In the time that followed, the conversation between the two became much more relaxed and casual.
Amy continued to share various gossip she heard in the cafeteria and the predicaments of the new apprentices, while Jeming listened quietly, discreetly perfecting his academy map and interpersonal relationship chart.
They chatted congenially until the cafeteria's clientele gradually dwindled, and they realized it was getting late.
"Alright then! I'm heading back to the dorm to continue my Meditation Method research. I can't sleep well if I don't finish drawing the first pattern!" Amy stood up, stretched lazily like a cat.
"That's it for me today too, I'll try again when I get back." Jeming also got up.
"Great! See you tomorrow! Hopefully, we can both get started soon!" Amy waved energetically, then walked towards the Alchemy Element dormitory building.
Jeming watched her back until she disappeared from sight, the smile on his face gradually fading, replaced by a deep gaze.
"Interesting."
He recalled Amy's crafty eyes and her seemingly casual "probe."
"She came to find me, definitely as a kind of probe. She found out about my Sixth Level Talent and wanted to assess my potential, moreover, to see if I've seen through the academy's ploys... very intelligent and pragmatic."
Jeming shook his head, a sense of realization rising in his heart.
"It seems few people who make it into the Logistics Element on their own abilities are simple. Amy, I hope, will be a good collaborative partner."
After all, he indeed needed an additional source of information, and someone like Amy was very suitable.
Meanwhile, on her way back, the smile on Amy's face gradually disappeared.
She murmured softly to herself: "Jeming... Sixth Level Talent... much smarter than he appears, every word measured, questions hitting the mark... and it seems he has seen through the academy's tricks as well. Hmm, this person... is the type who likes to keep things under wraps. But his abilities should be much stronger than that boastful guy, gotta maintain a good relationship with him."
...
...
Days have passed since the Nolun Academy talent assessment.
Over a few days, Jeming felt the time was about right.
Based on the intelligence gathered these days, most of the Fifth Level Talent apprentices were close to success, naturally, as a "little genius" with Sixth Level Talent, he ought to succeed a bit earlier than these people.
Tonight, he decided to let his "efforts" bear "fruit."
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Jeming once again sank into his Sea of Spirit.
He skillfully began to outline the final main pattern, using Spiritual Power as a pen, smoothly depicting each complex line in the Sea of Spirit.
He felt the Spiritual Power circulating and condensing along a specific path, the pattern's structure was unusually exquisite, seemingly consonant with some kind of profound cosmic law.
He no longer made any flaws, the final stroke landed steadily, perfectly connecting with the starting point!
Rumble——
It was as if a soundless thunder exploded in the Sea of Spirit!
The entire space of the Sea of Spirit shook violently, but this tremor was no longer a backlash of failure, but a kind of vibrant, transformative force!
The just-completed Truth Rune erupted with dazzling light instantly, the light spreading outward as if opening a whole new area in the Sea of Spirit.
Jeming could clearly feel that this pattern seemed closely linked to his Soul and Spiritual Power, becoming a... anchor point in his Sea of Spirit!
Accompanying the complete stabilization of the entire pattern, a realization naturally surged within him—he "saw" the deeper structure of this pattern.
He understood that the last pattern was conceptually completely different from the other four patterns.
The entire Truth Rune was composed of four outer patterns and a fifth one located at the very center, forming that abstract tetrahedron shape.
The Truth Rune associated with the Basic Meditation Method actually included only those four outer patterns, mainly these four small runes constructing most of the effects.
As for the fifth pattern located right in the center, Jeming felt a strange sense of familiarity—the lines, the structure... he compared it with the descriptions of basic alchemical runes in the , and suddenly came to a realization.
The fifth pattern was precisely one of the most fundamental core runes of Alchemy!
It represented the concept of "Transformation," and it was also the key to initiating interaction with specific domain energy in the first Truth Rune!
Thinking of this, Jeming immediately took out the Basic Alchemy Manual and compared it with the Basic Meditation Method.
Sure enough, the core patterns of the second and third Truth Runes in the Basic Meditation Method were the "Fusion" and "Refinement" runes in Alchemy.
No wonder Professor Clark emphasized the need to get a head start on the Meditation Method, nor why the academy insisted on dividing apprentices among various schools.
Not only because learning any school consumes a great deal of a person's energy, but also because distinctions are drawn right from the outset of the Meditation Method.
With the first Truth Rune stabilized in his Sea of Spirit, Jeming vaguely felt a new connection—a weak connection with the external environment that he had never perceived before.
Following the guidance in the subsequent part of the Meditation Method, Jeming focused his mind on the newly completed pattern, attempting to "draw" that fuzzy connection with Spiritual Power.
In the next moment, streams of weak yet extremely active energy particles were actually attracted by that pattern, slowly converging from the external environment and flooding into his Sea of Spirit!
These energy particles were what wizards referred to as "Elemental Power," lively, various, carrying different properties.
As soon as the Elemental Power surged into the Sea of Spirit, it was attracted by the Truth Rune, slowly merging into his Spiritual Power, nourishing and enhancing his Sea of Spirit.
A massive amount of elements gathered beside the Truth Rune, forming an energy shape resembling flames.
"So this is what it means to ignite the Spiritual Flame, no wonder..."
He could feel his Spiritual Power becoming more active and tensile in a manner different from Cultivation Immortality's Refining Spirit.
Jeming was sensing the Elemental Energy slowly pouring into his body when a flash of insight struck.
He operated the Inner Circulation Method to its limit, sealing his body's internal state to prevent detection.
Jeming tentatively activated his cultivation technique, using the mutual interference of the three treasures—Essence, Qi, and Spirit—in the Refining Essence and Qi Method to guide a portion of the inflowing Elemental Power towards his body's True Essence System constructed by Inner Circulation.
The Cultivation Immortality System's Refining Essence and Qi and Inner Circulation Method fundamentally involve the mutual transformation of one's internal "Essence," "Qi," and "Spirit," forming a self-sufficient cycle within the body.
Thus, when those elements from the external environment entered his Inner Circulation System, his True Essence System could "digest" and "transform" them.
Jeming could clearly feel a slight increase in his True Essence without refining his vitality and blood!
The initially mixed Elemental Energy, through the filtering and refinement of the Inner Circulation System, was gradually being transformed into pure True Essence!
Although the conversion efficiency seemed not high, nowhere near as fast as directly absorbing Spiritual Qi, it indeed succeeded.
Jeming's heart was brimming with almost uncontrollable joy!
This meant that he finally found the "fuel" to obtain the energy needed for Cultivation Immortality Methods in this world of Absolute Spirit!
The Wizard System's Meditation Method unexpectedly opened a door for him to absorb external energy.
More importantly, this discovery completely solved another of his dilemmas: he no longer needed to rack his brain to disguise the speed of his Meditation Method cultivation.
By adjusting the proportion of Elemental Power converted into True Essence, he could slow down his meditation progress to fit his "Sixth Level Talent Apprentice" persona.