Li Qing felt a bit annoyed; being scrutinized by an animal with such a look — what was the meaning? Even if he was ordinary, he was still a person.

As he moved closer, he saw the owl grasping a roll of brown paper, tied with a black ribbon.

Li Qing was briefly baffled. After confirming that the owl simply intended to give him the roll of brown paper it held, he carefully pushed the window open in one breath.

Flap flap flap!

He had forgotten that the window in his living quarters opened outward. Watching the owl flapping its wings furiously and calling out as it fell down, he felt a bit embarrassed.

"Hoo~~ hoo~~~ hoo~~"

Quick-eyed and fast-handed, Li Qing caught the roll of brown paper as he leaned out to take a look below.

It was deep into the night, pitch black below, with only a few dim street lamps flickering in the distance. He saw no sign of the owl.

If not for the brown paper roll in his hand, Li Qing would have thought this was all an illusion.

As he stared at the brown roll of paper, he suddenly realized this might be the admission letter Zhuang Xu had mentioned.

"Is it real?!"

Skeptically, Li Qing opened the paper that looked quite ancient, like a sheep-skin scroll.

He pulled the ribbon free and spread open the parchment. Countless twisting patterns were drawn on the paper, somewhat making his scalp tingle.

He frowned and flipped around the parchment, checking it thoroughly for any abnormality. Just as he was about to toss it aside, his hand stopped abruptly, eyes widening.

The twisted patterns on the paper began to wriggle like countless black maggots, eventually transforming into characters he could clearly discern.

"Whoa, whoa?! Whoa!!!!!"

After exclaiming "Whoa" several times, Li Qing apprehensively read through the contents inside.

"Dear Mr. Li Qing:

We are pleased to inform you that, because you've maintained your innocence and abstained from having overly intimate physical contact with women for thirty years, after thorough filtering and checking, you are now eligible to attend Gray Magic Academy. Enclosed with this letter are books you need to study prior to enrollment, along with the most basic Meditation Method content. Please familiarize yourself with the book contents and meditation basics as there will be an entrance test.

The academy is scheduled to officially open on December 31. Please safeguard the admission letter, as it is your pathway and proof of enrollment. On behalf of all Gray Magic Academy faculty, I welcome your arrival.

Gray Magic Academy.

Principal: Luo Qing

Appended list:

"Magic Origin," authored by Meredith Cleveland

"Magic Rune Introduction," authored by Dorwendel

"Formation of Magic Power," authored by Rosenberg

"Magic Theory," authored by Zhuang Xu

"Mage Promotion Path," authored by Wen Lun

"Basic Meditation Technique," co-authored by all instructors of Gray Magic Academy.

Special Note: To read, simply click the appended book list. Please wear the uniform distributed by the academy on the day of enrollment; failing to do so when entering the academy will result in severe consequences."

"Is it real?!"

Li Qing felt both excited and thrilled. After a thirty-year period as plain as water, he hadn't expected such an encounter on his birthday. Indeed, as Zhuang Xu mentioned, it was a turning point in life.

He felt somewhat guilty for his earlier attitude towards Zhuang Xu's call, and was about to take out his phone to return the call when he saw there was no call record, the latest being one from his boss two days ago.

Could this really be magic?

Faced with this bizarre scene, Li Qing quickly opened the call recording but found no record of the call.

"Whoa..."

Li Qing had already lost count of how many times he'd said "Whoa" today. The events were nearly shattering his worldview. However, having been exposed to countless online novels, he soon adjusted his mindset and looked at the parchment unrolled on the desk.

So clicking would let him see the books.

Li Qing lightly touched the book title "Magic Origin" with his hand, prompting the text atop the parchment to swiftly change and rearrange. The black lines wriggled like black tadpoles.

Within ten seconds or so, the parchment, which appeared somewhat aged and leather-bound, no longer displayed the admission letter content but rather an image akin to an e-book.

Upon opening it for the first time, he saw initial operation prompts. Had Li Qing not known that today's flexible screen technology was far from this level, he would have thought it was a joke crafted by some idle pranksters.

After unfolding the crumpled, oddly materialized paper again on the desk, he calmed his excited demeanor, went to the bathroom, splashed cold water on his face to awaken himself, and then sat solemnly at the desk to read thoroughly.

"Magic exists in all things around the world but originates from God. It is God who records, from a perspective transcending the mundane, the laws of the Cosmos and passes them down through a certain medium. When God nodded off, the wisdom beings accessed the knowledge carrying magic, and today it is obtained by humans who then learn, utilize, and deeply study it to understand its origins.

Like the primal light, the stars in the Cosmos ceaselessly emit endless light and heat, life and destruction, yet how they form and how we should utilize them..."

At around three in the morning, Li Qing rubbed his dry eyes, reluctantly set the parchment aside.

He had only read through about twenty pages of "Magic Origin," leaving 1,320 pages still to go. But from the preliminary understanding thus far, magic was unlike the countless roaming elements depicted in online novels or energy, harnessed as magic through some composition method.

To him, mages seemed rather a personal system that eschews external tools to completely use one's spirit in exploring the natural world.

"Magic Origin" wholly discussed natural physical phenomena worldwide, explaining through the lens of magic how they operate and are constructed.

Like light, scientifically defined as broad-spectrum electromagnetic radiation from the sun, the daylight we normally see, filtered through Earth's atmosphere.

But how this light forms, typically through hydrogen turning into helium in stars, and further delving reveals why stellar interiors persistently undergo fusion reactions...

The magic perspective explained these as energy density incessantly degrading, causing ultra-high-quality energy levels to diminish, releasing tremendous energy.

The scientific view does contain such a concept, with energy levels dropping and releasing energy.

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