Chapter 1104: The True Meaning of the Ordinary
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1104: The True Meaning of the Ordinary
"What is it, really? If it's not a secret, can't you just tell us?"
"Yeah! You've already piqued my curiosity!"
"Si~ster Xiao~ Han~"
"Ugh, you're being way too sappy! Sister Xiao Han, look at her!"
When the others heard me say it wasn't exactly private—just some matters regarding the Transcendent Academies—they became even more curious.
Everyone’s curiosity was piqued by different things: some were interested in the content, while others wondered who had sent the message.
"Oh, alright... it's just something related to the Emerald Forest World. I expect some interesting things will be happening there soon."
"Interesting things? Quick, tell us what!"
"Everyone, quiet down! How should I know exactly what will happen? I only received a vague message. I don't know the specifics yet, so just wait and see."
Amidst a chorus of playful boos, the crowd began to disperse.
However, I was personally looking forward to it.
How would those people explain why they were suddenly abandoning the Main World with a group of followers, keeping everyone else in the dark?
Had something happened to the Main World?
That question would likely never have an answer. The Three Top Academies certainly wouldn't admit to these students that they were going to destroy the entire world.
But... given the current state of affairs, it did seem necessary to let some people know what was actually happening to the Main World.
And what the Witch Academy was fighting for. Recently, things had been going far too smoothly for the academy. Some people had already lost their sense of crisis and begun enjoying a life of luxury, relishing the process of their own rising value.
It was time to put a little pressure on them; otherwise, they would forget why the United Club was founded in the first place.
However, before I took action, I needed to touch base with the Dean and the others.
But before that...
"Everyone—after experiencing the power of Body Cultivation for a while, you must be feeling a bit bored, right? How about we switch styles?" I said to the group. "Next, I'll switch to a different clone and spar with you using spells. I'll teach you how to cultivate magic."
My suggestion was met with enthusiastic approval!
Compared to my Body Cultivation power, they didn't understand much. Most of the time, they didn't even know how they had lost; they simply assumed I was faster, had better reflexes, had outsmarted them, or that they had been careless.
Those were all superficial reasons. If they wanted to, they could find countless excuses like that.
But the essence of the matter was their lack of understanding regarding the power I wielded.
Now that I had made the offer, they were eager. They had been longing for a balanced magical duel for a long time!
This was how a witch was supposed to fight!
What they didn't know, however, was that during this past half-month, Sister Bai and I had already explored the Spell Domain.
It wasn't incredibly powerful, and it was only based on the Fireball Spell.
The Fireball Spell Domain.
The most basic type of domain.
According to Sister Bai, ambitious Transcendent Witches ascending to the Saint Realm usually explored Order through their most proficient and specialized spellbooks.
Sister Bai had done the same.
But to me, all of that was just bells and whistles. Initial exploration should start slowly, from the fundamentals.
And what Prototype Spell was more fundamental than the Fireball Spell?
Don't look down on a Fireball Spell Domain just because it sounds simple. It was the hallmark of the Saint Realm!
The reason Sister Bai and I were able to create a domain so quickly—something that usually took ordinary Transcendent Witches decades or even centuries to break through—was partly because we possessed the Heart State Domain and knew exactly what Domain Order was.
Additionally, it was the result of the resonance achieved through our joint Heart Sense dual cultivation. Furthermore, Sister Bai had already made significant progress in the field of spells.
Ultimately, we created such a miracle within half a month.
There were plenty of Transcendent Witches seeking the Saint Realm who were willing to swallow their pride and start researching a common spell like the Fireball Spell.
But those who succeeded were the minority.
The ability to shape a domain was a classic case of feast or famine.
For a Saint Realm Witch who had already ascended, shaping a domain followed a traceable path. Even with an unfamiliar spell, they could eventually figure out the corresponding domain through slow exploration.
But for those who weren't familiar with the process, no amount of effort would work.
Even if a witch acquired a specific spell domain through special means or trade, she still wouldn't be able to shape a domain of her own.
Specific domains could be traded, but this was limited to domains shaped with a spellbook as the foundation.
To a witch, such a domain was more like a tool, much like trading a spellbook.
The difference was that a witch could learn a spell's structure through a spellbook, but she could not learn how to shape a domain through a pre-existing spell domain.
To a Transcendent Witch below the Saint Realm, a spell domain was like a "black box." If she couldn't understand it, she couldn't understand its existence; and for a witch who did understand its existence, the black box became meaningless.
Ultimately, domains lacked a systematic method of instruction.
After the Spell Cultivation Clone replaced the Body Cultivation Clone, the latter began contacting Cleveland, Millian, and the others.
Before things were made public, there were always people who needed to know the inside story in advance.
This had to be done quickly. After all, even I didn't know exactly when that unlucky Traitor Holy Angel who had been attacked in the void would crash into the Emerald Forest World.
Meanwhile, my main body went to find Sister Bai.
Since the Spell Cultivation Clone had left Sister Bai's side, I naturally had to go and fill the gap myself.
Furthermore, I wanted to discuss my thoughts and designs for Perfect Human Body Cultivation with her.
Whether the idea was a stroke of genius or a fool's errand, I was determined to create the ladder leading to the foundation of this system: "Self-Awakened Body Cultivation."
The fact that Sister Bai didn't have Self-Awakened Body Cultivation was a regret of mine. Even if I didn't say it, now that I had the ability, I would definitely make it happen.
I didn't need Sister Bai to be perfectly flawless or incredibly powerful. Even if there were geniuses a thousand times more talented than her, none of them could compare to my Sister Bai.
If there was something or some talent Sister Bai lacked, I would simply create it for her!
No one was allowed to tell my Sister Bai whether she was "worthy" or not. If anyone tried, I would simply make them shut up forever.
After understanding a sliver of the true meaning of the "Ordinary," I even felt fortunate that Sister Bai followed the Ordinary subject. It didn't measure everything by status, position, strength, or personal value. In an ordinary life, all lives are equal to one another.
Only a heart blinded by perceived value and utilitarianism would see distinctions of high and low, noble and base. The connection between two people doesn't need to be influenced by the operating rules of the outside world.
That was the true concept of the Ordinary.
Once one sees through things like power, status, and position, what remains is the pure innocence of the individual. But that description sounds a bit too ethereal and flawless.
So, returning to real life, the "Ordinary" is the truth.
However, Sister Bai didn't seem to fully understand this yet, so she still felt a significant amount of internal pressure.
This time... I wasn't going to just lecture her with these grand principles.
I planned to use my actions to slowly illustrate this truth.
I wasn't in a hurry. Time is an indispensable catalyst in the process of explanation.
"I must congratulate you, Sister Bai, on becoming a... Two-Domain Saint Realm expert~" I teased playfully upon seeing her.
The Saint Realm is generally classified by the number of domains one possesses. One domain makes you a One-Domain Saint, two makes you a Two-Domain Saint, and so on. In theory, a Saint Realm expert could have nearly infinite domains.
Though, in the void, such a thing was practically impossible.
After all, even if you had enough energy to support them, would you have enough spell orders or transcendent concept orders to shape that many domains?
Obviously not.
But that didn't mean accumulation was meaningless.
In the transcendent systems of the void, the Saint Realm was recognized as the final stage of the universal advancement system. The path taken by any individual who surpassed the Saint Realm was almost impossible to replicate.
Therefore, there was essentially no point in using them as a reference.
"Why are you congratulating me for that? Haven't you also become a Two-Domain Saint Realm little witch below the transcendent level, Xiao Han?" Sister Bai joked back. "But speaking of which... why did you suddenly pause the domain research? We just succeeded with the Fireball Domain. Cultivation is supposed to be a step-by-step process. Giving up so suddenly... probably isn't a good idea, right?"
"Be more confident. Take out the 'probably.' It really isn't a good idea," I said.
"Then why are you doing it?" Sister Bai asked, rubbing her forehead. "Did you find something more valuable than researching spell domains again, Xiao Han?"
"Hehe~ As expected, no one knows me better than you, Sister Bai!" I said, diving into her arms with a laugh.
"You... sigh... just tell me what it is." Sister Bai spoke helplessly, though her tone suggested she was used to my erratic behavior.
"Don't be shocked when I tell you!"
"Go ahead. I'll decide if I should be shocked after I hear it."
"Mm~ alright! What I want to say is that I want to create a brand-new Body Cultivation framework, a completely new field that no one has ever explored before! I'm calling it—Perfect Human Body Cultivation!"
I spoke the final words solemnly, emphasizing every syllable.
Then, I explained everything—from the birth of the idea to its practice, my designs, my goals, and even the finer details.
I tried to keep it simple and easy to understand, avoiding a barrage of professional jargon or showing off with self-invented terms and speculative theories.
What I shared were just the most basic concepts.
And... the most important part: the foundation of Perfect Human Body Cultivation.
Everything has to be done one step at a time. No one can become a giant overnight. Only with a foundation can one talk about the future.
"You mean... based on your design for Perfect Human Body Cultivation, you've identified 'Self-Awakened Body Cultivation' as the foundation for practicing it? And now... you need to build a ladder to reach that threshold?" Even in her shock, Sister Bai found it hard to believe as she summarized what I had said.
At that moment, Sister Bai almost wished she knew nothing at all. In her ignorance, she could trust Xiao Han unconditionally to achieve anything.
But she knew Body Cultivation deeply. She also knew exactly how difficult Self-Awakened Body Cultivation was, so she understood the immense challenges involved.
"Exactly!" I nodded.
"You find it hard to believe, don't you, Sister Bai?"
"How could I? Of course I believe you can do it, Xiao Han."
"Lying to yourself isn't good, Sister Bai. You're afraid I won't be able to do it," I said with a smile. I leaned my face close to hers and gave her cheek a light, playful lick. Hmm! A tiny bit salty!
"I can taste the flavor of fear mixed into your shock, Sister Bai~"
"Xiao Han, what are you doing!" Sister Bai instinctively covered her face—though she only did so after I had finished. She'd had plenty of chances to stop me before I stuck my tongue out, but she hadn't.
"I've made further progress in Body Cultivation~ My Five Senses are so sharp I can even feel emotional fluctuations through them."
"Five Senses?" Sister Bai repeated instinctively.
She had practiced Emotion Body Cultivation, of course; it was a special power system based on Heart Sense.
"Impossible to guard against, right? In Body Cultivation, nothing is impossible; there are only things that are temporarily impossible," I said seriously. "Why should you be afraid for me, Sister Bai? I don't want you to be afraid. I have confidence! Don't forget... my Life Clones have Self-Awakened Body Cultivation too."
As Sister Bai took in every word, she gradually began to understand.
That's right... the successful example was right in front of her. Xiao Han loved challenging the impossible. Why wasn't she encouraging her instead of instinctively worrying?
Why was she fretting over things that hadn't happened yet?
Why couldn't she just trust Xiao Han?
"Sister Bai!"
"Ah... yes? What is it?" Sister Bai snapped out of her thoughts at my call, meeting my serious gaze.
"I want you to have Self-Awakened Body Cultivation too. That way, you and I will be the same, and you won't have to worry or think so much anymore."
* * *
After leaving the training grounds of the Witch Branch Academy, my Body Cultivation Clone immediately contacted Cleveland and Millian.
The meeting would take place at the headquarters of the Baking House Club. They were among the few people I currently trusted, along with Tan Han, the Shopkeeper, and the others.
Some truths could not be hidden forever.
However, some truths also needed to be hidden appropriately. Before revealing this reality to the United Club, it was absolutely necessary to use a Witch Contract as a binding measure to ensure they wouldn't spread the word recklessly.
After all, the purpose of knowing the truth was to create motivation through the pressure of a crisis.
At the Baking House Club headquarters.
Following my summons, the Shopkeeper, Tan Han, and the others were the first to arrive. Cleveland and Millian were still busy with their current tasks.
The Main World was currently in a period of upheaval, and any major decisions or developmental directions required their personal oversight.
Fortunately, the No. 0 Combat Sequence had not been deployed yet; otherwise, they would have been even busier.
However, when I called, they would make sure to come, no matter what.