Before everyone had finished processing the matter of tuition fees, Sally continued, "Starting tomorrow, I'll give you seven days to practice the Intermediate Meditation Method. During this time, raise your spiritual energy as much as possible."
"Seven days from now, your spiritual energy will be tested."
After confirming that no one had any further questions, Sally arranged accommodations for them.
Leo arrived at his room. It was spacious, but contained only a bed, a stack of blankets, a round table, and a chair. There was a cup on the table. Food and water could be obtained from the servants at Esmond Lodge.
Leo went to the bed and began practicing the Intermediate Meditation Method.
The Basic Meditation Method Codex was still in the optimization process for inferior quality.
Leo closed his eyes and entered a meditation cycle.
After completing roughly three cycles of the Intermediate Meditation Method, he opened his eyes.
"As meditation efficiency increases, the rate at which my spiritual energy grows is also accelerating."
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
Leo continued meditating in his room.
During the days since arriving at the gathering, Leo had constantly practiced meditation in his room.
Aside from getting food and water, he steadily practiced the Intermediate Meditation Method the rest of the time.
He was now very close to mastering the inferior-quality Basic Meditation Method Codex.
"Lord Danville, Wizard Sally has asked for you."
Leo got up and went to Sally's office.
"Wizard Sally."
"Come in."
Leo entered the room and found Sally looking somewhat haggard.
Esmond's disappearance had apparently affected this teaching assistant greatly.
The desk in the center looked more luxurious.
Sally sat at the desk on the left, while a short, stern-faced man sat at the desk on the right.
Standing before Sally were Chris, Molly, John, and Sono, the four Wizard Seedlings who had entered the Tower of Dawn alongside Leo.
Leo said, "Sorry, Wizard Sally. I'm late."
"No, your timing is just right." Sally smiled, then pointed at the man beside her. "This is Teaching Assistant Tesla. When I'm not around, you can also ask him any questions you have regarding your training."
Leo and the others greeted Tesla.
Leo looked at Tesla and respectfully said, "Hello, Wizard Tesla."
Tesla looked at Leo's short silver-white hair and frowned slightly. "Sally, is he the Wizard Seedling with third-level spiritual aptitude whom you accepted from Wizard Nova?"
"That's right."
"Sally, you never said he was a Prossian."
Sally smiled. "Wizard Tesla, if Mentor Esmond were here, he wouldn't mind accepting a Prossian as his student."
Tesla frowned, but finally said, "Fine."
"I called you here today to confirm the results of your seven days of meditation training."
Sally suddenly noticed something. She studied Leo carefully, her expression turning grave. "Danville, have you come into contact with any potions recently?"
Leo asked in confusion, "Potions? Wizard Sally, do you mean the potions mentioned in Potionology?"
Seeing that Leo's confusion did not seem feigned, Sally said, "That's right. Your spiritual energy has grown very quickly. It has even nearly reached the level attainable by someone with fourth-level spiritual aptitude... This does not match the result of your third-level spiritual aptitude test."
Sally said sternly, "If you took any potions, you must tell me what kind. Improper use of potions can damage a Wizard's spiritual aptitude. I need to determine what potion you took and see whether it can still be remedied in time, reducing its side effects on you."
Teaching assistants were evaluated on their work as well.
For Sally, who had only recently become a teaching assistant, this batch of students was crucial to her evaluation.
Sally did not want one of the two Wizard Seedlings with third-level spiritual aptitude that she had worked so hard to find to be ruined by something like this.
Leo shook his head. "Wizard Sally, I haven't taken any potions. I've stayed in my room these past few days and never gone out."
"Is that so..." Sally pondered for a moment, but did not fully believe him. "Let's test your spiritual energy values first. Danville, you go first."
A crystal ball sat on the desk before Sally.
Leo walked over, stretched out his hand, and placed it on the crystal ball.
A number appeared inside the crystal ball: 0.8.
Sally considered it briefly, then said, "Danville, your spiritual energy has already reached 0.8. I'll write this into your profile. This is an excellent bonus point. Some Wizard Seedlings with fourth-level spiritual aptitude may not have improved as quickly as you during these first few days."
"Of course, I hope this is truly your own ability and not the result of prematurely draining your spiritual aptitude." Sally emphasized it again.
"Yes, I can guarantee that I haven't taken any potions, Wizard Sally," Leo said.
Seeing Leo continue to deny it, Sally said nothing further.
"Next is Chris."
"Spiritual energy 0.5. Very good."
"If you maintain this pace, your Comprehensive Assessment score at the end of the first month should reach thirty points."
Chris asked, "Wizard Sally, how many Magic Stones can thirty points roughly earn?"
"Thirty Magic Stones, perhaps."
Chris's face lit up with joy. "That's nearly one-third of the tuition fee. That's a lot."
"Next, Molly."
"Spiritual energy 0.1. Barely acceptable."
"Next, John."
John, who carried himself with the air of a noble, looked tense at that moment. He took a deep breath and stepped forward for the test.
"Spiritual energy 0.04... You need to work harder."
John's face instantly turned pale. He had not expected such a large gap between himself and Molly when they both possessed second-level spiritual aptitude.
"Sono."
"Spiritual energy 0.08. You need to work harder."
Sono kept a stiff expression, clearly in a terrible mood.
John's pupils widened, his face full of disbelief.
He had not expected that, as a noble, he would be completely outperformed by the other four present. Molly and Sono in particular had the same second-level spiritual aptitude as him, yet John's spiritual energy was the lowest.
John said, "Wizard Sally, how many points can spiritual energy like mine earn in the first month's Comprehensive Assessment?"
"No bonus points."
John was dealt an even heavier blow.
Sally looked at John, her eyes carrying the wisdom to see through everything. "John, during the seven days since arriving at Esmond Lodge, you went out every day to make connections with others in the Esmond Gathering."
"But when you first arrived, I already told you to raise your spiritual energy as much as possible during these seven days. Yet you still maintained the social habits you had as a noble."
"And Sono, although you went out less often than John, you also left the gathering several times, each time returning only after a long while."
"You wasted your limited training time. This result is only natural."
Sally's words were like icy blades, piercing John and Sono.
John especially opened his mouth, wanting to argue, only to realize that Sally was completely right.
Sally had described Molly's performance as barely acceptable, while she had said that Sono and John had not worked hard enough.
Sally said, "The Tower of Dawn is not the kingdom you once knew. Here, strength is everything. Noble titles and noble socializing are meaningless. Your talent is insufficient, so you have no right not to work hard. All you can do is work harder."
John and Sono lowered their heads.
Sally said, "Spiritual energy is tested once every seven days. I will conduct the second round of testing seven days from now. I hope that during these next seven days, you will no longer slack off in your practice of the Intermediate Meditation Method."
Before you continue