Chapter 285: Life Elucidation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 285: Life Elucidation
Ji Niang stood to the side, quiet and still. Ever since the Academy Dean had spoken to her, she had remained silent.
Though she appeared calm on the surface, a storm was raging in her heart. Is this really the kind of thing an Academy Dean should be discussing with a student?
The Academy Dean wasn't the girl's mother. Ji Niang could see the care the Dean was showing her, which left only one possible explanation: Yang Yuehan played a vital role in the Dean's layout for the Great Spellbook.
Ji Niang never regretted tricking Yang Yuehan into the Witch Academy. Even if Yang Yuehan’s initial appearance among the high-level Transcendent Witches carried a different weight, the Dean’s current, seemingly casual actions might add even greater value. It would force those Transcendent Witches, who prided themselves on their Real Five Senses, to realize that even Floating World Level Spirit Vision was still, fundamentally, Floating World Level.
Meanwhile, the Academy Dean seemed slightly surprised by my question.
"Life... that is a topic I intended to discuss with you eventually. Since you brought it up first, let's start there."
"First, to answer your question: why aren't dream creatures considered 'life'? The definition of life is defined by... well, life. More accurately, it is defined by the existences in the Void who hold absolute discourse power. Dreams and the Void are different. Simply put, the Void does not recognize dream creatures as life; therefore, in the Void, dream creatures are meaningless."
"Can you imagine the scenario? If dream creatures were life and the Void acknowledged them, it would mean they possessed Primal Spell Sequences. If you used such a Primal Spell in combat, your opponent would ask, 'Where is your summoned creature?' or 'What on earth did you just transform into?'"
"And you would be forced to say you summoned a dream creature from your own dream. It would be a joke—at least, as things stand now, it would be a complete joke."
"Dream and Reality—there is an absolute boundary between these two existences. Do you understand?"
"Uh... I think I get the gist of it..." I hesitated, then nodded.
"The gist... good. It’s better that you don't fully understand it yet. Since you've chosen this path, you must not establish absolute cognitive concepts for yourself. You have every reason to doubt anything. According to my information, what I just told you might be rewritten very soon. Maybe in the next second, maybe next year, or perhaps in ten thousand years. In short, never underestimate the speed of Transcendent development."
"Understood." I nodded. The Transcendent world was a world of progress, much like a technological one. At its core, both were about the development and utilization of energy.
Technology constantly explored the development of energy; the application of that energy was 'tech,' represented by battleships, technological creations, and so on.
The Transcendent path was the same. The application of energy was 'art'—alchemy and Real Editing were the representative forms I had encountered so far.
What the Academy Dean was telling me now was like mathematical formulas or theorems; they, too, could be overturned at any time.
"Now, let me talk to you about life. In your understanding, what is life? I don't expect you to get it right immediately. I just want to know your initial definition. What is the most fundamental expression of life?"
"Life is... the soul?" I said tentatively. In my previous life, I would have used jargon about metabolism in organic organisms. But now that I had transmigrated, I believed in the existence of the soul.
So, was the ultimate expression of life the soul? And the physical body?
"Well... at least for now, that is the case. But the early Void did not think so. The elucidation of life has also evolved continuously. Every revolution in the definition of life has been accompanied by death and rebirth."
"Let me briefly explain the history of Life Elucidation in the Void. This is something your teacher should have told you." As the Dean spoke, her gaze drifted toward Ji Niang, who was listening intently.
Ji Niang felt the Dean's gaze but feigned composure. Internally, she was grumbling. She had already taught Xiao Han far more than she was supposed to, and the history of life development wasn't even part of a mentor's curriculum. Even after most students graduated, they remained ignorant of this information.
Transcendent Witches who disliked history couldn't even recount these historical stages; they simply had no concept of them. Only ancient Transcendent Witches, bored enough to look back on a whim, would know this.
"The earliest definition of life in the Void was 'Life Energy'—a primordial energy that constitutes oneself. This was the First Life Elucidation. At the time, this theory rejected the idea that life was merely the metabolic activity of organic organisms. The existence of energy-based life further proved this point, denying that life was purely a matter of metabolism."
"That was the First Life Elucidation. However, as this theory spread, problems arose. Numerous cases began to prove it wrong, attempting to overturn it. Life energy alone was insufficient to define life."
"The fatal blow to this theory came from the actions of a certain madman. That individual instigated a vast cleansing of the Void known as the Mechanical Calamity. You can probably guess from the name, right? Simply put, they were robots—but not just robots. That madman used life energy as a power source, granting inorganic matter, metal, and stone what they defined as 'life' to seize territory in the Void."
"Such behavior was considered a profanation of life. No one wanted to be categorized alongside these man-made creations of metal and stone. Yet, ironically, this act of profaning the old Life Elucidation acted as a positive stimulus for the entire Void. It became a ritual—a term for a new elucidation of life overturning an old one: a Life Profanation Ritual."
"Heeding the warning of the first profanation, the Second Life Elucidation appeared: Memory."
"The essence of life is memory. If memory is not destroyed, life does not perish. That was the slogan when the new elucidation emerged."
"But if you examine it closely, you'll find this was just a step forward from the Life Energy theory. The 'Memory is Life' theory simply subsumed life energy as a part of life. The definition of memory was intended to permanently exclude the programs, databases, and information of mechanical life."
"The first and second elucidations were essentially a refinement of the definition. As long as memory persisted, life energy didn't matter—as long as you had it, you were life."
"Speaking of which, you should be able to guess what the significance of these elucidations is most important for, right? Exactly: Resurrection Spells. The elucidation of life directly guides the development and prosperity of resurrection magic. No one is unafraid of death—not even long-lived species, except for those who have lived long enough to be tired of it." The Academy Dean added this as a bit of trivia for my education.
"Back to the topic. The Third Life Elucidation overturned the previous two. If the second proved that life energy wasn't a strict necessity, the third proved that memory wasn't either."
"Before the Third Life Elucidation, there was another landmark Life Profanation Ritual. It seems the madmen of the Void are forever the natural enemies of the arrogant. The Zerg Calamity—an existence that perfectly fit the definition of life held by those people."
"The birth of those insects was ugly and ignorant, but they truly possessed life energy and their own memories, even if those memories differed from what people wished to recognize."
"At the time, some tried to use the definition of memory to deny that those creatures were life, but they were quickly proven wrong. That is why I call those people 'the arrogant.' There is but a thin line between a madman and a genius. Their struggles only served to further dismantle their own elucidation of life."
"They split into many factions. Some stood by the correctness of the elucidation, while others wanted to deny the Zerg were life. That period was the darkest time in the Void. Can you imagine not daring to use the Resurrection Spell you rely on because you aren't sure if it's 'true' resurrection? That was the period when the population of the Void declined the fastest."
"The abandonment of Resurrection Spells, combined with the devouring Zerg army, was an existence far more terrifying than the Mechanical Calamity. They consumed anything that could be called a resource, leaving behind Void ruins that were worthless to keep but painful to lose."
"I won't dwell on the details. Let's move to the Third Life Elucidation: Soul Essence."
"The emergence of this theory utilized proofs from many fields, including but not limited to the analysis of Ley Lines, World Consciousness, and the way worlds operate."
"In the rush to find the true elucidation of life, this theory led to a massive number of worlds in the Void being sacrificed for analysis. Such things were common during that dark era. Ultimately, they discovered a deeper essence of life: Soul Essence."
"The concept of 'Soul' was the new elucidation, and 'Essence' represented both the form and the nature of life. As an elucidation, Soul Essence was the longest-accepted explanation, to the point that the Void began to forget the exploration of life definitions and the acts of profanation. These concepts became distant history."
"During this time, something quite funny happened. The Zerg underwent another leap, granting them the nature of Soul Essence. Such is the persistence of madmen. The Zerg were forced to be recognized as life. You could say the Second Life Elucidation was entirely the arrogant self-destruction of those people; the Zerg's existence merely created the external pressure that forced the birth of the Soul Essence theory."
"Soul Essence..." I chewed on the term. This seemed to be the widely accepted form of life in my current world. "Then... the Fourth Life Elucidation is the Soul?"
"Correct. The Fourth Life Elucidation is the Soul. This time, the elucidation is heavily linked to our Witch race. Or rather, it was the Witch race that led its promotion. The name of the Great One who elucidated this viewpoint has been erased, as she has already ascended to become a pillar of the Witch race—a Truth Witch, code-named: Soul."
"Unofficial histories record her name as... Lian... but that is meaningless. A Truth Witch's code name is more important than her name. Unfortunately, rumor has it that this Truth Witch is an Otaku Witch. She picked a random Witch Academy at the edge of the Void to conduct her eternal Soul project. The promotion of the Soul life concept currently relies entirely on the Primal Witch, and the first to benefit are all Transcendent Witches."
"Soul? Project?" Hearing these keywords, I immediately thought of what Sister Bai had told me. Wasn't Sister Bai's project the Soul?
"Yes. The Soul concept has become a popular choice for projects, and it is gradually becoming the threshold for ascending to a Transcendent Witch." As she said this, the Dean gave me a meaningful look that I didn't catch before returning to her usual expression.
"Thus, we are currently in the midst of a revolution in the Void. Generally, Resurrection Spells can be used normally because even the Primal Witch believes this Fourth Life Elucidation is a refinement of the previous one, much like the second was to the first. However, Xiao Han, I hope you will avoid using Resurrection Spells if possible. Can you do that?"
"Yes! I'll do my best." I nodded, making a mental note. I had already promised Sister Bai the same thing. I wouldn't gamble with my life, and if even the Academy Dean was saying this, there was definitely a problem.
After all, who knew if I counted as a 'Soul' while the Witch Academy was still using the 'Soul Essence' version of resurrection?
"That covers the definition of life. The life recognized by the Witch race is the Soul. Therefore, if you want to turn those Fool's Dreams into true life, researching the Soul project is a necessity. As for wisdom, inspiration, cognition, and memory—those have been gradually refined into the definition over the long history of Life Elucidation."
"This is equivalent to you becoming a Transcendent Witch. Your life essence will be a Soul, and you must lead those Fool's Dreams to become life and obtain Souls."
"Note that the Fool's Dreams must ascend to become Souls. Creating life is no longer difficult for me, but creating a life that has never existed before—that is the challenge. If you create a life that already exists, even an extinct one, it won't work. You cannot derive a Primal Spell Sequence from such life. This involves the deeper workings of the Void."
"I see..." I nodded, looking every bit the diligent student. However, I still had a doubt. "Um... Academy Dean, the Fool's Dreams were originally dream creatures... can they really become a new life recognized by the Void? Didn't you say Dream and Reality are completely isolated?"
"Good question. Asking that shows you're thinking." The Dean nodded with satisfaction and quickly provided an answer.
"This brings us back to what I said about nothing being absolute. Are Dream and Reality truly isolated? We must look to the answer given by the Truth Witch code-named Soul: No!"
"The Soul Truth Witch's greatest contribution to the Witch race and the Void wasn't the elucidation of life, but her exploration of the soul. She found the Dream Authority within dreams. Relying on that authority, she blurred the boundary between dream and reality. You've used dream devices, right? Their convenient promotion and use owe much to the Soul Truth Witch."
"What is a dream? It is a surreal, disordered, illusory world comparable to the entire endless Void. In a broad sense, people categorize the dream world as part of the Void, but usually, the term 'Void' refers to the Reality Void."
"The chance to create new life in the Void would never fall to you. You must take a different path. By following the road opened by the Soul Truth Witch and blurring the boundary between reality and dreams, dream creatures finally have the possibility of becoming true life."
"This..." Hearing this, I finally realized just how hellish the difficulty of the trial the Dean had given me was!
It looked like a clever shortcut, but in reality, I had to grope my way through the dark with no path ahead of me!
This was a massive trap!
"What? Regretting it?"
"No... no..." I could only force myself to say. Anyway, the Dean hadn't set a deadline. I could just take my time.
Don't witches have long lifespans?
Slow and steady. If—and that's a big 'if'—I actually succeeded, the experience and accumulation I gained from dream creatures would allow me to create even more new life and obtain more Primal Spell Sequences. I wouldn't lose out, right?
After finishing the lecture on life, the Dean discussed some remaining trivial matters.
I realized then that the Fool's Dreams wouldn't be leaving the category of dream creatures anytime soon. It required a step-by-step layout.
I had thought I'd be able to pet a cute little cat-girl Fool's Dream after this trip, but it turned out it was still far off...
"That's the gist of it. If there are further arrangements, I will contact you directly. You two should head back; I've taken up enough of your time."
"Yes. Goodbye, Academy Dean."
Mei Lind watched as Ji Niang led me away until our figures vanished.
She could see that Xiao Han's essence was different from the people of this world. It was a Soul.
Though surprising, anomalies were common. However, the combination of a Soul and Innate Spirit Vision made her the first case in the Main World not to have gone insane.
The girl had also proven that the value of high-level Spirit Vision was terrifying. Thus, Mei Lind could not stand by and watch her be wasted and worn down within a Script. That would be far too extravagant a waste.
Initially, the Witch Academy hadn't placed much importance on such existences. But Yang Yuehan's appearance proved a possibility: that the combination of a Soul and the Main World's blessing—Spirit Vision—seemed to offer a new potential. A Soul seemed capable of withstanding the shock of the Spirit Vision blessing.
This, in turn, increased the value of the Main World's Scripts.
The Transcendent Witches of the academy looked much further ahead. Once the Child of Destiny created by a Script finished their story, they would carry the refined Luck and ascend to become a Destined Child—the darling of the Main World's consciousness.
By the hand of a Destined Child, the life essence of the Main World could be rewritten into Souls. Then, those with Innate Spirit Vision in this world would no longer be terminal cases, but true geniuses!
Just thinking about the current Yang Yuehan made Mei Lind realize how immense the value of this Main World would be if such a thing were accomplished!
Now, the academy faced a choice: Yang Yuehan or the Script?
No matter how much value Yang Yuehan showed, she was currently just adding chips to this specific Script.
They could distinguish between one genius and a steady stream of geniuses.
Since the academy was prepared to protect the Script at all costs, the best choice for maximizing current interests was to extract Yang Yuehan—who had shown a powerful ability to interfere with the Script—from it entirely.
Protecting Yang Yuehan and investing in her was Mei Lind's personal wish, for she did not know if every future Innate Spirit Vision user would be as unreasonably terrifying as Yang Yuehan.