My health recovery is incredibly fast.

“Traces of elements are found on every basic toxin.”

"When one's spiritual ocean is developed to the level of a formal mage, one can see the elemental radiance remaining on the basic toxins."

Kulov picked up a book from the shelf, turned around, and continued in an appreciative tone:

"For you, it is not an easy thing to discover this pattern through experiments and reading."

"You do have a talent for poison alchemy."

As he spoke, Kulov picked up the Black Eye Poison from the table and examined the viscous liquid inside through the small glass bottle.

"Excellent quality. Are you skilled in alchemy?"

"The white palate poison you refined before, as well as these black eye poisons, are all at the middle to upper level."

"If it weren't for the fact that your admission record at the academy states that you have never studied alchemy, I would have thought you were a seasoned alchemist."

Kulov answered his own question, put down the medicine bottle in his hand, and unusually did not go to lie down on the soft sofa, but sat down at his desk.

He gestured to the only student present, inviting him to sit down on the wooden chair opposite him.

Seeing his mentor's serious demeanor, Xia Zuo knew the upcoming conversation might not be easy, so he became somewhat wary to avoid saying the wrong thing and revealing his secret.

Kulov waved to the coffee table beside him.

The teapot floated into the air and poured out tea, while two fragrant teacups flew onto the desk.

Kurov picked up one of the cups, drank most of it, put it back on the table, and slowly swirled the cup in both hands, saying:

"Although you have only been my student for a week, I can say that you are the most outstanding of the three."

"Thank you for the compliment, Professor."

Xia Zuo bowed humbly in thanks.

A smile appeared beneath Kulov's mustache. "Tonight, I exchanged observations from the past few days with professors from other disciplines."

"You have studied textbooks for many subjects on your own, and you almost always get full marks on the quizzes in class."

"Professors from all disciplines speak highly of you."

Xia Zuo smiled and nodded, then bowed again to express his gratitude.

This was something he did deliberately, with the aim of quickly establishing himself as a top student and securing more teaching resources.

Kutov set his teacup aside, interlaced his fingers, and said calmly:

"This year marks the first time Xingye Academy has enrolled students with acquired affinity, with a total of 110 new students. Next year there will be even more, 150? No, the head of the academy predicts that it may reach 200."

Xia Zuo put away his smile, leaned back in his chair, and listened calmly.

Kulov made a hugging gesture in front of him, his tone somewhat solemn:

"By this time next year, the number of students in the university will reach around 300."

"Imagine, when I'm teaching, this alchemy room is not only filled with you and Masen, but also with five or six new students who will be enrolling next year."

"The Department of Alchemy and Potion, which has the largest number of students, currently only has 60 people, but that number will double next year. Their alchemy lab needs to be expanded again."

"But you see, the number of professors hasn't changed. We're struggling to keep up. Besides, each professor has their own things to do besides teaching."

Kulov reached for the bookshelf, and a book flew onto the desk. He flipped through the pages from beginning to end, but there wasn't a single word on it.

"Everyone has their own preferred meditation posture."

"I like to lie on the sofa, read a book and meditate. It makes me feel comfortable and I don't have to worry about twisting my neck or other body parts when I wake up."

Xia Zuo revealed a knowing look.

For a monk, practicing meditation to further expand one's spiritual ocean is a matter that requires perseverance. No amount of time spent on meditation is excessive.

The influx of naturally inclined students into universities, their demanding schedules squeezing out professors' time for meditation, is a stark contrast to the rest of the academic world.

Xia Zuo gazed at his mentor and nodded thoughtfully.

"As the most self-disciplined and fastest-learning student among the many freshmen, your opinion is very important to me and other professors."

"We want to know if the current teaching methods and the difficulty of the teaching materials are suitable for students who are naturally inclined to learn."

Kulov took a folded piece of paper from the pocket of his robe and spread it out on the desk.

"I have a questionnaire here that was drafted at the meeting. Please fill it out here."

The fountain pen, now full of ink, flew to Xia Zuo's side.

He gripped the pen, uncapped it, and began to read the contents of the questionnaire.

As Xia Zuo read through the introduction to the questionnaire and up to the last question, his expression gradually became serious.

He looked up at his mentor, his eyes filled with questions and a hint of tremor.

Chapter 16 The Origins of the Academy

Kulov pinched a corner of his beard with his right hand and tapped the questionnaire with his other hand. "Write down your true thoughts. Keep this a secret after you leave here. Don't mention this questionnaire to other students."

"Yes, Professor."

Xia Zuo rubbed his hair to calm his wandering mind and focused his attention on the questionnaire.

This questionnaire, though only a few hundred words long, reveals a great deal of information about the academy and the kingdom—secrets that can only be learned after becoming a mage apprentice.

He was appreciated by the professors because of his outstanding performance and was fortunate enough to know these things in advance.

Starry Night Academy is a mage academy responsible for training formal mages, and even high-level mages.

There are many similar organizations in the world.

They all belong to the Temple of the Mage.

Centuries ago, an alchemist known as Lady Starry Night successfully ascended from a high-ranking mage to an archmage, thus strengthening the alchemical school.

She was granted a territory from the Temple of Mages, which is now the location of the Starry Night Kingdom.

The officially trained mages from Starry Night Academy will be sent to the Silver Moon Federation for further study. After becoming high-level mages, they can continue their cultivation under Lady Starry Night.

The Starry Night Academy's decision to recruit students with an affinity for others was made at Ms. Starry Night's behest.

Even within the Temple of Mages, those who attain the highest level of innate affinity and become Grand Mages are few and far between.

Lady Starry Night is one of them.

Such a large-scale training of students with acquired affinity was undoubtedly a bold attempt by the alchemical school.

The alchemy school wanted to prove to other schools that, in addition to mastering breathing techniques, those with natural affinity could also become mages by learning alchemy.

Xia Zuo realized the weight behind this answer sheet.

It might be presented to Lady Starry Night, so every word written was carefully considered.

The first dozen or so questions are related to the classroom experience and the difficulty of learning the subject.

Xia Zuo honestly wrote down his feelings.

The general alchemy course was a good experience.

Some courses, such as alchemical linguistics, may be rather dry, but the teachers are charismatic, and the classroom atmosphere is both peaceful and interesting.

Xia Zuo made no attempt to hide his praise for the hospital director on the questionnaire.

He did not deliberately conceal the shortcomings of some courses, but he used more tactful wording to express his dissatisfaction.

It's like a course on mega-creation within the discipline of mega-creation.

The instructor was Professor Bolton, a tall, muscular, bearded man who liked to wear tight leather jackets that accentuated his muscles.

He was the mentor of the blacksmith's son, Little Moben Riley.

Both of them disliked books and were only interested in furnaces and anvils.

In his classes, there was almost always the clanging of a hammer striking a hard object, with very little specific explanation.

The students could only roughly deduce what Professor Barry was doing by referring to the diagrams and knowledge points in their megaphysics textbooks.

Xia Zuo answered most of the questions smoothly, then his pen suddenly stopped moving.

The last two questions on the questionnaire were tricky.

Head of the House Beatrice proposed,

Alchemical linguistics, anatomy, herbalism, pharmacology, toxicology, petrology, megalochemistry.

Each of these seven general alchemy courses has only one chance to be retaken.

If you fail both the exams and makeup exams this year, you can retake the course next year with the new students.

If a student fails the retake exam, they will be forced to drop out of school.

Where you came from, go back to.

This is different from the treatment given to students with innate affinity.

Every student with innate affinity is destined to become a mage; the academy will not abandon any of them. Moreover, none of the students with innate affinity have ever failed a course.

So, do you agree with the head of the academy's proposal?

What are the reasons for agreeing or disagreeing?

Xia Zuo rested his chin on his hand, frowning as he fell into thought.

The opportunity to enter a university is rare and will profoundly impact a person's life. Every student at Acquired Affinity University is well aware of this.

They will put in their best efforts to study seven general education courses.

If even retaking the course won't pass...

That person is definitely not cut out for alchemy; let's make room for other freshmen in the curriculum.

Xia Zuo glanced at his calm instructor, picked up his pen to write down his answer, and then looked at the next, and also the last, question.

Chief Justice Beatrice proposed a second motion.

In the past, the number of students with natural affinity was small, so professors could teach one-on-one or one-on-three students.

With a surge in the number of students at the "Taiwanese Affinity" program, the quality of teaching cannot be guaranteed, and professors are unable to fully understand the academic progress of each student.