Chapter 27: Light of the Divine Realm
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Su Ye headed to the offices of the other teachers and clarified all of the content that had to be prepared for tomorrow. He then walked toward the classroom.
"There are no problems now, right?" Hort asked.
"There are no problems. I feel great!" Su Ye said.
"Why did you go see the teachers?"
"You'll know before school's over today."
"Oh." Hort eased his worry.
During the last class, Niedern appeared on the stage and said, "Follow me outside, all of you. The meditation class will take place in the field." He walked out of the classroom mid-sentence.
The students had been cooped up in the classroom for the entire day. They were extremely excited when they heard that they could have the lesson outside, and they quickly walked out of the classroom.
"This finally fits the reputation of the Plato Academy. I heard that when Teacher Plato had first set up the academy, he had taught classes while walking!"
"That's right, this is the Plato Academy that we all yearned to be in."
"You think too much. Even if Master Plato had taught a few hundred students back in the day, there was no way he could do that while walking. He was not letting sheep out to graze."
Su Ye followed the pack to a silent area on the field.
Niedern stood in front of the group. "Find a place to sit. The motive of the class is not to teach you how to meditate, but instead, to make you experience meditation under my guidance. I know that some of you have already been exposed to meditation, but I hope that you can still follow my instructions."
The group sat down according to their positions in class.
Palos continued to sit beside Su Ye. Her posture was still straight like a proud swan.
Su Ye glanced at her. He felt that she was more arrogant than she usually was. It was as if she thought victory was in her hands.
"It looks like she has already mastered meditation a long time ago…"
Su Ye then glanced at Rolon. He also had a relaxed expression.
Most of the other students were very excited.
Su Ye flipped open his notebook and looked at Niedern.
Niedern said, "Before the meditation starts, I will obscure your vision and prevent you from speaking. This is to allow you to obtain a better experience. If you experience something you cannot resolve during the process of the meditation, raise your hands to notify me. I will resolve the issue."
"Now, sit in a position that you are comfortable with. Remember, sit, don't lie down. This is a meditation class, not a sleeping class."
Several students giggled.
"You might be lucky enough to see the galaxy during this process of meditation. There might be dozens of cracks in the galaxy, each of them radiating light. Do not be afraid, that is the Barrier of the Two Realms. Even though all of you have not been exposed to the Fundamental Magic class, you should all have heard that the world we live in is called the Human Realm, while the world the deities inhabit is called the Divine Realm. The Divine Realm is the place that births deities and thus harbors immense power.
"There are many arguments regarding the source of the cracks. Some said that they were relics left behind by the Great Deity War, while others claimed that Prometheus had left them behind for humans. Anyway, the light radiating through the cracks is the power of the Divine Realm. The motive of our meditation is to enter the light and absorb the energy within. Warriors can continuously refine their Divine Power Bloodline and make use of said bloodline to be exposed to the Light of the Divine Realm for a long period of time, allowing them to continuously absorb its energy. Mages are different. As they do not have the Divine Power Bloodline, they can only absorb the energy during meditation.
"Do not be flustered or excited when you see the Light of the Divine Realm. Use your heart to sense the rays of light and search for the one that attracts you the most. Some of the Light of the Divine Realm is closer to us, while others are further. As Master Thales once said, the further away it is, the more powerful it is, but also, the more dangerous it is. If you are confident in your abilities, you can choose to reach the furthest ray of light, but you will have to bear a great risk. If you are not confident in your abilities, choose the ray of light closest to you. Even though many people are using the nearest ray of light, it is rather safe.
"Of course, you can also choose rays of light that are in the middle. Anyway, you decide on these things. If you cannot come to a decision, then give up on making a choice. You can make your decision after you have studied or asked a teacher.
"Most of the students might not even see the Light of the Divine Realm. But you need not be too anxious. As long as you train continuously and study constantly, you will ultimately find a Light of the Divine Realm that belongs to you! Alright, you can voice out any questions you have."
Thus, curious students started to raise questions.
Su Ye glanced at Hort.
Hort had experienced many looks like that. He immediately understood what was going on and said bitterly, "Actually, I have been exposed to meditation two years ago, but have never seen the Light of the Divine Realm."
"Don't be disheartened. As long as you put in the effort, you will definitely advance to an apprentice!" Su Ye said.
"Let's hope so," Hort replied.
Su Ye noted down the key terms as he listened to the lesson, but he did not jot down entire sentences.
Soon after, Teacher Niedern said, "Alright, now all of you sit in a comfortable position. Later, I will use magic to close your mouth and eyes."
Su Ye was filled with anticipation. He wanted to know if the meditation he had learned in the past would have any effects in this world.
If there was, his efficiency when it came to meditation would be double that of the average student!
Niedern, who was dressed in a gray robe, raised his right hand. He moved his index finger slightly, and the jade ring on his finger emitted a pale green glow. The light instantly enveloped the area.
Su Ye's field of vision turned pitch black. His throat and mouth lost all sensation.
In this instant, Su Ye felt slightly flustered even though he had been prepared for this.
This was the first time he was experiencing the powers of magic.
"I see that some of you are nervous. Do not be flustered. We are still sitting on the field, and I will not leave you all. Now, you can use your imagination while following my words. Imagine that you are on a beach during an autumn afternoon. There's warm sunlight. The sand is soft and silky. Directly in front of us is the azure Aegean Sea, and seagulls are squawking softly. There's a cool sea breeze. The saltiness of the sea wafts through the air. Gentle waves gush over the sand, rustling as it recedes…"
Conflict arose in Su Ye's heart when he heard how Niedern was guiding the meditation.
There were many methods used in meditation. After he learned mindfulness on the Blue Star, Su Ye had set aside a weekend and shut off all of his electronic devices, as well as rejected any outside communication. He holed himself up at home and made use of various methods for meditation.
There were meditation techniques that involved imagination and visualization, like visualizing mountains, galaxies, lakes, snow, swimming fish, and much more.
There was the Loving Kindness Meditation Technique that made use of emotion.
There was Sensory Meditation, including Touch Meditation, Sight Meditation, Auditory Meditation, Smell Meditation, and Taste Meditation. There was even a form of meditation conducted by walking barefoot.
There was also the most basic, Breathing Meditation.
Su Ye had tried dozens of meditation techniques but ultimately realized that visualization was completely ineffective on him.
After repeated deliberations and comparison, coupled with relevant knowledge, Su Ye finally understood that different people had a different sensory model of the outside world. Everybody had a different definition of meditation, and meditation techniques even more so.
Through repeated trials, Su Ye had found meditation techniques that were more suitable for himself. These techniques were related to his body, like Sensory Meditation, Barefoot Walking Meditation, or Body Scan Meditation.
Finally, Su Ye decided on the most basic Breathing Meditation techniques and supplemented it with Body Scan Meditation.
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