Anliya (Part 1)

The deans of the Grand Natural Academy have always been secretly appointed by the royal family. They are mysterious, powerful, and rarely seen.

Besides them, there are numerous vice-principals and honorary principals, with varying numbers of positions.

Being a vice-principal is one of the most important qualifications for entering the Grand Duchy's Royal Academician committee. At this level, they rarely concern themselves with the specific affairs of the academy's development. Having entered the core of the Duchy's power, they use the academy's principalship as a stepping stone to influence a much wider scope.

Below them are the department heads for each grade, with one principal and one vice-principal for each of the three grades.

Reilo's mentor, Gubo, is the department head for this year's freshmen.

In the spacious conference hall, the heavy metal doors exuded a sense of solemnity. Six figures of varying appearances sat facing each other around a giant round table, the six current grade department heads.

"It's been seven years since the academy last ranked first in the graduation assessments of the six major academies. Especially last year's assessment, not only did we fall behind Xilan Duchy, but we were even surpassed by Balda Duchy. Two department heads left in shame. If this continues, what qualifications will the academy have to be mentioned alongside the Xilan Natural Academy!"

The speaker was a middle-aged female scholar, who flipped through a black beast-hide notebook with a detached and stiff tone. She seemed even more rigid and stubborn than Gubo, and was one of the radical members advocating for vigorous support of the study of mutated spirit summoning.

The atmosphere in the conference room was oppressive.

Chewing on his pipe, with a black crow perched on his shoulder, Liuyan glanced at the silent Gubo.

Seeing that everyone's gaze was on Gubo, but Gubo showed no intention of speaking, Liuyan smiled helplessly and decided to speak up himself.

"So, do you have any suggestions?"

The crow on Liuyan's shoulder turned its red eye to look.

The female scholar sneered. Even though Gubo tried to evade, she pressed on relentlessly.

"Sticking to tradition will only lead to being eliminated by the times! In recent years, with the large-scale exploitation of natural specimens from the Demon Eagle Forest by scholars from various nearby Duchys, there has been a clear downward trend. Artificial cultivation plans have also successively failed. If this continues, the academy is no different from slow suicide! Mutated spirit summoning is the future of the academy. I once again suggest that the academy must significantly increase research investment and reduce the funding proportion for the study of Evolution's Profound Meaning!"

Pausing for a moment, the female scholar's voice stopped.

"Moreover!"

The female scholar's gaze fell on Gubo, her expression aggressive.

"Gubo, the disciple I took has already been recognized by the academy's review mentors and officially granted the title of spirit summoner. Although her ranking on the first season's elite list has not been officially published, she is already far ahead of other students. Hmph hmph hmph, you rely on mutated spirit summoning to achieve results, yet you continuously obstruct its development. Such a contradiction, don't you feel ashamed?"

Unlike his usual explosive anger, Gubo was surprisingly calm this time.

Adjusting his black-rimmed glasses on his high nose bridge, Gubo looked at the female scholar and said in a low voice, "I've looked at your disciple. She is indeed good and worthy of the title of spirit summoner."

Several people turned their gazes to the female scholar.

The female scholar's expression was proud, and she didn't avoid the gazes, replying, "As far as I know, Master Gubo is also nurturing a disciple among this year's freshmen. Giggle, why haven't we seen this disciple's elite list points? Are you trying to keep it a secret?"

The female scholar was naturally referring to Reilo.

Gubo said with unhurried mockery, "Why don't you first cultivate a disciple who can be compared to Wushuang, and then evaluate my disciple!"

"You!"

The female scholar was enraged, "If it weren't for Wushuang Galli, what right would you have to be valued by the higher-ups and confront me!"

"Heh heh."

Gubo surveyed everyone and said methodically, "Regarding mutated spirit summoning, I still maintain a reserved attitude. Following the theorems of our predecessors, the evolution of any organism cannot violate natural laws and Evolution's Profound Meaning. Using deformed, pathological cancer cells as the source of evolution, replacing normal cells, will inevitably come at a cost. It's just that the time is too short for it to manifest yet!"

As it concerned the future direction of the academy, the other scholars present, who had not spoken, dared not make a hasty decision.

As Gubo said, mutated spirit summoning was a formal academic school of thought that this female scholar had developed through years of dedicated research over a decade ago. It had caused a huge sensation in the academy when it first appeared.

This academic theory almost broke certain theorems and laws in Antonio's Evolution's Profound Meaning. At the time, many in the academy's radical faction even believed that this female mentor might very well become the fourth pioneer of humanity in the future!

However, with the conservative scholars led by Gubo strongly opposing it, pointing out that this theory, which used the potential characteristics of cancer cells to replace normal body cells, must carry extremely terrifying risks, people gradually calmed down and began to treat the matter rationally.

Was mutated spirit summoning a great discovery that broke the truth and laws of Evolution's Profound Meaning, or was it still within its framework, with the price merely delayed?

After all, according to the law of conservation of energy, to achieve certain goals, other sacrifices must be made!

The powerful characteristics displayed by mutated spirit summoning not only violated the theorem of natural selection in Evolution's Profound Meaning but had even subverted the fundamental law of conservation of energy!

If mutated spirit summoning was not a discovery of a new fundamental law, then according to the law of energy conservation, achieving the goal would inevitably require other sacrifices. With the immense power displayed by this academic theory, the price required to explain it would likely be unimaginable...

When the laws of human pioneers conflicted with the theorems of this obscure female scholar, between the two, the vast majority of scholars undoubtedly preferred to believe in the pioneers whose theories had been verified by millions of experiments.

Thus, for the next decade or so, the study of mutated spirit summoning was limited to the exchange and interaction among a very small number of scholars in the academy, and did not receive the academy's funding support. The Royal Scientific Research Institute only had one inconspicuous laboratory.

As time slowly passed.

The price that people had been eagerly awaiting never appeared. At the same time, the female scholar's strength grew day by day, and many people began to waver. Had they been wrong all along?

Accompanying this was the challenge faced by scholars studying Evolution's Profound Meaning: the issue of specimen collection!

The key step for scholars studying Evolution's Profound Meaning was to collect natural specimens and enhance their self-awareness.

But with the increase in the number of human scholars and the huge demand for specimens, the number of available natural specimens for exploitation had significantly decreased compared to a thousand years ago. Collecting specimens took longer, and learning became more difficult.

Thus, people began to seek various solutions.

However, all plans, whether public museums or artificial breeding, ultimately ended in failure. Scholars had to venture into more remote and inaccessible areas.

Even Gubo's unfinished Ancestral Cloning Academic was one of many academic research attempts to save the predicament of Evolution's Profound Meaning scholars, extracting certain ancient beast genes from the mottled bloodlines of some low-level magical beasts to restore some extinct precious biological specimens.

The female scholar also calmed down and inadvertently looked at her fingers.

Her fingerprints were clearly slowly wriggling, and even some of the bodily tissues under her skin seemed to be moving uncontrollably, "coming alive." They would occasionally twitch before being temporarily restrained by the Energy Magnetic Field and returning to a calm state.

These would be horrifying circumstances to others, but for the female scholar, after more than ten years, she had long grown accustomed to them.

Over a decade ago, when she first researched and published her theory on aberrant spirit communication, it was rejected because it contradicted the theorems of two pioneers. Discouraged and at rock bottom, facing numerous doubts, she could only stand defiant and alone.

However, as days turned into weeks.

Those former doubters were now insignificant compared to her academic prowess. Her resolve had never been stronger. She no longer retreated. Even challenging the theorems of two pioneers single-handedly, facing the skepticism of countless scholars, she would not flinch!

"Truth can never be extinguished by force. The orderly laws between celestial bodies in the universe cannot be altered, not even by the Creator, God of Light!"

At the round table conference, the female scholar murmured the famous words of the deceased pioneer White Niven, her gaze unwavering!

"Even the two pioneers, Gauss Adolf and Antonio, merely discovered the laws of truth for their respective eras. They do not represent the ultimate laws of truth! Now that I have discovered the entirely new law of truth, aberrant spirit communication, they have become, in my eyes, another Church, an old force blocking the path to a great new era!"

Besides Gubo, Liuyan was also slightly moved upon hearing this.