I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

The school bell rang, and an elderly man in a dark gray professor's robe walked into the classroom.

His hair was gray, and he wore silver-rimmed glasses. He walked steadily, holding only a piece of chalk instead of a textbook.

"Welcome, everyone, to 'Advanced Magic Theory'. I'm your professor this semester; just call me Grant."

He turned around and wrote a few words on the blackboard with chalk: Nonlinear Resonance of the Magic Loop.

"Students in the Inner Court should all have studied 'Fundamentals of Magic Circuits.' You know that circuits have a linear capacity limit; exceeding it will cause them to break. But have you ever considered that two circuits can resonate, thereby significantly increasing magic output efficiency without widening a single circuit?"

The classroom quieted down, and several students began to take notes.

Professor Grant continued writing on the blackboard, his voice rising and falling: "The principle of resonance is similar to sound waves. Two tuning forks with the same frequency, when one is struck, the other will also vibrate, and the same is true for magic circuits. By finding the right resonant frequency, two or even more circuits can work together."

Ji Tian was somewhat surprised to hear this. He hadn't expected that the academy would have concepts like "sound waves" and "tuning forks," which sounded completely out of place in the magical world.

However, upon closer reflection, it makes sense. After all, the magic in this world needs to be modeled from the very beginning, existing somewhere between traditional magic and arcane magic. It would be strange if some technology wasn't developed.

He put down the chalk, turned around, and scanned the class. "Who can give an example of magic that utilizes the principle of resonance?"

A boy in the front row raised his hand: "Fire Wall. It simultaneously activates both fire and wind circuits, with the wind fueling the fire and multiplying its power."

"That's right, but that's a basic application. The 'nonlinear resonance' we're going to talk about today is more difficult and profound. For example, resonating lightning and light circuits at a specific frequency can generate a magical pulse that interferes with all magic circuits within its range. This is the theoretical basis of the semi-forbidden spell 'Silent Domain'."

A low murmur arose in the classroom.

Elena glanced at Ji Tian. He was staring at the blackboard, seemingly deep in thought. She secretly tore off a piece of paper and wrote, "Can you understand?"

Then, while the professor turned around to write on the blackboard, she quietly pushed it to Ji Tian's side.

Ji Tian glanced down and whispered in her ear, "I've already blocked our voices from being heard. You can say whatever you want."

Elena was somewhat surprised and tentatively asked, "What are you thinking about?"

She looked ahead again, and sure enough, the girl in front of her hadn't heard anything.

Ji Tian's voice came from beside her ear, "It's nothing, just a bit sentimental. The inner courtyard courses seem a bit familiar."

Professor Grant's voice rang out again: "Now, I'll demonstrate the simplest nonlinear resonance. Who would like to come up and cooperate?"

No one raised their hand. The professor's gaze swept around the classroom and finally landed on the girl who had greeted Elena. "The girl with brown hair in the back row, come here."

The girl paused for a moment, then stood up and walked towards the podium.

Grant took two palm-sized crystals from the drawer, handed one to her, and said, "Hold it in your hand and infuse it with magic. Not too much, just enough to keep it steady."

She did as instructed, and the crystal emitted a soft blue light.

The professor held another crystal, walked to the other end of the classroom, and began to infuse it with magic at a different frequency; the crystal simply lit up quietly.

He slowly adjusted the injection frequency, and when a certain point arrived, the crystal in his hand suddenly shone brightly, its brightness several times stronger than before, and it even emitted a slight buzzing sound.

Grant held up his dimmed crystal. "Look," he said, "I didn't increase my magic output, I just adjusted the frequency. But the crystal in her hand, because of resonance, has nearly tripled its magic output efficiency. That's the power of non-linear resonance."

The students all craned their necks to look, and Elena looked up at the bright crystal in her palm, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes.

Grant gestured for the female student to return to her seat, then added, "Resonance also carries risks. If the frequency is incorrect, it may be ineffective at best, and at worst, the circuit may be torn apart. Therefore, do not attempt it rashly without sufficient theoretical and practical support."

He continued lecturing, writing page after page on the blackboard.

Elena shifted slightly to the side. "What do you think the principle of resonance has to do with cultivation?"

"There are commonalities. The harmony of Yin and Yang and the mutual generation of the Five Elements in cultivation are essentially about finding the resonance frequency between different spiritual energies. It's just that we don't use formulas, but rather use our hearts to comprehend it."

In the second half of the class, the professor had the students discuss a case in groups: given the properties of two magic circuits, how do you find their resonant frequencies? The classroom buzzed with discussion as the students gathered in small groups.

Elena was alone—the girl in front of her had run away beforehand, betting the professor wouldn't call roll.

She was paired with Ji Tian, ​​even though others couldn't see him.

After confirming that no one would notice, Elena grew bolder and moved a little to the side, a few strands of her blonde hair inadvertently brushing against Ji Tian's hand. "If you were to solve this problem, how would you solve it?"

Ji Tian thought for a moment: "No need to explain. The five elements of spiritual energy circulate within the body. There's no need to deliberately find the frequency; it will naturally reach a balance. It's like water flowing downhill and fire leaping uphill. If you try to calculate how it flows, it will actually stop flowing. Also, if you move any further, you'll be sitting on my lap."

Elena pretended not to hear Ji Tian's last words, and pondered, "So cultivation is... something that should happen naturally?"

"Go with the flow, defy fate." After saying that, Ji Tian added, "It's not the same thing as what the professor said, but the principle is the same."

Elena stared at him for a few seconds, making sure he wasn't angry, then moved to the side...

The bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class. Grant put away the chalk. "That's all for today's class. Before the next class, everyone should submit a short essay discussing the resonance potential of your school of thought. Let's take attendance before we go."

After roll call, the students got up and packed their belongings.

Elena stuffed the notebook into her bag, stood up as if nothing had happened, and walked out.

Ji Tian followed her out of the classroom and through the corridor. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, casting Elena's shadow on the ground.

"Ji Tian".

"What's wrong?"

"All that stuff you talked about before... spiritual energy, the five elements, I always thought it was too mystical. But after hearing about the resonance theory today, I suddenly realized... maybe you cultivators are just using a different language to describe the same thing."

Ji Tian looked at her with some surprise, "You've figured it out too?! I can teach you if you want to learn."

Elena quickened her pace down the stairs. "No, it's not! It's just that I don't find it so hard to understand anymore."

The two walked out of the teaching building side by side. The roses in the garden were in full bloom, and butterflies were alighting on the petals, their wings opening and closing.

Ji Tian suddenly asked, "Do you have classes this afternoon?"

"No, I want to go to the library..."

He was somewhat curious whether he could find a book called "The Magical Principles of Natural Philosophy" in the inner courtyard library, and then said, "I'll go with you."

"Hehe, okay."

For some reason, Elena felt that Ji Tian had become much more proactive since returning from the Western Region, whereas in the past she was always the one taking the initiative.

They walked along the white stone path toward the library, and behind them, the bell of the teaching building rang again, long and clear.