Chapter 432: Advanced Ritual War Dance and Ley Line Spells
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 432: Advanced Ritual War Dance and Ley Line Spells
Morning.
After finishing my body tempering, I felt the buffs provided by the Primary Ritual War Dance diminish even further compared to before. It was probably time to switch to a new one.
After all, it was only a primary-level dance, representing the completion of a certain stage rather than something that could be improved indefinitely.
It’s time for a trip to the library, I thought, picking up my bottle and taking a few small sips of water.
"Are you leaving already?" Tao Ling, who had been nearby, immediately stepped forward when she saw me packing up.
"Yeah," I nodded.
Regarding this senior sister I met at the Body Training Hall, I could see her passion for body arts. The fact that she had mastered the power of Internal Energy was a testament to her hard work.
"I didn't expect you to leave so soon." She looked a bit surprised. After all, we hadn't seen each other for over a month, and now that we finally met again, she noticed my time spent on body cultivation had shortened. Naturally, she was curious.
"Yeah, the Primary Ritual War Dance can't really keep up with my rhythm anymore," I replied.
Of course, the main reason was that I had learned to control my time. I no longer spent half a day on a single session of meditation and body tempering like I used to. Everything has its limit; moderation is key.
After a brief exchange with this senior sister, who wasn't particularly good at communicating, I left.
For some reason, I always felt a strange sense of goodwill and a desire to chat with people who were socially awkward. Perhaps it was because we were all in the same boat and had common ground?
After all, you don't have to worry about saying the wrong thing to someone like that, because they’re likely thinking the same thing. Any slip-up is met with mutual, unspoken tolerance...
Wait... thinking about it that way, was I too harsh on everyone in the past?
Especially Tan Han...
So, is this what Sister Bai meant back then? If I couldn't tolerate even a single mistake from others, I really would end up with no friends at all.
In the end, I didn't say much more to Tao Ling. With a simple goodbye, I departed.
My destination was the library.
The monthly exam was tomorrow, so my timing was extremely tight. However, I wasn't panicking. People panic because their heads are empty; those who are prepared should be eager for the challenge.
Although I had never attended a single lecture, I had learned quite a lot. The teaching and testing at the Witch Academy weren't like the rote-learning, diploma-mill style of education from my previous life.
The positive feedback from learning transcendent knowledge was incredibly intense. What you learned became a skill you could immediately use. For me, at least, this temptation was impossible to resist—it was almost addictive.
When I arrived at the library, perhaps because it was the last day before the monthly exam, the place was packed. Most of the faces were youthful, possessing that brand of "innocent stupidity" typical of college students.
These were likely freshmen, or at most senior sisters a year or two ahead of me.
Maybe they just liked the study atmosphere here.
With a quick glance, I could tell some were just faking it to look hardworking, but others were truly buried in their studies.
The Witch Academy was a world-renowned transcendent academy, after all. Anyone who could get in was a genius in their own right.
I walked silently into the sea of books, heading straight for the body arts section based on my memory.
This was where I had found the body tempering technique, the Primary Ritual War Dance.
It didn't take long to find the advanced version. The name was still Ritual War Dance, but this was the "Advanced" edition.
I looked around to see if there were any further sequels in this series, but I found nothing. It seemed the book in my hand was the final part.
Realizing this... without a follow-up to the Ritual War Dance, I wouldn't be able to use this specific technique for rapid physical strengthening anymore. Perhaps in the future, I would have to learn a specific body art technique to indirectly improve my physical fitness.
Fundamentally speaking, even though I was a Body Cultivator, I hadn't actually learned a single formal body art technique. It was a bit improper, but what could I do? I was a Self-Awakened Body Cultivator. Others practiced body arts to obtain Internal Energy, but I had started with the power and was working backward to learn the techniques.
Maybe this is what they mean by not cherishing what comes too easily...
I didn't dwell on it too much and simply recorded the Advanced Ritual War Dance.
Before long, I finished reading the in-depth analysis of the Advanced Ritual War Dance.
I had to admit, it was far more complex than the primary version. However, with the integration provided by the Tree of Knowledge, I quickly deconstructed the physical movements of the dance back to their essence: Runes. Then, by cross-referencing the rune combinations, I gained a much deeper understanding of why the movements were designed that way.
One could say my method of learning was a total dimensional reduction strike against ordinary students.
While they were still struggling with practice, wondering if their form was standard or what the purpose of a specific move was, I had already used my own understanding and cognition to dismantle it from the root and then reverse-engineer the movements. It was like reliving the entire creative process of the dance.
If that isn't a dimensional reduction strike, what is?
Thinking outside the box is always the superior choice.
However, I soon frowned. The Advanced Ritual War Dance required an advanced body tempering ring to match. This meant the ring Sister Bai gave me had been "obsolete."
I couldn't bring myself to take it off, though. I'd buy a new one when I had the time. As a practical alchemy item, it certainly wouldn't be cheap.
After organizing my thoughts, I put down the Advanced Ritual War Dance book along with its annotations and detailed explanations. I now had a profound understanding of it; all that was left was to try it out tomorrow.
For the remaining time, I planned to look into books regarding Ley Lines.
After all, back in the small world, my main reason for wanting to return to the academy was to learn about Ley Line knowledge!
The research on my Tree of Knowledge had been stuck here for a long time, and I hadn't even found a starting point for the connection between the Tree of Knowledge and the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art.
After searching for a while, I finally found books related to Ley Lines.
Thinking back on Ley Line-related matters, Tan Han had once compiled some materials for me. Unfortunately, those descriptions weren't enough to give me a deep understanding. I needed to delve into its nature and characteristics.
Up until now, my understanding of Ley Lines was limited to the "bearing" and "inclusivity" of Ley Line energy.
It could carry almost any type of energy or transcendent energy, including matter, transcendent materials, memories, information, and data...
Furthermore, worlds born within the Void used Ley Lines as their core. It was as if a world was a fruit growing upon the Ley Lines.
I carried a stack of books, looking for a secluded corner to sit down, but I couldn't find one even after searching for ages. The library was unexpectedly crowded today, and the corners had long been claimed. After all, corners were quiet and out of sight—perfect for doing things you didn't want others to notice.
Just now, I saw two senior sisters sitting face-to-face in a corner, each holding a book, but their eyes were locked in an ambiguous gaze. One of them had extended a leg clad in black stockings, using her toes to gently toy with the other's hemline.
And the one being provoked... between the pages of the book she held, I caught a glimpse of a pink remote control...
Tsk tsk... they really know how to play.
After that silent observation, I headed back to the bookshelves. The library was kept very clean, and many senior sisters just sat directly on the floor. This was a common sight here.
Many people preferred to be alone in silence. The seating areas were crowded and could be distracting for those who wanted to read seriously.
Not to mention those senior sisters who were busy with their strange "play" in the library.
The area for Ley Line books was nearly empty. Ley Line knowledge was quite niche; the nature of Ley Line energy dictated that it wasn't an easy transcendent energy to master.
Its unique "world-locality" meant that once a transcendent being left their original world, their power system would fail to adapt to the Void outside.
If one was a "turtling camper" who never intended to leave their world, this wouldn't matter.
But I couldn't be so short-sighted. I wouldn't treat Ley Line energy as my primary source of power; I viewed it as a tool to be utilized—one that could be picked up or discarded at any time.
Time flew by. I finished more and more books, and my understanding of Ley Lines deepened significantly.
However, so far, none of the books I found perfectly solved the dilemma I was facing.
Ley Line energy is essentially a form of transcendent energy, so theoretically, life has an "affinity" for it. But this affinity isn't just linked to mental power; it's also related to Ley Line Shackles. The deeper a person's bond with the world, the higher their affinity for Ley Line energy. Of course, this also meant the Ley Line Shackles bound them more thoroughly.
According to my understanding, such people were mostly Children of Destiny or those deeply trapped in a Script. Although the books didn't use terms like "Child of Destiny" or "Script," I could infer this based on my own knowledge. So... are Scripts also related to Ley Lines to some extent?
I had always thought Scripts were related to Luck.
No wonder severing Ley Line Shackles allows one to fundamentally escape a Script. So that was the logic. As for someone like Qiu Ruxin, who severed her Ley Line Shackles but remained a Child of Destiny... it was likely out of necessity?
After all, Luck and Ley Lines seemed to be two different systems. The reason a Child of Destiny is pushed out of the Script is likely because those Secret Diggers have mastered the world's Script. To prevent them from killing the Child of Destiny, the world does this. Moreover, the Child of Destiny is just a "peripheral" to make [Transcendent Knowledge] take effect; the World Will only needs to ensure she doesn't die.
As for why Qiu Ruxin still had a Bad Luck Curse... I didn't know. At most, I could attribute it to the fact that she was from a small world's Will, not the Main World Consciousness.
Back to the issue of Ley Line energy.
Ley Line energy is a transcendent energy, so it can be utilized. The Main World's Ley Line system is proof of this. Not only that, but many devices in the Witch Academy—like Ley Line Projection and Ley Line Imaging—all utilize Ley Line energy.
So, Ley Lines can be used.
But I couldn't use them.
Did I really have to rely on external objects?
I was puzzled and could only continue searching.
"Wait! Found it!"
After skimming through countless books, I finally found what I was looking for in an inconspicuous section!
"Ley Line Spells! There's actually a specific category for this?" My eyes lit up, deeply interested in this unfamiliar branch of magic.
But soon, I was disappointed again...
"Ley Line Spells are innate spells possessed by Ley Line Life... they are among the spells that are nearly impossible to learn..."
Seeing this description, my heart sank. I couldn't learn this spell!
Although the text said "nearly impossible," which seemed to offer a sliver of hope, in reality, such a statement was even more despairing.
The person who wrote this book was surely well-versed. If someone of their stature said it was nearly impossible, then for the current me, it was as good as impossible.
However... one thing mentioned there surprised me: "Ley Line Life." It said Life, not creature.
This reminded me of dream creatures, like those cute Fool's Dream spirits.
According to the description, the discovery of Ley Line Life was considered incredible; at that time, it wasn't even considered "life" under the Life Elucidation.
But now that it was categorized as "Life"... didn't that mean there was a corresponding Transformation Spell for Ley Line Life?
If I had a Transformation Spell, could I then attempt Ley Line Spells?
The thought flashed through my mind and was immediately dismissed as impractical.
The academy likely didn't have such a spell, or if they did, it would be extremely difficult to obtain.
Even if my guess was right—that the Ley Line Life Transformation Technique was the threshold for learning Ley Line Spells—such a rare and precious spell wouldn't be in general circulation. I could ask the Academy Dean; she might know. But I couldn't just reach out and ask her for such a spell.
Even if my skin had thickened lately, it wasn't that thick. More importantly, that would be a massive favor to owe.
"There must be another way. If all else fails, I can try combining Alchemy with spells to use the Ley Line Identification Art..." I muttered to myself.
After all, there was a path right in front of me: the Ley Line system. I could study how it utilized Ley Line energy. But in the end, that was an external tool, not a spell I mastered myself.
But if I had to compromise for now, I could try that. I couldn't let a single obstacle halt the evolution of my Tree of Knowledge.
However, I now had a lead. I could use Ley Line Spells as a breakthrough. I didn't actually need to fully master Ley Line energy; I just needed to use the Tree of Knowledge to borrow the Ley Lines to gather data and information.
With that thought, I continued reading the book.
"Oh... so Ley Line Spells really can be learned using the Ley Line Life Transformation Technique as a threshold... Huh? There are other ways to learn them?!"