As the nation of wisdom, Sumeru had countless scholars who poured their hearts and souls into their research and papers, racking their brains. Yet even with the help of the Akasha Terminal, not every scholar could get what they wanted. After all, there were some answers the Akasha would not give them.
Under these circumstances, many scholars chose a dangerous shortcut to obtain an answer.
That was to use Spirit Incense to aid their meditation, attempting to connect their consciousness directly to Irminsul and obtain the knowledge and answers they wanted from the omniscient, omnipotent tree.
In the Akademiya's history, there had indeed been many fortunate individuals who obtained the answers they wanted this way. With the help of Irminsul's knowledge, these lucky few soon achieved extraordinary academic accomplishments, earned promotions and raises, and reached the pinnacle of their lives.
These fortunate individuals called the stage they were in the [Silent Perfection Phase]!
However, this method was extremely dangerous. Because Irminsul was already contaminated, if someone's consciousness happened to connect to the contaminated part, forbidden knowledge would instantly shatter the meditator's mind, leaving them deranged in reality.
Because of its characteristics, the stage these people were in before they went mad was called the [Forest-Dwelling Frenzy Phase]!
And those unfortunate scholars who went mad had to face exile to Aaru Village at the hands of the Akademiya.
Even so, quite a few scholars of limited aptitude still chose this path despite its dangers, seeking a direction and answers for their research.
After all, relying on their own abilities alone might leave them accomplishing nothing their entire lives. In Sumeru, a city of learning where academic achievement determined access to social resources, that was an outcome many scholars did not want to see.
Rather than spend their whole lives accomplishing nothing,