"First of all, you have to realize one thing: you have no way back. Remember the three choices I gave you? Only the third one is taking life and death into his own hands, and the first two are all gambling. I'm glad you chose the third one, and that you made your own decision before this conversation took place. This shows that you are not decadent, that you are not lacking in self-motivation, but that you may lack the means. ”

Old man Kiplin stood up and asked Feige to follow. He walked slowly forward on his own crutches and without being helped. As for the letter from the Count on the table, Feige thought about it, picked it up, folded it, and stuffed it into his pocket.

"I ...... As for Hall's last name...... I'd better become Fitch Icepeak first. I'll take this letter first. ”

It wasn't until he finished saying that Feige noticed that he was behind Old Man Kiplin, and that the old man couldn't hear his words.

"Each castle in the Sunset Mountains was carefully chosen for its purpose, and the Ice Peak Fortress was certainly not built to see the snow. For most of the year, the fortress can be a wreck of barren courtyards and crumbling walls, but during the three months of heavy snowfall, the Icepeak Fortress must play its role in suppressing the erupting geistels. ”

Lord Snowy Owl slowly climbed up the steps, panting and talking. Seeing this, Fei Qi hurriedly went up, and couldn't help but help the old man and walked forward together.

Past the fourth floor where the platform is located, the steps leading to the top of the tower are skewed, mottled and worn, and the soles of the shoes leave clear marks on the dust. Obviously, very few people pass by, let alone take care of it.

Normally, the caster's tower will set up the top floor as a stargazing platform, equipped with instruments to record the changes of the stars. Ice Peak Fortress is different, with a ritual room at the top.

In the center of the square room, a circular magic circle was drawn with sky-blue lines, and the double lightning cross of the Goddess of Thunder took the center position, surrounded by dense prayers and magic runes. Three smaller diamond-shaped circles are on the outside, each occupying a corner.

In the corner of the wall lay four large locked stone chests, and three worn-out futons were stacked next to them, covered with ash. Apart from these things, the top level is empty. There are no tables, chairs, cabinets, statues, paintings, books, or ritual utensils, which are normally expected in the ceremonial room.

There are no windows on the top floor, so no light from the outside comes in, only the faint light that dips in the hallway below. The old man, however, seemed unaffected, and went straight to the stone box, picked out the correct one from the large bunch of keys on his waist, and once inserted it into the keyhole, and opened it.

"Lantern ...... The lantern is here, so the alchemy match should be next to it. Well, it's here......" the old man muttered, taking out what he needed and handing it to Feige.

It was a metal lantern, and it was green up and down except for the crystal light transmission in the middle. The green color looks like patina, but when you touch it with your hand, you know it's just a very similar paint effect.

The handle at the top of the lamp is inlaid with a cat's eye-sized jadeite, which seems to draw a person's gaze when staring at it. Feige was in a trance for a moment when he looked at it, and immediately did not dare to stare at it. At this time, he noticed that the base of the lantern was written in a circle of small words:

"There was no effort in life, and there is nothing after death. ”

This sentence is more ferocious than "If you don't work hard, the boss will be sad".

The old man patted Feiqi on the shoulder, pointed to the diamond-shaped circle, and then pointed to the futon on the side. "Come, take two cushions, and sit down in the little circle. The lantern is placed on the ground in front of you, but in the middle of the circle and the diamond, don't be wrong. ”

Feige did so. After the two of them sat cross-legged, Old Man Kiplin said, "This is the most important place in the Ice Peak Fortress: the Meditation Gate. The circular magic circle on the ground is the 'door', and the diamond-shaped circle area where we sit is the 'meditation position'. When geists appear in winter, by meditating here, the power of the goddess will open the 'door' for the geists to pass through, reducing their harm. ”

"Feige, if you want to survive this winter, you need to prepare both physically and mentally. Physical training will be carried out for you, and hopefully you will be able to complete it and then reach the level where you can withstand the strengthening ritual. However, mental preparation is also necessary, in addition to increasing your chances of passing the ritual, it can also allow you to experience the state of the geist in advance and adapt to the mental pressure. ”

"The meditative direction of the divine art is directed towards the sky—there is the realm of the goddess. What I'm going to teach you is not the meditation of the Divine Arts, but the meditation of the Eagle School: self-centered, evenly expanding in all directions, while maintaining a special orientation. ”

The eagle soars into the sky, and the earth is in full view. The eagle's eyes can not only control a large area, but also adjust the focus, zoom in, and track specific prey. The Eagle School's meditation technique was inspired by this, and it combines global observation and focus-locking ability. This is the foundation of the entire martial arts system of the Eagle School, and it is also one of the secrets of Giles's ability to shoot accurately from a distance.

"This is the meditation gate, and many geists are overspent here every winter, so there is always some energy left of the geists. When you use Eagle Eye Meditation, you can see these energies. Old man Kiprin struck a match, flicked his fingers, and the light flew into the lantern. The lantern emits a faint green glow, as bright as a candle, but the whole lamp is very hot, and it is by no means comparable to a candle or an oil lamp.

"Because of their limited energy, no one can meditate all day. Sometimes, then, you will run headlong into the invisible geyers roaming the castle, and it will be extremely uncomfortable, like ...... It's like being grabbed by someone who has both the heart and the brain at the same time. The old man pointed to the lantern and said, "We will light some lanterns, like a lighthouse, to attract and guide the spirits, so that they can come to this meditation door and be transcended as soon as possible." However, it can also gather free spirit energy for you to feel in advance. ”

"Be sure to remember the method of meditation, especially the part that takes back your attention. Remember: if you feel like you can't bear it, push the lantern into the central magic circle, and the geist won't affect you. ”

Then, Master Kiprin Snowy Owl gave the Hawkeye Meditation to Feige in its entirety ahead of schedule. The reason why I say "in advance" is that this meditation technique was originally only given to full members who have completed the apprenticeship phase through training and rituals. Not counting Giles and the other Eagle Pioneer Hunters, only Old Man Kiplin and Instructor Kailie are currently in the castle who can meditate.

Feige recited the mantra over and over again, memorizing the method, including the dos and don'ts when actually using it. Old man Kiprin looked at his mouth shape to track his recitation, and would ask questions suddenly, listen to his answers, and judge his mastery. "Since you haven't performed the ritual yet, your body is limited, so don't pursue the range of sensory observation. At this stage, you just need to feel the spirits around you and stare at the lantern in front of you. ”

"Lord Snowy Owl, how far can this meditation technique go?"

"You don't have to meditate to see the sun and the stars in the sky – that's far enough, what else do you want?"

The old man was very satisfied with his jokes, and even more satisfied with Feige's attitude towards learning. The techniques of the Eagle School are easy to learn and difficult to master, but no matter how "easy to learn", meditation also takes at least three days to master. Feige used a week, and it wasn't outstanding. But considering that he also had to do physical training and didn't go through the strengthening ritual, then this speed was excellent.

To be on the safe side, the old man asked Feige to show him the Eagle Eye Meditation Technique a few times, and only after confirming that he was qualified did he let him use the lantern to look at the geism. This can only be done by Fei Qi himself, and the breath of the strong, including the elderly, will destroy the residual energy of the geist, which will not achieve the original intention.

Feige was excited, excited that he could finally see the ghost! In fact, after seeing the demon, the ghost could no longer scare him, and all that was left was a deep curiosity. He wondered what the geyers would look like, what they used to say about what pressure was like, and whether the Soul Harvesting Dagger from the devil could have an effect on the geist.

Yes, if the geist could fill the vaults of Hell as a soul, he would never be kind.

Sitting cross-legged on the futon, not letting the slightest bit of his body leave the protection of the diamond-shaped circle, he carefully lit the lantern, and then Feige entered meditation. He meditated with his eyes open, and the green flame of the lantern reflected in his brown eyes, jumping, dancing, and shining together. Then, the green flame suddenly stood still.

Feige felt a hint of coolness, like someone secretly blowing a little behind his ear, a little itchy. After a shudder, he "saw" the spirits gathered from behind.

The gray energy was like a thin mist, penetrating the ground and walls without hindrance, turning from wisps into bundles, and finally forming a small clump. These energies converge near the lantern and revolve around "no effort in life, nothing after death". This is basically the weakest state of the geisman ability, just some remnants, and they can't even form a body, and they won't actively attack. It can only unleash malice on living creatures around it.

When the living creature receives this malice, it begins to suffer, and the pain accumulates over time, then causes illness and decay, and finally death. The Icepeak Fortress does not keep any animals, and the horses are taken away before the heavy snow closes the mountain, just to prevent them from dying from the geismas.

It's not winter now, and the spirits that can be gathered by the lantern can't kill people, at most kill insects and mosquitoes, which is not enough to make Feige feel "pressure". So he meditated all the time, patiently waiting for the lantern to continue to gather the energy of the spirit. Half an hour, an hour, and three hours passed, and Fei Qi was almost unable to hold on to the meditation technique, and the spirit energy had gathered into a volume the size of a two-person tent, but the "pressure" still did not appear.

"There's still a big difference between an energy aggregate and a true geist. Geists can attack aggressively and directionally, while aggregates can only diverge evenly. Without focus, the power cannot be realized, and I should probably ask Master Kiprin for details. Feige sighed and decided to stop meditating. Before that, though, he summoned the Soul Harvester Dagger and stabbed it towards the Spirit Energy Body.

The dagger glowed reddish, and a warm sensation entered his body from the palm of his hand. "It works!" Feiqi was happy for less than a second, and the circular magic circle in the center of the room lit up, and the lightning cross symbol shone brightly.

Then Feige's eyes lit up, and he found himself in the Hall of the Crystal Throne in Hell.