"It's true. While the various foundational courses at the arcane academy currently provide apprentices with a solid foundation — enough to attempt the leap to full mage rank — the Arcane Magic and magical knowledge required to advance from low-level to mid-level and high-level is growing ever more vast and complex. Relying solely on self-study makes it extremely difficult to master effectively. That's precisely why, despite the great expansion of Arcane Magic over the past decade or so, the number of mid-level mages hasn't increased rapidly. High-level mages, on the other hand, have grown considerably." Brook nodded in agreement with Douglas's proposal.
In other words, the new theories and achievements in Arcane Magic had not significantly lowered the difficulty of advancing from low-level to mid-level — it remained roughly the same as before.
Oliver voiced his concerns with a slight frown. "Graduated apprentices and low-level mages are the foundation of the Council. If they all enter an advanced school to study, the entire Council will inevitably grind to a halt."
High-level mages, grand mages, and legendary mages, while possessing extraordinary power and diverse magical abilities, could not be expected to waste their time on trivial matters. The daily operation of the Council was built upon the system of "issuing tasks," and the numerous graduated apprentices and low-level mages handled eighty percent of the small assignments, keeping every aspect of the Council running in orderly fashion.
"So for now, we would only establish an advanced school of a few hundred in scale, selecting outstanding talents through a certain method of evaluation. Once we observe the results, it can be expanded appropriately — but it won't affect the Council's operations. After all, high-level and mid-level Archanists need to study magic, conduct research, explore the world, and go on adventures as well. If there are too many advanced schools, it would inevitably conflict with their numbers and available time." Douglas laid out his plans, having thoroughly assessed the number of teachers available.
"A certain method of evaluation? Like the apprentice assessments?" Fernando was particularly interested in this point, while Helen had already returned to her research, though her focus had shifted to the wave-particle duality of electrons.
Lucian spoke up with an amused tone. "A unified entrance examination for the advanced arcane academy? Divided into mathematics and logic, magical languages, magical analysis ability, the eleven major schools' theory, and practical magical combat?"
He was simply recalling his experiences from "before" and had blurted out the joke without thinking.
"A unified entrance examination for the advanced arcane academy? That method would be the fairest — at least fairer than recommendations from mid-level and high-level mages or selections made by the schools themselves." Douglas found the examination format quite agreeable.
Under magical supervision, cheating would necessarily be kept to a minimum, ensuring the greatest possible fairness and impartiality. While there was always self-interest and desire wherever people were involved, and the mages supervising the examinations could potentially be bribed, this was something that could be prevented through various means such as inspection rounds. By contrast, with recommendations and self-selection, it would be extremely difficult for mid-level and high-level mages and school administrators not to favor those they knew, admired, or had connections with, while actual ability in Arcane Magic and magical knowledge would often be pushed to the bottom of the list.
Douglas nodded. "Then it shall be called the Unified Entrance Examination for Advanced Arcane Academies. As for which specific areas of knowledge and practical ability to test, we'll leave that to the Affairs Committee to draft."
Lucian raised his right hand and rubbed his brow, simultaneously shielding his eyes, thinking to himself: I was only joking. But now that it's come to this, books like "The Evans Exam Canon," "The Evans Problem Collection," "The Evans 9+3 Theory: A Detailed Guide," and "Three Years of Preparation, Two Years of Simulation, One Year of Sprint" might just start becoming wildly popular.
"There's no need for everyone to be tested on all eleven major schools, is there?" Vincent raised an objection. "Mathematics and logic, different magical languages, magical analysis ability, foundational alchemy, understanding of soul and body fundamentals, practical Arcane Magic research ability, and practical magical application — these should be required. Then allow outstanding graduated apprentices and low-level mages to choose three major schools themselves, since everyone has their own areas of strength and fields they wish to pursue in depth."
Fernando's booming voice countered: "The current trend is that the various schools are becoming more and more interconnected. The wave nature of electrons and the particle nature of light have unified electromagnetism and elemental magic under the microscopic domain. To conduct in-depth research in the future, one needs a sufficiently broad foundation across all the major schools."
"That can be considered after enrollment. They'll be expelled if they perform poorly, which will give them sufficient 'motivation' to shore up their foundations." Oliver smiled.
"But that defeats the original purpose of establishing an advanced school. If self-study were effective, there would be no need for advanced arcane academies in the first place," Hathaway said evenly. The earlier tremor in her voice had vanished — after all, electrons had already demonstrated wave-like properties, and the real world had not collapsed, so there had to be an underlying reason.
Lucian had always held respect for Hathaway. He added: "We could innovate the teaching model to some degree. Have members of the Archanist Review Committee compile the knowledge required to deepen one's understanding in a particular field within a particular school, along with the prerequisite relationships between that knowledge. Publish these for the students so they know exactly what they need for their chosen path."
"The courses at the advanced school can't be like the apprentice academy, where everyone attends the same classes as a unified cohort. Instead, we give them a degree of freedom. For instance, integrate the knowledge we've discussed into different courses, taught by different mid-level and high-level mages on a rotating schedule. Students would then choose which instructors they want to attend, select time slots that suit their own schedules, and pick the courses they need. Those with extra time and ability could also take on supplementary courses in unrelated fields to broaden their knowledge base."
"This neither confines them to their previous choices nor stifles their initiative. After all, they're not children — they're graduated top apprentices, they're low-level mages. Our goal is to enable the talented to complete their studies in a short time, allow the average but diligent to learn slowly over a longer period, and give the lazy and unmotivated ones a final chance to make a push through careful selection and scheduling of courses."
Lucian didn't mention examinations — the fact that students could advance to mid-level mage or Archanist rank through their studies at the advanced school was the best answer of all.
Only after finishing did Lucian realize that every member of the Supreme Council was staring at him. He asked reflexively: "What?"
"I never expected you to have such insight into teaching students, Lucian. No wonder Katrina, Reiliya, and Annik are all so outstanding. Mid-level Archanists and mages at twenty-three or twenty-four don't just appear out of nowhere." Douglas chuckled.
Fernando let out a laugh as well. "Back when he was teaching at the Douglas Arcane Academy, he was already known for his novel and distinctive lecturing style — though he ended up wearing the label of 'violating tradition.'"