“Ding, Auxiliary Spirit Studies has advanced from level 0 proficiency to level 1 proficiency.”

　　Boom~

　　A vast surge of knowledge exploded in his mind, making Henry Sutton's head ache. It took him dozens of minutes to absorb the torrent of information as if on fast-forward, gradually digesting and stabilizing it in his mind.

　　He was shocked once again—this knowledge was real! The system could actually grant him a massive amount of knowledge he had never encountered before, right after completing a task!

　　The old Henry Sutton studied diligently, as it was the only way to change his fate. He had no choice but to work hard. Yet, with so many courses in his freshman year, he was constantly exhausted and busy. Now, in just seven days, he had easily acquired level 1 knowledge in Auxiliary Spirit Studies? That’s an entire level!

　　Knowledge that top students across the country spend four years mastering, he obtained in just one week.

　　Across the whole country, not just one school!

　　Still reeling, Henry Sutton was about to continue sorting through the vast new knowledge when another system notification sounded.

　　“Ding, as a true academic genius, the host must not only possess the heart of a true scholar, but also shine on the exam field and the battlefield. Newbie official mission: Battle, Scholar! Please, within one week, utterly defeat at least one academic ace on the battlefield. Mission success will reward you with level 1 Wood God Spell. Mission failure will randomly downgrade one spell or area of knowledge by one level.”

　　With the new mission issued, Henry Sutton's expression changed slightly. A new task so soon, with no break at all. And this system was a bit bizarre—complete a mission and gain a level, fail and lose a level? If he slacked off after getting the system, wouldn’t he be reduced to an illiterate? The thought sent a chill down Henry Sutton's spine.

　　For a top student to become illiterate—that’s worse than death!

　　The mission was to utterly defeat an academic ace?

　　What is an academic ace? In his understanding, among the 700+ freshmen in the Spirit Wood Department at Jiangzhou Institute of Technology, only those who consistently ranked in the top ten in every assessment and exam could be called academic aces. Henry Sutton worked hard and diligently, but his overall ranking was usually outside the top 50; only in his small class was he in the top ten—a quasi-ace at best.

　　As he sat at his desk pondering, a graceful figure approached from not far away and spoke with a hint of shyness, “Henry Sutton, may I ask you a question?”

　　When he looked up, he saw a cute girl—his Spirit Wood Department classmate, Olivia Warren. She had a 70-point appearance and a curvy figure—not quite a goddess, but with a certain charm. Olivia Warren was an average student, ranking outside the top 300 in the department.

　　A string of thoughts flashed through his mind. Henry Sutton nodded, and Olivia Warren happily sat across from him and took out her test paper.

　　“If Woodgrass is planted in gray loam, with a standard temperature of eighty degrees, how can it mature the fastest, and what is the time limit?”

　　“Senior, this question is really hard. I’ve already asked several people and couldn’t get an answer. Can you help me?”

　　Olivia Warren's pretty face bloomed with a smile, full of anticipation and a bit of nervousness.

　　As soon as she finished speaking, at a table a few meters away, a boy and a girl overheard. The boy laughed, “Olivia Warren, aren’t you making things hard for Henry Sutton? Asking him this kind of question is just torture.”

　　The girl beside him was surprised. “Is this question really that hard?”

　　This girl was even prettier than Olivia Warren, with an 80-point appearance. She was a campus belle pursued by many in the department, named Nancy Rowe. The boy was one of her suitors, David Bolton, who often ranked in the top twenty in various departmental assessments.

　　Wanting to show off in front of his crush, David Bolton smirked, his gaze at Henry Sutton full of challenge. “Woodgrass is a life-type healing spirit plant that requires abundant wood and water energy. These two forces can be catalyzed to produce strong vitality, but Woodgrass is cold-resistant and heat-intolerant. Each Woodgrass is a test point, testing basic knowledge of spirit plants—content only covered in sophomore year. You not only need to know the name, but also remember all the characteristics of this spirit plant…”

　　“Gray loam is a special type of soil, naturally rich in earth energy, but it’s extremely well-drained. This tests key points in soil science. It strongly repels a trace element—silicon—which is crucial for the growth of many spirit plants. However, silicon is an essential element for Woodgrass. Without it, even if it grows, its healing effect will drop several or even dozens of times!”

　　“An eighty-degree temperature is unsuitable for ordinary moisture. To calculate the fastest maturation period for Woodgrass, you must determine the appropriate water conduction rate. Methods for measuring plant water conduction include the pressure chamber method, evaporation flux method, and high-precision flow meters. Choosing muddy water allows it to blend into the gray loam without being repelled, but when calculating the conduction rate… Muddy water is cold, can blend into resting soil, and contains trace element Gong, which can partially substitute for silicon. This is a key point in Auxiliary Spirit Studies. Both gray loam and muddy water contain dozens of trace elements. If you’re not careful, you’ll overlook something and the spirit plant won’t grow healthily or meet standards.”

　　“……”

　　At Daming University’s library, there was no rule requiring silence. Academic discussions were allowed and encouraged. To further show off, David Bolton's laughter grew louder and more confident.

　　Over a dozen people nearby in the library turned to look.