Chapter 256: [Transcendent Knowledge] and Great Spellbooks
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 256: [Transcendent Knowledge] and Great Spellbooks
"Still not leaving? I thought you’d be itching to use those resources the moment you got your hands on them," Ji Niang asked, seeing that I hadn't moved.
"Um... I'm not in a hurry to use the resources, but before I go, I wanted to ask a few more questions about spellbooks."
"Oh? Back to spellbooks again? I’ve told you before—constantly jumping between paths and failing to specialize will only hurt you in the long run."
"Well... this is just part of the preliminary work. Teacher Ji Niang, I obtained a spell called Memory Bookshelf, and I want to give it a bit of a 'magic overhaul.' Copying everything by hand is just too much of a hassle..."
"The Memory Bookshelf... that non-restricted consumption spellbook? I know of it. You’ve already learned how to use it? The threshold for that one isn't exactly low."
She sighed. "Alright, fine. Looks like I’m going to be busy again. It’s rare for you to actually come to me with questions. Come on, let’s go to the laboratory."
Ji Niang tidied up her things. The moment she heard "Memory Bookshelf," she had a rough idea of what was going on.
I followed Teacher Ji Niang into the lab. No one had been here for days, so I used a Cleaning Spell to tidy up before we got down to business. But before we started, Teacher Ji Niang had something else to tell me.
"Xiao Han, I haven't actually told you what this research group I applied for is really about, have I?"
"Um... no, you haven't."
I nodded. Back then, Teacher Ji Niang had said I might not be qualified yet. After teaching me how to use Spirit Vision to parse the Fireball Spellbook, she’d mostly left me to my own devices. Since then, my path had strayed further and further from the norm. She hadn't interfered, though; she simply organized the results of my various experiments.
But this was a research group applied for by a Transcendent Witch. It couldn't just be a playground for me—at least not on the surface.
"At the time, I simply valued your ability—the fact that your Innate Spirit Vision had already reached the Floating World level."
"I see." I didn't say anything else. Without that ability, I never would have achieved what I have now.
"Even though you aren't a Transcendent yet, the world gave you a blessing—this Spirit Vision. It allowed you to bypass the prerequisites of Transcendence and see the world under Real Time ahead of schedule. Among Transcendents, this ability has a specific definition: True Vision, one of the Real Five Senses."
"The Real Five Senses?"
"It’s a cultivation technique related to the level of one's life force. Generally speaking, it’s a system one only qualifies to touch once they reach the Transcendent level. Because of your Innate Spirit Vision, you’ve essentially leapfrogged directly to the Floating World level through an alternative route."
"So, if I promote to Transcendent, I’ll immediately step into that so-called Floating World level of True Vision?"
I subconsciously swallowed. Didn't that mean I was miles ahead of everyone else?
"Yes. However, once you promote, the other four of your Real Five Senses will only be at the entry-level of Transcendence. You’ll have to cultivate and improve them slowly."
"I don't mind that... but since it's a cultivation technique, does that mean I can... start training to improve it now?"
"This is a blessing from the world; it doesn't follow the standard cultivation rules of the Real Five Senses. It can only be improved passively over time. There might be other ways to boost it, but currently, there are no significant methods—though using it frequently will certainly accelerate the process."
"So, Teacher Ji Niang, do you need to use my Spirit Vision for something?" I wasn't disappointed by her answer. I cleared my head and returned to the previous topic.
"Yes. I have mastered Real Editing Technology, and I want to create a brand-new Prototype Spellbook. But I can't do it alone. Do you understand? The massive gap in the Real Five Senses is my greatest obstacle. And of course, my ambition doesn't stop there."
"Creating a Prototype Spellbook?"
"Yes... or rather, editing a spellbook. It’s much the same. Based on the data I’ve gathered, creating a standard spellbook is easy for me—it would take a few dozen days at most. I could churn out a Basic Consumption Spellbook in about ten days. But that’s not what I want. What I’m after is... a Great Spellbook!"
"A Great Spellbook?" I was stunned by the term.
I could hear the sheer ambition in Ji Niang’s voice. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough information to fully grasp the scope of it, so I was a bit lost, but I knew she was aiming for something massive.
"Yes. I need your help. Even though you aren't a Transcendent yet, and there is a chasm between Floating World level Spirit Vision and Floating World level True Vision, the Floating World level is still the Floating World level. It can see things that I cannot..."
Ji Niang grew visibly excited as she spoke. This was likely the first time she had ever revealed her ambitions to me.
"Sorry... Xiao Han, I got a bit carried away. You don't understand the significance of a Great Spellbook, so it probably just sounds impressive yet incomprehensible. I’ll control my emotions... It’s just that this is the first time I’ve said this to anyone. It’s... a bit embarrassing, actually."
"Uh... I understand..." I never expected Teacher Ji Niang to feel embarrassed. How fascinating.
"I’m glad you do. Let me give you a brief rundown of the concept. Xiao Han, do you know the difference between a Small Spellbook and a regular Spellbook?"
"I do. Spells in a Small Spellbook don't have a Magic Ritual, while spells in a regular Spellbook do," I replied. I at least knew that much common sense.
"Then can you guess what a Great Spellbook has that a regular Spellbook doesn't?" Ji Niang looked at me with a smile. It was a question, but she didn't wait for me to answer. "It is [Transcendent Knowledge]."
"[Transcendent Knowledge]?"
Hearing that, my mind didn't immediately go to theoretical knowledge about Transcendence. Instead, I thought of a very specific thing—like the one Shopkeeper Xia Li wouldn't give up even if she were killed, and... the [Unparsed Transcendent Knowledge] in my own talents!
"Don't be nervous. I know your talent awakened [Transcendent Knowledge], but I won't steal it from you. I’m not capable of such a thing anyway. For the sake of my ambition, I have naturally prepared my own [Transcendent Knowledge]. However, I must warn you: the value of [Transcendent Knowledge] is far beyond your imagination. You must never tell another soul about it."
"But..."
"What is it? Do you know someone else who possesses [Transcendent Knowledge]? You mean Xia Li, don't you? Of course she can't protect something like that, but she is a part of the Script—a chip laid down by the Witch Academy for the narrative. Originally, she was meant for Tan Han... but the Script has become abnormal. Combined with your actions... it’s likely a result of the Script changing."
"So that's also..."
"Regardless, let’s not discuss that. You just need to understand that a Great Spellbook requires [Transcendent Knowledge]. And a Great Spellbook is something everyone fights for—including me. To be honest, even if I managed to create one, I wouldn't be able to keep it. I would have to donate it back to the Great Library of the Witch World... That is the weight of its value. Do you understand now?"
"I... I understand..."
Looking at Teacher Ji Niang, I subconsciously swallowed. A Great Spellbook created with [Transcendent Knowledge] was something even a Transcendent Witch like her couldn't hold onto?
What kind of heaven-defying object was that? I suddenly felt the true weight of the [Transcendent Knowledge] I possessed.
However, it seemed that [Transcendent Knowledge] that hadn't been crafted into a Great Spellbook was worth significantly less. At least, the Witch Academy was willing to leave it out as a plot point for the Script, and Teacher Ji Niang could possess it without feeling the need to steal mine...
"That’s enough of the serious talk. Don't worry too much; just don't go blabbing about it. Any witch who possesses [Transcendent Knowledge] and masters Real Editing Technology will have this ambition. There are many teams within the Witch Academy experimenting with the creation of Great Spellbooks."
Ji Niang offered a bit of comfort. After all, this was the Main World—a relatively safe place. That was why so many witches dared to dream of completing a Great Spellbook here, herself included.
The Witch Academy was less of a school for converting Main World humans into witches and more of a research base. Because of this, the academy’s faculty was overflowing with Transcendent Witches.
This led to the luxury where, in the higher years, a single Transcendent Witch might only mentor a few students. Some teachers didn't even bother holding classes at all.
Thus, the academy's "bad habit" of poaching students from other schools wasn't without a practical foundation.
"Enough of that. I’m telling you this now just so you have a baseline—so you know what I’m doing and what you need to do. Now, let’s get back to your Memory Bookshelf spellbook."
"Right."
I nodded. I needed a moment to process all these new settings. I didn't know why Teacher Ji Niang was giving me so much information that was currently out of my reach, but perhaps she felt that my future stage would extend far beyond this world.
Once my spellbook was deployed, Teacher Ji Niang and I began our collaborative research.
Yes, it was a collaboration, not top-down instruction. Teacher Ji Niang had a vast and profound theoretical foundation, while I was responsible for the practical application using Spirit Vision. After all, this spellbook was essentially mine; it couldn't even fully leave my side, or the spell effects and the knowledge base I’d built within it would collapse and vanish.
My request was simple: I wanted to change the recording format of the spellbook from manual transcription to visual recording. I thought it would be a simple modification, but the reality was... this one spellbook managed to stump both me and Teacher Ji Niang.
"Don't panic... I’ll use my clearance to look for more data on this thing elsewhere..."
"Uh... Mentor, why is it so hard just to change the effect slightly?"
"Hard? This is a normal timeframe. You can't expect anyone to be omniscient; even the Academy Dean has to look up references."
She continued, "Perhaps your perspective hasn't shifted yet. Witches have eternal lifespans; some things are destined to take a long time. Even for me, using Real Editing Technology to create a Prototype Spell like Fireball Spell takes over ten days. So, do you understand the difficulty of Derived Spells now? This is a non-restricted consumption spellbook, which is quite advanced. Just creating an extended application for it requires a massive price..."
"Then, Mentor, your Great Spellbook..."
"That is my lifelong ambition. Short-lived species can spend a lifetime pursuing a dream, and long-lived species can spend an eternal span of time to accomplish a single task."
"But... I recall the Witch Academy has a ten-year graduation cycle..."
"Are you saying you won't help your mentor once you graduate?"
"Uh... how could I? Of course I will! I want to witness the birth of a Great Spellbook too. After all, I... also have one, right?"
"At least you have a conscience." Teacher Ji Niang rolled her eyes at me and tossed some documents my way. "These are the Rune Rituals we might encounter during the overhaul. Study them for now. If there’s anything you don't understand, ask me later. Don't go trying to do anything without knowing the theory."
"Huh? I’m already moving on to Rune modification?" I took the documents. The runes on them didn't match the 300 Common Runes she had given me before; it seemed I had moved past the basic level.
"Of course. Haven't you already started touching upon runes? You can learn while you practice. In the future, when we research [Transcendent Knowledge], we’ll use this same learning model. A Great Spellbook isn't built in a day. Before we reach that point, we might create many Prototype Spells for verification and experimentation. During this period, you’ll learn many spells and gain knowledge of Rune Rituals. This is the study plan I’ve arranged for you after your course exemptions... If all goes well, I’ll be the one taking you on as a mentor three years from now, if you’re still willing."
After saying that, Teacher Ji Niang headed toward her office, looking like she was ready to get serious.
I looked at the Memory Bookshelf spellbook and felt a bit overwhelmed. I never expected a random idea to turn into something like this...
It looked like... I wouldn't be finishing this today!
And indeed, I was busy until nightfall. Just as I suspected, we didn't finish, but Teacher Ji Niang had found a lead. With that direction, she predicted we could finish tomorrow.
It was a pity, though; I’d have to break my promise to take my roommates to a Secret Realm today.
Who could have guessed the academy would hand out rewards today, or that a single thought of mine would keep me here until now?
Before leaving, I had to exchange the items. After all, I’d already received the Spellbook Shelf Spellbook Teacher Ji Niang used for the exchange; I couldn't exactly be a deadbeat.
Fortunately, Teacher Ji Niang let me pick the resources myself. For things like Ley Line Memory crystals, she knew I could use Spirit Vision to see the information within, so she tacitly allowed me to cherry-pick.
Only a fool wouldn't keep the good stuff for themselves. Only things you can't use should be traded away.
This wasn't the time for schoolmate sentimentality. The rewards Ji Niang brought to the class were meant to be incentives—the most important part was the motivation, not the reward itself.
If you wanted the truly good stuff, you had to earn it yourself when the academy provided a stage to show off.
Those were Teacher Ji Niang’s exact words.
There were many such stages: the monthly theory assessments, unscheduled tests, small-scale tournaments you could apply for, or even joining a powerful club and participating in their activities—that was also a form of personal capability.
If a person couldn't open their mind, had no talent, and loved to complain, then such a person didn't deserve sympathy.
"You’ve divided these Ley Line Memories into several portions. What’s this for?"
"This largest portion is for the exchange. This small part is for Tu Xingyue; she’s the Vice Class Monitor managing the class, and I feel like I owe her a bit. And this portion is for my roommates."
"Heh, they’re certainly lucky to have you as a roommate."
"Can't be helped. There isn't much good stuff in these Ley Line Memories. If there were, I wouldn't be this generous. Out of a thousand... a full thousand crystals, I only found three memories useful to me. They really do live up to the name 'blind boxes.' The Ley Lines really remember everything, don't they?" I grumbled.
"Oh? Your standards are that high now? Only three you find valuable?" Ji Niang asked with a smile. "But that’s not unexpected. It fits the level of a freshman’s first reward. It’s just that you’ve acquired too many good things before, so you look down on these. However, based on the academy’s value definition for High Consumption Spellbooks, the value of these Ley Line Memories isn't enough."
"That’s why I’m looking at the rewards from the other academies... By the way, don't these things have labels telling me how to use them?"
"The one in your hand is a High Concentration Blood Essence Crystal from the Vampire Academy. Using it significantly increases the activity of the blood qi in your body and increases blood qi affinity. It also performs a destructive strengthening of the body. I suggest you don't use it."
"Huh?" I looked at the translucent, blood-red crystal in the small bottle and immediately pulled it away from me.
"What? Don't want it? Actually, if you don't want this, you probably won't want the good stuff from any of the other academies. Since you aren't of their race, you can't use those things perfectly—just like they wouldn't dare use our Mana Sources. You might as well keep it; you have plenty of other things to trade. Those are definitely things you can't use."
"True... I should have realized. Even if I can't use it, that doesn't hinder its value..."
"Pick the things that come in large, cheap quantities. We have a lot of people in our class; if you contribute too little, it’ll be gone in no time. I think this fruit is quite good—large quantity, limited effect. It’s something those muscle-heads from the Beast Academy like to eat. It repairs muscle damage and fatigue to a certain extent. While it can increase strength, it’s based on the premise of adding more muscle. Do you want it?"
"Uh... no, no thanks... I don't want to be covered in bulging muscles..." I waved my hand and settled on a second item that was cheap and plentiful.
With Teacher Ji Niang’s help, I finally cleared out all the equivalent items and got a rough idea of everything I’d acquired.
If I had to describe it: it was a total trap!
Those academies never intended for other schools to benefit from their rewards. From the academy's perspective, these rewards were just tokens to keep the Script moving, but for us students, these rewards were the whole point of the competition.
"Alright, you’ve wasted enough of my time. You should head back," Teacher Ji Niang said, shaking her head as she dismissed me.
"Right... Oh, I’m curious. Since most of the things they gave me are unusable, what happens when other academies get our Mana Sources? Or our spellbooks?"
"What do you mean, 'what happens'? Why are you curious about that? Stop prying into things that aren't your business. But if you’re really that curious, I suppose there’s no harm in telling you. If they get a Mana Source, let them use it."
"But I remember that after using a Mana Source..."
"They become a Prospective Witch. You know that, don't you? If they won't use it, we’ll help them use it," Teacher Ji Niang said with a smirk before finally shooing me out.