Chapter 444: Sister Bai, I’m Done Being a Student!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 444: Sister Bai, I’m Done Being a Student!
Stepping out of the Dean’s office, I was caught in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions—half soaring with excitement, half weighed down by unease.
The Dean hadn't summoned me to press-gang me into manual labor or some secret mission, as Mentor Dinah had feared. Instead, she had focused specifically on matters regarding the new batch of teachers.
She had been incredibly transparent with her hints. She might as well have said it outright: Sister Bai was coming back.
In all likelihood, Sister Bai was among this new group of instructors; otherwise, there would have been no reason for the Dean to go out of her way to call me in.
The prospect of seeing Sister Bai again filled me with such intense joy that my spirit remained in a state of lingering hyper-arousal even now.
But then, a single sentence about how the Academy "discouraged" teacher-student romances had left me completely dazed...
The Dean’s lecture on the subject suggested that "discouraged" was a massive understatement.
The primary issue was objective: a Transcendent Witch and a Prospective Witch—or even a Prospective Witch—were essentially two different species. Even if a witch’s outward appearance closely resembled a human’s, the gap in their life levels was an immutable fact.
Then there was the matter of "Witchification." After ascending to a Transcendent Witch, the process of Witchification tends to reach completion in a very short time. At its core, Witchification is a form of racial assimilation. Unlike other races where a transformation might lead to a mismatch between body and mind, witches have no such concerns. They have long possessed a systematic method of "assimilation"—the gradual, subtle process of Witchification that begins the moment one first makes contact with mana.
The sense of shared identity among witches is incredibly strong, but they tend to be indifferent toward those who are not of their kind. Unless the other party is a Transcendent on the same level as a witch, they rarely have the right to speak as equals.
So, while the Witch Academy might appear to be teaching a group of people how to become witches, in the eyes of the actual witches, they don't truly view the students as their own kind. They don't even view them as "witch cubs" or "future kin." A natural-born witch cub is a Transcendent from the moment of birth; that fundamental essence of life is simply different.
According to investigations, the relationship most witches at the Academy have with their students is actually very similar to that of a master and a pet. It is a form of affection based on a top-down bestowal of grace—a fact that is never proactively revealed to the students.
Without knowing the truth, many students simply assume they are their teacher’s favorite. What they don't realize is that it might just be that their appearance happens to align perfectly with the witch’s aesthetic preferences.
After all, in witch circles, Witchification is often jokingly referred to as an "aesthetic preference modifier." The concept of Witchification can assimilate various races into forms that basically match a witch's personal tastes.
Since students who have undergone Witchification possess appearances that appeal to the majority of witches, the relationship between teacher and student is, in reality, extremely complicated.
Thus, the Academy’s policy of "discouraging" teacher-student romance might seem like it's blocking students from sucking up to their teachers, but it’s actually a roundabout way of protecting the students. A Transcendent Witch is destined to be the "heartbreaker" in the relationship—bestowing affection unilaterally one moment and potentially losing interest the next for any number of reasons.
From a witch’s perspective, they might never even realize this. It’s much like how humans, in the vast majority of cases, cannot spend their entire lives with a pet. Longevity is another major factor; any student who hasn't achieved the status of a Transcendent Witch faces the risk of never being able to ascend.
Furthermore, most witches are "aesthetic-sexual"—they are attracted to beauty. A human’s entire lifespan is but a negligible fraction of a witch’s life, followed quickly by aging and death. A human’s brilliance is like a vivid flower; they only earn a witch’s favor during the brief window when they are in full bloom. A witch might be fascinated at first, but after watching someone wither and age—even if they use magic potions to preserve the person's youth—most witches eventually choose to avoid such thankless endeavors once they have experienced the pain of parting and loss.
In that process, some witches learn to move on, while others might fall into a deep depression for a very long time.
So, the Dean had called me in partly to educate me on these facts and partly to ensure I was mentally prepared. She suspected that after living as a witch for a while, Bai Yu might have changed from the person I once knew.
At that, my heart skipped a beat. This was exactly the scenario I feared most...
I had even cast the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art on Sister Bai. What if she had suddenly achieved some sort of spiritual transcendence and looked down on mortal desires? Wouldn't I be left crying in the rain?
However, the Dean did offer some small comfort before moving on to other topics—specifically, my current situation.
My circumstances were fundamentally different from any other student in the Academy.
First, I had severed my Main World Ley Line Shackles. The significance of this act could not be overstated; its implications were profound.
If Transcendent Witches viewed the people of the Main World as pathetic pets kept in a cage, then I was a bird that had broken free.
Although breaking free meant facing the "harsh realities of society" that those inside the cage would never experience—namely, the Bad Luck Curse—that was currently being suppressed by the collar the Dean had given me.
When Transcendent Witches faced other students, it was like teaching them how to leave the cage through a set of bars. But when they taught me, that barrier was gone. Witches were even willing to take me to witness more of the beauty of the outside world, using more sophisticated means to teach me even more.
One could see it in the way the witches treated me; the difference between how they handled me versus other students was night and day.
Furthermore, by utilizing my Self-Awakened Body Cultivation, the Dean’s Metamorphic Incubation, and various other skills and theoretical knowledge, I had successfully birthed the innate witch talent of Self-Generated Mana. This caused the witches' sense of identification with me to transcend the "master and pet" emotional framework. They were more willing to view me as a "Little Witch."
From the Dean, I learned the true meaning of the "Little Witch" concept.
It didn't refer to any stage of a normal person’s journey toward becoming a Transcendent Witch. Instead, it referred to witches who had once reached the Transcendent level—or were born as Transcendents—but had fallen from that height for various reasons. These witches were called Little Witches.
They possessed the cognition and everything else of a Transcendent Witch, but their life essence had dropped, losing the "Transcendent" prefix. However, their Self-Generated Mana talent, their spellbooks, mana sources, and knowledge remained intact. These were the Little Witches.
In fact, the number of Little Witches was quite large. Many had suffered fundamental damage to their life essence and might never be able to ascend to Transcendent status again, their lifespans greatly reduced. Yet, they were still recognized as kin by other witches.
As for why such a large population of Little Witches existed, one had to mention the inherent nature of witches: their love for "fun," their pursuit of amusement, and their penchant for seeking out death.
With a nature like that among Transcendent Witches, was it any wonder the Little Witch community was so robust?
Those radical Transcendent Witches would go around the Void looking for trouble under the banner of "at worst, I'll just join my sisters in the Little Witch Club."
However, one had to understand that you could only return as a Little Witch if you survived. Most Transcendent Witches who danced on the edge of death either succeeded or died on the spot. Only a tiny fraction managed to be rescued by other witches and return with damaged life essence. It was a very specific, rare outcome.
This was proof enough of just how terrifying a witch’s death-seeking nature truly was.
Therefore, in the Dean’s eyes, my unique situation had turned me into a Little Witch who had "ascended" through a special method. Though I hadn't become a Little Witch through the traditional path, my existence was at least accepted by the witches within that framework.
The Dean even joked that if I walked into a Little Witch Mutual Aid Society, no witch would doubt my authenticity.
This was why I received more affection and care from the witches than other students.
But there was still a limit. I wasn't a Transcendent Witch yet, and I still couldn't speak to them as a true equal. I didn't have the right to be overly willful.
In truth, by saying all this, the Dean was simply explaining why I received special treatment and helping me understand my own position more clearly.
The Dean naturally knew about my relationship with Bai Yu, but she wouldn't interfere too much. She didn't understand Bai Yu’s feelings, nor did she know if the other woman would still be interested in the "Xiao Han" of the past. Thus, she could only offer advice, not demands. After all, as one of the Academy Deans, her primary concern was the Transcendent Witches.
So, the Dean could only provide me with a bit of a strategy.
For instance, she advised me not to do anything ridiculous like lunging at Sister Bai the moment I saw her. It would be best to first test the waters and see if our relationship could continue as it had before.
If it couldn't, and I insisted on harassing her, the Dean would have to uphold the law and punish me accordingly, regardless of any personal bias.
Bai Yu’s attitude was the prerequisite for everything.
If things couldn't be forced, the Dean suggested that focusing on ascending to a Transcendent Witch as soon as possible was more practical than being a persistent nuisance. At least once I became a Transcendent Witch, I would have the standing and the opportunity to pursue her again. The Witch Academy didn't forbid romance between teachers; that was a freedom reserved for witches.
And that was my only chance. If, after all the previous hardships, Bai Yu still couldn't forget me, the only thing standing between us would be my status as a "student."
To that end, the Dean offered me a choice: become a "Teaching Assistant."
Normally, the role of Teaching Assistant was filled by newly arrived mentor-level witches. However, Transcendent Witches didn't really need to serve as TAs to practice or improve their teaching skills.
Consequently, almost no new mentors chose the transitional TA phase, opting instead to teach their own independent courses.
But the position of Teaching Assistant was still necessary, which is why the Witch Academy had established the precedent of recruiting students as TAs—a practice that continued to this day.
Most mentors in the Transcendent Academy had their own affairs to attend to. Many trivial tasks and chores required a TA to complete. Some TAs even had to fill in for the teachers during lectures, as many witches had their own subjects or projects to research, and not every witch possessed a Clone Technique.
Furthermore, students with TA experience at the Witch Academy had a significant advantage if they wished to return as teachers after graduation.
However, it was incredibly difficult for a student to become a TA. You couldn't just do it because you wanted to. A TA was considered half a mentor; in most respects, they had moved beyond the scope of a student and were considered individuals who held a preliminary degree of power within the Witch Academy.
But that power was contingent upon the Transcendent Witch they served. If the witch felt the TA was overstepping their bounds, they could revoke the TA status at any time.
This dynamic only applied to students serving as TAs. If a Transcendent Witch became a TA, they could simply switch to another mentor or become an independent teacher without any issue.
The reason, of course, was that she was a Transcendent Witch. Her status was fixed; she couldn't be demoted to a student. At most, if she wasn't cut out for teaching, she would simply leave the Main World of her own accord.
So... if I wanted to continue being with Sister Bai, obtaining the status of a Teaching Assistant was essential.
And once I became a TA, I would no longer have to participate in the mandatory monthly exams, final exams, and other tests required of students.
Of course, the Dean had said those words specifically for my benefit. Since the founding of the Witch Academy, there had never been a "monster" with the strength and qualifications to be a TA before even finishing the three-year curriculum.
One could even say the rule about TAs being exempt from exams hadn't existed for very long.
I could naturally see the Dean’s encouragement and the subtext in her words. By exempting me from exams, it meant I wouldn't have to be involved in the "Scripts." By removing me—an unstable factor—everyone would be happy.
To sweeten the deal, the Dean even listed the Academy subsidies and benefits I would receive as a TA. She looked exactly like someone saying, "Hurry up and become a TA already, and stop wreaking havoc on the freshmen."
I felt quite helpless about it. I imagine this was the first time the Dean had ever hoped so fervently for someone to pass the Teaching Assistant test.
I had a feeling that if the Dean gave me a little push from behind, my path to qualification would be even smoother.
This proposal was a total win-win. The Academy would be happy to see an unstable factor removed, and I would be happy because I’d finally have the standing to officially get close to Sister Bai!
My gains from this trip were truly immense. I had learned so much and received wonderful news. The thought of Sister Bai’s return echoed in my mind incessantly.
It reached the point where I didn't want to do anything except wait for her arrival. Yet, deep down, a sliver of fear remained—a worry about just how much Witchification had changed her.
But I also knew that even if there was a chance Sister Bai no longer felt the same way about me, I wouldn't be a pathetic stalker.
Just as the Dean said, I would simply work twice as hard to ascend to a Transcendent Witch as soon as possible.
I wouldn't pester her or demand to know why, because that was meaningless. Lowly infatuation demands to know "Do you love me?" True love works silently to reach an equal level, to communicate as a peer. It is a mutual choice between two parties. The worst-case scenario would simply be moving on and parting ways amicably.
I wouldn't turn my feelings into a multiple-choice question and slap it in her face, forcing her to choose. That kind of emotion felt cheap to me; I would even feel bad for the person forced to make the choice.
Sister Bai was the most important person—no, witch—to me in this world. Therefore, I would treat everything related to her with the utmost seriousness.
With these thoughts in mind, I hurried back to my dorm. I realized I had lost control of my emotions, but when it came to Sister Bai, I was willing to let my emotions take a measured lead over my cognition.
To love without losing one's reason—that was my attitude.
Now, I’d better find something to do to kill the time...