Divine Light

Suye went to the other teachers' offices again and asked about all the material they would cover in tomorrow's classes. Only then did he head back to the classroom.

"Is something wrong?" Hote asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine!" Suye replied.

"What did you want with the teachers?"

"You'll know before school is out."

"Oh." Hote relaxed.

During the final class, Niedern appeared at the lectern and said, "Everyone, come outside with me. We'll have Meditation class on the lawn." As he spoke, he headed out.

Everyone had been cooped up all day. Hearing that they could have class outside, they grew extremely excited and quickly filed out.

"At last, it lives up to the name Plato Academy. I heard that when Master Plato first established the academy, he taught while walking around!"

"Exactly. That's the Plato Academy we've always wanted."

"You're overthinking it. If Master Plato had been teaching several hundred students at once, there would have been no way for him to teach while walking. It's not like he was herding sheep."

Suye followed the group to a quiet patch of grass.

Niedern stood in front of everyone and said, "Choose any spot and sit down. The purpose of this class isn't to teach you meditation, but to let you experience meditation under my guidance. I know some of you have already tried meditating, but I still hope you'll follow my instructions."

Everyone sat down according to their usual seating order in class.

Pallas still sat beside Suye, her body still held tall and straight, like a proud swan.

Suye glanced at her. For some reason, she seemed even prouder than usual, as if victory were already in her grasp.

It seems she mastered meditation long ago...

Suye glanced at Rolon as well. He, too, looked calm and unruffled.

Most of the students were extremely excited.

Suye opened his notebook and looked toward Niedern.

Niedern said, "Before meditation begins, I'll block your vision and prevent you from speaking. This is to give you a better experience. If you encounter a problem you can't resolve during meditation, raise your hand to signal me, and I'll deal with it."

"Now, everyone sit in a comfortable position. Remember, sit—don't lie down. This is a meditation class, not a sleep class."

Many students laughed.

"You may be fortunate enough to see the starry sky during this meditation, and several or even dozens of holes may appear in that sky, projecting light. Don't be afraid. Those are the Realm Barrier. Although you haven't taken Basic Magic yet, you should all have heard that the world we live in can be called the mortal realm, while the world where the gods live is called the Divine Realm. The Divine Realm is where the gods were born, so it is filled with powerful forces."

"There are many theories about the origin of those holes. Some say they are remnants of the War of the Gods, while others say Prometheus left them behind for humanity. In any case, the light projected through those holes is the power of the Divine Realm. The purpose of our meditation is to enter that light and absorb its power. Warriors can constantly refine their divine power bloodlines. Relying on those bloodlines, they can remain in contact with the Divine Light for long periods and absorb power continuously. Mages are different. Because they lack divine power bloodlines, they can absorb power only while meditating."

"If any of you see the Divine Light, don't panic, and don't get excited. Use your mind to sense the light and search for the one that attracts you most strongly. The Divine Light is sometimes farther from us and sometimes closer, but Master Thales once said that the farther away it is, the more powerful—and the more dangerous—it is. If you're confident in your talent, you can choose the farthest light you can reach, but you'll also have to bear enormous risks. If you lack confidence in your talent, choose the light closest to you. Although many people use the closer lights, they're very safe."

"Of course, you can also choose lights at an intermediate distance. In short, the decision is entirely up to you. If you can't decide, give up on choosing for now. After studying or asking a teacher and finding your answer, you can make your choice."

"Most of our classmates probably won't be able to see the Divine Light, but don't worry. As long as we keep cultivating and studying, we'll definitely find the Divine Light that belongs to us! All right, if anyone has a question, ask it now."

The curious students began asking questions one after another.

Suye glanced at Hote.

Hote had endured far too many such looks and immediately understood. He said in distress, "Actually, I first came into contact with meditation two years ago, but I've never seen the Divine Light."

"Don't lose heart. As long as you work hard, you'll definitely advance to Apprentice!" Suye said.

"I hope so," Hote replied.

Suye listened to the lesson while recording key words, rather than writing down every sentence.

Before long, Master Niedern said, "All right, everyone find a comfortable position and sit down. Next, I'll use magic to seal your mouths and eyes."

Suye's heart filled with anticipation. He really wanted to know whether the meditation he had learned would work in this world.

If it did, his meditation efficiency would be at least twice that of an ordinary student! Niedern, dressed in a gray robe, raised his right hand. With a slight movement of his index finger, an emerald ring on it emitted a pale green light that instantly enveloped the entire area.

Everything before Suye's eyes turned black, and he lost all sensation in his throat and mouth.

At that moment, even though Suye had been prepared, a faint trace of panic still arose within him.

This was his first time experiencing the power of magic.

"I can see that some of you are nervous. Don't panic. We're still sitting on the grass, and I won't leave you. Now, you can use my words to guide your imagination. Imagine yourselves on a beach on an autumn afternoon. Warm sunlight pours down, and the sand is soft and fine. Facing us is the azure Aegean Sea. Gulls cry softly, the sea breeze blows gently, and the salty scent of seawater drifts through your nostrils. Gentle waves strike the beach, making a rustling sound..."

Hearing Niedern guiding them through meditation, Suye felt a trace of resistance rise within him.

There were many ways to meditate. After learning mindfulness psychology on Blue Star, Suye had deliberately chosen a weekend, turned off all his electronic devices, refused to communicate with anyone, and stayed home alone to try various meditation techniques.

Some meditation methods involved imagining or transforming things into external objects, such as mountain meditation, starry-sky meditation, lake meditation, snow-sweeping meditation, and swimming-fish meditation.

There was loving-kindness meditation, which mobilized emotions.

There was five-senses meditation, which involved self-awareness, including tactile, visual, auditory, olfactory, and gustatory meditation, as well as barefoot walking meditation.

There was also the most basic form: breath meditation.

Suye tried dozens of meditation methods, but eventually discovered that methods involving fantasies of external objects were completely useless for him.

After repeatedly considering and comparing them, along with applying some related knowledge, Suye finally understood that different people had different "sensory models" of the outside world. It wasn't just their meditation methods—even their definitions of meditation differed.

After continuously experimenting, Suye discovered that the meditation methods best suited to him were related to the body, such as five-senses meditation, barefoot walking meditation, and full-body scanning meditation.

In the end, Suye chose the most basic method, breath meditation, combined with full-body scanning meditation.