Lei Luo's Ice Fire Bird Notebook contained a complete diagram of how Elemental Bubble secreted its defensive bubbles, drawn in as much detail as the frog specimen he had once illustrated.
Lei Luo sensed the Energy Magnetic Field within him.
At first, he had needed to close his eyes and focus to sense it. Now, all it took was a thought. Bubble Technique had become instinctive, as easy as moving his index finger.
"By the way, Senior Sister, I heard from Senior Brother Shatuo that before a scholar finds a Medium Companion, their Energy Magnetic Field can only simulate basic, zero-level academic constructs. Why can't they analyze a first-level academic construct ahead of time and simulate it with their Energy Magnetic Field?"
Bailing answered without hesitation. "To be precise, a zero-level Energy Magnetic Field is the natural magnetic field of the human body. It simply can't simulate the complex mechanisms evolved by first-level organisms."
After a pause, Bailing continued, "For reasons we don't understand, the natural forces of this world repel the human Energy Magnetic Field. That's why we need a Medium Companion to transform it so we can simulate the traits of more advanced and complex biological specimens. What's more, once we have a Medium Companion, we can train our Energy Magnetic Field through it and conserve our own energy, leaving us more time to focus on study and research."
So that was how important a Medium Companion was!
No wonder Instructor Gubo was always worried that Senior Sister wouldn't pass her graduation assessment.
There was less than a year left before the assessment, yet Senior Sister still had no Medium Companion. That meant she hadn't mastered a proper first-level academic construct. Even if her basic academic constructs evolved somewhat, who could say whether some of the outstanding students might have completed a first-level academic evolution?
"If Medium Companions are so important, why don't you hurry up and find one, Senior Sister?"
Bailing shot Lei Luo a sidelong glance.
"You think I don't want one as soon as possible?"
Bailing explained calmly, "A Medium Companion is practically a second chance to shape a scholar's potential. It grants scholars different innate abilities and determines how quickly their Energy Magnetic Field grows. Jiahei's ability to take human form, for instance, has helped the old man a great deal. Waiting to choose my Medium Companion may put my graduation assessment at risk, but choosing one recklessly would be like throwing away my career as a scholar!"
"I see!"
Lei Luo finally understood.
It wasn't that Senior Sister wasn't working hard. She was planning further ahead for her future!
A faint smile curved Bailing's lips. "Luckily, I did well on this trip. If all goes as planned, in a few months I'll have saved enough gold to buy an Ice Fox!"
Lei Luo knew how hard life could be. Two hundred gold coins was an astonishing sum, even for Senior Sister Bailing, whose father was Instructor Gubo.
"Senior Sister, I still have a few of the gold coins the instructor gave me. And there's that magic fan Senior Brother Wushuang gave me. With my Energy Magnetic Field as weak as it is, I can barely activate it anyway. If I sell it and pool everything together, we should have..."
"Don't even think about it!"
Bailing looked annoyed.
"I'm your senior sister, not your junior. Worry about yourself! Your Energy Magnetic Field is only strong enough to simulate one basic academic construct. Instead of worrying about me, worry about yourself. You don't want the old man chewing you out!"
She had spoken sharply, but when she realized her little junior was worried about her, warmth filled her heart. Two dimples appeared on her cheeks as she smiled sweetly.
"Mm..." Lei Luo murmured, lowering his head.
The next day.
Instead of going to class with Class Eleven, Lei Luo brought the Bubble Technique paper he had spent all night preparing, along with his Elemental Bubble specimen, to the Academic Affairs Office.
Two people were already waiting in line.
The academic contribution rating process was confidential, so Lei Luo could only sit patiently on a bench in the corridor. Those who arrived after him had it worse; there weren't even enough chairs for them.
After quite a while, the person ahead of him finally finished being evaluated. The owl guardian at the door checked the list, then called out, "Lei Luo."
"Here!"
Lei Luo took a deep breath, stood, and nodded to the owl guardian. Carrying the specimen, he pushed open the heavy wooden door.
The room inside was spacious.
What caught Lei Luo's eye was a pure-white marble clock directly across from him. A statue of a little boy stood on top of it, and the stream of water from the boy's pee had become a fountain, pouring into the open mouth of a marble herring below.
The pendulum swung back and forth, making a "ding-dong, ding-dong" sound.
A greenish-yellow mirror covered part of the ceiling. The reflections in it looked distorted. It seemed to be a one-way mirror, like the one mentioned in The Travels of Anrotai. Perhaps someone was watching him from above, while he remained completely unaware.
"Greetings, instructors!"
Lei Luo bowed respectfully to the three unfamiliar instructors before him and handed over his Elemental Bubble specimen and Bubble Technique paper.
The three unfamiliar instructors—two men and a woman—looked quite old, much like Instructor Gubo. They wore matching black academic robes and were drinking morning tea. Its rich aroma filled the spacious room as they examined the specimen and paper Lei Luo had set on the table.
One of the male instructors had dark, wrinkled skin and a deeply lined forehead. He turned to look at the Elemental Bubble and asked calmly, "Where did you get this specimen of an elemental creature?"
"My senior sister gave it to me," Lei Luo answered honestly.
The old man nodded and silently wrote something on a sheet of paper. "Although it's only a zero-level creature and hasn't mutated, elemental creatures are relatively rare within the human kingdoms. I can give you three contribution points."
Then the old man looked at the other two instructors.
They were reading the paper on Bubble Technique that Lei Luo had spent all night preparing.
After a while, the female instructor looked up at Lei Luo first. Her gaze held a hint of admiration and encouragement, stirring a sense of warmth in him. It almost felt as if he were looking at Anna's Grandfather.
"Your analysis of Bubble Technique mentions theories about lines, surfaces, and solids, and treats the flow of energy as a complex process moving through a space-time medium. That's a bold idea. Did you come up with it yourself, or did someone help you?"
Lei Luo looked at the female instructor, who seemed to have some faith in him, and answered confidently, "I got the idea from Evolution's Profound Meaning, published by the pioneer Antonio. Under the microscope the instructor lent me, I saw that the flow of energy in Elemental Bubble was very similar to Antonio's description, so I included it in my paper."
The female instructor listened and nodded silently.
"Even many advanced scholars think this kind of academic question is little more than fantasy, let alone newly enrolled beginner students. It's remarkable that you're already thinking so boldly. I hope you keep working hard. I'm giving you five elite points!"
"Thank you!"
Lei Luo replied gratefully.
The last instructor, a slightly plump man, was still reading Lei Luo's paper. After hearing the female instructor give him five points, he rubbed his forehead and looked at Lei Luo with a stern, unmistakably scrutinizing expression.
"Tell me what you envision for the future of Bubble Technique as your first academic construct."
"Uh?"
Lei Luo froze, then muttered, "I could add some poison to Bubble Technique and evolve it into a new academic construct."
"Nothing else?"
Unlike the female instructor, this man left Lei Luo at a loss. He pressed his lips together and thought for a long time before slowly shaking his head. He seemed to realize his own shortcomings, and began to grow nervous. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead.
The slightly plump instructor lowered his head to write his evaluation, his disappointment and displeasure plain on his face.
"If you've chosen Bubble Technique as the first basic academic construct of your life, you should have boundless ideas for its future! The more far-fetched and impossible they seem, the harder you'll work toward them, and the greater your potential will be! Instructor Stalina, I disagree with your elite rating. I can only give him two points!"
Lei Luo stood there, stunned. Every word from the plump instructor hit him hard.
Lei Luo opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but for a moment he couldn't think of anything to say.
Only now did he realize how naive he was, just as the instructor had said. He hadn't had a single vision for the future of Bubble Technique. He hadn't even chosen to study it himself; Senior Sister had simply assigned it to him.
Was he really going to rely on Senior Sister's guidance to become the instructor's pride?
For a while, countless thoughts stirred in Lei Luo's heart.
The male and female instructors spoke quietly to each other. In the end, the stern, plump instructor relented, and together they gave Lei Luo's Bubble Technique a rating of four points.
Four points plus three made seven.
With heavy steps, Lei Luo slowly left the room.