A month later.
After the academy ceremony, students in each class began their Enlightenment Scholar courses, taught according to their mentors' different approaches.
Reilo had no idea how the new students assigned to regular classes were learning, but this past month, under the patient, tireless guidance of his second senior brother, Shatuo, every day had been joyful and fulfilling. He had made progress each and every day.
Frog specimens, tadpole specimens, white mouse specimens, passionflower specimens, snake yam specimens, singing parrot specimens...
Over the past month, Reilo had made more than forty specimens of common organisms with his own hands, using a variety of preservation methods. For scholars studying Evolution's Profound Meaning, these specimens were a source of knowledge and the foundation for exploring the truth.
Early in the morning, Reilo jogged toward the mentor building.
Spring had arrived, and the chill of early spring from a month ago was gone.
As the days grew longer and the sun rose earlier, shops along the streets opened earlier, too. Scholars had also become more diligent. They headed to the teaching buildings or library in groups of two or three first thing in the morning, beginning another day of study.
Though Reilo had spent a month immersed in his studies, rushing to the faculty building early each morning and returning to his lodgings alone late at night, with no friends besides Shatuo, whose instruction never let up, he didn't feel lonely.
In fact, he had come to enjoy the solitude.
His fulfilling studies occupied all his energy, and brought him a happiness unlike anything he had ever known!
A little while later.
"Phew..."
After finishing the steaming noodles Shatuo made for him day after day, Reilo felt completely satisfied. As always, diligent Shatuo took care of the dishes, while Reilo took out the Nematomorpha specimen he had extracted from a mantis the night before, intending to ask about it later.
Nematomorpha, also known as horsehair worms, were common parasites found in insects such as mantises.
As larvae, they parasitized grasshoppers, mantises, and beetles, developing inside their hosts while gradually taking control of their behavior. Once they matured, their hosts' bodies could no longer accommodate their growth. They also needed to reproduce, so they drove their hosts into the water to drown themselves, allowing the worms to continue their life cycle.
"From an insect's point of view, this really is a terrifying demon!"
Reilo sighed to himself. Shatuo came into the laboratory after finishing the dishes and naturally noticed Reilo's Nematomorpha specimen.
"Is this a Nematomorpha specimen?"
Recognizing it, Shatuo asked in surprise, "Junior Brother, you seem quite interested in parasites. This is already your fourth parasite specimen. I didn't start paying attention to parasite research until after my graduation assessment."
Reilo said sheepishly, "I've just been unlucky. The specimens I caught all had parasites inside, so I made specimens of them."
Shatuo didn't dwell on that. "Is there something about this Nematomorpha you're wondering about?"
Reilo thought for a moment. "Senior Brother, I want to know how Nematomorpha control their hosts' behavior."
"Hm?"
Shatuo frowned and looked at Reilo in surprise. After a long pause, he said slowly, "Junior Brother, your progress has amazed me. You're already thinking about academic questions! Exactly. If you can uncover the secret and reproduce it in your own Energy Magnetic Field, that will become your academic Esoteric. That's how scholars who study Evolution's Profound Meaning achieve self-evolution!"
"Ah!?"
Reilo hadn't expected his senior brother to praise him like that.
"But I haven't studied Nematomorpha, so I can't answer your question. Still, it's time I taught you to master your own Energy Magnetic Field. Once you've mastered it and combined it with your academic research to complete your first academic, you'll be a true Enlightenment Scholar!"
Shatuo continued excitedly, "You've completed the basic Enlightenment studies in just one short month. The mentor will be delighted when he hears!"
"Really?"
Reilo imagined Mentor Gubo's surprise when he learned that Reilo had met his second senior brother's expectations and completed the basic Enlightenment curriculum for the term in just one month. The thought of the mentor praising his achievement filled him with secret delight.
"Mm!"
Shatuo was excited for Reilo, too.
Over the past month, as they spent day after day together, Shatuo had come to place great hopes in his junior brother.
He had to admit that although this junior brother hadn't yet shown the full extent of his potential, even the intelligence he had already displayed far surpassed Shatuo's at the same age. He was quick-witted and meticulous, and, more importantly, he was just as disciplined as Shatuo himself.
Perhaps one day, he really would replace Shatuo and become a second Wushuang, making the mentor proud!
Imagining the mentor's delight, Shatuo couldn't help smiling. He looked at Reilo with even greater admiration and affection.
"Junior Brother, since you've developed an academic awareness, let's begin the final part of your basic studies today: the Energy Magnetic Field."
"Okay!"
Reilo excitedly put away the Nematomorpha specimen and took out the Ice Fire Bird Notebook. His cheeks flushed with excitement.
Seeing his eager expression, Shatuo smiled. "Junior Brother, there's no need to get so worked up. An Energy Magnetic Field is what commoners call magic. A zero-level Energy Magnetic Field isn't difficult to master. Everyone has one; you just need the right guidance to activate it. And since we're beneath the energy vortex of the Scholar Tower, it'll be even easier!"
As he spoke, Shatuo took out an ordinary-looking energy crystal and handed it to Reilo.
Reilo accepted it, looking puzzled.
"Senior Brother, what's this for?"
Though it was an ordinary energy crystal, as long as its energy hadn't been depleted, it could easily sell for more than one gold coin.
Why was his senior brother giving him such a precious crystal?
"Junior Brother, close your eyes and calm your mind. Focus on what you feel."
"Okay."
Reilo complied and closed his eyes. After a while, his breathing gradually steadied as he focused on the energy crystal in his hand.
"Junior Brother, can you feel it?"
"I think... Mm!"
After a brief moment of confusion, Reilo exclaimed in disbelief and excitement, "I can feel the abundant energy inside it! It's like... a fireball shining brilliantly in the darkness! Wait, no, it's not dark. There are other specks of light around me, but they're all moving in that direction..."
Reilo opened his eyes and looked toward where the specks of light had been moving. He cried out in astonishment, "The Scholar Tower—the Grand Royal Institute!"
What Reilo had sensed was the energy vortex atop the tower in the academy's inner grounds!
"Exactly."
Shatuo wasn't surprised by Reilo's reaction.
"The Scholar Tower draws energy from nature by special means, forcibly creating an energy vortex that supplies all the scholars at the academy. The academy saves an incalculable number of energy crystals each year thanks to it! Compared to the Scholar Tower's vortex, the energy in this crystal is like a firefly beneath the full moon—insignificant."
Reilo wet his lips and asked, "Then how do we form our own Energy Magnetic Field?"
"Junior Brother, it seems you haven't truly grasped the meaning of an Energy Magnetic Field! In fact, every one of us is a field—not just people, but every living thing and every material object. The way they exist is a manifestation of a 'field.' We only need to let our own fields absorb the energy that's everywhere, just as we breathe!"
Just as we breathe?
Reilo closed his eyes again.
Under Shatuo's guidance, Reilo did his utmost to train his Energy Magnetic Field. He seemed to see the boundless starry sky and realize how insignificant he was, as he tried to draw in the specks of light around him.
Huff, huff, huff.
Suddenly!
An indescribable pressure, like the crushing weight of the deep sea, pressed in on Reilo from every direction. Even breathing became difficult.
"Junior Brother, do you feel the pressure of this world? Don't be afraid. Your Energy Magnetic Field hasn't yet been transformed by a Medium Companion, so the world instinctively rejects it. You just need to get used to it."
Sweat ran down Reilo's forehead, and he remembered what Orn had said.
It seemed that scholars were rejected by the entire world.
"Senior Brother, why is this happening?"
Reilo asked in pain and confusion.
Shatuo shook his head.
"I... don't know either. All we know so far is that humans have this trait. They're at odds with nature, which makes the path of evolution exceptionally difficult."
Then Shatuo set aside his worries and said excitedly, "Junior Brother, since you can sense your Energy Magnetic Field, all you need to do until you find a Medium Companion is keep training and building it up on your own. Complete your first academic as soon as you can, and you'll be a true Enlightenment Scholar. Let's hurry and tell the mentor the good news!"
Shatuo looked full of anticipation, as if he could already see their stern, rigid mentor Gubo reacting with surprise and satisfaction.