Chapter 360: Witch Physique
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 360: Witch Physique
"This should be the place. I didn't expect it to be here."
Sister Bai accompanied me to the location the Academy Dean had previously agreed upon.
It was a reception room within Ninglan Township Castle, but even before entering, I could tell something was different.
I gently pushed open the door within the dream. Looking at the empty reception room inside, I knew I’d used the wrong method to enter.
This place was overlaid with a spatial fold. In terms of feel, it was somewhat similar to the design of the Shopkeeper's private stash, yet the way one had to walk into the seal felt a bit like that time I accidentally stumbled into the street of charms.
After I closed the door, it was pushed open from the inside.
"You're here."
A figure stepped out and gave me an enthusiastic greeting. It was an academy mentor I didn't recognize.
My gaze instinctively drifted past her. The interior was no longer a simple reception room, but a fully equipped laboratory!
"Hello, Mentor," I said instinctively, looking at this unfamiliar Transcendent Witch.
"It's fine, it's fine. Come on in. We've been waiting for you~" This mentor didn't put on any airs at all. Seeing me, she warmly ushered me inside.
"Wait, Mentor..." Seeing that the other woman was only pulling Xiao Han along, Bai Yu spoke up hastily.
"Oh? Someone hasn't left yet? In principle, not just anyone is qualified to enter this place, you know?" The mentor seemed a bit surprised. She hadn't expected a student to still be lingering in Ninglan New City; by all accounts, the academy should have sent all students back several days ago.
"Then... alright. Can I wait outside? Just in this reception room."
"That's up to you."
"Um, Teacher, could you please make an exception? Sister Bai is my..." I chimed in with a request. After entering, I realized the space was huge. If Sister Bai could stay by my side...
"Your what? Your bestie? Since it's your request, Xiao Han, I can certainly make an exception."
"Eh?"
I stared at the mentor. I had only spoken up without much hope, and she just agreed?
What happened to your principles?
Who was the one who just said "in principle, it's not allowed"!
But these were minor matters. For witches, that was often the case. Just as I was about to say something else, a figure suddenly appeared behind me. Her hand ignored the boundary between reality and dreams, resting gently on my shoulder.
"Xiao Han, you've arrived. Let's go; let's not waste any more time."
"Okay."
Recognizing the Academy Dean's voice, I nodded in response.
"Since you're here, I expect you to refrain from any irrational behavior. Just watch from the side. You... well, you're a Prospective Witch now; you should understand the gravity of the situation."
The witch who had opened the door earlier walked over to Bai Yu and whispered a warning only she could hear. This had to be stated clearly beforehand. She knew exactly what kind of monumental feat they were about to attempt, and it allowed for zero accidents.
If this attempt succeeded, they would witness a feat that would undoubtedly be recorded in the Great Library of the witch world!
It could even lead to further development of the "Witchification" process, making it much easier for other races to transform into witches. After all, even if Self-Awakened Body Cultivators were extremely rare, their numbers were quite significant when looking at the scale of the entire Void.
"Xiao Han, relax. This attempt is just between you and me. The others are only here to observe and record. The most important part of this trial is your cooperation."
"Oh."
I nodded obediently, my gaze sweeping over the Transcendent Witches before finally settling on Sister Bai, who was standing quietly at the edge.
I hadn't expected all these witches to be here just to observe. Seeing so many of them earlier had nearly given me a fright; I’d thought I was about to be taken apart and studied piece by piece.
Once the preparations were complete, the Academy Dean waved her hand. A spell effect enveloped the central area reserved for her and me. Suddenly, everything outside became a blur.
"This is?"
"I was afraid you'd feel uncomfortable being stared at by so many eyes, so I used a spell to isolate us. Don't worry, it won't hinder their recording of the experiment. I just don't want their actions to distract you at a critical moment."
"So, like one-way glass?"
"Exactly. It's a minor spell from a spellbook inspired by one-way glass. Very practical, isn't it?"
"Indeed," I nodded.
In a way, technology was a craft much like magic; both could achieve things ordinary people couldn't even imagine.
"Now, for the first step: removing the Ley Line Shackles." Once I was ready, the Academy Dean revealed her decisive side, cutting straight to the chase without any dallying.
I saw the Academy Dean reach out. At that moment, the Ley Line Shackles rooted in my soul began to tremble.
"You can see the Ley Line Shackles now? I didn't pay much attention before. How did you manage that? Relying on Floating World Level Spirit Vision?"
"Uh... yes. But before, even Floating World Level Spirit Vision couldn't see them. Wait, Academy Dean, if even Floating World Level can't see them, can you see them...?"
"I can't see them either. That's one of the reasons why Ley Line Shackles must be severed by the individual themselves. It's incredibly troublesome if someone else tries to help. The Ley Line Shackles are an abstract concept formed by the Ley Lines; one can only perceive them by relying on oneself," the Academy Dean explained.
"I see... Then for you to be able to help me, Academy Dean, aren't you amazing?"
"Not as amazing as you. You said you can see them now, but couldn't before. What did you mean?"
"Oh, earlier I used Luck and Spirit Vision to locate the Ley Line Shackles through a spellbook and a Mana Source. Then I went to a strange place and saw the River of Ley Lines..."
"You know about the River of Ley Lines? You actually saw it?" The Academy Dean's movements froze for a second as she asked in astonishment.
"Ah? It really is called the River of Ley Lines?"
"Yes, that is indeed its name. And then?" The Academy Dean quietly suppressed her emotions and continued her questioning.
"Then I touched a branch that pointed toward me. After that, I received information feedback from the River of Ley Lines. Eventually, I could see the information feedback of the Ley Line Shackles inside my body. That is to say, I saw the Ley Line Shackles using Spirit Vision."
"Receiving information feedback... Is that how you understand Spirit Vision?"
"Is it not?" I asked curiously. Did Spirit Vision have other uses?
"There's nothing wrong with that. It's good; everyone has the freedom to understand the world from their own perspective. Since you can see the Ley Line Shackles, cooperate with me. It'll save me a lot of effort."
"Alright."
I nodded and agreed. I hadn't expected there to be things even the Academy Dean couldn't do... Truly, the world is just one giant, improvised stage crew... Perhaps, stripped of her title, the Academy Dean was just an ordinary Transcendent Witch like Teacher Ji Niang?
Of course, I was just idly thinking. I still had to cooperate properly.
With my help, the Academy Dean's progress was indeed rapid, though it wasn't instantaneous.
After all, the Ley Line Shackles were an abstract concept. My "seeing" them was one thing, but it wasn't something the Academy Dean could just grab simply because I pointed it out. She had to slowly perceive them based on my descriptions until she found the source.
"Found it."
After working for quite a while, the Academy Dean finally succeeded. Then, she suddenly exerted force. Countless runes—some familiar, some not—began to circulate. At that moment, a bright red, still-beating heart suddenly appeared in her hand, surrounded by runes. When I looked again, her hand was empty, and the Ley Line Shackles shattered with a roar.
In that instant, I felt something snap in my mind. A sensation I had never experienced before flooded my consciousness.
It was a feeling of absolute clarity, like the coolness of mint... but before I could savor it for long, a powerful sense of oppression struck.
"Ugh... This! What is this!"
It felt as if I had suddenly been plunged into deep water. A powerful repulsive force was frantically squeezing my soul.
"It's alright. This is the rejection force from the World Consciousness toward an outsider." The Academy Dean pressed a hand down on me, and the repulsive force instantly receded like a tide.
"This... this rejection force is that terrifying?"
Recalling the sensation just now, it was like being thrust into the depths of the ocean. That feeling of suffocation and powerlessness, combined with the omnipresent, crushing external pressure, had been squeezing my very existence...
"Don't worry, I'm here. Once this rejection force realizes it cannot expel you from the Main World, it will stop and transform into a Bad Luck Curse."
"Eh? That fast?!"
"Yes. And even dispelling or purification spells are useless against it."
"This... this curse is that vicious? No spell works?"
"They're mostly useless. You can purify it, but the curse will just target you again the next moment. If you use such methods too often, you might even receive 'special attention' from the World Consciousness, making the Bad Luck Curse even more terrifying. As long as you remain in this world, this curse will not vanish."
"Fine... alright..." I abandoned the idea of using those methods. It would be like drinking poison to quench thirst.
Gaining freedom required paying a price; I understood that much.
"Right, Academy Dean, didn't you say that severing the Ley Line Shackles requires a price equal to or even far exceeding my own value? Why was it... so easy..."
"What do you think the power I used to break your shackles was? It's a ritual developed specifically to counter the severing of Ley Line Shackles. You can think of it as a Sacrifice Ritual. The thing sacrificed is the price you pay, and the recipient of the sacrifice is the World Consciousness."
"So... it was completed just now? That thing..."
"Was the heart of a Demon Lord," the Academy Dean explained.
"What? A Demon Lord? A heart?!"
"Yes, generously donated by a helpful demon. You've made a profit. You must understand, you don't even have a body right now, only your soul essence. Even so, severing the Ley Line Shackles consumed the entire power source of a Transcendent demon. No one would normally make such a losing trade."
"I... I see."
I hadn't expected the Academy Dean to use the heart of a Transcendent being right off the bat! And a power source at that. Trading a Transcendent being to the World Consciousness for an ordinary person was indeed a bad business deal.
And the Academy Dean said it was "generously donated by a helpful demon"... Why didn't I believe that?
Come to think of it, the ones who attacked us before were demons... Did the Academy Dean storm their home base?
No, no, that's the Abyss. The Academy Dean probably wouldn't venture there alone...
"Alright, don't overthink it. You are far more valuable than a Transcendent demon. Next is the reshaping of your body. You know what level we need to achieve."
"Yes." I nodded in understanding.
Reshaping a body was actually quite simple, but what we wanted wasn't just a simple reconstruction. We wanted to achieve the unprecedented: a non-Transcendent Witch possessing the innate talent of Self-Generated Mana!
As long as I had an innate physical talent with the same properties as mana, it would be possible for a Mana Source to be hosted within me.
To accomplish this, we had to introduce another concept: "Physique."
There are many types of physiques. Or rather, as long as a race exists, they can name their physique after their race.
The most famous is likely the Elemental Body Constitution of elemental lifeforms.
It sounds a bit like a transformation spell, so the concept of "physique" overlaps with transformation magic. However, you cannot say a physique is a spell; that doesn't make sense, and proud mages wouldn't admit it either.
The boundary between a physique and a transformation spell is the duration of the effect. A permanent change to the body is a physique, while a temporary change is a spell effect. Most transformation spells are actually evolved from physiques.
However, there is one exception. The world is vast and full of wonders; when you try to define or set boundaries for something, you have to categorize the scope of application because there is a type of magic that refuses to listen to reason: "Great Spells."
Spells with permanent effects. Because Great Spells exist, there are naturally Grand Transformation Spells, such as the Grand Catgirl Transformation Spell.
Don't ask if such a spell is useful; just ask if it exists.
As long as it exists, it must be taken into account.
Therefore, Great Spells are usually excluded from standard spell classifications. If you remove what doesn't fit, what remains is correct. It's that simple.
The physique I needed now was a Witch Physique. In fact, I had already come into contact with the Witch Physique through the "Witchification process" brought by the Mana Source. That was a form of physical transformation. The plan proposed by the Academy Dean was to construct a Witch Physique centered on the Mana Source, reverse-engineering the way a Witch Physique gives birth to a Mana Source.
Essentially, it meant using my power as a Self-Awakened Body Cultivator to frantically push the Witchification process forward in a short amount of time.
However, this was only a change in physique, not life level. So, even if I obtained a Witch Physique and had Self-Generated Mana, it didn't mean I had become a Transcendent Witch.
At most, I would be in a special state—a "Prospective Witch." Usually, "Prospective Witch" was a term used for students about to promote to Transcendent Witches.
One could say that what the Academy Dean and I were doing now was compressing the entire process that senior sisters took over a decade to complete into a single experiment.
"Are you ready? Now I'm going to explain in detail how we need to cooperate," the Academy Dean said, holding my Mana Sources.
"Yes, I'm ready," I nodded.
"By the way, take this Memory Bookshelf spellbook. When I severed the Ley Line Shackles, I made sure not to let this spellbook lose its connection to you. If the effect generated by this spellbook loses its connection to the user, the Memory Bookshelf you've constructed will instantly collapse."
"Oh... right! Thank you, Academy Dean!" I realized with a start and thanked her quickly. My previous efforts almost went to waste!
"It's fine. After all, if you didn't have the Memory Bookshelf spellbook, what I'm about to say might waste a lot of my time. As you know, knowledge isn't something that can always be learned in one go, but the Memory Bookshelf can help you remember it instantly."