest information revealed by Martin Ed, his actions seemed somewhat understandable.

Martin Eddard told Locke, “The last time he came to my office, we had a fight. He said I was like a rotting zombie, inflexible and stinking, and that my research group and I ourselves had become complete walking corpses. I wasn’t pursuing truth, just meeting the targets set by those above me.”

“He thought there was no future for me with him, that staying in my group would only lead to pursuing illusory targets, and that there was no possibility of advancement.”

Martin Eddard continued, “I was furious when I heard that. I even considered killing him on the spot, and from then on, I told my students his case every year. I wanted to hear them condemn him, to satisfy the turmoil in my heart when he rebuked me. Years have passed, and I’ve been forced to leave Golden Crown Mountain.” “More than

sixty years have passed, and to say something that will sting my conscience, I’m still a second-ring wizard, while he was at least a star-ring wizard in his lifetime. Who’s right and who’s wrong, I don’t know how to say.” “

I can only say he was too persistent, and perhaps I was too persistent back then.”

“If you want me to objectively evaluate this person, then I might say that in my eyes, he is an arrogant and conceited person with high aspirations but low abilities, but he is also a serious person who really wants to do something.”

Wizard Martin Ed opened up, sighed, and said, “He is a contradictory person. When I called him a villain, it was just an angry outburst. In my heart—I often think of him, he is the student who left the deepest impression on me, my student—” “

That’s all I can tell you, Lord Augustine. I hope what I said earlier did not violate the Wizarding Law.”

Locke said, “Thank you for your cooperation, Wizard Martin Ed.”

Wizard Martin Ed hesitated for a moment, and said, “If—I mean, if, Wizard Augustine, you really found out some truth about what happened back then, could you tell me as well?”

“In my heart, I do look down on people like Probus. But without a doubt, he is also my best student. I am indeed very curious about the truth of what happened back then.”

Locke said, “Of course.”

“Please rest assured. I came to the Valley of Despair Laboratory to find out everything here.”

“Thank you for your reply, Mr. Ed.”

Locke hung up the video call, then quickly compiled a document and sent it to a group chat containing all members of the investigation team.

After Locke sent the document, it immediately sparked a heated discussion within the group.

“This way, I’ve pieced together the basic character traits of this young wizard, Probus,”

Locke pondered. “Probus is somewhat unconventional, but he pursues truth, refuses to compromise with his mentor, and is unwilling to be coerced by the research group.”

“Because he couldn’t adapt to Ed’s research group’s focus on publications and projects, his academic path shifted. This explains why he became a Star Ring Wizard so quickly and attempted to advance to Moon Ring Wizard.”

“Lion said he was a bad person, but that’s not entirely true. Judging from this document, he’s just a persistent person.”

Locke looked at his Water Hyacinth System, where the witch Catherine had sent him complete information on top-level meditation techniques, along with notes on learning methods.

“The ultimate meditation method is a meditation method that directly points to the solar cycle, and it is difficult to learn. If you don’t understand anything, ask me immediately, don’t force yourself.”

Locke quickly scanned the opening of the ultimate meditation method, and then said with a strange expression, “To reduce to emptiness?”

The witch Catherine sent a second message.

“The highest level of meditation can directly target the Sun Ring, but its designers are the Third Ring Wizards. Therefore, the core is form and substance.”

“All highest level meditations serve only one purpose—to achieve emptiness through reduction.”

“Different schools of meditation simply use different methods to achieve emptiness through reduction.”

“As you come into this world, with each conversation, interaction, encounter, and resolution of problems, as you research and read, you accumulate forms—good forms and bad forms. All of this diminishes the purity of your mind, makes you forget your true self, slows your progress in magical pressure, and causes you to deviate from your true nature.” “

Achieving emptiness through reduction means cutting away the bad forms within you. Your name, your body, your negative emotions—these are all your forms.”

“When you use meditation to achieve emptiness, it is a process of readjusting your own forms and making it easier for you to recognize your true nature.”