Chapter 460: Stripping Luck and Shattered [Transcendent Knowledge]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 460: Stripping Luck and Shattered [Transcendent Knowledge]
"You look a bit unfamiliar. Are you a new sister who just rotated into the academy?" One of the two mentors looked up at Bai Yu, her expression slightly surprised. After all, most of the Transcendent Witches in the Witch Academy were familiar faces, and witches generally had excellent memories. Some of the more social witches had essentially memorized every witch in the Main World.
Of course, certain reclusive Academic Witches might be equally unrecognizable.
However, the woman before her, while appearing young, possessed a certain "greenness" typical of a newly ascended witch. Thus, the mentor surmised she might be a recently rotated witch visiting the Main World for leisure.
"Yes, I am Bai Yu. I was originally a native of the Main World as well."
Bai Yu responded with a smile. Since they were all mentors at the Main World Witch Academy, there was no need to be cold or give them the cold shoulder.
After a brief exchange, Bai Yu stepped forward, acting as if she had only just noticed the young girl, Qiu Ruxin.
"Your name is Qiu Ruxin, right? I've heard Xiao Han mention you."
"Um..." Qiu Ruxin looked at Bai Yu with a complicated expression, momentarily at a loss for words. Was she supposed to say thank you to Sister Xiao Han for remembering her after going back, and for mentioning her to her girlfriend?
Although Sister Xiao Han had always said she had a girlfriend, facing her in person brought a strange, mounting pressure.
Moreover, there seemed to be a vague illusion of being targeted—perhaps it wasn't even an illusion...
Bai Yu and Qiu Ruxin’s conversation ended quickly since they shared no common topics. Instead, Bai Yu spent some time talking with the two mentors to get a handle on the current situation.
While they were conversing pleasantly, another witch arrived.
"Dean, why are you here?" one of the mentors asked in surprise.
"Oh? A newcomer? I heard the laughter and chatter, so of course I had to come check on your progress. Hmm? Xiao Han is here too?" Bev Alanna’s gaze swept across the room, noting the unfamiliar Bai Yu and spotting me as well.
"Hello, Dean," I said, standing to the side.
"Quite a coincidence," Bev remarked. She wasn't too surprised by my presence; her main concern was the Luck Seed. "How is the progress?"
"It's theoretically feasible now. If you hadn't come, Dean, we would have started collecting experimental data. The risks are currently manageable; we might be able to give it a try."
"That was fast. You mean we can try right now?"
"Of course. It's not like the two of us are novices who've never touched Luck research." The two mentors spoke to the Dean without much distance. Clearly, witches who actually got things done had the confidence to speak their minds.
"Since the key players are all here, let's begin the attempt. I heard Xiao Han still has things to do at the academy, so we should resolve this as quickly as possible." Dean Bev looked toward Bai Yu again, her smile carrying a hint of hidden meaning. She had clearly discerned the relationship between this witch and Xiao Han. Had Xiao Han been chased all the way here so soon after arriving?
"Wait, Dean, when you said 'key players,' you didn't include yourself, did you? Are you sure you aren't just here to watch the show?"
"What's wrong with watching? I'm responsible for emergency handling of anomalies and sudden situations. That's a very important position, okay?" Dean Bev shamelessly admitted she was just there to declare the start and had nothing else to do. Assigning herself the role of "safety officer," she settled in to watch.
After all, no matter how this went, the worst-case scenario was merely the dissipation of the [Transcendent Knowledge]. Had she not witnessed [Transcendent Knowledge] dissipate many times before?
She was long used to it. Not all [Transcendent Knowledge] in the hands of a witch could ultimately be crafted into a Great Spellbook. This was especially true during the final stage of creation, where it had to endure the trial of a Void Rift; many Great Spellbooks were swallowed by these rifts, and the [Transcendent Knowledge] would be returned to the Void in that unknown manner.
Did anyone truly think that old hag Mei Lind had placed the [Transcendent Knowledge] on Xiao Han purely for her benefit? She simply lacked the confidence to recreate the Great Weakening Spell herself. Even with the same [Transcendent Knowledge], the result wasn't guaranteed to be the Great Weakening Spell. Depending on the philosophy, ideas, and logic used, it could turn into a different spellbook entirely—perhaps a Great Amplification Spell? Or even a Great Curse Spell.
So, she was preparing, waiting until everything was foolproof. Of course, knowing Mei Lind’s personality, Bev Alanna suspected the woman didn't even care if the final result was the Great Weakening Spell. She only needed to ensure the Great Spellbook she created could survive the trial of the Void Rift.
And hadn't she experimented with a Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art during this time?
She had accumulated quite a bit of experience. From the fact that she gave that Great Spellbook to a student, Bev Alanna could pretty much conclude that Mei Lind didn't think much of it. Trading it for two Primal spell sequences was actually a small profit for her.
Even if the recipient died completely and the Great Spellbook returned to the Witch World's Great Library, she could still get some benefits from the Primal Witches.
Of course, the main reason she gave that Great Spellbook away was that she didn't have much research or understanding regarding Life. Her only means related to Life was her Metamorphic Incubation spellbook, which she used as a Resurrection Spell. Thus, she didn't want to deal with the trouble that came with serving that Great Spellbook—namely, Fool's Dream.
"Ruxin, don't be afraid. Just like before, sleep for a while and it will all be over."
Since the Dean had given the word to start, one of the mentors stepped in front of Qiu Ruxin. She performed a ritual hand seal, and Qiu Ruxin became drowsy. Under gentle guidance, her consciousness drifted into a deep sleep.
This wasn't ordinary hypnosis; it was a special state designed to facilitate the stripping of the Luck Seed.
If things went according to plan, stripping it would be ideal. Although there was currently no way to specifically graft a Luck Seed, it was an extremely rare "material."
Indeed, in the transcendent world, anything could serve as experimental material. A Luck Seed was no exception. Even though it wasn't a physical seed, its abstract nature made it difficult to strip and even harder to store once removed.
This was the home field of a small world, and they weren't Ley Line scholars. To be safe, they couldn't use the Ley Lines as a vessel. Besides, even if they wanted to intercept a Ley Line, none of the witches present knew how to do that kind of work.
At that moment, I was standing off to the side with Sister Bai, just hanging around. Since I was only acting as the "carrier," Sister Bai had come purely for my sake. If you asked her about research in this field, she wouldn't have a clue.
The Main World had always suppressed information regarding Luck, Scripts, and the like. It was only made public shortly before her graduation. Previously, anyone who accidentally came into contact with it was bound tightly by contracts.
I tugged on Sister Bai's sleeve and leaned closer to her. She instinctively reached out and put an arm around my shoulder.
Both of us watched the events unfold, treating it as a learning experience. At this level, observation was synonymous with learning—that was no joke.
At this moment, threads of Luck emerged, like chains extending from heaven and earth to imprison the Luck Seed.
Even without using Spirit Vision, I could see faint, wispy golden threads around us. However, what the naked eye saw wasn't Luck itself, but the interference with reality caused by the Luck being artificially tightened. It formed visible energy that coated the trajectories of Luck.
This fluctuation came in pulses. These visible golden threads would freeze for an instant, dissipate rapidly, and then leap out again in the next moment, flickering like frames in a film.
However, from the perspective of Real Time, the movement of the Luck threads was continuous.
I had previously learned that Luck did not belong to any form of transcendent energy. But looking at it now, Luck seemed capable of interfering with transcendent energy. In that case... could I understand Luck as... the mental power of the World Will, or rather, the World Consciousness?
But I had no evidence to support this wild hypothesis and analogy.
For now, I just needed to watch.
The process lasted a long time. The mentors were incredibly meticulous, not daring to make a single mistake. This was an attempt more mentally taxing than delicate surgery. Stripping a Luck Seed was even harder than they had imagined; theory was one thing, but practice was another.
Though I couldn't see or understand the technical progress of the experiment, I could see the state of the Luck. It would riot one moment and snap the next. The mentors seemed to be engaged in a magical tug-of-war with some entity. Judging by the pained expression on Qiu Ruxin's face, she was not in a good state.
"Ugh... ahhh!"
This was the countless time Qiu Ruxin had let out an uncontrollable wail. Her body had become the primary battlefield between the witches and the World Will, but this particular scream was especially intense.
As if feeling a heart-wrenching pain, her howl carried a surge of Luck that rippled outward, vibrating the Luck threads and causing the vast majority of them to snap in an instant...
Yet, Qiu Ruxin’s consciousness remained clear. Her eyes flew open as if her mind had returned to reality. It was as if she had just woken from a nightmare, her heart still pounding with lingering fear. She gasped for air, her chest heaving, and realized her throat was slightly raspy.
"It's done..."
With that declaration, the final thread of Luck in my vision was completely severed.
I wondered if it would have been easier to strip the Luck Seed back when those Secret Diggers were still around, but I quickly dismissed the thought.
Back then, the Luck within the seed was indeed minimal, but were the mentors just cutting threads of Luck just now?
No. I felt it was more appropriate to call them Luck Shackles. Truly... everything has its shackles...
The World's desire for control over its children was truly... powerful.
At that moment, the emerald Tears of the Mad Plant hanging around her neck let out a crisp cracking sound.
"Attention! The seed has left the host; the item is breaking!" one mentor warned, while the other moved to receive it.
I knew it was my turn. I could hang around for the rest of the process, but my sole purpose was to act as a vessel when the transcendent item shattered. I didn't need to do anything specific; I just had to follow the mentors' instructions.
Seeing me step forward, a mentor grabbed my arm and pulled me closer.
The emerald Tears of the Mad Plant was now covered in a dense web of cracks, clearly visible from this distance.
Pop!
With a soft sound, the pendant exploded into countless fine particles. They refracted the light into a dense, shimmering display, reflecting countless illusory runes.
"Wait! The [Transcendent Knowledge] is also shattered!" The mentors were stunned as they realized what was happening. Although they had prepared for the possibility that the [Transcendent Knowledge] couldn't be contained, they hadn't expected the World Will to have such a contingency. This was a "if I can't have it, no one can" move!
They hadn't realized the relationship between the Luck, the [Transcendent Knowledge], and the ritual within the transcendent item was like this. When the Luck was severed, the item was destroyed, which in turn triggered the deconstruction of the [Transcendent Knowledge], preparing it to be returned to the Void...
"I've got it!"
The Dean, who had been waiting for an opportunity, took on a serious expression. She could accept failure, but not a failure resulting from a lack of effort. This was a mistake! A mistake born of underestimating the enemy!
They hadn't expected a small world—one already invaded by others and developed solely through [Transcendent Knowledge]—to play so many tricks on them...
They really had underestimated it. Or rather, they had never viewed this small world as an enemy, but as a piece of meat ready to be eaten. They had stayed in the Main World for so long, enjoying the peace, that they had forgotten the volatile nature of the Void itself...
This only strengthened her resolve to stir up trouble in the Main World. It had been peaceful for too long. When she returned, she would make those conservative witches—the ones hiding under the guise of the radical faction—realize what "radical" truly meant!
Meanwhile, as I realized that this shimmering light was the essence of the [Transcendent Knowledge], my vision was suddenly covered by a blur of pixels.
Countless runes and rituals surged toward me at a frantic speed.
"This is..." In the moment my consciousness remained clear, I only had time to realize that my perception was leaving me. This was the absolute control over the body granted to me by Body Cultivation.
Losing the perception of my five senses meant my consciousness was detaching from my body. In common terms... I was fainting.
With my senses gone, my vision turned to darkness. No... it was nothingness. Even the concept of the color black didn't exist here. I felt as if I had fallen into the depths of my consciousness. I kept walking forward until my "vision" was blocked by a giant tree. No, it wasn't blocking my path... it was the destination my consciousness needed to reach.
"Why are you here?"
A familiar voice called out. It was my own voice...
* * *
Back in the outside world.
"As expected... the [Transcendent Knowledge] was actually taken by Xiao Han... Wait! Something's wrong!" Bev Alanna saw that the [Transcendent Knowledge] hadn't been returned to the Void by the World Will's trap.
But before she could celebrate, a sudden fluctuation caused her face to pale!
"Everyone, get back! Bai Yu, you too! Don't go near!" Bev Alanna roared every word, even as she rushed forward herself.
At that moment, on the ground where I had collapsed, space began to warp. A moment later, a deep rift tore through the fragile space.
"Dammit, a real Void Rift? What did that World Will do to make a Void Rift come to reclaim the [Transcendent Knowledge]?" Bev Alanna’s expression was grim, but she soon realized the rift had been opened by the [Transcendent Knowledge] itself. She sighed in relief...
It seemed it had nothing to do with the World Will. However, this meant the [Transcendent Knowledge] had not recognized its host and was autonomously deconstructing to return to the Void...
As for Xiao Han using the [Transcendent Knowledge] to construct a Great Spellbook?
She dismissed that idea immediately. Setting aside the fact that Xiao Han couldn't do it... what kind of Great Spellbook formation only drew a single Void Rift?
Even opening this one rift was a struggle; it couldn't even manage a second one.
Still, precautions had to be taken. They were within the Main World's Void range, and she had heard that when May created her Great Spellbook last time, someone had managed to sneak into the Main World.
"One of you go into the Void and check. Don't let any scavengers wandering nearby catch the scent of the Void Rift and try to steal our prize. If you see anyone, kill them with extreme prejudice as a deterrent. I'll handle smoothing over the Void Rift."