Every few years, a genius would appear in the Mystical Qilin Sect. It wasn’t unusual for the sect to select only the best candidates. Yet, once every few centuries, an unrivalled genius like Yan Ping would appear. Witnessing Anji at work was mind-blowing. Even if they already knew the child was their sect leader’s successor, Anji’s speed of growth astounded them. More importantly, those glowing eyes reminded them of sothing from a distant past.
’Was her eyes glowing?’ Researcher Xi asked telepathically.
Those molten golden pools of amber were a sign of spiritual cultivation unique to those with the gift of sight. However, Anji seed unaware of the phenonon. The defining criterion that sets apart talented individuals from their successors is their ability to peer into the future. There were few sages recorded in their history books. Every sage was different and weird in their ways. However, one thing was common about any sage. They could harness a different sort of cultivation. The monks from Shaolin produced the most sages, but they kept their thods a secret.
An otherworldly aura enveloped Anji while she studied and absorbed the new knowledge like a thirsty sponge. Although many researchers in the Academic Central rivalled her curiosity, many had a limit to how much information they could process. Learning was akin to eating. Everyone’s stomach had a limit and would require ti to digest everything before filling it up again. However, there was no such limit for Anji. The girl’s aptitude was scary as her mind was like a bottomless well. If there was a limit to her knowledge threshold, it was way more than any senior researcher they knew. So would even think it was an inhuman ability to continuously grow in understanding so continuously. It was like Anji’s mind constantly had one foot in the academic zone. Her ability to shift focus seamlessly was a skill like no other.
’Keep this a secret until the sect leader makes an announcent,’ Senior Researcher Mo replied telepathically.
Allowing Anji to develop her understanding further with a single hint, the short hour dragged on to three.
By the ti Anji was finally finished, and the golden glow disappeared from her eyes, both researchers had already cleaned up most of the lab and prepared a decent space to eat lunch. Aunt Wine’s food was mostly cold, and the lunch hour was long past. Anji’s mind might be full of new knowledge, but her stomach was empty and unhappy.
Growl!
The loud sound startled Anji the most as the sll of reheated food wafted towards her.
"I guess it’s ti to eat," Researcher Xi smiled. "Co, you can take the books back with you. Eat first."
Unable to refuse, Anji thanked them quickly and grabbed her chopsticks to dig in. Thanks to her hunger, the child did not stand on ceremony, shovelling rice into her mouth ssily. Researcher Xi and Senior Researcher Mo took turns piling new dishes into her bowl as she ate. Anji thanked them mindlessly in between mouthfuls of food and ate until she was bloated.
Only when the hunger subsided did Anji rember where she was and who she was with. Embarrassed by her lack of grace, she quickly apologised for showing a sloven side. However, the adults chuckled and told Anji to help herself more with the snacks Aunt Wine prepared specifically for her. They were little rice crackers sprinkled with sugar and salt.
Curious about the round rice crackers, Anji took a bite, and the crumbs fell ssily onto the floor. The rice crackers were surprisingly addictive to munch, but they made such a huge ss that Anji volunteered to clean the floor while the adults rinsed the dishes.
Not stopping Anji from recreating so of her existing spells, the researchers watched with pride when she successfully fused four spells using the multi-casting thod on her second attempt. The execution was clumsy. However, the child had already grasped the concept from her results. All she needed was more experience and practice. Isolating spell elents was the first stage. With a little more practice, she might co to understand how she could create fusion spells to observe real-ti reactions of multi-level casting before activating a spell sequence as part of troubleshooting. Truthfully, Researcher Xi could not wait to see what Anji would accomplish when she learned she could do that.
The bottleneck was now removed, and Anji’s journey to a bigger pond had only just begun. It was a sha that Academic Central was not a conducive environnt for young children to grow up in. Anji’s health was still rather fragile, and maintaining good health was more important than achieving multiple breakthroughs. Anji was still young. With more ti and proper guidance, she was bound to achieve amazing feats. There was no need to hurry.
With three people working to clean the cluttered apartnt lab, Researcher Xi’s abode was the cleanest place in the entire Academic Central. It looked almost cosy, but all good things had to co to an end.
"We’re going to be late to see Doctor Yun," Senior Researcher Mo announced. "You can bring the books with you, but say goodbye to Researcher Xi."
Obeying instructions, Anji gathered the precious textbooks and bowed lowly, full of gratitude.
"Thank you, Researcher Xi. Anji learned a lot today. I will continue improving my spell troubleshooting techniques using the forensic thods and practice multi-casting using the new thod."
Such a polite child... Researcher Xi patted Anji on the head affectionately.
"If there is sothing you don’t know, you can always have your letters delivered to . Don’t co to the Academic Central alone. It’s not safe. Also, I’m taking these talismans you made as thanks. You should go now before Doctor Yun becos angry."
At the reminder, Anji bid a hasty goodbye and followed Senior Researcher Mo outside. The mont they left Researcher Xi’s apartnt, Anji flinched. The noisy place and odd stench hit her like a carriage, and Anji recoiled physically.
Seeing the child’s extre reaction, Senior Researcher Mo recognised it as a side effect of exiting sage mode. Anji’s senses were more sensitive after receiving a new level of enlightennt, even if she was unaware of it. Her body still needed ti to adjust to her new awareness.
"Hold onto tightly," he told her, carrying her into his arms. "We’re taking the shortcut."
As if experiencing deja vu, Anji clung onto the man’s shoulder with both hands. This ti, she was prepared for the huge leap as Senior Researcher Mo found the nearest window facing the main road and jumped from it.
Holding back a scream from the long fall, Anji screwed her eyes shut. In just a few more leaps, the sound and sll from the Academic Central disappeared completely.
Finally opening her eyes, Anji looked at the sun. It was approaching late afternoon. Did she really spend that much ti with Researcher Xi? It honestly only felt like an hour. Perhaps there was a ti acceleration spell within the Academic Central. Losing track of ti was such a scary thing.
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