Adam sat cross-legged on his bed, practicing mindfulness. This was the method cited in the Mana Extraction Technique that one had to practice every day.
As Adam continued to revolve the technique, minute mana particles in the surroundings slowly gathered around him and began nourishing his flesh.
Only after every inch of the flesh has been thoroughly nourished, will mana further seep inward toward the muscles. This would signify a Magus' advancement to the second minor stage of Mana Foundation.
However, Adam was still far away from breaking through.
After almost an hour of practicing mindfulness, the youth opened his eyes which shone with brilliance. He clenched his fists and muttered, "That bottleneck I felt earlier is beginning to loosen up… How interesting."
Earlier, when Adam would go to the mysterious place inside the white lotus and try to absorb the small white dots, he would always feel full. Like he had overeaten.
But ever since he became a Magus and started practicing mindfulness, this feeling of bloating was slowly diminishing.
"The Mana Extraction Technique is constantly strengthening my body… And this led to me being able to absorb more soul fragments." Adam rubbed his chin and speculated. "Could this mean, the stronger my body is the more souls I can absorb?"
Adam thought for a long time and then grabbed his grimoire from beside him and started jotting down his speculations with a feathered quill.
He began laughing foolishly. "One day… I'll uncover the secrets of the soul. Kyahaha!"
"But for now…" His face turned solemn and he got to his feet. He grabbed his clothes and went to the bathroom to get dressed.
He looked at his reflection in the mirror and suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. "Thankfully the face paint has come off. Or else I'd be really embarrassed while fighting."
Today he would finally face off against Lisa!
…
Lisa was currently in her dorm room sitting at the study table and memorizing all the spell models she had recorded down in her grimoire.
Coming from a Magus family, naturally, she had a lot of spells that she could use. And she was planning to make use of everything she could get. Of course, the number of spells she could cast depended on her mana reserves.
But as an A-grade talent, she didn't have to worry about that.
She soon got up and gathered the material components she would require to cast spells. After making sure everything was prepared and she was ready, she left her dorm room and made her way toward the academy's arena.
Her eyes shone with great determination as she thought to herself, No matter what, I will win this match! And I will come out a stronger Magus!
…
Edward was eating a sweet bun as he made his way towards the arena. But he was somewhat confused as he saw students make their way towards the arena in droves.
"Why are there so many people going to the arena? Strange…" he muttered.
When he reached one of the entry gates to the arena, he was stunned. Hundreds of students had crowded in front of the gate and were making their way inside. It seemed that all the first-year students had come.
"Don't tell me… Are they all here to watch Adam's match?" He spoke in astonishment.
He made his way towards the bleachers, to a place where he'd earlier agreed with Elaine to meet up. After making his way through the crowd with some difficulty he finally managed to find his sister.
"Elaine! Elaine!" He waved his hand and made his way toward her.
"You're finally here, come sit." Elaine beckoned to Edward with a warm smile. She was currently sitting with Jenna and a few other friends of her.
After Edward greeted all of her friends, he asked Elaine curiously, "Why have so many people gathered to watch a match between two first-years? Or is there another duel that is going to take place that I'm not aware of?"
Elaine chuckled. "As you may already know, Lisa is a magus with an A-grade aptitude. So naturally, people are interested to see her battle."
Edward nodded in acknowledgment.
"But did you know? Adam is also a genius in his own right." Elaine asked with a smile.
"Huh?" Edward was confused. "How so? Doesn't he have the same B-grade aptitude as me?"
"He does." Elaine nodded. "But one of my professors disclosed to me that Adam scored a perfect score on the analytical test!
"Only a handful of Magi were able to accomplish this feat since the establishment of the academy. And in some ways, this is even more impressive than having an A-grade aptitude."
"Are you serious?!" Edward's eyes bulged out. He recalled that he had only just barely passed the analytical test by completing 25% of the spell model.
And to think that Adam was actually able to complete 100% of the spell model without any prior knowledge of the arcane arts was simply inconceivable!
"This guy…" Edward gulped involuntarily. "He acts goofy all the time, but to think he's actually a genius!"
This time, Jenna, Elaine's close friend, replied, "I was quite shocked as well. I looked down on him because of his simple background. But he's really something."
Elaine's other friends nodded as well. To them, having a perfect score on the analytical test was way more extraordinary than having an A-grade aptitude. And they couldn't help but admire Adam.
…
At a different location in the arena, inside a luxurious indoor viewing space, surprisingly enough, the faculty members had also gathered. Usually, this wouldn't have happened when a duel between two first-year students was taking place.
But Adam and Lisa weren't your average first-year students.
All the professors teaching the first-years were present, and some of the professors who taught senior students had also gathered.
And the most surprising of all was that the Headmistress of the academy, Professor Godfrey, was also in attendance!
All the professors were on their feet and respectfully stood behind two comfortable chairs at the front. Even though they had seats of their own, no one dared to sit. This was the respect one had to give to a powerful Magus.
What the professors were the most surprised about was not the presence of the Headmistress, but the person sitting next to her.
Many of them couldn't help but cast curious and secretive glances at this person. Some looked at him with admiration, while others looked at him with fear.
Professor Godfrey, who was casually sitting on her seat and drinking some wine, looked at the person beside her and spoke in amusement,
"To be honest, I'm quite surprised that you decided to show up. But I guess, this is not completely out of expectation either.
"Isn't that right?
"Berger."