As light filled the space, Lyn gradually made out the room’s layout.

The small chamber’s decor felt ancient—even the Meditation Techniques.

Lyn spotted hidden Meditation Techniques, each carved onto stone tablets and placed on shelves.

At a glance, over a hundred tablets lined the racks.

“If I could take these out, they’d fetch a fortune, right?”

That thought popped into Lyn’s head first as he eyed the tablets.

Greed +1.

But after the system’s prompt, his rationality crushed the foolish urge. Once he was strong enough to roam freely, taking them would be easy.

For now, these had sat undisturbed for years. Countless geniuses lingered in the Sage Tower yet took nothing—proof the guardians here were terrifyingly powerful.

Of course, if he truly had that power, he wouldn’t be stuck on such a boring task.

Lyn casually touched a tablet.

Carving Meditation Techniques onto stone was an old inheritance method, yet perfect for preservation. These special tablets held Meditation Charts flawlessly.

Having handled stone books before, Lyn knew how to use them. Probing with spiritual energy, information flooded his mind.

“Planetary Meditation Technique.”

The name on the tablet he’d lifted. The system flagged it as high-tier—a purple glow rippled in his vision.

But his spiritual energy couldn’t penetrate the Meditation Charts further.

Resistance blocked him; mana refused to flow into the stone.

Lyn understood: affinity mismatch. The inheritance imprint rejected him. High-tier Meditation Techniques weren’t for everyone.

Matching required talent and luck.

Forcing an incompatible technique usually ruined mana cultivation.

Recalling such taboos, Lyn abandoned using the Hand of the Divine to crack and strip it bare.

He tried other tablets.

Plenty of high-tier choices existed here. But Lyn sought more than that—Sacred Domain, even the legendary tier of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

After a quick scan:

“Demonic Path Fantasia,” “Elemental Array Analysis,” “Hymn of Truth”…

Among the tablets, he found pale-gold quality ones leading straight to Sacred Domain.

But mostly, he saw gaps.

Top shelves held empty slots where Meditation Techniques once rested.

Taken after inheritance? Or dissolved upon completion?

Lyn grasped why his sister had entered the Sage Tower, glanced around, and left bored.

Even ancient families’ geniuses rarely came now.

Not just because they couldn’t find the legendary technique—but because the best had been claimed.

Leftovers remained.

Well, high-tier leftovers—untouchable for most. Calling them trash was harsh.

But ancient families scorned such inheritances.

So must he pick from the pale-gold ones?

Though they reached Sacred Domain, Lyn delayed deciding. Confirming no tablets were missed, he sat at the central table to ponder.

“Hm?”

Only then did he spot a tablet on the table. Beside it lay an unrolled scroll, mana runes carefully traced in magical ink.

Someone had tried copying the Meditation Charts.

Potions piled nearby—high-grade ones for stamina and mana recovery.

A basket sat unused; its purpose unknown.

“Is someone else coming here besides me?” Lyn murmured, thoughtful.

Not surprising, really. St. Eaton had many geniuses; he couldn’t be the only one to reach this floor.

But copying Meditation Techniques? That was odd.

Surprised, Lyn touched the tablet.

Pure golden text: “Embrace of Angels.”

Clearly, this Meditation Technique surpassed all he’d seen.

Lyn ruthlessly thrust spiritual energy into it, testing affinity. Predictably, he was repelled—instantly, faster than before.

Expected. With vampire blood, good angel affinity would be absurd.

But… normal paths failed. He could force it.

A forced melon might not be sweet—but damn, it felt satisfying.

Since someone copied techniques here anyway, forcing his way felt justified.

This pure-gold technique led beyond Sacred Domain. Even as backup, it could trade for an equal later.

Getting it meant no loss.

As Lyn lifted the tablet to examine it, glowing specks floated around him—star-like radiance shimmering.

He followed them upward to the dome he’d seen earlier.

This time, Lyn blinked, neck still tilted, staring intently.

The seven strange humanoid figures on the dome had shifted into bizarre poses. Faint mana traces flowed across them like runes… or perhaps…

Meditation Charts?