Kael Vorn perused the meditation method meticulously, word by word, and then committed it to memory.


    Not only did he pore over the original text, but he also dedicated himself to studying and grasping the meditation techniques and notes left by Alik.


    These supplementary materials would undoubtedly facilitate his understanding and mastery of the method.


    After spending half a day in earnest study, Kael Vorn embarked on his first meditation practice.


    Recalling the steps of the meditation method vividly in his mind, he assumed his most comfortable sitting position and initiated the meditation process.


    As time trickled by, more than half an hour later, Kael Vorn opened his eyes, astonishment brimming in his gaze. Could it be that he was a natural talent?


    He had managed to make an initial breakthrough in the "The Breath of Darkness" meditation method on his very first attempt.


    Sensing the magic power that had been absorbed into his body during the recent meditation, a smile spread across Kael Vorn''s face.


    After a moment of thought, he summoned his attribute panel to see if there were any changes following this meditation session.


    Name: Kael Vorn


    Bloodline: Human


    Rank: 0th Rank Apprentice


    Strength: 1.3


    Physique: 1.1


    Agility: 1.1


    Spiritual Power: 2.1


    Magic Power: 1.7


    Skills: Entry - level "The Breath of Darkness"


    Potential Points: 0


    The panel revealed some notable changes.


    His rank, 0th Rank Apprentice, now appeared, indicating that only after achieving this basic level of meditation had he truly entered the extraordinary realm.


    A new attribute, "Magic Power," had been added, yet its value was rather low.


    Based on his personal perception of his body, Kael Vorn surmised that the magic power value could be further enhanced.


    After all, this was merely his first foray into meditation.


    In terms of skills, the addition of "Entry - level ''The Breath of Darkness''" was evidently a result of his recent acquisition of this meditation method.


    Contemplating these developments, Kael Vorn was filled with excitement.


    The attribute panel enabled him to monitor his cultivation progress in a timely manner and receive positive feedback.


    This transformed his attitude towards meditation.


    Many individuals struggled to persevere in their cultivation due to a lack of observable changes.


    Once the meditation concluded, Kael Vorn rose to his feet and stretched his body.


    Then, he leaned forward and peered out of the window.


    The sky was gradually darkening, and it was estimated that within an hour and a half, it would be pitch - black.


    Detecting no signs of danger, Kael Vorn sat back down to resume his meditation.


    At this moment, he was like a child who had just received a fascinating new toy, in a state of exuberance and eager to meditate at every opportunity.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ...


    Kael Vorn completed another round of meditation.


    Savoring the abundant magic power coursing through his body, he felt highly satisfied.


    He called up the panel for an inspection and discovered that none of the other attributes had altered, except for the magic power, which had now increased to 2.1.


    It seemed that the magic power attribute was indeed correlated with spiritual power.


    Regrettably, despite possessing a substantial amount of magic power, he had yet to learn any spells, rendering this power somewhat unusable.


    Kael Vorn clicked his tongue in disappointment. Suddenly, he heard the volume of the sounds downstairs intensifying.


    This sent a wave of panic through him, causing his face to blanch with fear.


    He stood up gingerly, grasped the fire axe firmly, and edged slowly towards the window.


    Through the drafty window, he caught sight of the source of the commotion below. It was a vast horde of zombies, shambling along the road in a disorganized manner.


    Kael Vorn''s heart pounded wildly in his chest, and his palms grew sweaty.


    He gripped the fire axe tightly, as if seeking a semblance of reassurance.


    Zombies were an unintelligent species not commonly encountered in the Spirit Realm.


    Their origin was straightforward. When a particular world became part of the Spirit Realm, if the races within it could not endure the influence of the Spirit Realm''s aura, they would transform into mindless zombies.


    In certain regions of the Spirit Realm, such zombies could be found.


    Although devoid of intelligence, they were capable of naturally absorbing magic power, which sustained their bodily functions.


    As long as they remained unslain, they could survive for centuries.


    The zombies that emerged after each world''s integration into the Spirit Realm varied.


    Some had the potential to grow continuously, attaining colossal sizes, while others were bloodthirsty, relentlessly seeking living beings to prey upon.


    Furthermore, zombies were capable of reproduction.


    Despite their lack of intelligence, their reproductive instincts remained intact, leading to the successive generations of zombies.


    Perhaps in the future, the descendants of zombies might develop intelligence and evolve into intelligent beings within the Spirit Realm.


    Kael Vorn had briefly skimmed through this information while perusing an encyclopedia of the Spirit Realm.


    Now, he deeply regretted not having studied the details of zombies more thoroughly.


    Of course, even if he had studied the information comprehensively, it might not have been of great practical use, as the characteristics of zombies varied from world to world.


    Some had enhanced visual capabilities, others had acute hearing, and still, others had a highly developed sense of smell. These traits were not discernible from their appearance.


    By now, Kael Vorn finally understood the fate of the skeleton in the adjacent room. Presumably, the skeleton had fallen victim to the zombies.


    Although zombies could survive on magic power, they were also bloodthirsty.


    Any creature that intruded into their territory and was detected would likely become their next meal.


    The skeleton was probably an unfortunate soul from the past. No wonder there were teeth marks on the bones. Everything now fell into place.


    There were perhaps over a thousand zombies downstairs, stumbling along the road aimlessly, their destination unknown.


    Despite their lack of intelligence, zombies had heightened hearing and a keen sense of smell, allowing them to detect sounds from afar.


    However, they were mostly blind, as they were averse to light.


    Although sunlight did not harm them, it made them uncomfortable, so during the day, zombies typically sought refuge in dark, secluded places.


    When night fell, these zombies would emerge in droves, drawn by the various nocturnal sounds to different locations.


    Kael Vorn was on the fourth floor. As long as he remained silent, he was relatively safe.


    The zombie horde downstairs, with over a thousand zombies forming a ragged line stretching over a thousand meters, shambled forward unsteadily.


    At this moment, Kael Vorn dared not rest, fearing that he might make a sound in his sleep or that a zombie might venture upstairs.


    Fortunately, he had been meditating earlier and had not made any noise.


    Immediately after the meditation ended, he heard the approaching zombie sounds and cautiously came to investigate.


    Otherwise, if he had made a noise at that time, the zombie horde would not be moving at this leisurely pace.


    According to the records in the books, when zombies hunted, their movements were remarkably swift, comparable to the running speed of an average adult.


    Moreover, among the zombie species, there were many formidable individuals. Although lacking intelligence, their strength grew over time as they absorbed magic power.


    Generally, the longer a zombie had existed, the more powerful it became.


    Although the average lifespan of a zombie was only a few hundred years, some fortunate ones, upon amassing a significant amount of magic power, could advance in rank, and their physical strength would increase exponentially.


    In the records, a mage who had ventured deep into the Spirit Realm once encountered a massive zombie horde.


    Among this group, there were numerous zombies of the Black Iron and Silver ranks.


    He even spotted several at the Gold rank. Fortunately, despite their power, these zombies had not acquired intelligence and retained only their primal instincts.


    Otherwise, the mage''s escape would have been highly uncertain.


    After waiting for an extended period, the horde of over a thousand zombies finally moved on, alleviating some of the tension in Kael Vorn''s heart.


    When the zombies were present earlier, his heart had been in a constant state of high alert, and this intense stress was extremely exhausting.


    Relaxing slightly, he slumped back onto his backpack, still not daring to make any sound.


    At this point, he dared not resume meditation either, as during meditation, he was in a vulnerable, unaware state, oblivious to external events.