Single Mother of a Werewolf Baby novel Chapter 279

Chapter 279: Academic Results

At the academy, Eleanor was undergoing a complex training module. The Basics of Cultivation course had been completed, and Professor Sylphania Jovienne Angélique had passed on several elementary cultivation techniques to the cadets. Alongside the race-specific methods, there were also a few techniques so straightforward that they could be practised by any race.

She had explained in detail the process of forming a core, and how the method varied between races according to the true nature of their physical forms. By carefully accounting for one’s unique physiology, a cultivator could significantly enhance the strength of their core. Yet these methods were intricate, demanding absolute focus of both body and mind. Even the slightest disturbance during cultivation could result in a flawed core... and death.

By contrast, the simpler cultivation techniques required far less precision. They allowed the formation of a core in haste... useful when a cadet’s life hung by a thread, but such cores were inherently weak. Those who relied on them would find their future growth stunted, unable to progress beyond the Core Ascendant stage. These methods were taught solely to reduce the mortality rate among the cadets of Vanaheim.

The same could be said for the race-specific techniques. Though slightly more refined, they were still limited, allowing one to reach only Perfect Harmonisation. Beyond that, the path closed. The generalised nature of these techniques imposed an invisible ceiling, preventing ascension to Sainthood.

The finest cultivation methods were those bestowed through trials. Each trial was unique, tailored to the individual. Some cadets faced relatively simple challenges, while others endured ordeals so severe that survival itself was uncertain. The trials tested every aspect of a cultivator... body, soul, and energy... pushing them to their absolute limits to reveal their optimal state. Once completed, the cultivator was rewarded with a technique perfectly suited to their nature.

Those blessed with superior physical strength might receive a body-tempering technique. Those with strong mental fortitude might be granted one that honed the mind. And those gifted with potent elemental affinity could awaken to an elemental cultivation method. Yet nothing was absolute. Over the centuries, the techniques granted by the trials had proven to be the most fitting for each cultivator’s path without exception.

Cadets were required to remain in their human forms while in Vanaheim. Since there were no humans native to that realm, and the beasts who dwelt there lacked the ability to assume human shape like the Midgardians... past confusion had led to disaster. There had been numerous incidents where cadets mistook one another for local creatures and attacked, resulting in unnecessary deaths and the loss of promising young talents. To prevent such tragedies, the Academy established a strict rule: all cadets must remain in their human form at all times within Vanaheim.

However, this regulation had caused an unexpected problem. Many cadets were unwilling to appear unclothed after transforming, yet teleportation to Vanaheim permitted no passage of inanimate matter... only living bodies could cross. The issue was resolved only after the invention of robes woven from the leaves of Yggdrasil. These garments could pass through the teleportation field, allowing cadets to maintain modesty even during transit. They could even carry an additional robe in case of emergencies.

It was soon discovered that arrivals within Vanaheim followed a semi-random pattern. Though the entry points appeared unpredictable, there were tendencies... cadets often appeared in regions aligned with their natural strengths or racial affinities. Merfolk and Naga typically arrived near the seas or islands, Werewolves within forests, Vampires in shadowed lands. Each cadet had to traverse the terrain and confront local beasts to reach the nearest temples of trial.

There was another layer of complexity. Most cadets were teleported in accordance with their elemental alignment. Only a handful of temples allowed trials for all elements; the majority accepted only one. These temples bore distinctive insignia... symbols of water, fire, air, lightning, and others etched somewhere upon their guardian statues. In some cases, the mark was invisible, but an incompatible element would simply fail to trigger the trial. When that happened, the cadet would have to abandon the site and seek another temple without delay.

All this, however, had to be accomplished within the first seven days. If two cadets of the same element were fortunate enough to reach an elemental temple on the very first day, one could wait for the other to complete their trial... a process that rarely exceeded three days. Beyond that window, waiting was folly; cadets were advised to continue their search before the chance for trial vanished entirely.

Fortunately, temples of the same element were often found within the same region. Thus, barring any unforeseen accidents, cadets could usually reach one and complete their trial within the allotted time.

They were instructed to remain within the temple grounds once they arrived, for these sacred places were sanctuaries under the Goddess’s divine protection. No native creature of Vanaheim dared to set foot upon temple soil; the divine will barred their entry. In all of Vanaheim, there was no safer place for a cadet than the grounds of a temple.

She had spent countless hours studying books from the Academy server, which, as it turned out, was the digital archive of the Academy’s grand library itself. Cadets could access these texts within the library premises, where both physical and digital copies were available. However, there were strict limitations on what materials primary-term cadets were permitted to read.

The server Nora had located, however, contained the library’s entire collection... unrestricted and complete. Every volume, from the Primary, Intermediate, and Final terms, even those reserved for faculty members, lay open before Eleanor’s curious eyes. It was an unprecedented treasure trove. Many of those books she had already devoured; Nora had copied the rest and stored within her internal archive for future study.

During this time, Nora had also attempted to establish a connection with the outside world to access her mainframe, but to no avail. The Academy’s isolation protocols were absolute... some powerful mechanism prevented all external links. After Eleanor learned about the Formation and Arrays, she suspected that the entire Academy complex might be enclosed within an immense and intricate array, designed to block any form of outside influence or interference.

Nora had tried every possible route... multiple terminals, network bridges, and even magical connections... but each attempt failed. Eventually, she had given up. Fortunately, before their isolation became complete, Nora had managed to transfer a vast number of books into her mainframe... texts Eleanor had not yet read. That transfer had freed a considerable portion of Nora’s limited local storage, allowing her to save more materials for Eleanor’s continuing studies.

Through her relentless reading, Eleanor had gained working knowledge in Alchemy, Forging, Healing, Music, Magical Botany and Herbology, Familiar Handling and Care, as well as the Histories and Paths of Cultivation. She had also read widely on the nature of various elemental abilities, though the Academy library contained no spell books... those were held exclusively by the individual departments. Thus, her practical repertoire remained limited to Lightning spells, the property of her own School.

Still, her understanding of other elemental systems proved invaluable. In the Grand Championship, that knowledge had often been the decisive factor between victory and defeat. More than once, she had triumphed solely because she understood the basics of her opponents’ elements better.